♪ hello, and thank you for joining us on this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news from tokyo. we start with latest on the coronavirus pandemic. japanese officials say an additional 234 cases were reported across the country on monday. more than 100 of the new cases are in tokyo. the capital has more than a quarter of all japan's confirmed infections with more than 3,100. the total number of confirmed cases now stands at over 11,000. this does not include more than 700 cases linked t to the "diamd

princess" cruise ship, which is ququarantinedd in y yokohamama februauary. meanwhile, health officials say more than 1,800 people have recovered and been discharged from hospital. the number of people heading out in japan's major cities dropped on the first sunday since the state of emergency was extended nationwide, but the decrease differed from area to area. cell phone carrier ntt docomo released data based on the movement of its users without identifying them. the dadata shows that as of suny afternoon, the number of people out in major areas of tokyo and six other prefectures was down at least 70% from before the pandemic. the state of emergency was initially declared for those seven prefectures. outings decreased most in areas around osaka's umeda district falling nearly 87%. numbers also plunged in most regions where the state of emergency only kicked in last week. people out in places around

nagano station and kanazawa station in ishikawa prefecture dropped more than 70%, but figures for areas around mito station in ibaraki prefecture and gifu station only fell about 56%. japan's medical system is under more strain than ever with infections continuing to spread among those on the front lines. and as nhk world explains, some worry that's what could trigger a flat-out collapse. >> reporter: this hospital is closing its doors to new patients. lilike many others across s the country, it's shifting priorities to focus on care for those with the coronavirus. more and more providers are making this tough decision. fear the v virus h has spreaeadn their own walls. >> translator: five medical workers have beeeen infected. >> translator: a nurse who works in our intensiveve care unit ha

been infected. >> translator: she's a nurse who works at community health center. >> reporter: staff worries hospitals are not equipped to protect the very people defending the country against this pandemic. and there's reason to believe that's the case. in osaka, at least 55 medical workers and patients have been infected at this one hospital. another in tokyo saw 20 nurses and inpatients test positive last week. one person died. this hospital is specifically designated to handle infectious diseases, but the virus also spread among people in other wards. japan knew this monumental challenge was coming. one strategy was to limit testing. the government hopes that hospitalizing fewer patients

with mild symptoms would lift pressure on the system. but the collapse feared seems close at hand. nhk found that nine prefectures have already filled more than 80% of their beds reserved for coronavirus patients. >> translator: in order to deal with the in-house infections at the hospital, we have to transform how we work. >> reporter: health workers are trying out possible solutions. japan's second biggest prefecture introduced a new system on monday. it could see thousands of coronavirus patients moved to hotels, and it will affect only the least serious of cases. officials hope i it will make much-needed room in hospitals. >> translator: we're not worried about accepting infected papatients. we're going to expand our

capacity as much as possible. >> reporter: for now, the government has also loosened regulations to a allow doctors hold initial consultations with patients online. but some believe that will affect the quality of their care. they say they rely on their senses and not being able to touch, listen to, or see patients face-to-face will be a problem. as the crisis grows, more doctors will encounter these difficult didilemmas, balancing their desire to provide the best treatment for some patients with their need to protect the safety of others. yamamoto saori, nhk world, tokyo. concerns are also mounting in other parts of asia over the

coronavirus' ability to spread unchecked and wreak economic havoc. media say india's economic powerhouse state of maharastra is allowing a limited number of businesses to reopen monday. while the nationwide lockdown has been extended until may 3rd, businesses in areas not as hard hit will be given the green light to reopen. new delhi with over a third of all cases. it will not see any relaxining the rules. in afghanistan, at least 20 officials working in the presidential palace tested positive. reuters reports the source of infection is believed to have been an official document passed between departments. president ashraf ghani has isolated himself. there are over 900 cases so far in afghanistan. the health ministry has warned that unless containment measures are strengthened, millions more could be infected. and while new virus infections grow in australia, a group of the country's economists warned

