♪ hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." businesses across japan are slowly reopening even before the government makes a final decision on lifting nationwide state of emergency. more than half the country's prefectures are likely to ease restrictions put in place last month. department stores like this one is getting back to business but not back to normal. some areas remain closed and customers are asked to maintain

physical distance from one another >> translator: i don't want to stay in the store too long. i'll leave as soon as i'm done shopop >> transnslator: t the state of emergency hasn't been lifted yet. we're helping o our customers g about their daily lives. >> some schools are also reopening. this elementary school has shortened its school days and students must wear face masks. >> translator: i'm happy to see all my friends. >> other parts of the country are unlikely to see measures lifted this week -- that includes tokyo.

and monday morning streets near shinjuku station, one of the busiest in the world, saw more commuters than in recent days while those depapartment stores and restaurants remain closed. >> translator: i go to work as usual. due to the nature of my work, i have to meet with clients so it's hard for me to work from home. >> the government is still deciding when and how to lift its state of emergency. officials are set to discuss plans on thursday with a panel of experts. prefectures w will have to show sustain decline of new chriss. japan now has over 15,000 confirmed cases the death toll stands at more than 640. hospitals across japan are potentially facing a serious bed shortage. the health ministry says local authorities only have half the beds they'll need for coronavirus patients when the outbreak reaches its peak. at that time, estimates indicate japan will need 31,000 beds.

but a ministry survey reveals as of the start of this month they've secured fewer than 15,000. so far only 12 prefectures have the beds they're likely to need. some hospitals are already at capacity. the survey shows tokyo has filled 91% of the beds it's allocated for coronavirus patients. in ishikawa prefecture 88% are full. they are ramping up efforts to boost their treatment capacity. prime minister abe shinzo says they're likely to launch trials for a coronavirus vaccine within months. >> t translator: clinical trial of a vaccine are expected to begin in the countntry as earlys july. we are hurrying to develop one in concert with the international community.

>> the prime minister told a lower house committee on monday vaccines are being developed at several institutions across the country. abe also reiterated that his administration aims to approve the antiflu drug avigan to treat covid-19 by the end of this month. researchers said earlier that the drug had been proven effective in treats patients infected with the virus. health authorities in japan are revamping coronavirus data to take it online. informatioion about infected patients won't be colated by facts. it's aimed at reducing the workload at public health centers. doctors will be able to share the information onliline. currently, they're required to submit handwritten reports that are then sent by fax. the new system will allow health

workers to check on patients recuperating at home via a smartphone app. it also keeps track of the number of tests conducted. health ministry officials say the move online will be test-run in 21 municipalities this week and with plans to extend nationwide by tend of this month. south korea's health ministry says the number of infections connected tonight clubs in seoul has risen to 86. an infection cluster emerged among those who visited nightclubs in the city on may 2nd during a four-day national holiday. ministry officials told officials on monday they have seen an increase in infections. they say 30% of those with the

virus exhibit nose symptoms. they're tracking down all club visitors and others concerned but not locate 60% of them or about 3,000 people. the korean government has decided to postpone a phased reopening of schools that was scheduled to start on wednesday. a major newspaper quoted an expert as saying there's a strong chance of the resurgence of the coronavirus epidemic and the country could regress to where it was two months ago. meanwhile in china, shanghai disneyland is back in business. it opened the gates on monday after a three-month hiatus. a ceremony was held to mark the occasion. it's the first major disney theme park to reopen but there are restrictions. visitors are required to make advanced reservations to make sure daily crowds are capped at one-fifth of capacity.

temperature screenings are in place. people are required to wear face masks and practice social distancing. chinese authorities had reported a susustained drop to tenen now cases of coronavirus per day but 31 new cases were confirmed on the weekend. china's government is calling for a resumption of economic activities as the virus is contained but remains on alert for a second wave of the pandemic. across europe, lockdowns are easing as the number of new infections appears to slow down. in france, people woke up on monday to more freedom, but it's not quitite back to normal just yet. in paris, many businesses were preparing to reopen for the first time in nearly two months. >> translator: i don't know what reopening is going to be like because clients are scared. the sales representatives don't hahave any bookings, nothing at all. >> city officials are gearing

up for a spike in public transportation. to keep the virus from spreading, people must wear masks at the stations and during their commute. on s saturday, 80,0,000 face ma were distributed in a suburb of paris. residents came to a gymnasium at designated times to avoid long lines and observe social distancing. they received two masks per person. the government is also encouraging people to get on bikes to reduce overcrowding in metros and buses. paris and nearby cities are planning to create 680 kilometers of new cycle lanes. with gyms closed and fitness classes canceled, many people in japan are looking for new ways to keep fit. that has some turning to running. in this report we get some

