it's the top of the hour in tokyo, and this is nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara. people in thailand are in mourning following the death of their nation's father figure, king bhumibol adulyadej. our reporter is at our bangkok bureau and has more from thailand. >> the king's body was moved on friday to the royal palace from the hospital where the king struggled with illness for years. >> translator: this is the saddest day of my life. i'm a public servant, and the king has always been my role model.

if i could do just one of the things he did for the people, this would be a better country. >> tens of thousands of people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the hearse carrying the king's body. the crown prince joined the procession to the palace. for seven decades king bhumibol earned the adoration of the thai people. in central bangkok, people are wearing black clothing as a symbol of their mourning. the interim prime minister prayut chan-o-cha called on people to refrain from festivities for 30 days, but he asked people to continue their economic activities as usual apparently intending to avert any negative impact on the sputtering economy. the king ascended the throne at age 18, shortly after world war ii. he guided thailand during turbulent times in southeast asia, which used to be mired in war, genocide, and poverty.

he was regarded as a pillar of stability and an occasional mediator in thailand's turbulent politics. the country has experienced more than ten military coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. on friday, many mourners gathered in front of the royal palace. patchari raksawong is at the scene. >> reporter: behind me is the grand palace where his majesty, the king's body, will lay in state until his cremation, which has yet to be announced. as you can see, all around me thousands of people have showed up dressed in black or white as earlier they attempted to get a glimpse of his majesty, the king's body, as the procession moved from the hospital to the grand palace behind me here. at the very moment in time when the procession passed, there was a deep sense of silence. at the same time, some parts of majesty's royal anthem and we could see people sobbing,

intensely crying, and also some were clutching a portrait of his majesty, the king. you can see here a nation plunged into sorrow and grieving and mourning the loss of their revered king. >> prayut says he met with the crown prince following the announcement of the king's passing. the crown prince is the king's only son. prayut says the crown prince indicated his willingness to accept prayut's request that he take the throne. he said the crown prince asked for time to mourn for his father. for most thais it's the first time they have lost a king and witnessed the process of succession, and thailand is well along the road to the restoration of democracy following a coup in 2014. absent the king's unifying presence, many hope for a smooth transition in the deeply polarized country.

we'll have updates for you as more information comes in. reporting from bangkok. japan's emperor and empress as well as prime minister have conveyed their condolences over the passing of the thai king. emperor akihito and empress michiko sent the grand chamberlain to convey condolences. officials say the imperial couple are observing three days of mourning. the move reflects the long, close relationship between japan's imperial family and the thai royalty. the couple first visited thailand in 1964 when the emperor was the crown prince. they were hosted by king bhumibol. in 2006, the emperor and empress attended a ceremony to celebrate the king's 60th year on the throne. prime minister shinzo abe also visited the thai embassy. >> translator: at this time of incomparable sorrow, our prayers and thoughts are with all the thai people.

>> many people, both thai and japanese, have come to write messages in a book of condolences. nhk world's senior commentator explains how the king's death will affect people in thailand. >> well, thai people will slowly have to face the reality that this is a post-king thailand they live in. they have to come to terms with the fact that the king who steps in to save the country from falling into political abyss as he had done many occasions before during his reign is no longer with him. in the shorter term, the period of one year mourning and 30 days of toned down entertainment could mean that this period may dampen consumer sentiment and impact thai economy. it is also likely that the entertainment activities may be

restricted, including the possible cancellations of festivals like next month when people float lotus-shaped rafts with candles onto the water. thailand is approaching the tourist season and if tourists shun the country, they could lose ref view from tourism which constitutes about 10% of thai's gdp. with the creation of the asean community at the end of 2015, all eyes are on this region because asean countries combined make up the seventh largest economy in the world, and thailand is the second largest economy in asean southeast asia and considers itself a gateway to the region. thailand claims its position in indochina right in the middle makes it a natural hub for the region for investors to seize the advantage of the connectivity. but if thailand's economy slows down, it could undermine the asean connectivity and have a negative impact on the economies of the neighboring countries as well. we know that the crown prince will ascend to the throne. the crown prince asked for time

to mourn for the late king before the secession. there has been no official information from the prime minister's office or the palace as of yet, but two issues while we wait to find out. one is that the quality expected of the thai king is said to be virtue. now, that will be the decisive character in what makes the thai king and the people will be eager to see the same quality in the successor too. and second is the next king's relationship with the interim prime minister. is the next king willing to work with him or will there be tension between them? it's too early to say but we have to bear in mind that we are witnessing a key transition in thailand, and this process will most likely define what thai monarchy may look like in the future.

japan has not yet made its financial contribution to the u.n. cultural agency unesco for this year. it urged them to make changes that protects important documents. the foreign minister says the government will soon make a comprehensive decision on what it will do. the annual payments are usually made by around may. the chief cabinet secretary criticized unesco last october for adding documents from china to the memory of the world register. the documents referred to an incident. the program should not be used for political purposes he said. the documents say more than 300,000 chinese were killed after the former japanese army entered the area in 1937. japan's government says it's undeniable that many non-combatants were killed but that determining the exact figure is difficult.

