hello, welcome to "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news. efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus are yielding encouraging results with officials reporting just ten new cases on monday. this is the 13th day in a row the number of confirmed infections has been below 50. overall, more than 5,000 people have tested positive in the city of about 14 million. the latest figures come as central government officials are expected to decide on thursday whether to lift a state of

emergency for tokyo, osaka and six other prefectures. last week the government canceled the nationwide declaration for the other 39 prefectures. officials are focusing on infection statistics in tokyo as well as in osaka where one new case was reported on monday. amid the decline in new cases the government is urging people to maintain social distancing measures to prevent the second wave of infections. in total more than 16,300 people have tested positive for the coronavirus here in japan. now, face masks made by members of japan's new minority are in high demand. they gained nationalal attenti after the cabinet secretary wore one. it beaars patterns that the ain people believe wards off bad

things. they have a backlog after receiving orders for around 1,200 masks. >> translator: we have received emails from people across the country and it's their wish to avoid bad luck. i'm glad they're embracing our culture. >> it takes at least one hour to stitch the pattern by hand. the pandemic is having an economic impact as well with japan's gdp plunging during the january to march quarter. the cabinet office says japan's gdp for the period shrank to 3.4% from the previous quarter in real terms. it's the second straight contraction. personal consumption which makes up more than half of japan's gdp fell by 0.7%. people refrain from eating out and tourist activity. car sales also dropped sharply. exports plunged 6% as the

economic activity stagnated globally. housing investment fell 4.5%. corporate investment was down 0.5%. now for mere more insight on the economy, we spoke with a chief economist and martin schulz said the gdp figures were betetter than expeected but sers challenenges lie ahead. . > in the second quarter it's the real big problem. demand wasas slowing so much wi the lockdown and japan not a full lockdodown, but the government asked people to work from home, commute very little. restaurants were closed. many shops had to be closed. corporate hours are being restricted. we are expecting an annualized drop of demand and growth of minus 20% in the second quarter. >> schultz says since japan demands on exports the situation overseas will be crucial for its economy. >> exportsts are the big proble.

they had beenn cut of course early because of thee demand drp in chchina. chchina is now restarting but w are only seeing gradually because overall demand in the world in the u.s. and europe is very low. there were heavy lockdowns. this has a longer term impact and restarting the supply chains will take time. it will be difficult to travel so this is not an easy situation. >> he points out that japan still could be well positioned to weather the effects of the crisis. >> japan's strong labor market is really one of the core assets. and employment contracts are very stable for most employees. it's a big problem because the service sector is employing so many people and with department stores bbeing shut down and department stores being closede tempoporarily t this isis a big problblem. employees are being laid off but not as much as in other countries.

we haven't seen unemployment picking up. >> schultz sees to support recovery the government and company should accommodate the lifestyle changes s that coulul become the new normal. >> there are many adjustments to be done, but that is important to do it in a sustainable way by investing in the digitalization, new work style. it will take longer by that way, but it will be much more sustainable and really provide a basis for future growth. japanese department store takashimaya has reopened in tokyo and other prefectures where a state of emergency is still in place. the flagship store opened for the first time in more than a month. staff wore face shields to protect themselves from droplets. the store has installed transparent sheets at cash registers to prevent infection from spreading. it also limits the number of customers who enter at one time. >> translator: it's the first

time in a while we can go shopping. it's making me feel a little brighter. >> translator: it was so inconvenient when shops were closed. reopening stores is very helpful. >> takashimaya closed all of the stores except for food floors after the state of emergency was declared in april. some outlets reopened last week after the emergency was lifted in most prefectures. afghan president ashraf ghani and abdullah abdu la have structurure an agreement affter deaadlock. ghani and abdu la had reached as deal. it would divide the porrtfolios and the provincial governors. in february, ghani was declared the winner of the presidential

vote,, but former chief executie abdu la claimed fraud in the vote. the official said abdu la will head the national reconciliation higgh council to lead a peacce process withth the taliban. fightining between the insurgen hass coontinued even after the united states and the militant organization signed a peace agreement in february. u.s. president donald trump has lashed out at his predecessor, barack obama, describing him as grossly inncompetent. the comments came after obama criticized the handling of the coronavirus crisis. >> look, he was an incompetent president, that's all i can say. grossly incompetent. thank you. >> obama made his most pointed remarks on the administration saturday in an onlline speech t college grraduates. he s said a lot of officials araren't evven pretending tto b chcharge. the former president did not refer to trump by name.

