"newsline." i'm james tengan in tokyo. here are the stories we're following this hour. south korean health officials are reporting a spike in the mers disease and a seventh fatality. some mothers in japan are choosing to go back to work by setting up shop in co-working spaces that are baby friendly. and in the women's soccer world cup, defending champion

japan made a strong start with a 1-0 win over switzerland in its first game. south korean authorities say they have found more cases of the mers respiratory illness and say another person has died. that brings the number of deaths in the country to seven. officials with the health ministry said the latest fatality was a woman in her 60s who had been hospitalized. the officials also said eight new cases have been identified. the number of confirmed informations now stands at 95. officials said all of the new cases have occurred in hospitals and they know the infection routes. but four of the cases are from hospitals in seoul and the central city of hwaseong where the virus had not been detected until now. experts from the world health organization have arrived in seoul. they'll conduct a five-day investigation with their south korean counterparts. >> the role of the international

experts here to learn along with you about what this virus is doing in a new situation. and then we will be working very closely with the government to strengthen its efforts to bring this under control as quickly as possible. >> authorities in hong kong are asking residents to refrain from traveling to south korea. chief secretary lam says they have raised the alert to the second of three levels. a south korean man who traveled to hong kong was learned to be infected with mers late last month. chinese officials have released economic data showing how it is going in that country. what do the figures tell us? >> some signs of softening in china. producer prices fell 4% from the previous year in may. internal demand remains weak in the world's second largest economy.

officials at the national bureau of statistics say the producer price index in may fell 4.6% from the year before. it's the fifth straight month of a more than 4% decline. weak domestic and overseas demand is pushing down price of steel and construction materials. officials also released the consumer price index in may. it rose 1.2% from a year earlier. down by 0.3 percentage point from april. they are facing the task of structural reform. a government survey shows that consumer sentiment in japan worsened in may for the second straight month. that has led cabinet office officials to lower their assessment of confidence for the first time in six month. the consumer confidence index for about 4,000 households stood at 41.4 in may.

that's down 0.1 from april. they said consumer confidence was recovering. but now they say the pace of recovery is slowing. they attribute the decline to higher gasoline prices due to a rise in crude oil prices. they also say another contributing factor was a series of announcements of hikes in food prices because of the weak yen. checking the markets, stocks fell to a three-week low following losses on wall street that had a strong effect on asia. the nikkei dropped closing at 20,096. shares were sold after the yen rebounded from a 13-year low against the dollar. investors were also put off by the weaker consumer sentiment data. in china, the shanghai composite shed nearly 4% after the index rose for the first day. some investors booked profits from a seven-year high on

monday. indonesia ended down by 2.3% closing at 4,899. the index hit its lowest point in nearly a year. some market players sold shares on concerns over a possible early rate hike by the u.s. federal reserve. they say investors were also worried about the rupee weak ness against the dollar. hong kong slit 1.2%. sydney was down nearly .5%. 16 countries in asia pacific region have started discussions on a free trade deal in kyoto. the framework is called the regional comprehensive economic partnership or rcep. this will continue through

saturday. delegates want to cut or abolish tariffs on other exports. they aim to reach a deal by the end of this year. they have been at odds over tariff cuts. austria and new zealand said it should cover a high percentage of items but china, india, and south korea favor a low percentage. the delegates are expected to study a compromise that would allow each country to set its own ratio of tariff to non-tariff items rather than adhere to a universal figure. we spoke earlier with our reporter cuoco fujita about this. >> the biggest difference is that china is taking part in the rcep talks. economists say the u.s. is using the tpp to try to drop rules for

trade in the asia pacific region. and china is trying to establish a separate economic framework, one that doesn't come under the influence of the u.s. another difference is the size of the markets. rcep includes emerging economies such as india and other asean countryies countries. >> so that's a big number. what do member nations expect from the rcep partnership? >> they have been talking about lowering tariff rates and easing in service sectors. they would be able to have a supply chain. seven countries are involved in both sets of talks. they'd be able to choose the better terms of trade between the two. >> japan being the world's third largest economy, i believe, had their own strategy. what is their strategy? >> japanese companies would

obviously have more business opportunities. and by being involved in both sets of proposed economic partnerships, japan can ensure that the rules are as fair as possible. and one analyst says japan can have an important influence on the outcome of the rcep. >> we need to balance china's power in asian market so it is important for japan to get into rcep. japanese companies can't get the benefits from rcep with transparency and the consistent rules as well as compliance of all of the other member country zblps s. >> now, we've seen each trade organization has its hurdles. what would be the challenge facing rcep? >> all agree it's important to lower tar raf rates, but they have very different ideas on

just how far. and analysts say people in emerging economies are particularly wary of the risks to their local industries. economists from indonesia said the new partnership could be a risk to asean integration if the benefits are uneven. it is to boost development in all the countries together. but she says the rcep could create economic disparities. >> it's not an easy task to design the same level playing field for everybody. remember that increased trade may bring consequences in equality across countries. so asean should be strategic in the integrations. >> member countries are aiming to wind things up by the end of this year. but japan is also at a critical

