:00:16. > :00:23.Back in black, Japan returns to a trade surplus because of the week
:00:24. > :00:27.currency and low oil prices. And maternity benefits. India
:00:28. > :00:40.encouraging more mothers to return to work. Welcome to Asia Business
:00:41. > :00:44.Report. I am Sharanjit Leyl. Japan's trade figures are out and it
:00:45. > :00:51.looks like the slowdown is taking a toll. Exports fell 8% from a year
:00:52. > :00:57.earlier in December. More than forecast. Imports fell by 18%.
:00:58. > :01:03.Overall, they have posted a trade surplus of $1.2 billion. What do the
:01:04. > :01:11.numbers say? Earlier I posed that question to David. It is good in
:01:12. > :01:18.parts and some others are not as good. Look at what has happened in
:01:19. > :01:23.Japan. We saw that the exports are down but imports are down even
:01:24. > :01:29.more. That means Japan can post a surplus rather than a deficit.
:01:30. > :01:34.Before, in the imports, thanks to low commodity prices... Japan has
:01:35. > :01:43.not much in the way of resources. It has two in what most of it,
:01:44. > :01:47.primarily oil. -- to. That has helped them. We have a Bank of Japan
:01:48. > :01:53.meeting at the end of this week. They are watching closely. We saw a
:01:54. > :01:57.hints at more stimulus measures. What can the Bank of Japan really
:01:58. > :02:03.do? They have really loose policy at the moment. Then you have Abenomics,
:02:04. > :02:15.aggressive stimulus measures. What can they do? We need to remember
:02:16. > :02:23.they need to embark on recuperation. Look at the reduction of travel.
:02:24. > :02:30.Rather than the pace of it. What the Bank of Japan needs to do is look at
:02:31. > :02:34.whether or not Japan is on a path to recovery. Today's trade data will
:02:35. > :02:39.put a spanner in the works because people will say, it looks like they
:02:40. > :02:43.are starting to recover. That will would pressure on the Bank of Japan
:02:44. > :02:50.because people will look at the yen now. That will make exports even
:02:51. > :02:56.more expensive. It is a difficult act for the Bank of Japan to engage
:02:57. > :03:02.in. What will it do? I feel they will embark on more monetary easing.
:03:03. > :03:07.They will step up quantitative easing. They may even look at
:03:08. > :03:13.interest rates. As you heard, they have benefited from the low oil
:03:14. > :03:22.prices imports... It needs it for its energy. It has put pressure on
:03:23. > :03:30.Venezuela, for instance, which faces increased risk of debt import. How
:03:31. > :03:38.much lower can global oil prices go? We spoke to readers that the
:03:39. > :03:41.economic forum in Davos. I can see a price of 30-40 in the middle of the
:03:42. > :03:47.year and towards the end of the year, even the 50s. The oil price in
:03:48. > :03:56.six months time will be at the level of 35-$40 per barrel. $35. There is
:03:57. > :04:00.oversupply, little demand... Of course, we all want to blame China
:04:01. > :04:07.for recent troubles, but that isn't the only problem. No one knows
:04:08. > :04:18.exactly, but I see $30. $20. The reason? $15 a barrel because of the
:04:19. > :04:25.extraordinary light of oil on the planet. -- glut. It may even go to
:04:26. > :04:30.$5 per barrel. In six months time... I think it will keep on
:04:31. > :04:40.going down and down. A view from business leaders. One of the largest
:04:41. > :04:45.hurdles Indonesia's currency faces is its infrastructure. They are
:04:46. > :04:49.known for traffic jams. One of the worst in the world. Now, Indonesia
:04:50. > :04:56.is time to do something about it with the first high-speed train in
:04:57. > :05:03.the country. This is an executive InterCity train which connects the
:05:04. > :05:11.capital in Jakarta to others. It is well-known for fashion. Because of
:05:12. > :05:16.that, thousands of people go from Jakarta to Bandu and vice-versa for
:05:17. > :05:25.a business trip. It will take me three hours to cover 160 comet is.
