let's get you latest at this hour. we start here in japan, and sources say the head of the tokyo high -- tokyo high public prosecutor's office has decided to resign after a media report he played mahjong for money, considered illegal in japan and despite the government asking people to stay home due to the coronavirus p pandemic.

weekly magazine reported on may 1st and 13th, he visited the tokyo home of a newspaper reporter, where she suspected of gambling on mahjong, after the government requested people to refrain from non-essential outings. the resignation is called for if the report is true. >> translator: i have to say thatat he is disqualifified as leader of the organization. i think he should resign immediately. >> prosecutors plan to hear from him on the media report. some at the prosecutor's office say the report comes at the worst possible time as lawmakers are debating the enactment of a bill to extend the mandatory retirement age of public prosecutors. he is an essential figure and delayed his retirement by altering the conventional interpretation of the law, the first time a prosecutor's retirement was extended.

pop siciopposition parties have criticized the move saying the cabinet wants to make him the general, and that he's easily controlled by the government. the japanese government plans to formally endorse plans to lift the state of emergency in place in three prefectures in western japan while maintaining it for the tokyo metropolitan area and hokkaido. the nationwide declaration for 39 other prefectures was cancelled last week. the central government is set to decide on thursday whether it will lift the emergency for tokyo, of saw can and six other prefectures, it's likely to be lifted for osaka and its neighbors because the rate of new infections there has fallen below 0.5 per 100,000 people in the past week, a benchmark set by the government. officials also plan to decide whether to lift the declaration for tokyo and its three --

neighbors as a group. the rates for kanagawa -- the government is to consult its advisory panel of experts about the decision on thursday.. it will then inform the diet of the plan before formalizing it at a task force meeting later in the day. the people in surrounding prefectures will continue to be asked to refrain from non-essential outings. residents in prefectures are the mshlg has been lifted should reduce c contact between peopleo minimize infections. in total, more than 16,400 people have tested positive for the coronavirus. over 780 have died. new york's governor has ordered everyone in the state to wear masks in public. many people aren't getting the message. so the governor's daughter has

stepped i in. >> reporteter: eve n new yorker knowss that guy, the one w who ifif t they dodon't, perhahaps that guy. >> do your part, wear a mask. i wear a mask. just wear a mask. >> repororter: thehe state gove andrew cuomo delivers that message every day but his daughterss say hee may not be t best communicator. so two weeeeks ago mariahh kenn cuomo suggested a contest. >> if you are interested you can go to wear a mask.ny.gov. >> i weaear a mask for my fello new yorkers. >> reporter: kennedy-cuomo asked new yorkers to produce an ad explaining why people should wear a mask. they responded with more than 600 entries. >> i love new yorkrk. >> w we lovee new york.. >> reporter: kennedy-cuomo and her team watcheded the videos a

no people can vot on their favori. >> we all need to do o part. >> and showw that we care. >> it seems like a simple thini, wearing a mask, a and it's apparently so simple that people think it's of no consequence. it happens to be of tremeous coconsequence.e. sometimemes the peoeople lead. >> repter: cuouo will annoue the winner next tuesday. then the add will go onn tv. he's hoping then perhaps his messageillet through. katheri katherine kobayashi, nhk, new york. allowing more than three quarters of all economic actitivity to resume early next month in singapore. essential firms and schools have been closed since april 7th. cases in the country have topped 29,000. at the ratate of new infections

has recently been slowing down. on tuesday most business activities will be allowed to restart f from june 2nd. they said that includes manufacturing. but they urged firms to keep on site operations to a minimum and let as many employees as possible work from home. officials said a decision on whether to let restaurants and retailers reopen will be made in early july. schools will also restart on june 2nd. students in some grades will rotate weekly between in school and home base learning. restrictions on outings will remain. the people will be allowed to shop for necessities, exercise and commute to work. individuals must wear masks when they go out. medical workers need all the support they can get in the fight against the coronavirus. sometimes that means a tasty meal. recently a group of chefs from some top restaurants in japan have banded together to deliver delicacies to those on the front

lines. >> reporter: down by tokyo bay, something's cooking. these chefs all hail from topnotch restaurants a affectedy the coronavirus outbreak. they now gather daily in n this kitchehen to whip up signature dishes as volunteteers. the lunches arere sent to hospitals and health care organizations free of c charge. the menu is international, and prepared to stay delicious even when cold. ala the japanese bento. >> translator: food can make people smile and feel happy. since that's what we are able to do, now is the time to do it. >> reporter: this man is in charge of the menu for the day. he's a chef for an american restaurant in tokyo.

