♪ glad to have you with us on this edition of nhk "newsline." it's now 7:00 p.m. on monday, april 6th. i'm raja pradhan with the latest at this hour. we start here in japan, where the prime minister is making final arrangements to declare a state of emergency to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. abe shihinzo will make the announcement tuesday and apply it to seven prefectures, including tokyo. >> translator: the measure will last about a month. we will ask all the citizens for

further cooperation to minimize person-to-person contact, and we will reinforce the medical system during that period. >> abe says the measure will cover kanagawa, sitate ma, chib, fukushima yoko, osaka and the capital, but they will not impose a lockdown as some governments have. abe says he will try to maintain economic and social activities as much as possible. public transportation and supermarkets will remain open. he says the plan will be finalilized after consulting wi the government's panel of experts on tuesday. the preparations come as the number of infections surges in major cities. in a growing number of those cases, health officials are unable to trace the root of transmission. the government says the medical system could collapse in areas that see a large number of cases. across japan, there are now

4,000 confirmed infections, excluding 712 from the "diamond princess" cruise ship. about a quarter of confirmed cases are from tokyo. more than 250 new infections were reported over the weekend. > now, the comommander off u forces in japan has announced a public health emergency for t kanto region, whichch includes tokyo. lieutenant general kevin snyder said on monday the order covers all army, navy, air force and marine installations and facilities in the area. the measure will remain in effect through may 5th. countries and regions across the globe have declared states of emergency, but the details and the impact on people's lives differ depending on the location. here's what a state of emergency could look like for japan. >> translator: the declaration was made possible based on a bill enanact last month. ththe prime ministerer, in i is the state of emergency, will also lay out the timeline in the

targeted areas. in response, prefectural governors in the designated places will be given the power to take necessary measures to prevent infection. a significant measure will likely be the request for people to stay at home, but, it is only a request, not mandatory. public transit will not be stopped because it is an essential service. supermarkets and stores selling food, medicine, and necessary daily goods will also stay open for the same reason. italy, france, and other countries have imposed a strict curfew by law and violators are fined. but in japan there's no penalty for not complying. so a lockdown like these countries is not possible. there's no direct law to force private companies to close down, but the declaration could put pressure on companies to switch to telework or temporarily close storefronts. on the other hand, the governors

can request or order the closure of schools and restrictions on the use of facilities where many peoplele gatherer, such a a mus and movie theaeaters. they can also request carriers to deliver necessary medical goods and equipment, such as masks. in order to build temporary medical facilities, land and buildings can be used without the consent of the owners. governors can also order the storage of necessary goods, such as medicine. there are penalties in those cases, if people disobey. people in tokyo and osaka have already been asked to stay home on weekends, but it's expected that the declaration will encourage more people to refrain from nonessential outings to help fight the virus. now to the united states, which has the highest number of infection cases. president donald trump says while he expects the country's death toll to rise further, the pace of increase and infections

could begin to slow soon. >> i think we all know that we have to reach a certain point, and that point is going to be a horrific point in terms of death, but it's also a point at which things are going to start changing. we're getting very close to that level right now, and the next week and a a half, two weeks, a going to be -- i think they're going to be very difficult. >> trump referred to saturday's day-on-day drop in the number of deaths on the hardest hit state of new york and added, "we are starting to see l light at ththd of thehe tunnel." in italy, a national lockdown has been enforced for nearly a month. people there appeared on their balconies on palm sunday to join priests in prayer. officials reported the country's lowest daily death toll in more than two weeks that day. the increase in confirmed cases has been slowing, and the number of patients in intensive care has fallen. at least 63 countrieses and regions have declared states of

emergency. the w.h.o. says more than 1,130,000 people had contracted the virus as of sunday. that's an increase of about 82,000 cases from saturday. the first time the figure has topped 80,000 in one day. many countries are seeking help from retired health care workers and medical students to fight the virus. in ireland, prime minister leo varardkar has practitionone. it is reported he is set to serve on a weekly basis. he worked as a doctor for seven years before entering politics. back here in japan, some public schools have resumed classes as a new term began on monday, but other schools will remain closed. this elementary school in tokyo held a ceremony to mark the new term but will close again from tuesday. students were told to keep their

