hello. welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. we begin here in japan where the government is maintaining a sense of caution and urging people not to relax social distancing despite a recent decrease in new coronavirus infections in tokyo. a state of emergency has been in

effect for 3 weeks. the capital saw the number of daily confirmed cases drop below 100 for two days in a row with 72 cases on sundayy and 39 on monday. but government officials say the number of cases reported on weekends and mondays tends to be lower. prime minister abe shinzo t tola meeting of senior officials from his governing liberal democratic party on monday that the pace of infections seems to be slowing, but he says he's still not optimistic. abe said he will continue to ask people to refrain from nonessential t travel durining spring holidays through may 6th. nearly 4,000 people have tested positive in the capital so far. the increase comes as local governments urged people to stay home amid a nationwide state of emergency. data from mobile carrier ntt suggests those measures are having an impact. on sunday the number of people

in tokyo's shopping and entertainment hub of shinjuku was down 82% compared to earlier this year. and in osaka's district the number of people fell 88%, and data from another carrier showed that visitor numbers have declined sharply at major tourist sites across japan. meanwhile lawmakers have started discussing a bill that would help fund measures to deal with the pandemic. >> t translatotor: we wawant to the supplementary budget apprproved as soon as possible we can implement these measures. we will closely monitor how the economy and peoples lives are being affected and take prompt, bold action in response. >> the government's emergency package includes about $119 billion for cash handouts. every resident in the country will be entitled to about $930 under that. small and medium sized companies

will also be eligible for subsidies of up to $18,000 if their revenues have dropped because of the virus. the bill is expected to clear the diet on thursday. japan is also expanding a ban on foforeign travelers. beginning wednesday anyone who has spent time in russia, saudi arabia, qatar, peru or ten other countries in the last two weeks will be denied in addition to the other countries and careatories included in the ban. across japan more than 170 new cases were reported on monday. over 13,600 infections have been confirmed in the country. the tally does not include 712 cases linked to the diamond princess cruise ship which was quarantined near tokyo in february. more than 400 people have died including 13 from the

the firm says it hopes to start clinical trials by the end of this year it will work with the national iptsitute of infectious diseases to develop a vaccine. these vaccines elie on geneteti engineering and arere said to b fast door mass-produce than other kinds. the world health organization says clinical trials for covid-19 vaccines are already under way in china and the united states. now a sobering new milestone in the fight against the coronavirus. more than 3 million people worldwide have been confirmed to be infected. around 210,000 people are dead. that's according to john hopkins university in the u.s. but some countries like new zealand are starting to ease the

stricte strictest lock down measures. >> we have won that battle but we must remain vigilant if we are to keep it that way. >> some businesses are allowed to reopen on tuesday. delivery services and other ways to d do businesess without phys contact are being encouraged. >> we have to train our crew and go back and talk about, you know, the hygiene. you might notice some screens that are a distance from the customer a bit. >> but the prime m minister is still asking new zealanders to stay in their bubble to prevent anotherr outbreak. she urged the focus is restarting the economy not peoples social lives. the government declared a state of national ememergency on mara 25th. the number of dailyly confirmed cases in new zealand has been decreasing since mid-april. on monday the country reported only one case. businesses in parts of the

united states are reopening, too. but those in much of the country are still closed, and that's left a patchwork of restrictions. nhk world's catherine kobyashi reports. >> reporter: people in georgia have been sheltering in place for less than a month, but their governor wasas eagerer to reopee state. so nowow they're free to g get haircut, go to a restaurant or the gym. >> they have to feed their children. they have bills to pay, they have mortgages, they have car payments. >> reporter: georgia's governor disregarded white house guidelines on the outbreak. they suggest confirmed cases should be falling over 2 weeks before states start to reopen. still south carolina, oklahoma, alaskaka and a number of other stateses have already easedd up and others are soon to follow. residents in california are still under orders to stay home. but temperatures there make it seem like summer, and crowds ignored the rules to hit the

beach. new york has seen more cases than a anywhere. the governonor hasas extended t lock down until may 15th and will extend it again in many parts of the state. >> we have to learn the lessons, we have to move forward, and we have to be smart. because if you are not smart you will see that infection rate go right back to where it was. >> reporter: cuomo says you have to know what you're doing before you do it, and he says those are words to live by. catherine kobyashi, nhk world, new york. now, despite rumors swirling over kim jong-un's disappearance from public life in recent days the north korean media says the leader is busy writing letters. the ruling party's newspaper reported on tuesday that kim sent a letter to the south african president to mark the country's national holiday. in the letter kim said he

