hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara with the stories at this hour. we start here in tokyo where the city's governor is urging residents to stay home this weekend unless they absolutely must go out. the call comes after officials confirm more than 40 new cases on wednesday, the largest one-day spike the city has seen so far. >> traranslator: we are now at critical juncture. we want tokyo residents to realize this and do their work atat home as much as possible o

weekdays. though we understand that may not be possible depending on your line of work. we want people to refrain from going out at night. we also want residents to refrain from going out this weekend unless it is urgent. >> koike said tokyo is now facing the risk of an explosive spread of infections. she called o on people coming bk from abroad to abide by the 14-day self-quarantine rule.e. five of the newly confirmed cases were people who recently returned from overseas. 11 others have been tied to a hospital where a nurse and a patient were confirmed infected on tuesday. tokyo reportedd a record number of infections for three straight days through wednesday. 16 were confirmed on monday and 17 on tuesday. the increase prompted an expert on infectious diseases to call for more drastic measures to fight the virus. >> translator: over the past few days, people who returned from

abroad to tokyo and other parts of japan have tested positive for the virus. if there is an explosive increase in the number of infections, hospitals will be overloaded. we need to avoid a situation like that. >> people in tokyo voiced concern about the governor's move. >> translator: infections have grown because many people were careless and went out to places like parks last weekend. we must be careful again. >> translator: children have been feeling stressed because they can't go out. and parents will also get more stressed if the situation continues. so i think it's unrealistic to stop them from going out. >> translator: i think we need to follow the tokyo governor's request.

but we also have to keep paying the rent. many shop owners are suffering right now. >> more than 1,300 cases have been reported in japan. that does not include the over 700 cases from the diamond princess cruise ship. 45 people have died, as well as ten from the cruise ship. more than 900 people have recovered and left hospital. japan's foreign ministry has raised its travel alert covering all countries to level two on a four-level scale as the coronavirus spreads rapidly around the world. level two urges citizens to refrain from making nonessential trips overseas. on wednesday last week, the ministry issued a level one alert. the lowest level advisory calls on people to be careful about traveling outside japan. now, the ministry has raised the level, as there are concerns that the infection will spread in countries and regions where it has not yet been confirmed. in a briefing, the foreign minister touched upon countries that are shuhutting down airpor

anand suspending flights despit not having many cases. >> translator: there are concerns that once people go to such countries, their mobilitit will bee restricted or they wont be able to fly home. we wanted to make travelers aware of that. >> this is the first time a level two alert has been issued covering the entire world. the government is also expanding quarantine rules for those entering japan to include travelers from the united states starting thursday anyone arriving from the u.s. will be asked to self-quarantine for two weeks and refrain from using public transit. the measures now apply to 40 countries, including china, south korea, and european nations. authorities ask anyone f from t affected areas to check their temperatature dailyly duringhe two-week self-quarantine. the measures will be in place until at least the end of april. many people took last-minute

flights back to japan to avoid isolating themselves. >> translator: i came back before the measures come into effect. it's too bad that i didn't have time to even say good-bye to professors who care about me a lot. >> translator: i followed my company's instructions to return because of the coronavirus pandemic in the u.s. and i wanted to avoid the two-week quarantine. spain has recorded its highest one-day number of coronavirus fatalities, bringing the total death toll above china's and second only to italy. the health ministry announced wednesday more than 3,400 people have died from the virus. in the hardest-hit region of madrid, a skating rink has been converteted into a makeseshift morgue too cope with the rapid increase i in fatalities.

this came after t the cicity's facicility said it wass unablee take inn any more infected bodis because of a lack of protective equipmpment. at the same time, the united states is boosting containment efforts. calls to stay at home have now been issued to 40% of the population. more than 54,000 cases have been confirmed across the country. the new york governor says the infection rate there is doubling about every three days. >> if you ask the american people to choose between public health and the economy, then it's no contest. no american is going to say accelerate the economy at the cost of human life. >> andrew cuomo's statement is seen as criticizing president donald trump, who said on tuesday he wants the country opened up by easter, which comes on april 12th. in the uk, prince charles has become the latest high-profile

figure to be diagnosed with the illness. according to an official statement, the heir to the throne is in good health, with only mild symptoms. and is in isolation with the duchess of cornwall in scotland. britain saw its death toll rise by about 80 on tuesday. its largest daily increase in coronavirus-related deaths. prime minister boris johnson has ordered people to stay home and called on all but essential shops to shut down. in egypt, the prime minister has declared a curfew from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. for two weeks starting wednesday. he said those who fail to comply will face fines up to about $250 or even jail time. the country has confirmed more than 400 cases and 200 deaths. the world health organization says the total number of global infections has topped 375,000. and the number of deaths exceeds 16,000 as of wednesday.