expert advice on how to protect yourself from the coronavirus while pounding the pavement. >> reporter: running in face masks is becoming popular. >> translator: it's proper etiquette to wear a mask. >> reporter: but not all are happy. >> translator: sometimes i do this. >> reporter: this health science professoror maintains tt joggers should always wear masks, though often uncomfortable. his last video posted on youtube tells viewers why as well as shares safety recommendations. for instance, how far apart people should remain while running. this shows how a jogger's respiratory droplets spread in the air. take two joggers running single file. the first person's droplets stretch far behind in a kind of

slip stream reaching the second jogger directly behind. therefore, a jogger should keep at least ten meters' distance between those in front or behind. when overtaking someone, it recommends doing so by keeping a distance of about 1.5 meters side to side. it also advises running at a slower pace because masks make breathing harder putting a greater burden on the heart and lungs. >> transnslator: p people shouln at a pace that doesn't leave ththem out of breath and allllo them to talk while running. there's no need to run fast. running slowly is safe and good for your body. >> reporter: and as the days get hotter, joggers must carefully consider heatstroke. this doctor is a certified health and sports doctor. he stresses that running with a mask reduces oxygen flow to the

brain impairing judgment. >> translator: runners can become less sensitive to fluid loss and fail to realize they're becoming dehydrated. they may forget the need for frequent fluid intake and not feel the heat. >> reporter: he recommends momentarily removing masks when breathing feels labored. that is, if no joggers are directly behind or flanking you. staying healthy is essential, but it's also essential to do what's needed to prevent the spread of covid-19. it's time now for world weather with our meteorologist sayaka motheri. how rare is it to have snonow mamay. >> yes, it's quite unususual. for example central park in new

york had the f first may snow since 1977, it's over 40 years. some flurries f fell in places like pennsylvania, the statate new york, as welll as the city f toronto. take a look at this footage. some powerful cold air moved through bringing some unusual winterer weather, on saturday, torontnto had s snowfalll flyin through green trees, toronto hasn't had snow on the day for the past 28 years. frost advisories and freeze warnings have been widely posted in the areaea, unusually low temperatures will continue to grip the area as we go into tuesday morning at least, for example, the morning low in washington, d.c., could be only 6 degrees, nearly lly 5 degree colder than average.

it should be 6 degrees, but minus 1 in toronto on tuesday so do bundle up. we're looking at very low high temperatures across midportions of japan including tokyo, tokyo's high 28 degrees on monday, that's 5 degrees warmer than average, second highest temperature of the season so far. it was much hotter than that at 33.4. making the highest temperature ever observed foror the month o may for the area. now, across the southern areas, you're seeing some very calm conditions in terms of temperatures. rainy season has finally started or actually started in the southwest islands of japan, including okinawa. we'll continue to see rainy weather into tuesday and then sunny weather will return on wednesday. that's it for me.

have a nice day. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ and that's all for this hour on nhk "newsline."

thanks for joining us and we'll have more for you soon. . ♪ welcome to "newsline" in depth. japanese cuisine spreads around the world, demand has been growing for two of its best-known products including sake. this is leading to challenges. premium japanese beef from specific type of cattle, it has become famous for its rich flavor and for the high price it commands.

one of the most exclusive brands is kobe beef. this beef must come from certified steer, where the city of kobe is located. it also must meet strict criteria. however, the cattle cross-bred with other cows in other countries is sometimes pass off as real from japan. we look at steps being taken to protect the kobe beef brand name in europe. >> if meat markets in germany is packed with products from around the world. import beef d directly from jap, he's been asked by the kobe beef association to keep an eye out for any fakes.

>> kobe beef for us, for me, is a luxury product. very important that it's protected. we don't want it to be damaged by the forces of the market. >> reporter: he's received a photo of a sign reading ragu from kobe. leading customers to believe they're getting the real deal. albers chases down the culprit and gives him a good -- >> a photo of your shop here. do you real sell kobe bebeef? said they don't have it anymore. he was scared now because he knows he would get into trouble.