social distances and were kept from going to class as precautions amid the spread of the virus. >> translator: i was happy to be at school for a while. but it's sad because we'll be closed again. >> some pupils whose school were scheduled to r resume protested this high school student in kogyo prefecture in western japan has been collecting signatures online to stop his school's's restart on wednesday. he says h he does nonot want to in a c crowded classroom.. >> translalator: if werere infected by ththe virus, it cou also infect our parentnts or granandparents, r resultiting i seriouous consequences. i want our s school to knonow t many of usus feel this way. >> then on monday, the governor of kogyo announced schools will remain closed for about ten more days. a detention center in osaka has isolated about 40 of their

inmates after a prison officer tested positive for the virus. justice minister mori masako said none have developed symptoms. she says the officer had contact with 19 other guards. that's one-fifth of the workforce. those officers have been told to self-quarantine at home. two have come down with a fever. mori also said she'll ask the defense ministry to send the self-defense forces to help. she wants personnel who dealt with the quarantined "diamond princess" cruise ship to train the detention center officers. now, the spread of the coronavirus is casting a shadow overer the japananese fishing industry. people across the nation are eating out less and demand from abroad is declining. but some businesses are now creating new sales strategies. n hnk k nhk world's reporter reports. >> reporter: in hokkaido, northern japan, is known for its

production of seafood delicacies. early in the morning, at the start of the season in march, you will see the fishing boats with fisherman yoshioka shoega. he throws a net on the sea bed to harvest sea cucumber and sea urchin. sea cucumber is known as a black diamond. most of the catch here goes to china. today, yoshioka caught 25 kilograms of sea cucumber and 10 kilograms of sea urchin in about four hours. he took them to the auction at the local seafood market. the price is only 60% of what it was last year because of the decrease in exports to china. >> translator: i hear seafood isn't being distributed as much anymore because of the virus.

>> reporter: domestic demand for these delicacies is also weak. more people are staying at home because of the virus. sales to restaurants are slow, driving down prices, so fishermen's earnings are being cut in half. >> translator: i'm concerned about the unprecededented price drop we're experiencing. >> reporter: now, some people are starting to explore new sales strategies. konishi, a seafood broker, is one of them. he primarily sells seafood to restaurants in the tokyo and osaka metropolitan regions, but his sales have dropped by about 50%. so, he decided to start selling directly to households. he just caught this fresh fish from the seafood market. he is giving consumers the opportunity to try these delicacies at home, a package

that includes fresh luxury items bundled with frozen products already prepared and ready to use. the items are discounted by about 30%. konishi advertised the package on social media and word has spread around cities such as tokyo and osaka. he fills 100 orders in just one week. >> translator: i think many people are refraining from eating out due to the virus, so i thought about sending seafood that would usually be eaten at restaurants to households, fresh and direct. >> reporter: fishing season is under way in hokkaido. as the coronavirus continues its fierce spread, the fishing industry is trying new ways to revitalize business. nhk world, hakodate.

the operator of japan's crippled fukushima dai-ichi plant has showed a simulation of radioactive water released into the ocean from the plant. tokyo electric power company says the tides will spread the wastewater in an elongated shape along the coastline. the japanese goverernment has bn looking at ways to dispose of the roughly 1.2 million tons of wastewater standaored at the pl. it contained approximately 860 trillion becquerels of tritium. it is estimated the area of water would contain the becquerels per liter. it shows when the water containing 100 trillion becquerels is released each year, the area would be two kilometers offshore of the plant and stretch 30 kilometers from north to south.

a government panel report released in february said releasing diluted radioactive water into the ocean or air are realistic options. the international atomic energy agency expressed some understanding for the plan, but the proposal is facing public opposition, including local fishermen. japan's former justice minister reportedly made cash payments to people working for his lawmaker wife before her successful election to the upper house last year. the cououple are both members o the r ruling liberal democratic party. prosecutors have been investigating alleged election law violations by upper house member kauai andi's campaign. in the process, payments before her husband, lower house law maimer kawai katsuyuki came to life. informed sources say andi's campaign staff and senior official of her support group told prosecutors during voluntary questioning they had received cash payments from her

husband before the election. a leading member of the support group told nhk an envelope given to her last year contained more than $100,000 for transportation fees.. a campapaign staff member also told nhk around july last year, a bag containing the same amount of cash was given by katsiuki. the staff member considered the payment as illegal. in other news, a 36-year-old in western japan is set to become the country's youngest woman mayor. naito sawako won a close race in the city of fukushima, where she sits on a city development board. she's also written a book about her experience with multiple sclerosis, a disease of the centraral nervous system.. nato has pledged to work with the prefectural and tokyo governments to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