the government on monday of easing restrictions. they wrote that australia can't expect a functioning economy until the public health crisis is addressed. last week prime minister scott morrison said social distancing measures would stay in place for a further four weeks. now, china's central bank has cut its benchmark interest rate to smooth out the economic impact there. the bank trimmed the rate by 0.2 of a point. it was the latest move by chinese authorities to help businesses weather the storm. the people's bank of china announced this month's loan prime rate is 3.85%. it's the first cut in two months. the lpr is the yardstick for lenders to offer funds to businesses. the country's economy shrank 6.8% in the january-to-march period from a year earlier. it was the first economic downturn since 1992, when the country began releasing such data. the central bank hopes the rate cut will make it easier for small companies to raise money.

the coronavirus pandemic came to africa later than other parts of the world, but the fatality rate in some countries has now reached double digits. the world health organization warns hundreds of thousands of africans could die without urgent support. it calls on the international community to act fast to prevent the continentnt from becoming t next epicenter. >> thehe s systems in africa art as s strong as whatt you wouould in europe or i in the united states orr in china. so, we k know that our systems e alreready overstretchehed becaue have had more diseases in addition to covid-19. >> the w.h.o. announced on monday africa has nearly 20,000 confirmed infections. cases have been reported in almost all countries. nearly 1,000 people have died. the worst-hit nations include south africa, algeria, and

egypt. w.h.o. africa expert dr. mary stephen worries about the high mortality rate than some countries. in algeria, it's over 15%. many people on the continent have no access to clean water. that makeses it difficucult too saninitary precautitions, meaea the infection could spread like wildfire if aggressive action isn't taken. stephen says africa i is struggling to get enough medical supplieses, just as developed cocountries face their own critical shortages. >> thihis is a glolobal crisis, all couountries are accesessing these supplies from the s same global community, and t there i alreadady a constrainin on theh supplies, the medical suppliese both the issues of the personal protective equipment hasn't been an issue. >> the head of the w.h.o., tedros adhanom ghebreyesus, also

says african natations are vulnerable because of their weak supply chain. the number of african refugees and migrants trying to cross the mediterranean into italy has fallen in recent weeks. but those who do risk their lives are facing a new challenge because of the pandemic. >> stop! stop! >> about 150 migrants have been rescued by a humanitarian organization off the coast of sicily. they're now being transferred to another ship to be quarantined for about a month. earlier this month, the italian government banned vessels carrying migrants from docking atat its ports to prevent the virus from spreading. rights groups say the measure's aimed at keeping migrants out of the country. they say the government should respect migrants' rights and allow them to enter, even amid the health crisis. celebrities and athletes have been trying to use their high-profile status to urge people to stay home and urban the spread of the controversy.

one video features major league baseball stars from the past and present. >> stay home. let's slow the spread. >> 13 ballplayers took part in the v video, including cal ri n ripken jr. he's an mlb legend who holds the record for consecutive games played at 2,632. >> i went to work every day for a long time, but now's the time to stay home. be smart. protect one another. flatten the curve. >> but we've got to bucklee dow riright now.w. >> more thahit remains unclear baseball season will start this year. people in southern areas of the united states are dealing with stormy conditions once agaiain, one week after tornado ripped through the region. our meteorologist jonathan oh has the details for there and elsewhere in our world weather report. >> hello. we have been watching a line of storms moving through the

southeastern united states, about a week ago, around easter sunday into monday, we had a line of storms moving through the same southeastern region of the united states. and as we go throughout the next few hours, we're going to have to watch out for this front as it continues to make its way towards the east. you can notice the bright tops of this particular lineup, indicating all of the storms are located inside of this storm. here's the 12-hour radar pattern. and notice some of these really bright yellow and red colors indicating the heaviest downpours and the most intensive storms. and down toward right at the coast of florida, there's another line of potentially strong to severe thunderstorms that are about to roll in. the carolinas also dealing with some active weather. the cold front eventual push off the coast. behind it, high pressure will be moving in. that's going to help improve the weather. we're going to be dealing with more of a drier pattern coming up and maybe even some warmer weather to boot, as that system brings some of that southerly flow back into the picture here. and we're going to start seeing a little bit of snow up toward the north as a little system

