hello and welcome back to nhk "newsline." japan's prime minister abe shinzo took to the stage on friday at a news conference and laid out the reasons behind his decision to expand the state of emergency to a nationwide as part of the measures to take control of the spread of the coronavirus. the government declared the state of emergency for seven prefectures last week. the number of infections

continues to rise across the country. some of the officials attribute to people traveling. >> translator: we must definitely avoid people who have been from cities with high number infected areas. if we allow that to happen, that would cause nationwide and rapid expansion of this disease which is the most dreaded outcome. this is decision was made to expand the state of emergency

nationwide. >> to help with the economic fallout. he's planning handouts of $930 per citizens. there will be no income cap for the payment. >> translator: we are asking everyone to cooperate. prolonged effects of this covid-19 is spreading all over in this difficult situation. as long-term war is expected, it's important to have a sense of unity with people in order to overcome the battle against the virus. and we will overcome with all of you. with this in my mind.

we have decided to give 100,000 yen cashout handout per person to all the people across the country. in this difficult situation, the government will do its best to support you who are really clenching your teeth and working so hard. we as a government is extending our support. >> the measure would carry a price tag of about 12 trillion yen or $110 billion. the cost of the payment could be funded by issuing additional deficit covering bonds or other deeds. the the state of emergency declaration allows each govern to take various measures to fight the virus in the prefecture. they can ask certain businesses to close and people to stay home as much as possible. but some worry it's not enough.

>> translator: i think it's too late but it's much better than not doing anything. >> translator: we should exercise more self-restraint. we need to use better judgment to limit our nonessential outings. >> the government fears people may become less vigilant during the upcoming holiday period. the spring holiday from late april until early may typically see a spike in cross-country travel. the health care system in major cities is feeling some strain and there are worries that rural medical facilities could collapse under a sudden boost in serious cases. japan's more than 9600 coronavirus infections are spreading across the country with the exception of one prefecture. it doesn't include 712 cases linked to "the diamond princess" cruise ship. over 200 died including 13 from

the boat. tokyo saw a grim new statistic on friday as the city battles the virus with the daily increase of reported cases topping 200 for the first time. >> translator: we have 201 people were confirmed to be infected. the situation remains extremely severe. >> the governor said the fight against the coronavirus hasn't just started in tokyo and in japan. she added its too early for people to say they're tired of staying home. nearly 2800 people have tested positive in the capital so far. authorities in tokyo are taking steps to inform nonjapanese residents with a dedicated call center providing g guidance in 14 languages. the call center was launched on friday. a staff of about 50 is on standby working remotely from

home. consultations are available in the following languages english, spanish, french, and portuguese as well as chinese, korean, vietnamese, thai, nepalese, cambodian, and japanese. people can ask a variety of questions about health, labor-related issues, school closures, and personal visa status. it can connect people with other public offices. the toll free number is 0120-296-004. it operates between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. officials say they're hoping to respond to the growing anxiety of the 0,0 foreigners living in tokyo under the state of emergency. the head of the international monetary fund says economic activities should be restarted carefully in parts of the world where coronavirus

infections are believed to have peaked. imf managing director told nhk this situation is like no other and new approaches are needed to deal with it. >> it is a health crisis that requires to bring economies to stand still. and that means that the traditional measures to stimulate the amount simply cannot be applied. >> the imf warned that the world is likely headed for the worst downturn since the great depression. it predicts the global economy will shrink by 3% this year. they commented on moves to ease economic restrictions in china, europe, and the u.s. for governments say the spread of the coronavirus has peaked. she said businesses where the infection risk is low, suchly

highly automated factories, should reopen first. >> many people staying at home during the pandemic are turning to video games to stay busy. a new release for nintendo switch is proving to be a smash hit. but as nhk world reports, it's also becoming an avenue for protest. ♪ >> the plot is simple after they have online players join them. in hong kong the game is being used for more than just entertainment.

>> the characters for protest actists started to use the game to protest beijing's increasing control and he posted a video of himself last friday and has been viewed more than 50,000 times. >> all public gathers of five or more people are banned in hong kong to prevent infections but once -- >> -- playing animal crossing and

turned it into a protest song. the slogan and the graphic and even be export it out and is really creative and without any political censorship for people can expand their belief. >> last week animal crossing disappeared from the shopping site. speculation is because it's because of how the game is being use in hong kong. as the dispute heats up taiwan is also weighing in. and the premier posted a message on facebook saying people in taiwan -- freedom including when it comes to gaming. meanwhile hong kong's movement will benefit from the attention it's generating. >> we have to know protests still exist in hong kong, even people on the street we still keep on fighting and we hope under the suppression of beijing hong kong can still fight for freedom.

> the coronavavirus has strt empty around the world but in hong kong people are using the screen they pray on to make their voices heard. nhk world tokyo. people are expecting unusually heavy rain and s stro

winds into the weekend. our meteorologist sayaka morrie joining us now with the details. >> it's going to be a stormy saturday for central and northern japan. heavy rain could lead to mudslides and also flooding. please be careful. right now the system is affecting western japan with some moderate rainfall. heavier rain is pounding parts of the region at this moment and the rain will shift toward the east. 84% for japan and also northern japan into saturday night. this level will likely intensify and drift over the country with the east. winds are going to be picking up and we have one more storm behind it so large areas of japan will be seeing some stormy conditions on your saturday. the total rainfall could be up to 200 millimeters in central japan. it could be the heaviest in years. 250 millimeters is possible and the strongest winds will pound northern japan, especially at

night. gusts could be nearly 130 kilometers per hour. so typhoon-like strong wind gusts are possible. please be safe. waves will be up to 5 meters alonong the coast. not just rain and winds. we might see thunderstorms, hail, and even tornados. very dangerous conditions are expected for many places of japan. the western japan will see drier conditions as we go into the mid part of satururday. however, instead the yellow will be flown western japan so the sky could turn yellowish because of the sand. now let's go to europe. you can see clouds across western portions. thisis system caused unstable weather conditions across the british -- actually across the iberian peninsula on wednesday. we saw damaging tornado as well as hail and also flooding rainfall. the storm will likely head toward the north affecting france as well as the south of the british isles. they might see thunderstorms on

saturday for paris. temperatures will be more like mid summer across paris and central and western europe. that's it for me. stay safe!

