♪ here in japan it's 7:00 p.m. on a friday. i'm james tengan in tokyo. this is nhk "newsline." japan's diet has enacted a law which will allow the prime minister to declare a state of emergency over the new coronavirus. once it comes into force on saturday the prime minister will be able to declare a an e emerg shut t the outbreak rapidly sprd

across the countntry a and pose serious health and economic threat. an emergency declaration would allow governors to order school closures and ask people to stay home. the law would also enable governors to use land or buildings for emergency medical facilities without the owner's consent. japan's top government spokesperson says an emergency declaration could have a grave impact on people's lives. >> translator: the emergency declaration will require a careful decision based on expert knowledge from various fields and will take into account the opinions raised in the diet. >> some lawmakers expressed concerns over how an emergency declaration would affect the individual rights and privileges of citizens. others said the government would have the responsibility to explain its actions if it decides to declare a state of emergency. the international olympic committee says it will leave it up to the world health organization to decide the fate of the summer's tokyo olympics.

ioc president thomas batch made the remark in reference to o th coronavirus outbreak. batch said the ioc will make every effort to make sure the tokyo games open on july 24th as scheduled and athletes are prepared for a successful olympics. he said the ioc launched a task force in mid february with the w.h.o. and other organizations to stay on top of the issue. earlier this month japan's ministry in charge of the games said the end of may will bes the make or break moment for the ioc in deciding to hold the games as planned. diplomacy by phone as the coronavirus disrupts daily life around the globe, world leaders are trying to keep the lines of communication open. japanese pririme minister shinz abe and u.s. president donald trump are among the latest to discusses the spreading virus and other topics. the two leaders spopoke by phon for about 50 minutes on friday in what trump later called a

great conversation. they exchanged opinions and discussed responses to the pandemic. the future of the tokyo olympics has become a hot button issue as a growing number of international sports leagues cancel events. earlier media reports suggested trump is of the personal opinion that games should be pushed to next year. but japanese government officials said the two leaders did not discuss the postponement. abe told trump japan is putting forth all efforts to hold the games as planned and talked about the global economic fallout from the pandemic and monetary measures japan and the u.s. might take. for the first time since the country took drastic measures to contain the outbreak, china has recorded a single digit number of newly confirmed cases. health officials say only 8 were reported in the country on thursday. the national health commission announced friday that five were confirmed at the epicentnter ci of wuhan. the three others had recently

been abroad. it comes a a dayay a after the commission dececlared that the cocountry's epidemic had passed its peak. more t than 80,00000 cases havan confirmed on mainlnland china.. over 3100 people have died. officials in beijing say they're boosting efforts to cooperate with other countries to contain the virus' global spread. local media say a team of chinese experts sent by the governmentnt arrived in italy o thursday. is that country is now facing a medical meltdown. hospitals in thehe hardedest hi region of lombardy have been forced to set up tents to deal with an influx of patients. the death toll in italy has surpassed 1,000. the virus is also hitting spain hard with more than 3,000 reported infections. catalan authorities have locked down four villages and towns following an outbreak in the area. it's the first travel restriction of this kind in spain. nepal's government says it will suspend issuing tourist visas

from saturday until the end of april. that means mountaineers will not be able to get permits to climb mount everest during the period. the coronavirus is also affecting sports events. this weekend's season opening formula 1 grand prix in melbourne australia has been canceled. it follows news of one team withdrawing from the race after a member tested positive for the virus. in the u.s., major league baseball will delay opening day by at least two weeks. the decision follows the postponement of the national basketball association and the suspension of the national hokkaido league. in entertainment the broadway league says theaters will suspend all shows immediately through april 12th. >> we e were disapappointed but the end of thee day it's probaby the right move. this thing is causing all kinds of heartburn. >> at the white house, donald trump says he's not worried about interaion with the brazilian official who tested positive for the virus. the official accompanied