he once worked at a three-star restaurant in new york, becoming the first japanese to be appointed as its soux chef. >> i've heard medical workers hardly have any time to sleep. i'd really like to do something to be of help. >> reporter: here's yonezawa's show of gratitude. roast pork bento, combining a classic western dish with japanese seasoning. initially the chefs paid for ingredients from their own pockets. soon farmers across japan began supplying produce. and now with online donations the project continues to grow. since it launched in april some 4,500 bentos have been delivered to 22 hospitals.

>> transnslator: it's a really heartwarming meal for us. everyone at the ward apprerecias it very much. >> reporter: yonezawa has long felt a special respect for health care workers. this sentiment goes back to the birth of his daughter who received intensive medical care for a lung-related disease. >> translator: i was so grateful. i really want to show my appreciation through good food that hopefully helps to lift spirits. >> reporter: mouth watering bento, seasoned with heartfelt thanks. the volunteer chefs are just getting warmed up, setting a target of delivering 20,000 meals by the end of june.

♪ authorities have arrested two americans, including an ex-special forces soldier for allegedly smuggling carlos ghosn out of japan. the former nissan motor chairman fled to lebanon on a private jet via turkey late december last year while on bail. former u.s. green beret michael taylor and his son peter were detained in massachusetts on tuesday. in line with a u.s.-japan treaty that letss investigators work together without going through diplomatic channels. arrest warrants were obtained for the pair in january. they carried out two large black boxes from a hotel near the airport. ghosn was hiding in one of them. the boxes were loaded onto the private jet. peter taylor is believed to have booked a hotel for ghosn and carried his belongings. u.s. media authorities arrested

the two taylors after discovering peter taylor booked a flight from the united states to beirut departing wednesday. ♪

it's time for world weather with our meteorologist, millions of villagers rushed to evacuation centers after a severe cyclone made landfall in eastern india, here's more details. a very severe tropical cyclo cyclone made landfall on wednesday aftfternoon. it produced heavy rainfall and also affected much of bangladesh on wednesday. 40 people were killed. strong winds overturned cars, felled trees and knocked down electricity poles in these highly populated areas. storm surges broke through embankments destroying numerous homes. many people needed to be evacuated in a short period of time. although the storm has lost most of its power as it made landfall there's lots of rainfall expected, towards more inland and towards the higher ground of

bangladesh which will lead to possibilities of mud slides and more of that rainfall trickling down to coastal cities. do take care at all times. speaking of more rainfall we expect a lot more to come to the southeastern part of china. a slow moving front there, and coupled with a low pressure system that's coming through, it's going to lead to even more rainfall coming through to the southeastern part of china. already there have been reported up to 136 millimeters of 24-hour rainfall that has fallen in those similar -- in similar areas there. please make sure you are safe. we are expecting more lightning to come through, particularly towards the southern provinces of china, going into hong kong. and also see rainfall towards taipei. some of it will be moving towards the southern part of china. if you're in okinawa, expect heavy rainfall there. temperatures low for japan, tokyo at 17 degrees.

some of it i expect low to the eastern side of australia, expecting a front to bring heavy rainfall towards the coast and much of eastern australia. temperatures for sydney at around 18 degrees and 22 is expected towards brisbane. that is all for the weather. take care. ♪ ♪ that's it for this hour on

nhk "newsline," i'm yuko fukushima in tokyo. thanks for joining us. ♪ welcome to newsline "in depth." i'm aiko doden. we're getting to know an unusual instrument. the world's oldest electronic instrument, an inspiration for the synthesizer was invented about 100 years ago. you may have heard of movies by

alfred hitchcock and dozens of tv shows. the theremin doesn't look like it can make music. performers move their hands to control the invisible waves that surround the machine. last year there was a performance in russia to mark the 100th anniversary of the instrument. among the performers was a japanese group led by masami tackayochi. it looks like the russian nesting doll, calling it the matryomin. how was it created? we went behind the scenes at a performance and found out more. >> while the thereremin h has b aroundnd the 19200s. it epermed with russian --

dolls. in september about 300 of them met to break a world record. the challenge was set by masami tatackayochi, a professional player who introduced the instrument to japan over 20 years ago. pursuing the ethereal sound he set off for russia in 1993 to study under theremin's relelati.