and that's all for this hour on nhk "newsline." thank you for joining us. japanese culture has fans worldwide. here at home, people are exploring ancient traditions and adapting them for contemporary times. to help people during self-isolation during the coronavirus, we have put together stories about an artisan who is reimagining his

family craft. this is a woman looking to tradition and reaching worldwide. japan's coolest ninjas. what do we know about them? one thing is for certain, they are good at their art. it's virtually impossible to know how good they were at that did and how. one professor is unveiling truths. you guessed it. ninja dating back to the 14th

century. they have since emerged to anime. centuries ago this was a hot bed of ninja activity. >> we are studying how they lived and their skills. it's fascinating. >> anyonininja skills are sokul >> this professor knead hisis mission to discover how they really lived.

>> transnslator: nininja are al called shinobe, which means covert agents and they have significant meaning in japanese culture. it's essential to getting a better understanding of japan's culture. >> during his free time, he travels the country to read the documents. last summer he extended his search as far as washington. he reads the u.learns the u.s. have taken some secrets home. he visited the libraryry of congress. he was around to photograph archives. by examining the materials, he came across the tactics manual. here. the ninja talks about the

pursuers. interestingly h he's in the clothes of a regular samurai. the ninja uses disguises too hie in plain sight.t. >> it's typical sam ruurai clotg of the area. i believe warrrriors who worked undercover in this style were called ninja. >> he said their main role was to act as informants for their masters. they had an array of tricks up their sleeve. they wrote an essay. at first the paper appears blank but it comes with a separate note. apply heat. >> translator: when heated, the words emerged. i was so impressed.

it was after i lectured about the ninja's subtle communication methods, including invisible ink. >> the report was submitted by this woman. while her classmates worked on tools, she talked about using ninja techniques. so she ground soybeans after soaking them overnight. she squeezed them into a paste to make the invisible ink. just like a ninja. >> translator: since it was a rot for my ninja class, i thought why not use a ninja method. i somehow senensed the actual world o of ninja. >> he conontinues h his researc get a better understanding of the c covert warriors. >> translator: they were not allowed to leave a trace of

their names as well as their writings. but they were actually so good at completing their missions. i want to reveal an accccurate picture of ninja so people around the world become even more inteterested. >> the mystique a around ninja s bebeen a huge part of their appl bubut thankss to him and his students, it's proving just as fascinating. nhk world. we've seen now ninja have been romanticized not only in japan but around the world. anyo ninja is is a coined word that came into usage in the late '50s. so the professor and his colleagues are busy separating facts from fiction to unmask ninja myths. by studying their training manuals, they're discovering how ninja explored complex subjects such as medical science and m t

mete meteorology. now a story on the traditional flooring was around in the time of the ninja. in tifact, it has a history of more than 1,000 years. once found every japanese home, they have fallen vogue in the last few years. one is looking to revive the tradition by experimenting with customized sizes and giving it a contemporary twist. >> it's woven deep into his family's history. he's fifth generation. the mats he's currently working on come together to form a dragon. he started working in housing construction. he saw firsthand how most homes

these days have no japanese -- he realized they would soon be out of business. he eventually took over the family business. one day a customer asked him to fit the back of a car. he said the experience was a real eye opener. >> translator: the fit was m mu bebetter than i expected. it made me think, you know, maybe i can do more. >> he started to experiment and his unique designs quickly became a hit. the prices are more than twice of a normal but he receives orders from customers around the country. this woman asked him to install it in her apartment. she wanted the mats to add

something different to her living room. >> i chose this tatami because i wanted something that looked different. it's come out better than i could have hoped. >> the owner of this inn wanted to add some modern spipice to t 90-year-old building. he turned to this man.. over 400 tatami mats later, they have a completely diffeferent atmosphere. now he is moving on to the next big thing. he's working on designs that use small hexagons to form celebrity faces. >> translator: we are only just scratching the surface of what we can do with tatami. we want to take it further and do even more. >> he has created an

english-language website. setting his sights firmly on overseas customers. for him, it seems like the natural next step in an evolution of tatami. nhk world. a new generation across people is guarding tradition while pursuing contemporary elements. this approach seems to be paying off with products suited to contemporary way of life winning fans in japan and overseas. finally, we look at a form of pottery who is creating miniature works of art and craft. her r renderings of cut glasssse won her a large global following on social media. ♪

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she has been creating her miniature cut glass works since 2018. she engraves just one piece per day due to the delicate and time consuming nature of her process. right now she's offering free online tutorials for parents and

their kids who are riding out the coronavirus at home. that's it for today's "newsline" in-depth. thank you for watching and see you again next time!

revises this coronavirus death toll up by 50%. offificials say the deaths i got uncounted because some people died at home and there was a delay collecting figures. 'france death toll falls with fewer patientss. the numbers have been fluctuating the mid a consistent reporting from nursing homes -- inconsistent reporting from nursing homes that were included this month. , they up on france 24 plan to reopen the u.s. economy. donald trump has given govern