And are hitting the campaign trail. And the u. S. Congress has convened with republicanss controlling both chambers for the first time in eight years. Indonesian searchers say they found the tail of an airasia passenger jet that disappeared with 162 people on board. They say the section could house the crucial black box flight recorders. Translator i can confirm that weve found the tail. Thats been our main target today. The head of the search and rescue agency said searchers located the wreckage off the coast of kalimantan. Divers were able to identify it from letters written on the side. International teams from the u. S. Australia, and japan have been taking part in the operation. Searchers have only recovered 40 bodies so far. Theyve made it a priority to retrieve the tail and the black boxes inside. They hope these voice and flight data recorders will reveal the cause of the crash. Aviation Authorities Say the plane was flying through Stormy Weather when it disappeared on december 28th. It was heading from surabaya in indonesia to singapore. South korean prosecutors have charged a former korean air Vice President with violating the aviation safety law. She is the daughter of the airlines chairman. She delayed the departure of a korean air flight in new york early last month over the way a snack was served. Translator we charged the former Vice President of korean air for violating the aviation safety law by changing flight plans. Assault on a plane, coercion and interference in the execution of duty. Cho became outraged when a cabin attendant offered her nuts in a bag instead of serving them on a plate, as laid out in the airlines manual. She demanded the plane return to the gate even though it was taxiing for takeoff. She also ordered the flight officer in charge of Cabin Service to get off the plane. Prosecutors also charged her with interference in a government investigation by ordering korean air officials to give false testimony, and fabricate documents to cover up the incident. In addition prosecutors indicted managing director of korean air for trying to force flight attendants to give false testimonies to defend cho. A Top Executive at mcdonalds Holdings Japan has said hes very sorry for a series of problems involving foreign objects found in its food. Translator we deeply apologize for causing so much trouble and concern to many of our customers. We are very sorry. A customer discovered a piece of vinyl in a Chicken Nugget last week at a restaurant in a northern prefecture of aomori. All japanese chains were ordered to halt sales of the product produced at a plant in thailand on the same day that the nugget was made. The piece of plastic was also discovered in a dessert at a outlet in northeastern prefecture of fukushima last month. The object was part of a machine at the restaurant. Senior Vice President aoki revealed on wednesday that a customer at the fukushima restaurant was injured by the piece of plastic. He also says the customer in osaka complained what appeared to be the tip of a human tooth was found in a patch of fried potatoes. He says its unclear how that happened. The Chicken Nugget was produced at a factory northeast of bangkok. Officials at the factory say they have sent gloves and aprons used at the factory to japan to determine whether any of the material matches the vinyl found in the nugget. Translator our products meet the standard of our companys Quality Control system. Every employee here understands the production process well. So we have 100 confidence in our products. Products from the factory are also exported to countries in europe, and southeast asia. Japans shinkansen bullet trains have been whisking people to distant places for more than half a century. Now executives see an opportunity to help build a new High Speed Railway system in the u. S. State of california. Construction got under way this week. About 1,000 people attended a groundbreaking ceremony in the city of fresno. The project will cost 68 billion. State officials plan to begin operations by 2029. The trains will travel more than 800 kilometers between los angeles and San Francisco in under three hours. We are very open to companies in the world. We know that were now just starting on high speed rail but japan led the world in high speed rail and so we have a great deal to learn. Ten groups have expressed interest in tendering bids to provide rail cars. They include companies from germany, france and china. Japan has set up a consortium of seven companies, including east Japan Railway and kawasaki heavy industries. Theyll urge the projects leaders to adopt the shinkansen system. Bidding is expected to begin as early as this spring. California authorities want to decide on a contractor by next year. The people who run Japanese Electronics maker hitachi are seeing their rail cars thrive in a different part of the world. Theyve landed a major deal to supply trains in the uk. And theyre also eager to drive their products into new markets. Nhk worlds Mitsuko Nishikawa has that part of the story. Reporter hitachi executives and officials celebrated on wednesday a first for the company. These rail cars will leave their factory in yamaguchi prefecture and arrive in the uk in march. They say its one of the largest contracts ever awarded by britains railway system. Its a fantastic day for us to ship the first class 800 series train from our mother factory here. Reporter the company has seen a lot of business from england come their