now, reaction to the unprecedented postponement of the olympic games. as countries around the world try to clamp down on the rapidly spreading virus, the international olympic committee says the tokyo event won't be held until 2021. >> humanity is going through a very darark tunnel. and, there, we wanted and we want to make the olympic flame their light at the end of this dark tunnel. >> thomas bach says when deciding on the delay, the ioc will consider not only conditions in japan but also the reality facing athletes abroad. bach and japanese prime minister

shinzo abe agreed that postponing the games was the best move. >> translator: we are committed to holding the games in a complete form when we can prove that human beings have overcome illness caused by the new coronavirus. >> it's the first time in olympic history a public health crisis has caused the games to be put off. athletes applauded the move while wondering about their future. hanna mills was set to compete this summer. she told nhk delaying the games was the right d decision. but hearing the news was still emotional. >> the olympic games iss -- is everything foror us. and it's what we've dedicated our lives to. the question of another year as an athlete and will my body be okay? and, y you know, have i got tha drive and that motivation? of course, i will find it, 100%. bubut it just -- it just takes lot of absorbing. >> the effects of the

poststponement arere already rippling t through the sports s world. the world athletics championships were set to be held in the u.s. in august next year. they may now be pushed to 2022. the international swimming body fena is also looking at possibilities to shift the next world swimming championships. they are scheduled to kick off in japan in july 2021. prime minister abe plans to confirm cooperation in fighting the coronavirus with other g20 leaders. the leaders are set to discuss a response to the spread of the virus in a teleconference thursday night japan time. abe plans to say japan is ready to take the initiative in efforts to contain the virus, such as developing drugs and vaccines. he also hopes to confirm the g20 will work together to minimize the economic impact of the virus. abe also plans to ask for cooperation in staging the tokyo olympics and apa rparalympics b

summer of 2021. china is reporting a sharp fall in the number of people infected with the coronavirus. but many shops and restaurants still remain closed. as people are spending m more te at home, online businesses are becoming a key to survival. nhk world's naoki makita reports. >> reporter: this gym chain is opening live streaming sessions with all its branches shut down for two months. the four-week program costs about $40. the company's online sessions have already attracted 20,000 people. >> transtotor: it's n nice thate can get in touch with trainerss right away if f we have any questions. trainerers cararry out their sessions while checking users' comments. >> translator: follow my instructions. your heart rate should ststay above 170.

> reporter: a companyny exece sasa it will put more importatae on online services. >> translator: we'll jugglgle t gygyms with onlinine sessionss helplp boostur risk-management skills. >> reporter: this company offers recipes via a smartphone a app. its daily menus aim to provide a boost to people's immune systems and they are proviving increasingngly popular. today's recommendation is kanji rice porridge with dried scallops and shiitake mushrooms. menus are based on dieticians' advice, and the dishes can be made using ingredients that are easy to get. the firm sayshe number of users has increased to 500,000 per day. >> translator: more people are

spending time cooking at home. so many companies are posting ads to promote their brands and products on our app. >> has never really cooked before. and instead has relied on food deliveries. but the pandemic has made it difficult to even order deliveries. so she turned to the app and is now cooking for herself. >> translator: evenn after t th ououtbreak ends, i w want to k learnining how to cook my y fave dishes. >> the pandemic has put a damper on china's economy. but with more than 800 million internet users, businesses are finding ways to keep their customers happy. naoki makita, nhk world, beijing. here is the three-day

weather forecast. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ i'm ross mihara in tokyo. thanks for joining us on nhk "newsline."

welcome to "newsline in depth." i'm aiko doden. today, we look at some aspects of everyday life. listening to music or even doing the laundry. that are getting a facelift to meet the changing demands of users, old and new. the first is a trend we see for cassette tapes. production and sales really took off in the 1970s and '80s and they were indispensable for listening to music. the tune you are hearing is precisely from that era in

japan. we could even say it brought a revolutionary change to the way people enjoyed music. if you had a cassette tape and a player, you could sing or dance to the music outside on the streets with friends, which was considered a very hip thing to do. in the age of digitalization, production has been decreasing since peaking in 1989. but in recent years, cassette tapes have made a comeback. we meet some people who have found a unique way of hitting the playback button. >> if it's electric, chances are you'll find it here. japan's hub for all gadgets, great and small. but it's not just the new stuff that draws a crowd. so cool and so vintage. here is a blast from the past. a radio cassette player.