trump has claimed the obama administration left his government inadequately prepared to deal with a pandemic. now a new survey by nhk suggests many people here in japan are worried about what a possible re-election of trump could mean for this country. nhk mailed surveys to 3,600 randomly selected adults between february and march. more than 2,100 people responded. they were asked what kind of effect trump would have on japan if he wins a second term in office. 57% expect a negative impact, while only 10% said it would be positive. a u.s. politics expert said japanese are concerned about trump's unpredictability since he's dropped out of several international agreements. >> i think there's a feeling thaat still this international cooperation, multilateralism is important. so it's difficult for the

ordinary public to accept mr. trump's vision of america first. >> responondents were a asked a the future of the japan/u.s. alliance with more than half saying they think it should be maintained as it is. when asked specifically about the importance of the u.s. nuclear umbrella, responders were somewhat split. nearly 40% said japan will continue to need that protection. 25% said it's necessary now, but won't be in the future. and about the same numbeer of respondents said japan does not need it now or later. people in japan are acucutely aware of china's aggression in the region and north korea's conontinuing threats. >> there's a a relative consnse that america is the most important andd the mostst import partner - -- effective partner dealing with these kind of situations. so, yes, the perception about a president himself is not that good. but, y you know, the perception about the u.s./japan alliance is

pretty good. >> most people polled said they'll be watching this november's election with trump preparing to face off against joe biden. the presumptive demococratic candidate served as vice president in the obama administration. >> i think this election is going to be all about how mr. trump has handled the corona pandemic crisis. so in a way, it's going to be a corona election i would say. is that bad news for mr. biden? maybe not. probably not, because, you know, the only strength that a vice president biden has is his experienence. >> nakayama said people in the u.s. and abroad will be watching ongoioing tensions between trum and china for hints at future foreign policy decisions. >> mr. trump a and mr. biden is competing, you know, about which is tough -- tougher on china.

and japan tends to welcome a tougher u.s. position vis-a-vis china. >> nakayama adds he does not foresee any change to japan's relationship with the u.s. since abe shinzo has warm relations with both trump and obama. it's now time for a check on the world weather with jonathan, oh. people in the middle east are dealing with a heat wave so what kind of precautions should they be taking? >> well, the temperatures are getting to 40 degrees celsius, you should stay under shade and keeping cool as much as possible, because, yeah, it has been dry. it's been hot across portions of the middle east and also into europe. in fact, here's a look at some video to give you an idea of how people are trying to deal with the heat as people in israel and

surrounding arareas saw the hot temperatures searing through the weekend. with some of them seeing more than 40 degrees celsius. the beaches of the dead sea, people tried to cool off and some tried to cook an egg in the heat as well. the heat will continue through the end of the week forcing auauthorities to issue alerts f wildfires as well. not just people, but boars trying to find ways to stay cool as well. the main reason we're seeing the high heat is because of the high pressure in place. it will continue to prolong the heat that's going to be in place. in fact, a good portion of europe also staying dry. some showers in rome monday into tuesday. elsewhere, relatively dry except for the north and the east. places like kiev and stockholm and tel aviv, sunny skies on tuesday. on the bay, we have a super

cyclonic storm moving to the north. setting over the coastal areas of india and into bangladesh, so be on the lookout for this. the effects could start as early as tuesday as this system moves in. heavy rain has impacted the western areass o of japan. that continues to be a part of a story. looking for landslides in places like kyushu. showers in tokyo. i hope you have a good day, wherever you are.

and that concludes this

edition of "newsline" nhk. i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. thanks for joining us. welcome to "newsline in depth." i'm marie yanaka. japan has many ceremonies commemorating life stages. on a day to pray for the well-being of girls, families display colorful dolls like these. guys have the warrior figures and for the ceremony, kids of those ages dress up in kimono and visit shrines or temples.

