japan is lifting the nationwide state of emergency ahead of schedule for about 80% of all prefectures but prime minister abe shinzo says people must stay on alert to stop the spread of the coronavirus. >> for the 39 prefectures we have come to conclude that by

taking thorough measures we can avoid the spread of infection. >> abe said officicials made th decision after assessing the number of recent infections and the state of local, medical and testing systems. he says the government will consider lifting the declaration for the rest of the prefectures including tokyo and osaka next week before it expires at the end of the month. the recent decline in the number of new infections in the country is the result of people's efforts to stay home andnd redu human to human contact. many of those efforts need to remain in place. >> they may have to be reimposed

while preventing the virus at the same time before establishing the new normal is extremely difficult challenge that we are to embrace. >> the prime minister thanked medical workers and pledged to boost testing capabilities. there's access to various treatment options. the decision is set to be finalized when the governments coronavirus task force meets shortly. more than 16,000 people testete positive for the coronavirus in japan. over 700 people have died. nearly a third of japan's cases haveve been confirmed in tokyo.. 30 new infections in the capital on thursday, that's the 12th day in a row that the figure has fallen below 100.

however the government decides to proceed, experts say the coronavirus may continue to pose a threat for months or years. many comompanies are adapting t this new reality by embracing the digital economy. but in japan, a traditional practice is posing challenges. nhk world reports. >> a stamp and a signature. it is a long standing custom in japan dating back more than 1,200 years. it is still very much a part of every day life, to opening bank accounts. also to have contacts and other documents but some people say these are making it harder for them to work from home.

>> i'm going to the office to do paperwork including procedures that require stamps. in such cases i always have to be there in person. >> a recent survey had nearly 2-thirds of business people i i jajapan still have t to go to t work place. companies are already using it and a also face challenges. they are still needed. customers say they want the original stamped copies of documents. ii have that kind of business today too. >> changing that mind set, proving to be a major hurdle the business world adapts to the pandemic and not just in japan. small companies and found three

quarters of respondents continue usining recent signatures for contracts. the japanese company recently conducted it's own survey to find out what administrative procedures in the business sector are getting in the way. it's hoping more companies will embrace and help reduce contact. they also say they need to move. fr frsh. >> japan and many other countrieies are pushing to resu economic activity while still fighting to contain the virus. by changing traditional ways of doing business is proving to be no small feat.

nhk world. >> the world health organization has warned that the new coronavirus may never go away. the executive director of the who health emergency program michael ryan told repororrsn wednesday thahat the world may have to learn to live witith it. his comments c come as a a grow number of countries move to ease lock down restrictions. he nototed even a small recurure of the v vus requires a serious public health response. citing hiv as an example. >> this virus may become justt another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away. hiv has never come away. we have found the prevention

methods. >> ryan also warned that infection risks remain high in many parts of the world. he said that if countries reopen to detect transmission, the spread will accelerate for some governments to return to lock down measures. the latest figures from johns hopkins university show the number of coronavirus cases worldwide now exceeds 4.3 million. the united nations says the world economy is projected to shrink by 3.2% this year due to the coronavirus crisis. it warns about a level unseen since the great depression of the 1930s. a un report says the forecast is based on the assumption that many countries will gradually resume economic activities while continuing measures to contain the virus. the world body forecasts minus 5.5% growth for the european union and the contraction of

4.8% for the united states. it says china's growth is expected to stay positive but that it will significantly slow to 1.7%. for japan, the report forecasts the contraction of 4.2%. it says the combined effects of depressed real wages, housing investments and exports will extend the crisis well into 2021. the report also describes a worse case scenario in which the global economy could shrink by 4.9% in 2020. that's on the assumption that a second wave of infections hits lateter this year forcing major economies to extend lock downs and restrictionons o on economi activities until early 2021. u.s. federal reserve chair jerome powell has e expressed ststrong concern about the economic outlook as the country reopens undnder the coronavirur

pandemic. >> the scope and speed of the downturn are without modern precedent. the patath ahead is highly uncertain and subject to significant down side risk. >> powell suggested the fed could take additional financial measures. he said that while the economic response has been kindly and large it may not be the final chapter. powell also made clear that the fed's policy making committee has not changed it's view on negative ratetes. butt presidedent donald trump s on wednesday that he disagrees with powell and says he feels strongly that they should have negative rates. president trump is also disagreeing with the top public health expert. he criticized the u.s. infectious disease chief for warning that schools should not be reopen to quickly. dr. anthony faucuci toldd a sen commitittee a premature openingf the u.s. economy could have

serious consequences. any decision on reopening schools should be made cautiously. trump disagrees. >> i was surprised by his answer actually because, you know, it's just, to me it's not an acceptable answer. especially when it comes to schools. >> this is not the first time fauci and trump have taken different views on the governments handling of the pandemic. some conservatives are calling for fauci to be fired. a rail worker in london has died from the coronavirus after a man claiming to be infected spat on her. the incident prompted a police investigation and calls for better prorotection for front le workers. the 47-year-old woman was working on the concocose in late march when a man approached her. he allegedly asked why she was working there before spitting and coughing on her. the woman laterer dieied in the

hospital. her family says she had an underlying respiratory problem. >> we still crcry. we're still mourning. especially for the little one here. she won't have her mommy anymore. she won't have her mommy. >> prime minister boris johnson condemned the alleged attack. >> the fact that she was abused doining her job is utterly apalling. her death could have been prevented. >> the first typhoon of the year is directly impacting parts of the philippines with drenching rains and powerful winds. our meteorologist joins us now with thehe forecast. >> the northern hemisphere's strongest tropical systems of the year is now makaking landfa in the philippines.