♪ it is time for our check on world weather with meteorologist jonathanan oh. vanuatu has been hit by a tropical cyclone, which has now set its eyes on fiji, right?t? >> right. >> it is now south of fiji, i believe, then? how soon would residents there feel the impact of the storm? >> when it goes near that particular island, we'll be concerned particularly about the strong wind and high waves and potentially serious rainfall taking place. now, over the past 24 hours, this particular system has been rolling right over vanuatu and

has been bringing some heavy rainfall and powerful winds. here's a look at some of that video that's coming out from the area. the severe tropical cyclone named harold made landfall monday in vanuatu. it caused debris to be flying and damaged some trees as well. no injuries or deaths have been reported due to the storm in the country, but it did kill at least 27 people in the solomon islands last week. back in 2015, cyclone pan hit vanuatu as a category 5 storm, but you know what, this is pretty serious for those living there because not only are they dealing with this storm, there's also the state of emergency due to the coronavirus for the residents there. now, severe tropical cyclone harold is actually a category 5 storm. it's powerful and will continue to be in the area and eventually make its way down toward the south and east. it's packing winds of 220 kilometers per hour, and this storm will continue to make its way south and west towards fiji, expected to move right south of there. so maybe not as much in terms of the rain, but the winds and also

the waves are things you have to look out for. now, vanuatu, you're still looking at a significant amount of rain, possibly seeing up to 200 millimeters over the next three days or so. then after that, likely, most of the heaviest and most intense rain will stay over the waters, but that's something that residents will need to look out for. coming up to japan, we have a low pressure system spinning in the northern areas of the country, and so, that is bringing in the possibility of some snow as we go into the early-morning hours on tuesday. the rest of japan staying relatively clear due to this high pressure system in the area. as it continues to be in place, we're not going to see much in terms of rain. again, a little bit of snow possible up toward the northern areas of the country, but we're looking at temperatures to really warm up by the middle of this week. tokyo looking at 17 for the high on tuesday, 21 on wednesday, and then midteens as we go into thursday and friday. 20s also expected for osaka and fukuoka by the middle of this week. let's look at what's happening across north america. we do have a system that's trying to gather itself and move

to the eastern areas of the united states, and a cutoff low pressure system remains over the western areas of the country, so we will continue to see some decent amounts of rain with this particular low pressure system. and looking at thunderstorms in the midwest. chicago looking at 17 for the high on monday. that's a look at your forecast. hopefully it's a good day wherever you are. ♪ ♪ and before we wrap up, people in india have switched

off lights and lit candles in a show of solidarity amid a nationwide coronavirus lockdown. the show of lights on sunday was in response to prime minister narendra modi's call on friday to challenge the darkness of the coronavirus pandemic. the lockdown imposed on march 25th bans people from going out except for essential trips such asas grocery s shopping. in a a twitter posost, modi i c on people to pay respect to the light of the lamp which he says brings health and prosperity and removes evil spirits. observers say the event aimed at easing discontent and stress during the lockdown. and that concludes this edition of nhk "newsline." coming up next is "newsline biz" with arramin mellegard, so plea stay with us.