brazil's president to a dinner at trump's florida residence. >> we sat next to each other for a period of time, had a great conversation. he's doing a tererrific job in brazil. we'll find out what happens. i guess they're beingng tested right now. >> we're asking you -- >> i'm not concerned. >> meanwhile, the wife of canadian prime minister justin trudeau tested positive following a trip to london. the prime minister will work in self-quarantine for 14 days. the w.h.o. reported more than 6700 new cases worldwide on thursday, bringing the total to more than 125,000. the virus has reached 121 countries and territories and the death toll has topped 4600. ♪ a survey by japanese doctors shows that patients with serious conditions caused by the new

coronavirus are recovering through a type of therapy that uses a medical machine known as ecmo. the machine helps pump oxygen into the blood allowing the patient's hearts and lungs to rest while the immmmune systete works to d defeat pathogens. 23 coronavirus patients across jo join have received the treatment. no patients have died. doctors say japan's medical system allows roughly 300 coronavirus patients to receive the treatment simultaneously. dr. takata says it is now clear that ecmo can save a person percentage of patients with severe conditions. he adds that doctors will work to improveve thehe effectivenes the therapy nationwide. the number of confirmed cases in japan stands at about 700. it does not include about 700 people from the "diamond princess" cruise ship or over a dozen repatriated from china. 19 people have died from the

virus here in japan plus seven from the cruise ship. the hardest hit area is the northern prefecture of hokkaido where more than 130 infections have been confirmed. health officials said over 500 people have recovered so far and left hospitals. police in central is japan plan to question a man infected with the coronavirus who went to a restaurant in defiance of a request by health authorities that he stay at home. authorities in aichi prefecture say the man's infection was confirmed march 4th but he went to the eatery later the same day. the staff notified health officials after the man told them he had the coronavirus. sources say the man told his family before he went there that he was going to spread the virus to other people. the restaurant was forced it to close after the incident and on ththursdayay an employee tested positive. the owner filed a complaint with police and is asking that the man be held accountable for his

actions. health care workers are doing their best businesses are grappling with the pandemic's growing economic impact. we're getting a clearer picture of how workers and companies in japan are being affected. nhk world's tomoko kurabayashi has details. >> reporter: fears about the pandemic seem to be infecting japan's boardrooms. a new survey shows the outlook among major firms has plummeted. the business sentiment index for the january-to-march period stands at minus 10.1. that's the lowest it's been in six years. scores of events have been canceled across the country, including some of japan's famous cherry blossom viewing parties. in tokyo the city's most popular attractions are closed. several events located in the normally bustling district. local businesses say they are feeling the pinch.

>> transnslator: if i knew when the restrictions would be liftfted, things would be bette but i have no idea if the closures will end this month or not. >> reporter: it's a similar story for many others who rely on tourist dollars for their livelihood. in shizuoka prefecture, the owner of this inn says cancellations by chinese tour groups have cost her around 15 mimillion yen in lost revenue. >> translator: i can't see a future, so i decided to close down before it's too late. >> reporter: as companies shut down or scale back operations, workers are losing their jobs. this bus operator in sapporo laid off seven of its eight drivers afafter business from chinese and south korean tourists dried up. >> translator: our company has never been without any bookings,

so we have to make gut-wrenching decisions. >> reporter: this economist says the situation is similar to what happened after the 2011 1 distsr and the nuclear accident at fukushima daiichi. people tightened their purse strings and foreign tourists stayed away. >> translator: since then, the number of inbound tourists in japan has almost quadrupled, and this time the government is asking people to scale back on social activities. so the economic damage will likely be much worse. >> r reporter: nagahama saysys pandemic is making forecasting much harder. but if his prediction about japan is right, the world's third largest economy may need unprecedented measures to deal with the fallout. tomoko kurabayashi, nhk world.