he says the government is considering options, including ending annual payments to the agency. unesco expects all member nations to pay dues each year. five years ago the united states stopped making payments. that made japan the largest contributor with about $36 million due this year. japan is busy preparing for the 2020 tokyo olympics and paralympics and has added another item to the list of issues to tackle. second-hand smoke. health minister yasuhisa shiozaki says a report from the world health organization describes japan's measures to prevent passive smoking as among the weakest in the world. >> translator: the host countries of past olympics have introduced fines and other measures to prevent passive smoking. it's time for japan to take a historic step toward creating a smoke-free society. >> the health ministry is

conducting an in-depth study of what measures it will introduce. it plans a ban for most indoor spaces such as restaurants and hotels. also under consideration are fines both for smokers and facilities that break the rules. japan's national cancer center says lung cancer, strokes, and other diseases caused by second-hand smoke claim around 15,000 lives a year in the country. labor officials have raided the headquarters of advertising giant dentsu. they are looking into whether the company demands dangerous levels of overwork after one of its employees committed suicide. 24-year-old matsuri takahashi joined the company in april of last year. documents show she logged more than 100 hours of overtime a month last autumn. she took her life in december. her family filed a complaint with the tokyo labor bureau. they say her death was brought about by conditions at work.

the authorities thought so too. they ruled it was a case of death from overwork. takahashi wrote on twitter about feelings of despair. she said her boss described her overtime work as a waste of company money. inspectors from the labor bureau raided dentsu's offices on friday. they also plan to inspect the company's regional offices. a spokesperson for the company says they are cooperating fully. takahashi's mother has called for changes to japan's corporate culture. >> translator: no job in this world is worth a life. this kind of death should never happen again. i want companies to improve their management of their employees' working conditions. i also want the government to give instructions to this effect. >> the labor ministry says it's recognized about 200 cases a year in japan over the past several years.

japan's southern prefecture of kumamoto is gradually recovering from a series of powerful earthquakes that started exactly half a year ago, but many people remain in what were meant to be temporary shelters and are unable to get back to their normal lives. in kumamoto prefecture the quakes left 110 people dead, including those who died from fatigue, stress, and other factors. the tally of damaged buildings came to about 172,000. in some areas toppled buildings have yet to be cleared away. the town of mashiki was hit hard. a temporary housing complex in the town is still home to over 1,300 people. among them are iwao nozaki and his wife. their house was damaged to the point of being uninhabitable. the long stay in the shelter is beginning to affect his health.

>> translator: since i don't move much, my legs may be getting weak. i'm worried about whether i can rebuild our home in the same location. >> a gymnasium in mashiki was designated as an emergency shelter and is still hosting 100 evacuees. mitsuko fujita came to the shelter after her home was damaged. she asked for her home to be repaired. there is a waiting list. the shelter will be closed at the end of the month making her future uncertain. >> translator: i want to return to my own house again. i feel most at ease when i'm at home. >> mashiki town officials are planning to advise people to move to temporary housing if they don't have anywhere else to live. the area has been attracting

many geologists and scientists. they are studying the nature of powerful quakes. >> reporter: it left visible scars, a 30 kilometer long fault line. in many areas, sunken land. researchers say these unique traits are valuable clues to study. they hope their findings will help contribute to the prevention of damaged areas around the world. this man is a geological engineer from new zealand.

he is working with japanese researchers. they have focused on this area, and active volcano. >> translator: it's a stark reminder of the disaster. >> reporter: the land sank here by 1.5 meters. it did the same in other areas and caused damage to homes and agricultural lands. >> you can make some link with the settlement? >> there must be some geological feature. we found in other areas make this to happen. it's very localized. >> reporter: it's a mixture of

volcanic ash unique to the area. they are surveying what might have caused the reduction of the fault strength. >> translator: we want to use our findings for disaster prevention of the whole region. as well as places with similar accumulation of volcano ashes inside japan and abroad. >> reporter: this man has a similar goal. he is a seismologist from new zealand. and he is working with the japanese team to find out more about similarities between the quakes here and in his own country. in 2011, a 6.3 either quake -- earthquake struck killing 185 people. experts think it could have been an aftershock triggered by a bigger quake months before. they say the data recorded is a big help. >> we have some of our own

thoughts on ways we can use the data that's being recorded by the network to improve our aftershock forecasting models and to ultimately give better information to those who need it when sequences like this are occurring. >> reporter: there are at least eight international research projects. it is hoped they could lead to reduction in earthquake-prone areas around the world. japan's air self-defense force made a record number of scrambles against unidentified planes. the number was nearly 600. that's about 250 more than the figure for the same period last

year. it was the highest number since the exposure of such statistics began in fiscal 2003. about 400 of the scrambles were against chinese aircraft. that was nearly 80% more than the previous year. russian aircraft prompted 180, five scrambles were against taiwanese planes. scrambles against chinese aircraft were concentrated in areas over the east china sea, northwest of okinawa's main island. the japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of the nation's territory. china and taiwan claim them. they could increase drills in the area as well as intelligence gathering. the u.s. navy has given media outlets, including nhk, a look at its high-tech destroyer zumwalt for the first time.