>> when takaouchi returned in the '90s he was determined to popularize it. to win fans he incorporated the theremin in the shape of charming dolls and released it in the year 2000. it was a hit, especially among women who were into technomusic, and theremin playing took off. in 2016 takaouchi faced a setback. midperformance he suffered a stroke. with his right side paralyzed he considered his performing career over but his students from

across japan rallied around him. >> now he's on a new mission as a producer, bringing together nearly 300 players in the hopes of creatingg a world record. theremin's family flies in from russia. ♪ 9, ode to joy.

now there are hundreds of players in japan. ♪ >> and the defining moment. the ensemble sets a world record. >> takaouchi and his wife join us now in the studio. thank you for joining us today. so this is the instrument you invented in japan. the function of theremin is incorporated in this.

would you please put your hand close to it? . so the dis tance matters. when the hand gets closer, the pitch gets higher. a mysterious sound. but the world famous bands like beach boys and led zeppelin also used this instrument. so we must have heard it somewhere. it's like taking us to the world of science fiction. there's no guidance, no keys or finger board positions for theremin. so pitch control is challenging. and it sounds like a ghost. i think that's why alfred hitchcock used it for his movies. >> it's not a major musical instrument, even in russia. so it must have been hard for you to popularize it in japan.

>> about 30 years ago no one knew theremin in japan. so i started performing in concerts in lobbies. i wanted people to know its beautiful sounds rather than its strange sounds. and somehow they came to love it. and i gradually won more >> did the invention of -- contribute a lot to boosting the popularity? >> maybe. the theremin is big and hard to move. you control the pitch with the right hand and volume with the left hand so it's hard to play. but matryomin is small and prpretty. and it's made of -- trees so it

resonates very well. >> but right after inventing it people told me they would only buy it if it is sold at 1,000 yen on the cash desk at diners. but now we play in a group at many places. >> you have been playing for many years. what do you think is the most attractive thing about this instrument? >> the changing sounds. when you turn on the power you hear the sound like a buzzer, which then will turn into beautiful, rich sound. when i play it wholeheartedly, and then that will result in good performance, i feel very

happy. >> she will play for us. please get ready. the music she's going to play is titled moscow nights. what the worth noting about this performance? >> well, if you play it well, theremin or matryomin sounds like a human voice. so i hope you will enjoy the voice of theremin during this performance. >> let's hear a piece now that has strong connectionn to russi. here's "moscow nights." ♪

♪ ♪ ♪

>> thank you very much. it really sounded like a human voice. mr. takaouchi, even after suffering illness you have been playing this instrument while continuing physical therapy. you're also teaching students. what do you think is so fascinating? what do you think is so fascinating to you? >> well, because it is very sensitive to a player. if you move one millimeter, the pitch changes accordingly. in the unstable space with no reference you can only rely on your senses and pitch control. >> that is so fascinating and you cannot find these characteristics in other musical instruments. so how are you going to engage

yourself in this instrument going forward? >> if you have a physical disability like me, that is reflected on the sound. that's why i would like to try playing it. i have always been pursuing the beauty of music in theremin performances. in the modern world music is often automated and we cannot reverse this trend. but so long as there are people who refuse to accept such trends, i believe i have a role to play. >> that's all for today's newsline "in depth," we leave you with another piece played by ms. yamaguchi. thank you for watching and see you again next time. ♪

♪

>> concerns for the safety of millions as a cyclone makes landfall in eastern india and bangladesh. ♪ i am lauren taylor. coming up, a warning from the world health organization as brazil recommends the loose ofof malaria drugs to treat coronavirus.s. theun's special envoy for middle east says israel must abandon plants to annex parts of the occupied west bank. mozambique looks to neighbors for help in the fight