they're all owned by one man. i had the privilege of checking out his collection. >> it's very cramped. please watch your step. >> the place is about 4,000 cassette players and some 50,000 tapes fill every inch. he found his passion as a teenager. now, it's earned him a living. he not only restores and sells his pieces, but also leases them out as p props for tv and exhibitions. >> translator: it's the unique designs that attract me most to radio cassette players. once i began looking into what people used in the past, i

realizeded how diviverse they a. and eventually, found myself hooked on their charms. >> most people appreciate cassettes for their analog sound. one guy prefers to get a little more creative. meet dj. here, he is customizing a ta tatap tape deck so he can perform just like a dj with a pair of turntables. sure, i thought, no sweat. it's hard. it's easy to see why cassettes

never caught on in club land. >> translator: no one else is doing this. so i have nobody to compare myself to. it's like a personal struggle or competition. that's why i'm doing it. i am almost 40 now. but 25 years ago, i simply listened to cassette tapes. so using them now and hearing their warm sound is like replaying my memories. i hope this vibe can reach my audience. cassette tapes are the best. i love them. >> you have to rewind at least 30 years to find a shop like

this on every high street. but the customers here don't come for the nostalgia. the name is a fusion of new and old. perfect for how more and more millennials view the cassette. >> translator: on days off, when i just want to relax and listen to music, i find that the songs reach my ears much better ththrough tapes. instead of cds or searching for tunes on a smartphone. >> if you were in any doubt about the revival, everything in here was made within the past five years. clearly, audience are flocking. >> translator: we can listen to any song through our smartphones. but cassettes are a tangible analog form of media. those who are drawn to cassettes

and also young people who have grown up with digital sound will have a novel experience by listening to music this way. >> just like back in the day, packaging is a big part of the appeal. >> some customers want to listen to the cassette. but a lot of others don't even own something to play them on. tapes are cute. i often hear o of people using them like home ornaments. >> and in tokyo bustling shibuya district, there is even a cafe with an actual wall of sound.

♪ dream all you like. it won't stop others from getting their kicks out of the humble cassette. >> translator: basically supported by people who used to listen to tapes when they were young. but, now, there are increasing numbers of people in their 30s and 40s who are also getting involved. what i am hoping for now is to see this enthusiasm for analog media grow into a bigger movement. >> katerina, nhk world, tokyo.

>> fast forward 40 or so years since the '80s. for those of you in your 40s or 50s, there must be something very nostalgic about cassette tapes. how a tape can encapsulate even the color and flavor of a particular era. it is also interesting to see how young people are discovering their warm analog charm and are creating a new cassette culture. next, it's time for laundry. but not perhaps the sort of same old mundane work you have in mind. we have a story about coin laundry, which have also been given a facelift and are attracting a new crowd. in fact, even though almost every household now has a washing machine at home, there's been a steady increase in the number of self-service laundries in japan. we went to see what's behind this trend and what attracts customers to these local coin laundries.

>> reporter: these days, laundries are coming up with different ways to attract customers. many of them now look more like a neighborhood coffee shop. at this one, you can get a caffeine fix and eat pastries while you wait for your laundry to finish. >> i can do some work or read a book while i wait. there aren't many places like this. i i think it's a good idea. >> after putting in my laundry, i go for a jog. when i come back, i order coffee and do some work. >> this place goes a step further. it has its own service staff. they'll wash your clothes and even fold them for you. a bag containing a typical week's laundry will cost you about $18. the service is a hit. the operator says demand has jumped 30% from last year. some existing businesses are getting into the laundering game. this includes a major convenience store chain. while fewer people tend to come

to stores on rainy days, that's a time when many people use laundries because their clothes won't dry outside. >> translator: around 70% of the customers at this laundry also purchase something from this convenience store. that's added up to an overall sales increase of about 2 to 3%. >> for many years, the typical coin laundry in japan looked like this. just the basics. washers. dryers. and a few places to sit. they cater to people who didn't have a washing machine at home. but now, families are the target customers. that's because in a growing number of households, both partners work and laundry doesn't get done every day. people see going out to do laundry as a way to actually save time. and the look of the modern laundry is much more inviting. the washing machines are state of the art equipped with many functions. you can wash and dry your

clothes in one of these at the push of a button. a task that would probably take three hours at home, is finished in about one hour. the machines can also handle big blankets and down duvets that don't fit easily into home washing machines. also, good for people with allergies. >> it's so fluffy now. i think i am going to be a regular customer. washing here is addictive. >> o one operator is tapping th latest technology t to attract customers. it offers an app that lets you reserve a machine ahead of time. there are also security options if you don't want people to see what you're washing, a click makes the machine window go dark. and you can lock the door with

the app, too, so no one else can remove your clothes. the company also aims to use the app to track weather information and automatically offer didiscounts on sunny days. >> translator: more and more women will work and society will continue to age. i think this means many more people will look for ways to outsource laundry. >> the launderettes have diversified not just their services but also their wherebyiwashing machines to cater to specific needs of the customers. now there is even a washing machine designed to clean sneakers. as long as people keep discovering new needs and cultivate new market, there may be room for more growth in the cleaning business. that's it for today's "newsline in depth." thank you for watching and see you again next time.

president trump: a lot of things money goes to jobs, jobs, jobs. and families, families, families. millionl includes $350 in job retention loans for small businesses with loan forgiveness available for businesses that continue paying their workers.