believes that bilateral relations would steadily grow stronger. the country's media reported similar stories three days in a row including a letter thanking workers building a tourist resort. kim's health condition came under the spotlight last week when cnn reported he was in grave danger after undergoing surgery. but the south korean government says nothing unusual is happening in the north and that kim is alive and well. in washington president donald trump also dismissed speculation over kim's condition. >> i hope he's fine. i do know how he's doing, but relatively speaking we'll see -- you'll probably be hearing in the not-too-distant future. >> trump said he wished him well. the t two leaders last sawaw ea other in junee 2019 in a historc meeting at the demilitarized zone. >> a japanes song t that top

the u.s. chart a almost 60 year ago is now b bringing p people together in the fight against the coronavirusus. it's known as s sukiyaki and wa sung by sakomoto kyu. it has a message off hope and i putting smiles on peoples faces. ♪ >> reporter: the video p projec "sing for hope" featutures peop from all walks of life. it's the brainchild of one of the leading theater directors in japan. in 2019 he was diagnosed witith prostate cancer. during treatment hee sayss musi helped himim carry on.

>> the song made me tears, the song gives me courage. at a time i learned a song had great power and can change peoples heart. >> reporter: miyamoto started the project to deliver hope through music. to health care workers on the front line as well as anyone feelingg lonely and depressed during self-isolation. more than 600 videos were submitted within four days. one of the singers is nursing home manager kano ryota. at work kano feels its his responsibility to protect the responsibility to protect the residents from the virus.

>> translatotor: if staff stop smilingg or look exhausted the elderl and peoeople with disabilities can s sse theirir anxiety, too. i want all nursing care workers to keep smiling and pull together. >> reporter: people sent in messages of support with their videos. > i'm planning now for many people around the world to sini the english versision of thiss song. that will b be one big posositi force. i want to believe that one day a world full of love will come to everyone's respect.

>> all right, there you go, the power of song. in world weather after weeks of destructive weather in the western united states another storm is on its way. let'ss go over to our meteorologi meteorologist yoko kumigata. >> the recent storm systems rushing through the western u.s. have brought nearly 100 tornados. an average of about 250 occurs in april of each year. this april more than 340 tornados have already been confirmed. i want to focus on the next storm system coming from the west. the storm will push into the upper midwest on wednesday and the associated cold front will

sweep across the bay down to texas. take a look at the severe risks for wednesday. the hardest hit area will be seen in eastern oklahoma, north eastern texas and a good portion with large hail, damaging winds and tornados. in the meantime dry but hot temperatures are expected in the southwest. a heat wave will spread to the north and the northeast. the high will be 30 degrees on tuesday, and the high may reach 40 degrees in phoenix by mid-week. some temperatures are expected thursday with a high of 32 degrees. please make sure you stay hydrated. in japan we saw unstable weather in the region including tokyo on monday and now we're looking at sunny skies on tuesday morning but a few showers will develop

once again in the region and up toward upper northern japan as we go into tuesday afternoon. the high will be 16 degrees in tokyo on tuesday, 20 degrees in osaka and fukuoka. temperatures will be warming up to the mid-20s as we go into the weekend. that's it for now. stay safe and have a nice day.

that is all for this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. thk you for staying with us. welcome to "newsline in depth." i'm aiko doden. today we have reports on young entrepreneurs in three countries who are taking ininitiative and tackling social issues in their respective countries. each of their stories illustrates the truth that even small interventions can help

bring about change on a much larger scale. first we go to uganda where schoolgirls face a problem that is widespread in developing countries. many feel compelled to stop classes or drop out of school altogether when they enter other lessons because they can't afford sanitary pads. it's an issue that can have a major social impact and it has inspired a young entrepreneur to develop a solution. >> an aspiring entrepreneur in her early 20s. as a university student she and her friends started t to d devea low cost sanitary pad. >> i was saying how can we produce something that's affordable. >> more than 40% of people in uganda live on less than $2 per day. for many women sanitary goods

remain an unaffordable luxury. the products tend to be imported and expensive. it's a reality that can have devastating consequences for girls going through one of the most delicate phases of their life. sala is 18. when she began menstruating sasa used an cloth as a makeshift pad, but the material was a poor absorbent. >> translator: my classmates laughed at my dirty clothes. i couldn't stand the embarrassment so i dropped out of school. >> sarah's decision created frictions with her family. she left home and took up prostitution to survive.