:05:26. > :05:32.But I not sure if it will arrive on time. -- it is often late. --
:05:33. > :05:37.kilometres an hour. The new very fast trains are expected to go to
:05:38. > :05:48.hunted and 60 kilometres an hour. -- are expected to go to 100. It will
:05:49. > :05:58.make the trip much faster and more people will be able to do business
:05:59. > :06:05.between the two cities. I hope that tourism will benefit along with
:06:06. > :06:11.other creative industries. The new train is not cheap. It will cost
:06:12. > :06:17.around 5.5 billion US dollars. 75% of that money is coming from China
:06:18. > :06:22.development bank, and the rest from Chinese railway and Indonesian
:06:23. > :06:31.businesses. Analysts are questioning whether it is worth it. The research
:06:32. > :06:35.is 60,000 passengers per day. That is unproductive. Today, the
:06:36. > :06:40.Indonesian government is saying one of the biggest advantages is the
:06:41. > :06:49.establishment or development of a new town, in between Jakarta and
:06:50. > :06:52.Bandu. I think, looking at the history of the high-speed train in
:06:53. > :06:59.China and Japan, it will take around ten years to 15 years. The
:07:00. > :07:06.government promises this will be the first of many. But many say they
:07:07. > :07:13.should fix the trains they have before spending billions on new
:07:14. > :07:30.ones. In a move to help India's new mothers, the government says it
:07:31. > :07:35.plans more than of pay to -- pay to maternity leave. We have more from
:07:36. > :07:43.Dubai. This is this five-month old's favourite toy. Just the thing
:07:44. > :07:50.to keep this woman's baby happy. She is on a maternity break from work.
:07:51. > :07:56.After using up 12 weeks' pay, she is taking another few months without a.
:07:57. > :08:02.Not all women are allowed the extra time. -- pay. But with expenses for
:08:03. > :08:12.babies shooting up, many think more paid leave is needed. We struggle
:08:13. > :08:16.with many challenges as a mother. Within three it is time to leave and
:08:17. > :08:22.go back to work. I think it is too little. Employers have to give 12
:08:23. > :08:29.weeks according to the government. In the UK, women get 39 weeks, the
:08:30. > :08:35.first six at 90% of their salary. In China, 14 weeks, earning at least
:08:36. > :08:40.the average wage of their employer. In the US, you can take 12 weeks of
:08:41. > :08:48.art they are not obliged to receive anything. -- off but. The proportion
:08:49. > :08:53.of women in India's workforce is low and some worry that lending to
:08:54. > :08:57.increase maternity leave could push it even lower. Official figures
:08:58. > :09:03.suggest fewer than 15% of women work. Of those who do have jobs, one
:09:04. > :09:11.in four quit after having a baby. Social mind that is and employer
:09:12. > :09:19.bias are a problem. -- mindsets. Man taking care of children is not
:09:20. > :09:24.really considered. -- Men. Where do you leave your active toddler is
:09:25. > :09:32.today the issue most working women face. This is a rare example. And
:09:33. > :09:37.on-campus kindergarten run for employees. -- An. The idea that my
:09:38. > :09:43.child is just a few floors away from me, I like it. Without it I would
:09:44. > :09:48.not have been able to come back to work at all. But for many like this
:09:49. > :09:59.baby, this is not available. Is over mother-in-law comes to stay. -- Her.
:10:00. > :10:05.For now, they will play it by ear. And a quick look at the markets.
:10:06. > :10:11.Some gains with the Asian stocks opening. The Nikkei is slightly flat
:10:12. > :10:19.responding to the information we just gave. Stronger oil prices are
:10:20. > :10:30.helping the Hang Seng. We saw them rally on Friday. Up about 10%. One
:10:31. > :10:31.of their biggest one day gains. In fact, they are