way in the last three years. They won a contract to replace 866 carriages on the uks asian High Speed Railway. Officials with hitachi say their stateoftheart trains are faster and smarter. They say they can carry commuters at speeds of up to 201 Kilometers Per Hour and they also say people will have more space on board. Trains will connect london and other cities as part of the Intercity Express Program initiated by the government. The car has a Diesel Engine so it can run on stretches that do not have electricity. People in the country who ride the rails have become familiar with japanese technology. Hitachis rail cars were widely used during the london olympics in 2012 taking visitors to the main venue. People came to appreciate the trains speed and punctuality. Company executives are also eyeing markets beyond the uk. Theyre keen to challenge other leading manufacturers, including Canadas Bombardier and frances austin. I see in the future continued growth for the railway business. And i think hitachis very wellplaced to capture this both strengthen our position in europe, but also to expand our operation to other markets. Reporter theyre putting more emphasis on selling to rail operators in europe. They also want to push their products in emerging areas like india and our Southeast Asian countries. And they call their largescale deal in the uk an important milestone in a competitive transportation industry. Mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world. Data announced in europe show concern for deflation is increasing. And Yuko Fukushima has more on that from our business desk. So yuko whats going on . Gene those figures out today highlight how weak the economy is in that region. Because were hearing that inflation in the eurozone moved in to minus territory in december. This is the first time in more than five years the figure has turned negative. Officials at euro stat the Statistical Office of the European Union released a preliminary figure for december. The rate was minus 0. 2 compared with a year ago. Thats down from plus 0. 3 in november. Inflation was pushed down by a fall in oil prices. A slower rate of increase in the cost of food also contributed. Analysts say the European Central bank is now under increased pressure to introduce additional monetary easing measures. The office also released the Unemployment Rate for the region in november. The figure stood at 11. 5 , and changed from october. Taking a look at the markets now, first from the world of foreign exchange, the euro showed no significant moves against other major currencies although the falling Consumer Price was bigger than expectations. The common currency has been at a nineyear low against the dollar since the beginning of tokyo trading. And it is still changing hands at 1. 185253. The euro is also moving in a narrow change against the yen. Many traders have already factored in the fall in Consumer Prices. Meanwhile, share prices in europe are rising. Londons ftse is up almost 1 . Frankfurts dax is also up 1. 15 trading at 9,578, and paris cac 40 is up 1. 3 trading at 4,139. And analysts say many investors are betting the weak inflation data will prompt a further monetary boost from the ecb. And earlier in asia tokyos nikkei managed to snap its fourday losing streak but tumbling crude prices still weigh on the resource heavy australian market. The benchmark index there was down 0. 2 . Electronics firms from around the world are showing off their latest gadgets at the International ConsumerElectronics Show in las vegas. Leading electronics companies, as well as carmakers, are exhibiting cuttingedge technologies. More than 3500 firms are taking part in the biggest event of its kind in the world. Officials from sony unveiled a new 4k ultrahigh definition tv set. It has a liquid Crystal Display thats only 4. 9 millimeters thick. Sony says thats the thinnest in the world. Panasonic expanded its offerings for corporate clients. The company is displaying a system that allows smartphone users to access information by swiping their phone over a reader. Data transmission is by l. E. D. And the system is aimed at public facilities. Translator this event is a great opportunity for us. We can show off our technology and craftsmanship across a variety of fields. Ten automakers are also showing off their latest models. People from toyota are displaying fuel cell vehicles. The company says it will share patents on Hydrogen FuelCell Technology with other automakers free of charge. People attending the show also got a firsthand look at some unmanned drones. The market for drones is expected to grow. They can be used for various purposes, such as aerial photography. Two of japans biggest Oil Distributors are teaming up to battle shrinking demand for gasoline. Cosmo oil have launched a new company to jointly run some of their refineries. The company will use a pipeline to connect existing factories near tokyo. The plants produce gasoline and other products. Analysts are expected a longterm slide in japanese demand for gasoline. They say cars have better fuel efficiency and the population is getting smaller. Officials of the Industry Ministry have been urging Oil Distributors to take action. And thats all for now in business. Ill leave you with the latest market figures. Supporters of japans largest opposition Political Group are preparing to go to the polls. Theyll choose a new leader after losing in last months general election. And theyll now decide on