it's stories like this one that motivate her. she believes the answer to the so-called period poverty problem that afflicts so many women lies in a common clorop in uganda, sugar cane. after being crushed for sugar the stems can be boiled down and cut up to produce a cotton-like material. but there's a snag. the leftover fibers make it impossible to get what she wants. that's where a japanese firm stepped in. the company invited her to its factory in japan and gave her advice about how to tweak the

material to improve the sensation against the skin. >> translator: this is a very fine japanese fiber. your material may become softer like this if you break it dowow more. >> theyy actually even went bac and given us allll thihis information. so for me it's gratitude. >> a helping hand could provide the push that she needs to make her idea a reality and enable many young women to complete their education. nhk world. >> noel's startup is a social enterprise that she cofounded with three other young women. they were connected with the japanese company by the united nations population fund as part of its efforts to tackle

reproductive health issues. their sanitary pad project has now reached a stage where they are conducting product assessment. they aim to start full-scale production later this year. here in japan an entrepreneur has come up with an additional approach to cleanup his community drawing on the power of social media. his idea and the app he created are connecting people around the world and encouraging them to pitch in. >> this woman is picking up trash on the streets during her lunch break. she takes photos of the items and posts them on a social network. it's available through one app that links people who want to help cleanup the environment. users give kudos and encouragement, which has motivated her to keep at it.

>> translator: i get comments from complete strangers who live as far away as vietnam. >> over 100,000 people in dozens of countries have downloaded the app. they have collected and reported more than 100 million pieces of trash. the app was created by a 32-year-old, the founder of an environmental startup. he came up with the idea after traveling as a graduate student. he saw that litter seemed to be everywhere and thought there had to be a way to motivate people to make a change. >> translator: people don't usually get credit for picking up garbage. the evidence of the good work is in the bin. this app lets them help record

their effort and share it with others. >> inspired with the app's success he's started a new project to try and help shed light just where the garbage is coming from. he's been using a special device to collect microplastics in bodies of water studying amounts and types found at various locations. fujima and his team conducted research in rivers in new york, tokyo, osaka and other cities. the results surprised him. >> translator: we found a lot of it isn't intentional littering. it winds up in waters accidently. >> reporter: in toyama prefecturere they often found a type of capsule. it eliminates a need for replanting fertilizer making it

popular among farmers. >> translator: w we hope to tal wiwith local growers and encoure them to use materials that decompose naturally. if we work together we might be able to have a big impact. >> kojima plans to keep pushing forward with his efforts to reduce plastic. from the streets shows that the power of yideas to make a difference. >> the app has already been downloaded by more than 800,000 people in close to 100 countries around the world. at least 1,400 public and private organizations have also been inspired to join in. kojima's project to shed more light on the sources of plastic pollution is now ongoing in eight other countries as well as sites around japan.

as we saw plastic pollution is a real and global issue, but of course it starts at the local level. over in thailand a farmer has come up with an idea that provides part of the solution by making use of a natural resource she has plenty of, banana leaves. >> last november the ancient city in thailand was the site of the festival. people floated lanterns on this pond to givive thank tuesday th di diety of water. >> translator: i hope everyone uses leaves like this. they're way better than plastic.

>> they come from her banana farm which she inherited two years ago. people in thailand have long used banana leaves to wrap certain food items. but the demand for the leaves had declined with the popularity of plastic. she wanted to try to turn it around. she came up with the idea of using a machine to press several leaves together combined with glue made from tapioca, she was able to make sturdy plates. >> translator: they are fragrant and strong and have natural colors. people like them a lot. >> this school recently banned plastic containers in its

cafeteria and now uses plates made by -- >> translator: they are made with natural materials so children can use them without any concern. >> translator: we want to teach children about the benefits of using banana leaves. >> her project has gained the attention of the local government. it gave her a grant of about $17,000, which she used to pay for the machines. they can producece 500 to 1,000 plates a day. but orders are pouring in, and she hopes to find even more users. >> translator: i want to teach people in other villages how to make the plates.

we can't reduce plastic waste alone. >> on the day of the festival she made a lantern with her plate with the hope she will now be able to return the favor. nhk world, bangkok. >> today we saw some innovative approaches in parts of the world for tackling challenges that are global issues. eradicating poverty, womens reproductive health, plastic pollution and protecting the environment. these are some of the very issues that are listed in the united nations sustainable development cause, which world leaders have pledged to solve by 2030. the three entrepreneurs we saw may not have had those goals in mind when they setout, but their

initiatives are already making a concrete contribution to sustaining cities and communities, sponsible consumption and production and partnership for the goals. and they're reminders even small steps taken locally can go a long way towards solving global issues. that's

>> as the world focuses on ththe coronavirus, a warning that millions of children could miss out on treatment for other infectious diseases. ♪ this is al jazeera live from london. new york's coronavirus lockdown is extended and the democratic primary is canceled. a question of survival. hundreds of textile workers returned to work in bangladesh, despite a nationwide lockdown. pakistan radio station is