it's experiencing heavy rain fall and winds and it's moving toward the west and it's directly hit the island. this is the recent radar. lots of rain is pounding portions of the island but because of the outer rain band we are also looking at isolated heavy rainfall and now, this system is packing winds of 160 kilometers per hour. but 24 hours ago it was 110 kilometers. so it rapidly intensifies and this is very strong type, the second highest category on the typhoon scale. this system will likely move across and then move across afterward into saturday. it should weaken by the time it reaches the sea and as a tropical storm it could approach taiwan and then as a tropical

depression it could get very close to the okinawa islands into monday. now as you can see, lots of rain is expected across the east coast of the northern half of the philippines. some places could see nearly 250 millimeters of rainfall. that could cause landslides and also swollen rivers and high waves and also stormrm surge th could cause life threatening flooding. meanwhile, although the atlantic hurricane season hasn't started yet we're looking at a disturbance over the gulf of mexico. the storm will likely intensify, it could intensify to a tropical system. meanwhile, there's a concern for more isolated tornadoes across portions of the united states and watch out for severe weather conditions on your thursday. that's it for me. stay safe.

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and that's a wrap for this hour on nhk newsline. thank you very much for joining us. welcome to newsline index i'm aiko. reduce, reuse, recycle. people around the world are raising awareness about trash and our environment. today we look at three businesses putting those into action. sometimes for very personal reasons. let's start with recycling. in the past, this business had a

dusty image. no more. today peoplple are happy to maka living. sometimes it's about a worthy cause. or in the case of new york. in manhattan new york, even such unwanted items along the trash and destroyed. collection dates, they overflow with all types of garbage. >> big piles of garbage, yes, that's very disturbing. >> but some efforts are underway to deal with the city's trash more responsibly. this facility recycles. to date, it has collected more than 4,000 tons of e waste from residents and witnesses which

they now repair and resell. troy is the team leader for repairs. he has extensive knowledge of the process of fixing electronics and computers. there's vintage items that can't be found anywhere else. >> reduce, repurpose, recycle. it's the cool thing to do. recycling is cool. >> in the bohemian area there's an unusual custom. >> he makes it out of recycled wood. this here came from the bell tower and trinity church that the oldest church in new york

city. and during 9/11 they had big fires down there. >> he collects discarded lumber from old buildings being torn down. this wood has seen better days but it will come back to life after kelly shakes it down a little. he says they have a good tone and vibrations from the guitar strings reverberate beautifully through the body. so far he made 2,000 guitars out of used wood.

>> a lot of people are really happy to support somebody that doesn't cut new trees down. >> there's hope that more will be able to restart recycling and repurposes. nhk world new york. >> people have a tradition a custom intended to bring good look and reset their frame of mind for the year ahead but it's not always easy throwing things away. dealing with old possessions often comes with psychological baggage. a death in the family is one case in point. bidding fair well to a parent often means working out what to do with the things they left behind.

>> it operates where a new industry is emerging. >> inside the container there's furniture and appliances. >> such items pour into the city from surrounding areas. they weren't made to clean up these residents in the city. the house belonged to takes takeshi nagao's father who died three years ago.

>> he hasn't had a chance to sort through his father's belongings. he finallyly decideded to call prprofessional. and on the truck. in about six hours the house is empty. >> i feel a great weight has been lifted. i really appreciate their work.

>> the company started this 8 years ago. of course, the company was getting only one job every month or so but now they come in almost every day. many clients are people that can't take their belongings of their late parents because they are far away. we're contributing to society through our service.

this company sells items that are in good can be. it's a win-win deal if they do as the profits can offset them. over a series this is an option. they have a reputation for high quality and high prices. it's $330. and ships items to the philippines about 30 times and that's over just a few years ago. as this new type of business keeps growing, we can expect to

see more find a new life overseas. nhk world. >> another way to reduce our planets growing mountain of trash is to stop creating it. stories about one such business run by a young man that can't stomach the sight of wasted food. food waste is a serious problem in japan. not only for restaurants and retailers but also for farmers. much of their produce has to be discarded before it reaches market. often fruit and vegetables are because they don't measure up visually but a japanese start up has a message for picky consumers and it seems to be catching on. >> thank you so much.

oranges. and they have a few marks and blemishes. >> is it good? >> they look a little misshapen but i don't mind. >> the family won the oranges through a website. the products are displayed on the website. all the costs are covered by adds on the site. the add revenue comes to as much as $9,000 a month or more it can make profits even though it gives the products away for free. she runs the site. he started it after seeing great mounds of cabbage being crushed by a tractor. the farmer had no choice.

oversupply caused prices to drop. that made it unprofitable. he realilized how tough farming is. >> it may not be accurate to say it's almost unimaginable but what a waste i thought. they're still edible. >> he launched the site two years ago. it now has deals with more than 50 farmers and farming groups across japan.

many products at 100 yen were about 90 cents but his business can't survive by selling cheap produce. the profits come from fees paid by the shop. we will continue building a better system to everyone involved can benefit. >> cutting back on fruit waste is an idea whose time has come. the business ideas offer ways to address this. it's worth watching to see how much they catch on. >> video shops are the opening app. he says customers are responding with positive feedback.

his big hope is that this business will trigger a changing mind set among consumers proving once again that one person's waste is another person's treasure or even vegetable hot spot. thank k you ♪

>> the french government announces an 18 billion euroro plan for the country's tourism industry. the prime minister saying the french people should be able to holiday within france in july and august. accessthe u.s. priority would be unacceptable, that's the french government's reaction after one company said the u.s. would get first dibs on its coronavirus vaccine. and lebanon re-imposes a stay-at-home order after a spike in the numbers. this shutdown is due to last four days.