♪ this is "newsline bi zi ink" i'm ramin mellegard. the chinese government has made moves to declare a state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic. the impact of restrictions on the greater tokyo area would push down the country's gdp this year. they say the damage could be between half a percentage point to a full percentage point. once the prime minister makes the declaration, prefectural governors are expected to call for greater efforts to fight the virus. these could include asking residents to stay at home,

except for essential outings. they could mean calling for a wide range of events to be suspended. but violators would face no punishment. an estimate by bnp paribas japan looks at how three weeks of restrictions in tokyo and seven nearby prefectures would affect the economy. it projects that limits on social activities could push down gdp by 4.3 trillion yen. that's about $40 billion or 0.8%. both capital investment and personal consumption would suffer. nli research institute foresees a scenario not quite as dire. it imagines restrictions lasting three weeks in tokyo and four neighboring prefectures. that would depress gdp by 2.8 trillion yen or about $26 billion. that's about half a percentage point. nomura research institute assumed the emergency measures would be in place for a month in tokyo and eight nearby prefectures. it predicts gdp would lose 5.9 trillion yen or about $54 billion. that would be just under one

percentage point. economists say the hit to the economy would be even greater if stay-at-home requests are in place longer or extend beyond the greater tokyo area. the number of people coming into central tokyo on the weekend already seems to be dropping off, and that's according to data from internet company yahoo japan. this comes after the metropolitan government and some prefectures asked people to stay home on weekends. the yahoo data show that under 1.1 million people visited tokyo's 23 wards on saturday. on sunday, the number was about 810,000. those were declines of about 20% and 30% compared with the same days two weeks earlier, before people were asked to stay home. yahoo japan came up with the estimates based on location data collected from its app with users' consent. the japanese government has ordered a new economic division to join the battle against the

coronavirus. officials launched the unit as part of the national security secretariat. the administrative arm of the nationalal security council. chief cabinet secretary suga yoshihide laid out the division's mission at a ceremony markrking its creaeation. suga said the realm of national security's rapidly expanding to economic and technical fields. he wants domestitic and global movemements of people, goods, a money to o be covered by a syst that has a a security viewpopoi. >> translator: a major issue is handling the movement of people to protect the nation's safety with measures such as flexible port of entry controls and others to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. >> the division's duties will include gathering the global response to the pandemic and its economic fallout. it will also engage in policy planning to counter cyber attacks.

ceramic pots like this one can be found in almost every household in japan. in the past, most of them have come from one city. but with the threat of cheap imports, the industry there is facing a crisis and is trying out some new ideas. nhk world's yanaka marie has more. >> reporter: the city of yokaichi in central japan is home to a traditional pottery style. it is estimated that over 80%% f clay pots in japan are ban-aiki, because it can withstand high temperature. but recently, sales are falling and a lot of potters are closing shop. the industry is being revitalized with outside help. fresh perspectives are leading to innovative products. this pot looks nothing like traditional banqueki, an it's

selling out quickly. it's even used at this michelin-starred restaurant in tokyo. pot is used for its signature dish, flavored rice witith seasonal ingredients. >> translator: this pot heats its contents evenly, so each graiain turns out shiny and fluffy. the rice is beautiful and tastes even better than it looks. >> reporter: the idea was to create a banquoeki pot and a heavy iron lid that fit perfectly so that steam stays inside and makes food tasty. the pot is the brainchild of a company in yokaichi that specializes in precision metal parts, even for rockets. the perfect fit was made possible by filing the ceramic pot, a first for the company. it even introduced a computer-controlled machine and developed a special filing tool. >> translator: i want to use my company's expert cutting skills

to show that there could be more possibilities for bankoyaki and revitalize the area. >> reporter: it also required the potter to step up its game. this family has been making banquoeki for generations. for the new pots, he carefully calculates where each should be positioned. that's because typical products distort when they're heated in kil kilns, because temperatures are not uniform inside. now, the pots are exactly the size he aims for. >> transnslator: this experienc renewed my confidence in my technique.e. you can expect a lot of new products out of yokaichi. >> reporter: revitalized by the ideas and efforts by people with a profound love for the traditional craft. banquoeki may soon enchant people around the world. yanaka marie, nhk world. okay, let's get a check on

the markets.

and that's it for "newsline biz" from our tokyo studios. i'm ramin mellegard. thank you very much for watching.

>> america's surgeon general says to race for a pearl harbor moment as the death toll risise. u.k. p pme minister boris johnson hospitalize after he failtoto recover from the e vir. questions being askeded about wo will run t the company in his absence. u.n. secretary-general makes a personal plea to make sure that a as is a priority for women mystic violence surges across the globe after being in lockdown. welcome bacack to