as coronavirus cases in hong kong hit triple figures, 11 out of 14 border crossings with mainland china remain closed for more than a month after the territory's government moved to contain the crisis. only three are currently open, including the airport. the change is causing logistical issues for both businesses and residents. nhk world reports. >> reporter: some 9,000 medical workers from hong kong's public hospital took part in a five-day strike in early february. their demand, stopping the influx of people from the mainland. >> translator: hospital beds are normally full anyway. we wouldn't be able to handle

more infected patients. >> reporter: with fear mounting, the hong kong governmement anannounced the closure of mass border checkpoints. >> translator: we will impose stricter meaeasures on the flowf people. >> reporter: and anyone arriving from the mainland is subject to a 14 dai quarantine. normally b bustling near the border, instantly became ghost towns. the new measures triggered tempororary panic buying as peoe flocked to stockpile toilet paper and other items on rumors that supplies from the mainland would dry up. the virus is also having an impact on firms with operations across the border.

samuel cox runs five factories in the southern province. of guangdong. hehe typically spends more than half the week in mainland china, but now that freedom is severely restricted. >> translator: when i complete procedures on the mainland and get back to hong kong, i have to go into isolation. >> reporter: for two weeks, he needs to take his temperature twice a day and report it to the authorities. even after the quarantine period, he continues to rely on video conferencing. with his staff on the mainland. but in the end he has no choice but to go to the factories in person to sign papers or make inspections.

another line of quarantine awaits on his return to hong kong. >> translator: i need to meet my staff face to face to make important decisions for the company, even for projects that have already been approved as well as when changes are needed. >> reporter: small and mid-sized businesssses worry about what happens next. >> translator: some of our customers are demanding that factory owners move part of their production bases to somemewhere like southeast asia. wewe have to wait anand see how situation develops. >> reporter: with no end in sight to the coronavirus crisis and the strict border and quarantine controlols containin movement, many of hong kong's businesses are struggling with how to respond. nhk world, hong kong.

today's onslaught of pollen triggered advisories across the country. let's take a look at weather conditions with jonathan oh whose voice is an octave lower today. >> just a little bit because of that hay fever situation that's been taking place, i know. but otherwise yeah, we're seeing this dry weather that is continuing to be a big part of the story, but it will change as we head into the weekend. we have a front moving through with some rain coming in from the south and west, so that's going to really bring some wet weather into the picture. but for those of you who may have been trying to get from one place to another nearr the rive inin tokyo, you might have seen ththis. take a look at t this video. you will be seeing t this rtrticularigight and t this is littlele bit earlier than what typically see when it comes to the cherry blossom season. it's not officially announced but the flowers are starting to come out and about 3 million people once visited this place during a single cherry blossom season in the past and we are expecting more and more of those

flowers blooming next week. in fact, here's a look at the forecast here. mid-march for those located in the kanto region and we are looking at march to be the big story for most of japan. check this out. up toward the north in sapporo we're looking at a forecast of the blossom taking place in april and that's quite early for us in the area. now, again, so we are expecting colder air to move in, so if you were out and getting used to the warmer weather don't put away the jackets. you're going to need t them as are going to see that cold air moving in. temperatures going anywhere from let's say upper teens down to the single digits. in tokyo we're looking at a high of just 8 degrees. yes, we are talking about a wet weather pattern. snow is still possible. in sapporo 1 degree for the high on monday and showers also in osaka and fukuoka and staying cool as we go into the first part of next week. now, areas down toward the south

and west also looking at some wet weather. okinawa into taiwan as well. their system is rolling through there as well. eventually we'll see behind it, but that's what we're expecting. clouds in tie pay, look at this, 8 for the high in tokyo and looking at sunny skies in beijing with a high of 15. here's a look across north america. we had the low pressure system moving into the desert southwest but it has been a real rainmaker for those in southern california. still l looking at the rain to continue into the desert southwest. another cold front pushing toward the east and that's going to bring some showers as we go into the day on friday. keep the umbrellas handy as we wrap up the work week. that's a look at your forecast. hope you have a good day wherever you are. ♪

ramin mellegard is up next with the latest in business and financial news. i'm james tengan. thanks for watching. ♪ this is "newsline" biz. i'm ramin mellegard. the benchmark stocks index in tokyo nose dived again on friday amid the growing concern over the coronavirus pandemic. it follows the largest ever one-day point drop of the dow jones industrial average in new york overnight. the nikkei average end at