another occasion to wear a kimono is the coming of age day. where 20-year-olds come of age, but some miss out on the treasured traditions. our first story is about how young people raised in children's homes are often deprived of these celebrations because of cost. but one woman is drawing on her own experience to bring joy to such new adults. >> reporter: a project launched four years ago has been giving people who grew up in care homes the opportunity to wear a kimono and have their photo taken free of charge. thanks to donated kimono, the project has helped more than 100 young adults. the project is run by yamamoto. she works for a community space

in saitama prefecture. there she tries to make it a relaxed atmosphere where they can share their experiences and concerns. her kimono project is inspired by her own story.y. at four months old, she was removed from her home because of parental neglect. she then lived in a care home. she felt comfortable there, but had to leave after graduating from high school at age 18. it was the most difficult time of her life. >> translator: i became really lonely, so lonely i almost lost the will to live. that was when i first realized what it means to be brought up

in a care home and to have no parents to take care of me. i really understood that life isn't fair. >> reporter: when she was 20, she couldn't afford to wear a kimono due to the high cost. some cost more than $10,000, while a rental can reach $2,000. it was a depressing time, watching her friends celebrating in style with their families. one year later, a friend arranged a kimono for her. the elation she felt that day inspired her current activities which she named the acha project after her friend's nickname. >> translator: it made me realize that there were people who careded about me.

and now, through my project, i really want to tell young people feeling alone that we are with them. >> reporter: together with other volunteers yamamoto is visiting 20-year-old miyu to. she contacted her three years ago after hearing that a former care resident was supported by the project. miyu got married at 18. she was put in care shortly after she was born. although she doesn't know the details. at 16, she had to leave the care home after dropping out of high school. she found herself homeless, often sleeping in this park as several landlords refused to rent to her, considering her

unstable situation. >> translator: on rainy days, i would stay in the restroom in the park or go to anywhere that had a roof. >> reporter: she worked three jobs, seven days a week. she felt alone despite her busy schedule and resorted to self-harm. >> translator: i was rejected a lot. things got complicated once i entered society. i had no guardian, so adults would distrust me. i had no one to turn to and started to wonder whether i would be better off dead. >> reporter: miyu has been waiting three years for this day to come.

volunteer members of yamamoto's project make miyu's dream of dressing in kimono come true. >> reporter: her husband's family members have come to celebrate. volunteer photographers record her commemorating becoming an adult.

at first, miyu seems nervous, but her demeanor changes as yamamoto tells her how good she looks. >> translator: i'm so happy. i wasn't raised by my parents, but i've learned that there are people reaching out to me. so i i won't give up on life so easily. now i have a memory i can use to boost my confidence.

>> reporter: two months later, miyu is working toward a special goal at the pharmacy she works at. at break time, she opens her textbooks. she's studying to get certification to advance in her work. >> translator: the photo shoot made me really recognize i had become an adultlt annd inspired to get my act together. i want to focus on my future now. i feel sincerely grateful that young people were born and i am able to meet them because they are alive. i want to be someonene they can send out an sos to at any time. >> reporter: yamamoto wants to keep working to share with

others the message that their future is full of limitless possibilities. our next report shows how a ritual celebrating children's growth is in peril of vanishing. a centuries old tradition of vivid picture panthers is being threatened by depopulation. especially as many young families fled the area following the 2011 nuclear accident. but this craftsman is determined to keep the tradition alive.

>> ceremonies marking life statements have great significance in japan. while they're usually celebrated with family, keeping the tradition going for everyone sometimes requires society to pitch in. yamamoto's coming of age acha project and the banner works are examples of that. a few years ago, i started a kimono and photo projects to commemorate thee 753 ceremony bt it frustrates me i can only offer it to a handful of them. hopefully, the people we saw today will inspire others to

join the cause. and make these traditions inclusive for everyone for generations to come. that's all for today's "newsline in depth." thanks for

>> tensions between china and the u.s. threatened to derail the -- to be e held since coronavirus outbreak began. we will get the latest from our beijing correspondent. restaurants and churches will reopen. questitions being asked about te lack of a europewide -- india extends its locked onto the end of the month, but