who they think best rebuild the Democratic Party in japan. More from nhk worlds tomoko kamata. Reporter three senior officials of the Democratic Party of japan filed papers on wednesday to enter the leadership race that will be held on january 18th. Former house and labor minister akira nagatsuma, former party secretarygeneral goshi hosono. And acting president Katsuya Okada all say theyll revive the party. They say theyll counter abes giant Ruling Coalition in the diet. Translator people desperately want a stable strong and large Political Party that could take over from the liberal Democratic Party. The dpj must respond to that demand. Translator unfortunately we have lost the peoples trust. I consider this election the last chance to revive the dpj. And i vow to rebuild it. Reporter the dpj became the ruling party for the First Time Ever in 2009. But the party faced with a major setback after abes liberal Democratic Party and its Junior Coalition komeito won back the power in 2012. In last months lower house election, the dpj gained 73 seats. Thats 11 more than its preelection strength but still fell way short of reaching a majority. Even outgoing dpj president banri kay hed today could not secure his seat. He announced immediately after the results that he would step down. Translator voters were saying that abes administration should not be allowed to have so much power. But we failed to respond to the publics expectations. Reporter some Party Members argued that they should consider merging with other opposition groups to tackle with the overwhelming majority of the ruling party. Translator we secured 20 more seats in the diet but were still short in numbers. I think we have to aim for a united front with other opposition groups. We should closely consider whether there is any common political ground and then take flexible measures. Reporter all three candidates now have less than two weeks to campaign. Theyll be looking to secure as many votes as they can before dpj supporters cast their ballots. Tomoko kamata nhk world. Japanese Prime Minister shinzo abe has said his administration will maintain a stance of past cabinets on historical issues. The pledge will be included in a statement hell deliver on the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii. Now officials have begun choosing experts to sit on a panel that will work out the exact content of the address. Translator i will bring together the wisdom of the people to reflect on the war. The path japan has taken postwar, as a pacifist nation and what contributions it can make to the asia pacific region, or the world. Officials say theyll finalize the panels membership as early as this month. It will include historians and senior media figures, and some will be women. In 1995 thenPrime MinisterTomiichi Murayama expressed deep remorse and heartfelt apology for japans colonial rule in wartime aggression. The 1993 statement by the chief cabinet secretary expressed sincere apologies and remorse to those referred to as comfort women. Abe says his government will inherit those views. The United States announced its support of the decision. We welcome Prime Minister abes comments yesterday, including the positive message on history issues and japans postwar contributions to peace. We believe that strong and constructive relations between countries in the region promotes peace and stability, and are in the interest of both the countries, as well as the United States. U. S. Officials have encouraged japanese leaders to continue work to improve relations with china and south korea. People in the United States are preparing for what could be a rocky political ride. Republicans have taken full control of Congress Following their victory last year in the midterm elections. They acknowledge theres room for agreement with the democrats. But, theyve made it clear they wont back away from plans to derail some of president obamas policies. Nhk worlds craig dale reports. The senate will come to order. Reporter u. S. Vice President Joe Biden ushered in a new era for american politics. One that could prove even more divisive. Please raise your right hand. Reporter he swore in lawmakers in the senate a chamber the republicans now control. Senator Mitch Mcconnells leadership. We recognize the enormity of the task before us. We know a lot of hard work awaits. We know many important opportunities await, as well. Reporter the republicans also control the house of representatives. John boehner won a third term as speaker, despite a challenge from within his party. 25 more conservative members voted against him, some believing he hasnt done enough to fight president Barack Obamas policies. Boehner appeared unfazed. The battle of ideas never ends, and frankly, never should. As speaker, ill ask, and frankly expect is that we disagree without being disagreeable. Reporter he spoke of finding Common Ground between republicans and democrats, as did obama. There will be some pitch battles but im also confident that there are enormous areas of potential agreement. Reporter but many are focused on areas where the two parties will likely disagree. The republicans are expected to work to undermine obamas health care program. They want to chip away at the immigration reforms he implemented using his executive authority. Theyll likely wrangle with the democrats over the debt ceiling. And theyre focused on passing an energy bill that would approve a canada to texas oil pipeline. This is about building t