17,431, down 6.1% from thursday's close. the benchmark shed more than 1,800 points in one stage. that was the biggest drop in 30 years. it clawed back some losses in the afternoon session. for the week, the nikkei was down more than 3,300 points or about 16%. that's the biggest weekly point decline ever. the index managed to finish in the positive only on tuesday. the bank of japan offered to buy 500 billion yen or about $4.8 billion of japanese government bonds in the market on friday morning. central bank again offered 200 billion yen for jgbs in the afternoon. officials of the boj, finance ministry and finance service agency held a meeting to skuts market volatility. after the talks, a senior finance ministry official said the government and the boj confirmed that they will keep a close watch on market movovemen and work together if necessary. he also said the government will closely coordinate with other g7 member countries. many other markets in the

asia pacific region also finished the day in the negative. seoul was down 3.4% and also lost nearly 4% on thursday. but the benchmark in sydney ended up 4.4% recovering from a 7% loss. mumbai gained 4%. it lost more than 8% the day before. a japanese chemical maker says it will start importing and supplying kits to detect the new coronavirus. testing in the country now takes around six hours. kurabo industries says the kits will do the job in just 15 minutes without needing any special equipment. the company will import the product from a chinese partner which developed it. the kits are expxpected to hit e market this month. it uses a reagent to determine if antibodies a are present i i small sample of a person's blood. kurabo officials say the kits have had a 95% accuracy rate while used in china.

they say they can supply up to 10,000 a day in japan. the healtlth ministry says it wl study the products and work to ensure the kits can be delivered to testing institutions as soon as possible if they are proven effective. and the coronavirus is dealing a blow to major tourist attractions in japan. the operator of tokyo's skytree says it will extend its temporary closure. japan's tallest tower planned to reopen on monday. the decision to delay came after the government on tuesday called for a hold on major events or large gatherings for another ten days. the operator says it has yet to decide when it will reopen. the shopping complex attached to the tower is staying open with shorter business hours and some precautions in place. the staff wear face masks and hand sanitizers are available. among other tourist attractions in and around the capital tokyo disneyland and disney sea have extended closures to early

april. popular characters such as hello kitty will remain shut until friday next week. several major companies in japan have decided to continue requiring some of their employees to work from home. the firms have extended their teleworking deadlines as the spread of the coronavirus still shows no signs of abating. about 8,000 workers in japan have been doing their duties outside the office under the emergency measure. it was originally scheduled to end on sunday, but they have pushed it back to the last day of the month. leading trading firm mitsubishi corporations has extended its period from the 15th to the end of the month. about 3,800 of its domestic employees are teleworking. another leading trading house sumitomo corporation and foods holdings are taking similar steps.

japanese anime series suit gundam arrived on tv screens in 1979 and went on to become a worldwide-hit. the 40th anniversary set the stage for big businesses. >> reporter: tourists stock up on goods in a district in tokyo. >> maybe about 15 to 20? >> translator: i love gundam. >> reporter: the anniversary last year gave rise to a sprawling industry of new merchandise including eye drops and hair dye. koji oversees this side of the business empire. he calls himself cgo, or chief gundam officer. >> translator: promoting gundam

to as many people as possible is what we're all about here. we can do that by combining the strength of individual companies with the charles of gundam. this is an iron ware tea pot inspired by robots. >> translator: people will really buy that? >> translator: absolutely. it's really popular with foreigners. >> reporter: the company that makes plastic gundam models sells roughly half of them overseas. it's set up more assembly lines to meet growing demand, mainly coming from asia and north america. >> translator: 80 to 90% of our foreign clients are in asia. earnings in north america are rising, but there are more things we can do in europe. we're working hard to promote gundam worldwide.

>> reporter: gundndam long ago cemented its reputation as a cultural icon. now it's become a business phenomenon too. >> okay. let's get a check on the markets. ♪ >> hello and welcome back to the

france 24 newsroom. story dominatining headlines acroross the globe and here and france, where the government has begun rolling out further measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic. monday, all schools, ununiversities, and day care centers will be closed indefinitely, describing it as the worst public health crisis seen in a century. president in my mock urging -- emmanuel macron urging those in poor health to stay at home. >>