>> reporter: in germany or spain, the same problem can be found. our nhk crew visited this restaurarant in madrid that cou be cheating its customers. an item on the menu is kobe beef, the 1200 grand steak cost about $47. the price seems too good to be true. it lacksks that d distinctive t of k kobe bebeef. the restaurant's owner agreed to be interviewed. th this is from kralt raised in brazil. he admitted he's trading in on

kobe beef strong-name recognition. >> we call it tropical beef because of the cattle raised in south america. we decided to call it tropical kobe beef because people don't know what that means. >> reporter: it's a sign of just how openly the kobe beef brand is being abused. the kobe beef association is keeping a close eye on cases like this. it received 140 reposts from abroad of mimislabeling. >> reporter: authentic kobe beef

cold cost $14,000 which is fake one can fetch hundreds of dollars but there are fears that widespread mislabeling will damage the brand so much that prices will drop. >> translator: our meat is the only authentic kobe beef. we hope to eliminate kobe on labelsls for anything else.. >> reporter: japan's economic partnership took effect last february to protect regional brands. governments are allowed to take measures if they come across mislabeled products. japan's foreign ministry asked the eu to hold the distribution of meat closely labeled as kobe beef, it gives the example of a restaurant in spain that serves fake, it was the first request

japan has made to a foreign government. but such measures has limited impacts. in monaco, he's too on the lookout for fakes. >> europe, you know, is very big, more than 25 countries and i can't check everywhere, my drib tors, my alert eyes and they inform us. >> reporter: the meat is a big task but he said it's important to keep looking and to educate sellers and persuade them from using the kobe beef name. people are working to pull mislabeled kobe beef from the market one by one, they say it's necessary to protect one of japan's most recognized brands. >> joining me from the studio in

kobe is our correspondent. so in your report you mentioned the recent fwreemt between japan and the eu to protect regional brands such as kobe beef, do you think this system will be effective? >> up to now, there has been no system in place requiring governments to crack down on mislabeled products. that has now changed. the agreement, if false ones are claimed but not withdraw, the restaurants are liable for punishment. the example we saw in spain the so-called tropical kobe beef has now been removed as a result of the spanish government intervention. but more cases like this must be tackled to mike the system more effective. >> okay, last month it was announced that beef exports to china will resume after the l g

longstanding ban due to mad cow disease, what's doing to protect the kobe beef brand in china and other areas outside europe? >> china banned imports of japanese beef for 20 years, but meat labeled as kobe beef has been on sale there. in the u.s., kobe beef is much, much more common in europe. right now, there's nothing that can be done in e either countryo prevent these violations. it will be very difficult to stop false labeling. more education is needed so people understand what makes kobe beef so special. >> thank you. now, another japanese product that's enjoying global popularity is sake. exports of japan's national drink rose to a record 21.1 billion yen.

singapore is one country where sales are booming as we see in our next report. >> reporter: the diners at this popular outdoor restaurant wash their spicy dishes with sake. more and more people here in singapore are acquiring a taste for the japanese beverage and pairing it with local cuisine instead of beer. >> if restaurants sell sake, i think you will get very popular. >> reporter: sales at this wholesale company have tripled over the last five years. the company's sales manager. she said she u used to sell to mostly japanese-style restaurants, but more sales come from local eateries. . >> lot of locally-owned

restaurants and also restaurants that focuses more on japanese cuisine are willing to bring in japanese sake through theirir menu. > reporteter: this a asian f restaurant started offering sake, one of its popular dishes is inspired by peking duck. >> i think this really helps me the flavor of the sake even more. i think they blend very well together. >> reporter: on this day, she visited the restaurants to offer a new recommendation. a sparkling sake from northern japan. she believes its delicious element draws out the best flavors in the meat. >> it inintroduces a whole new

element of how sake can be consumed. >> they use a lot of seafoods and they use soy sauce so this actually goes with umani and i hope that some day it will be as popular. >> reporter: meanwhile others are trying to discover new ways to ensure the japanese beverage. sake lovers throw parties almost every week. they explore which sake best suits each chinese dish being served. >> it's beautiful. >> reporter: ta rich flavor premium sake is recommended for the main dish. a milder for ria rice dish.

>> all asians are exposed to rice, obviously it's in our dna. i think sake is a natural. >> reporter: japanese sake is being rediscovered and taking root in singapore. and it has a promising future. nhk world, singapore. exports of sake will be given a further boost this year, as the japanese government has plans to back promotional efforts to expand its global market. in the past, japanese cuisine was considered whether unusual and exotic but those days are long gone now it's become a major brand in the culinary world. after all, branding is not only about marketing it's a seal of authenticity indicating respect for the producers and recognition for their work. being able to tell the

difference is also for enjoying the cuisine. see you next time.

anchor: coming up, china's wuhan province reports the first coronavirus infections aenends lifting the lockdown -- since lifting the lockdown/ .uhan i/ welcome back. acrossnement staff france after a slowdown in covid-19 cases and a few occupied hospital beds,