moves through there as well. 6 for a high in pwinnipeg, 17 chicago with rain, rain in d.c. and atlanta. back west, los angeles 22 for a high with partly cloudy skies for monday. meanwhile, we've been talking about plenty of rain across japan. we've been dealing with this line of rain that's really moved through the country. and now the low's moving up toward the north. and it's been a wet pattern. we've had a lot of rain over the weekend, especially on saturday, but then late sunday into monday, we had this line also moving to the north and east. some places getting anywhere from 70 to 90 millimeteters off rainfall in about a 12-hour span. the rain will contitinue to be big part of the story up toward the north here as this low's nearby. back west, high pressure moving in. 22 for the high in tokyo with partly cloudy skies, 21 on wednesday, and highs near 20 for osaka and fukuoka as we go through tuesday. that's a look at your forecast. hope you have a good day, wherever you are.

♪ ♪ >> and that conclcludes this edition of nhnhk "newsline." i'm raji practiced haa pradhan .

there's much more to come here, so please stay with us. ♪ 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 that 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 street with friends, which was considered a very hip thing to do. in the age, 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. >> reporter: if it's electric, chances are, you'll find it here at japan's market for all gadgets great and small, but it's not just the new stuff that drove the crowd. so cool, and so vintage! here is a blast from the past, a

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

realized how diverse they are and eventually found myself hooked on their charms. >> reporter: most people appreciate casettes for their analog sound. one guy prefers to get a little more creative. meet deejay mike beat,. here, he is customizing a tape deck so he can perform just like a deejajay with a pair of turntables. >> reporter: sure, i thought, no sweat. it's hard! >> yeah. >> reporter: it's easy to see

why casettes 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'm almost 40 notch, 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 can reach my audience. cassette tapes are the best. i love them. >> reporter: you'd 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 casettes. >> translator: on days off, when i just want to relax and listen to music, i find that the songs reach my earars much better through tape instead of cds or searching for tunes on a smartphone. >> reporter: if you were any doubt about the revival, everything in here was made within the past five years. >> translator: we can listen to any song through our smartphones, but casettes are a tangible analog form of media. those who are drawn to casettes

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

dream all you like. it won't stop others from getting their fix out of the humble cassette. >> translator: it is 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 gettining involved. what i'm hoping for now is t to see this enthusiasm for analog media grorow into a bigger movement. >> reporter: 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 they're 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 under 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, launderers are coming up with new ways to attract customers. many of them now look more like a coffee shop. at this one, you can get a caffeine fix and eat pastries while you wait for your laundry to finish. >> translator: i can do some work or read a book while i wait. there aren't many places like thisis. i think it's a good idea. >> reporter: after putting in -- >> translator: after putting in my laundry, i go for a jog. when i come back, i order coffee and do some work. >> reporter: this place goes a step further. it has its own service staff that will wash your clothes and even fold them for you. a bag containing a typical week's laundry will cost you about $18. this 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%. >> reporter: for many years, the typical coin launderer in japan looked like this, just the basics, washers, dryers, and a few places to sit. they cater to people who did not 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. 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. they also clean away pollen and mites, good for people with allergies. >> translator: it's so fluffy now! i think i'm going to be a regular customer. washing here is addictive. >> reporter: one operator is tapping the latest technology to attract customers.s. 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 discounts on sunny days. >> translator:r: 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. >> they have diversified not just their services, but also their washing machines to cater to the specific needs of the customers. now there's even a washing machine designed especially to clean sneakers, keeping a generation of fashion monsters happy. as long as people keep discovering new needs and cultivating 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.

anchor: angela merkel says she is greatly concerned germans could let their guard down to early as the nation begins to scale back its coronavirus lockdown. parts ofhops in large the country are being allowed to unlock their doors this morning. u.s. governors pushing the white house to do more. donald trump promises to improve testing and produce millions more swabs. new york state reachches its vis peak. protests against the lockdown breakout elsewhere. as millions are kept behind doors,