the missile-bearing ship is equipped with stealth capabilities. it's named after a former admiral. it's nearly 200 meters long with a displacement of about 15,000 tons. its shape is nearly triangular to help it avoid radar detection. its sides are clear of almost all structures, including antennas. and its main deck gun can be stored within the ship's hull. >> in all the missions that go around the world to protect the seas, to enforce the fact that it's access to all countries for use, and so it's a marvelous piece of technology and machinery we have here. >> the vessel will be commissioned in san diego on saturday. the u.s. military has planned to deploy state of the art equipment in the asia-pacific region under washington's so-called pivot to asia policy. defense department officials say the new destroyer will provide a heightened deterrent in the region.

the chinese government is showing solidarity with philippine president rodrigo duterte over his crackdown on illegal drugs. the show of support comes ahead of duterte's first summit meeting with the chinese president. foreign ministry spokesperson geng shaung made the remark at a news briefing. he said the chinese government understands and supports president duterte's fight against drug crime. >> translator: drug trafficking is the common enemy of humankind. nations around the world have a shared responsibility to combat this enemy. >> duterte has been harshly criticized by western nations for his political methods and remarks about killing people suspected of drug-related crimes. observers say the chinese government appears to want to take a different approach from the west to improve bilateral ties. relations between the two

countries have been strained over maritime disputes in the south china sea. samsung is expecting a loss. officials have announced a loss for the six-month period to next month. the company began selling the phone in the u.s., south korea in august. but samsung was forced to offer replacements after incidents in which the phone's batteries were catching fire. when the replacements developed similar problems, the galaxy note 7 was pulled worldwide this week. samsung began offering refunds or exchanges on thursday. it will conduct a thorough review of quality tests to improve product safety. samsung will make up for the big loss by expanding sales of existing products. some south korean media worn losses could mount because of

the flagging brand image. executives at a major japanese telecom operators say they're going to set up a $100 billion fund that will invest in the global technology sector. softbank group plans to contribute at least $25 billion over the next five years. one of its subsidiaries in britain is expected to manage the fund. the executives also say they've concluded an agreement with saudi arabia's state affiliated public investment fund to put in at least $45 billion over the next five years. softbank says a few large global investors are in ongoing talks to also take part. softbank group chairman and ceo masayoshi son says the fund will be the biggest investor in the technology sector over the next decade. a new sight seeing train is

helping tourists get off the beaten path. it could give the industry a much-needed boost. nhk has more. >> reporter: all aboard the limited express. it runs between the metropolis of osaka and a rural tourist town. it takes about an hour and a half. the line opened last month to much fanfare. tickets for the first day sold out in just six minutes. >> translator: we got two tickets. we wanted to ride the first one. >> translator: there are suites to enjoy. and it's a novel way to travel. sounds like fun to me. >> reporter: a one-way fare costs around $17. tickets can be purchased online at stations or through a travel agent.

a lounge car serves food and drinks. passengers can sip on sake. or sample sweets. the operator launched the new train in a bid to drum up business. the railway has seen its passenger numbers decline by about 30% since the early 1990s when they peaked. >> translator: we hope the rail will help bring in more tourists. >> reporter: people are eager to welcome more visitors. they are offering special discounts to passengers who present this certificate of their journey.

it's valid at 34 restaurants and shops in the town. >> translator: we will take 8% off their total. >> reporter: it's a nice perk. i'm thinking of coming back. >> reporter: local inns are stepping up as well. overnight guests receive a break on the bill. >> translator: most people come for day trips. we want people to stay for the night and enjoy strolling through town. >> reporter: even the famous buddhist temple is getting in on the act. it's a unesco world heritage site. in honor of the new train, temple officials put a pair of holy statues on display for the first time. they hope as many as 60,000

people will ride the blue symphony in the first year. that will be music to the railway and to the tourism industry. let's check out the weather forecast for the weekend. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ that's all we have for now on nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. thank you for watching and have a good day. ó

>> in honor of global children's day, global 3000 is visiting children around the globe. we go to the indonesian island of sumba, where kids take to the saddle for traditional horse races. in berlin, we accompany children who go back to nature every day to their forest preschool. but first, we go to syria. in war-torn aleppo, there are fewer and fewer kindergartens and schools. and the only place where life is relatively safe is underground. ideally, all kids should have as carefree a childhood as possible. but in reality, one in every nine children is raised in a conflict zone or warzone.