juncture wh the united states. and china is watching those developments to decide how to proceed in the rcep talks. so with time of the essence in both sets of negotiations, officials from all countries are now searching for compromises. apple is expanding its lineup again and the offering this time is a music streaming service called apple music. >> today we're announcing apple music, the next chapter in music. and i know you are going to love it. it will change the way you experience music forever. >> the new service will provide unlimited access to more than 30 million songs and tunes through the internet. the fixed monthly price is $9.99. officials say it will be available in more than 100 countries worldwide from june 30th. fixed streaming is becoming popular in many countries.

spotify has launched their own services. that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets. iraqi prime minister met with the leaders of the u.s. and britain on the sidelines of the g7 summit. they agreed to speed up training for iraqi troops in fighting islamic state militants. barack obama said he doesn't have a complete strategy to cover the threat but he and abadi are discussing options. >> we want to get more iraqi forces trained, equipped, well

focused. and president abadi wants the same thing. so we're reviewing a range of plans for how we might do that. >> he noted the coalition has already achieved some success against the militants but also setbacks in key cities like ramadi. david cameron pledged direct support and said britain will send 125 military trainers to iraq. the tactics of police in the united states are coming under fresh scrutiny over a video posted online. the footage shows a white officer pushing a black teenager to the ground. the footage was taken last friday in a suburb of dallas in texas. it shows police officers responding to a disturbance at a pool party. one of the officers pushes then pins the teenager to the ground. he then points a pistol at other black youths and handcuffs them. members of a human rights group have criticized the officer.

they accuse him of unethical and racial misconduct. authorities are investigating and have placed the officer on administrative leave. the united nations has compiled a list of states and armed groups that violate children's rights during conflicts. it did not include israel. but it criticized the country for operations that left hundreds of children dead. the annual report was circulated monday among members but has not yet been made public. diplomatic sources say criticizes israel's operation in gaza last august. at least 540 children were killed. it says the unprecedented and scale on children raised grave concerns about the country's compliance with international humanitarian law. >> i think if you look at the body of the report it clearly details what we saw in gaza over

the summer. the shocking nature of what we saw in gaza. >> israel's u.n. ambassador says he welcomed the decision not to name his country alongside terrorist organizations. arab countries and human rights groups criticize the exclusion. they suspect it was the result of strong pressure from israel on the u.n. life in bidenjapan for working mothers isn't easy. many quit their jobs six months after giving birth. 65% want more work options and flexibilities. such as a work week of four days or less. but small changes are appearing that are allowing mothers to restart their careers in a way that works for them. >> reporter: this co-working space in a residential area of tokyo opened two years ago. it was to make career mothers able to drop by with their kids.

it's open each day and costs only $10. about ten mothers visit daily. the sound of crying children is not an issue here or at other co-working spaces that offer child care. self-employed mothers can do their work. job-hunting moms can brush up on new skills. for those looking for guidance there's an experienced career counselor. >> translator: i know how hard it is to work and take care of children at the same time. i thought it would be great if there were co-working spaces where mothers could come and take care of their kids. >> reporter: public day care facilities in japan are available for children up to age 6, but openings are scarce. especially in the cities securing a spot is a battle. working mothers without alternative child care options often have no choice but to quit their jobs. there was wide media coverage

for pushing the government to provide more day care facilities. but she learned the children of mothers hunting for a job are not given priority for a spot. so she quit her job and opened a co-working babysitting space to hep them. the concept helped stay-at-home moms in the neighborhood. now several mothers who were physical therapists before giving birth have started providing treatment to other mothers. >> translator: it's so refreshing to work even just for a few hours. >> reporter: others have moved on from the office and have started their own businesses. like hashimoto a mother of a 2-year-old. hashimoto started an online sewing service earlier this year with people introduced by soyama.

her company accepts orders from clients who wish to have clothes in a small quantity. on this day she met with a yoga instructor who wants to start her own clothing style. >> translator: this is my exact style. >> translator: you can wear it in different ways. i think it's interesting. >> reporter: orders are matched with one of the 100 professional seamstresses around japan listed on the home page. clients are charged a 20% fee. in the past month they've closed 30 deals. hashimoto is now in her ideal working environment. two days at her office and the rest of the week at her home. she's expecting her second child next month. >> translator: i'm glad to have met soyama. i might have given up working again, but i gained strength to move forward thanks to her.

