23/01/2017 Asia Business Report

Now on BBC News all the latest business news live from Singapore.

The new US President get to work. But that gets to work. We find out

what it might mean for Asia and we go to Japan where the suicide of an

overworked employee has triggered an nationwide debate.

Hello and welcome to Asia Business Report. I am Sharanjit Leyl. While

the hard work begins for the incoming president, Donald Trump,

who has taken the office with the promise to put America first. He

urged businesses to buy American and higher American. Said overseas

industry has been enriched at the expense of American industry. What

are we likely to see from him in his first week at an office was to mark

I spoke with David Willis in Washington and asked him if America

first mean, the rest of the world second.

Trump making that point in his inaugural address, it is about

putting an America first, it is about reclaiming jobs which

President Trump believes have been lost to these trade agreement which,

in many cases, are just not fair, as far as America is concerned. What he

plans to do is withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade

agreement which some say it by doing so will strengthen China's hand.

This was a major part of President Obama's trade dealings. He wanted to

pivot towards the South East Asia Pacific region while Donald Trump

believes there is nothing better the US. He plans to tear up that

agreement. He was to renegotiate whether North American Free Trade

Agreement is concerned. He wants to hold leaders -- talks with leaders

of Canada and South America with looking to renegotiating, provided

America can get a good deal. Early days yet, we know. He is yet to get

into his first week. Will he backed his statements with policies? Where

possible he seems intent on doing so. Tomorrow, his first full day in

office, his first weekday in office, he will sit down and find various

executive orders and in many cases, those will be repealing executive

orders that Barack Obama brought into a fact and trade is likely to

be top of the agenda for President Trump this week. He is very clearly

intent on seizing the initiative while he hasn't as far as the

publicity is with him and it will be interesting to see what he does

about building that wall along the Mexican border. He is to meet with

the Mexican president as I mentioned, in the next couple of

weeks. Although relations have been back on an even keel, there is

consternation over that pledge by Donald Trump. It will be interesting

to see how he plans to pull it off. David Willis.

Asia is expected to be a key focus for Mr Trump and he is going to take

a much more tough line on China. He is going to withdraw America from

the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Earlier, I asked what it will mean

for the trade deal if the US is not a part of it.

A think TTP without America is pointless. Even though you have some

countries saying they will push ahead, I don't see there is much

benefit from that unless America is going to take part and it's quite

clear they not going to. And Beazley the signal is sent to the rest of

the world is not a good one. It sends a signal that the US is

becoming protectionist. -- and the signal that is sent. Trump seems to

see it as a zero-sum game. If you win, I lose. It implies a more

aggressive approach against China. These are the two world's most

largest economies. Any souring of the trade relationship will have

repercussions elsewhere. He said he will label China currency and the

liquidators -- currency manipulators and will put tariffs on goods from

China. These goods going into China are re-exported. It affects the

whole of Asia if he goes ahead. We can expect some level of tariffs

against China. The issue is how will they respond? Do they respond in a

conservatory way and address some of the complaints and stabilise the

currency or do they respond with their own retaliation and

depreciation against the dollar in which case the whole thing could

escalate in a dangerous fashion. Indeed, as you say dangerous. Should

we start to the Asian policymakers perhaps tailoring their economic

policy in reaction to Trump? It's hard to react to something which is

unpredictable. I think as we have seen, you do not know what it is

doing next. He doesn't know. You can start to become closer to China,

knowing that America is moving further away but it's hard to know

what sort of contingency plans to put in place, I imagine, if you are

running the economy. In other news:, Korean and lecture

next giant Samsung has released its investigation into its Galaxy note

to smartphones which were recalled because they overheated and caught

fire -- Note seven. The manufacturers of the batteries were

to blame. It cost the company $5.3 billion. Nevertheless, the firm

expects profits driven by its booming airship business.

Fox, the largest electronics maker is considering setting up to play

Ash display making plant in the US. It will be $7 billion and be

generate many jobs. They will have to be negotiated at state and

federal levels. There is a new executive person

taking over Japanese giant. He is going to re-establish trust in the

company and the moves comes after this man stepped down last week to

take responsibility for the death of a 24-year-old employee who took her

life on Christmas Day in 2015. That is after complaining about excessive

working hours. After spending 20 hours at work

today, I can almost laugh because they don't even know why I exist.

What will be left of me, even if I survive these stressful days,

thinking I want to die everyday. These were the days of this

24-year-old, ten days before she took her own life. Her death is part

of the phenomena and known as death from overwork. This was first

recognised 30 years ago, although there have been cases of suicide,

the majority of these cases are medical where employees suffer heart

attacks and strengths. In 2015, claims of Karoshi rose to a record

of 2300. This woman worked a top advertising agency Dentsu.

Authorities raided their officers. They will be new rules to implement

to tackle this. The former executive apologised but given how entrenched

this is in Japan's work culture, will these changes be made?

Earlier, I put this question to a man from the school of management in

Japan. He joined us by webcam. This is

putting a bandage over a big wound. Moreover, I am say they are putting

a bandage over a stomach ache. It is almost irrelevant. Legislation about

overtime hours. It is not the problem. It is much deeper rooted.

That is basically Japanese cultural attitude towards work. The reason

why people work such long hours in Japan is not to reduce group

activity but basically that's how we work. We tried to get consensus on

team effort basis. Human relationship is more important than

the result. This is one of the reasons why it is taking so long in

getting things done in Japan. Once it is decided it is great, it is

straightforward but this is where the real problem lies. This cultural

attitude towards work has to start changing or else we are going to

have this problem over and over and over again.

That look at the markets before we go. It is turning out to be a blue

Monday here for these markets. The Nikkei is down, Australia is down,

this is due to what the protectionist policies that we are

seeing, concerns of them rising, with the new Trump administration.

Of course the US dollar is also slipping. It is leading to a

sell-off in exporters. Thank you for