>> reporter: soyama says many mothers who come to her point out they had no one to talk with about how to rebuild their careers. they say they weren't sure what to do and were struggling with low self-esteem. >> translator: being employed by a company is not the only answer. although so many tend to think that way. i hope to liberate mothers from this mind-set. >> reporter: soyama says she wants to see more mothers in japan become confident with their work and child raising decisions. she hopes babyco will help. nhk world. football fans around japan gathered to watch the women's

team as it faced switzerland in the world cup. many assembled even though it was a work day. it was reminiscent of when japan beat the united states to win the title. there was more when the squad opened with the 1-0 win. nhk watched the game with some enthusiastic fans. >> reporter: i've come to a public viewing in the hometown of sawa a pillar of the japan team. this will be her sixth world cup. it's a rainy day outside today and it's the middle of a week day, but many people are starting to show up here. people got together to watch the match at locations throughout japan. japan is ranked fourth in the world while switzerland is 19th.

japan went on the attack from the start of the match. in the 17th minute striker uki came close to scoring. japan was awarded a penalty kick. midfielder aiya converted to give japan the 1-0 lead. [ cheers ] fans in western japan were also enthusiastically showing their support. several of japan's players are with club teams in the area. well, it's half-time now and japan are 1-0 up after miyama scored from the penalty. everyone is looking for another goal in the second half. at a swiss-based ma shinry

company -- machinery company, they watched. >> translator: the swiss also did well. the penalty goal was regrettable, but we still have another 45 minutes so we can have hope. >> reporter: in the second half switzerland pushed for the equalizer but the japanese defense didn't allow a goal. japan tried to add to its lead. sawa hit with an angled shot in the 67th minute. switzerland almost equalized. sent over the cross bar. but japan held on and won 1-0.

>> translator: i was so scared that the swiss would score. but japan held on and i'm happy that we got three points. >> translator: i hope japan will go all the way. >> reporter: the final score is 1-0. japan has won their first match of the world cup finals. what a great start to the tournament. they stayed focused to the end of the match refusing to allow switzerland a single goal even in some really hairy moments. fans here are hoping that japan are going to go on the way they've started building up momentum. kanerko sachno nhk world. >> thanks for that upbeat story. japan is placed in group c. the top two in each group and best ranked third place teams advance to the knockout stage. also in group c, cameroon beat ecuador 6-0. cameroon and japan both have three points. here's the current ranking in the group.

okay. now it's time for weather. the rainy season is upon us here in tokyo. and jonathan oh is here to tell us about how monsoon rains are battering neighboring china. jonathan? >> hello. our latest information is telling us we are going to be seeing even more rainfall for this region as we continue on forward. every time around this time of year we do see the rainy season from the stretch from china expanding eastward into japan. eventually as we go over a period of time that does move to the north. until then we are definitely going to be dealing with these concerns of heavy rainfall especially in southern china. let me show you what happened during the past couple of days giving you an idea of right here of what's been taking place with the rainy season in eastern china. widespread rainfall. these pictures show rivers filled destroying homes and businesses. one community was severely flooded to the point where more

than 5,000 people had to be evacuated. in hunan province, it destroyed homes. firefighters had to come to help people out in makes it to school. so this is not an easy thing to talk about. we are talking about so much water, so much rain. it's causing serious issues. and we're going to see this continue as the rainy season progresses. it usually takes on average about six or so weeks before we start seeing things winding down. at least that's typically what we see. so yeah we're going to be seeing more rainfall to come. look at the forecast for the next 72 hours, the next three days looking at close to 150 millimeters of rainfall. that includes the western portions of japan looking at that type of precipitation. so we need to be definitely on guard for the concerns of flooding as we progress through the next few days. coming up on wednesday, tokyo drier with a high of 30.

from beijing down into shanghai thai pieaipei taipei, and hong kong all seeing rain. we're keeping an eye on the ashobaa. cyclonic storm expected to get closer in the next few days. so we need to look out for this but it is expected to weaken. now, as we go back to india, notice that the dash lines showing the average progression of the southwest monsoon. the orange color is showing where it is right now. it is behind and that means more dry, hot weather is expected until this system starts kicking in. this problem last year where the delay really slowed down the pace of that monsoon. we're looking at that possibility again as we go into this coming week or so. now, looking at the forecast for europe we do have this stationary front keeping the

areas south wet, drier up north. paris and vienna with a high in the 20s. quick look at what's happening in north america. a cold front on the eastern seaboard of the united states and canada. looking at some active weather. looking at thunderstorms as well. drier towards the rest and rain to los angeles with a high of 29 degrees. the warm weather continues for the northwestern portions of the united states, but i mentioned those thunderstorms into portions of canada. that's going to be something to look out for. especially for montreal looking at thunderstorms coming up tuesday for the fifa women's world cup. so this is something that officials have to look out for throughout the day. hope you have a great day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

thank you for joining us here on "newsline." don't go away. more to come here on nhk world.

' sident erdogan is meeting his prime is to for the first time since their ruling ak party's failure to hold the parliamentary party. it has been one year to the day since the islamic state took the islamic city of -- the iraqi city of mozilla. one militant -- one million residents -- the iraqi city of mozulsul. one million residents are still there.