♪ hello, you're watching nhk "newsline." we begin here in japan, a country emerging from the shadow of a weeks long state of emergency. tuesday marks the first day since the declaration was lifted. the move was widely anticipated but the continuing threat of infection means it's still not business as usual. mobile carrier nttdokomo found that foot traffic in tokyo's commercial centers was up on monday compared to a week

earlier. the prime minister announced on monday evening that the state of ememergency w was being lififte the last five prefecturures. the change affected tokyo and three surrounding prefectures, as well as hokkaido in the north. abe noted the risk of infection cannot be brought down to zero, even after the lifting of the emergency. the government plans to reopen social and economic activities in phases. restrictions will be relaxed at approximately three-week intervals, with the government evaluating the extent of infection and the risk of virus spreading in each region. a zoo in tokyo that had been temporarily closed reopens tuesday with new rules in place. visitors a are asked to disinfe their hands and to wear a mask. the zoo says it will restrict admission to visitors if

necessary. events such as concerts and exhibitions will be allowed to take place with limits on the number of attendees being eased over time. karaoke parlors and gyms will be allowed to reopen on june 1st, but they need to put measures in place, such as controlling the number of patrons. live music venues and night life spots, such as pose tehostess be asked to remain closed for the time being. experts are studying how to prevent infections in these establishments. the government says they could reopen as early as june 19th. inin total more than 16,600 peoe have tested positive in japanan. 860 have lost their lives. japan's cabinet has approved the use of about $1.7 billion for buying medical equipment and covering the fees involved in

treating coronavirus patients. the government will prioritize the supply of masks, gowns and gloves to institutions accepting infected people. the cabinet acknowledged the higher personnel cost involved in treating patients with medium to serious symptoms. the government will also shoulder about $148 million in fees paid under the public health insurance system. the figure had already been increased last month. from tuesday spending will be tripled for intensive care patients who need ekmo machines to support respiratory and cardiofunctions. after the extendtures nearly $12 billion remains in a reserve fund for tackling the virus. it was approved as part of the current fiscal year's first supplementary budget. the coronavirus pandemic may not have yet reached its peak as new

cases continue to be reported across south america. brazil reported 807 coronavirus deaths on monday. a higher figure than the united states. it also has one of the highest numberers of total cases at ove 374,000. many of them a are being report in densely neighborhoods known as pavellas. the u.s.s has the highest numbe of cases and fatalities overall. new york governor andrew cuomo says his state will tap a fund to pay death benefits to families of health care providers, emergency medical staff and other essential workers. >> we're going to make sure that every government in the state of new york provides death benefits to those public heroes who died from covid-19 during this emergency. >> cuomo didn't disclose the

size of the payout, nor the number of eligible families. he also urged the federal government to dedicate funds and offer hazard p pay to frontline workers. researchchers at johohns hopkin university in ththe u.s. say th global number of coronavirus cases has surpassed $5.5 million and the death toll has exceeded 340,000. a leading chinese virologist amid accusations it was the source of the outbreak. in an interview pubublished by chinese statate run media onn monday she s says the institute swiftlyy shared data on the corovivirus witith the worldld health o oanization.n. knowown as china's bat woman fo her virus hunting treksks into t caves shehe wasn't reportedldlyt missing while possessing data on

the coronavirus. the united states has allegeged that the coronavirus sweeping the world originated from the wuhan lab. she did not comment on those accusations. on saturday china's state run media released an interview in which the institute's director denied rumors that the virus spread from the facility. hong kong's chief executive

is trying to reassure residents that a security law being discussed in beijing will not threaten their rights and freedoms. the legislation has drawn protests in the territory as well as international criticism but carrie lam says there's nothing to worry about. >> the bill -- only a handful of people. it protects citizens who abide by the law, and love peace. citizens will have the same rights and freedoms as they do now. >> lam says beijing is certain to pass the legislation, and her government fully supports the move. lam warned her government will respond to what she called illegal proteststs by those who oppose the legislation. police have elected barricades around the legislative council building. pro-democracy activists are calling for more demonstrations. they're also angry about a second piece of legislation that

would make it a crime to disrsrespect the chinese nation anthemem. ththe legislative council planso start deliberating that bill on wednesday. beijing is expected to approve the national security law on thursdayay, about a week after was proposed at the annual national people's congress. a veteran pro-democracy campaigner says the security law threatens the one country, two systems policy that has underpinned hong kong's autonomymy. nhk world's doden aiko reports. >> it will be damages for one country, two systems. >> reporter: he sees this as a water shed moment. he was among 15 arrested around a month ago for their role in protests last year. he now fears an end to hong kong as he knows itit.

>> thiss one country, two systes which was promised to us, a ano the i international community, a f failure. so thehecannot run hong kong anymore. they want too run hong kong in different way. they want to completely rule over honong kong. that's the -- >> reporter: china's foreign minister s says there's an urge need to impose national security legislation o on hong kong as violence in the territory has been increasing. -- speaking on the sidelines of the national people's congress in beijing on sunday. >> translator: violence and terrorist activities are continuing to escalate and foreign elements are illegalall interfering in hong kong's affairs, this poses a serious threat to china's national security. >> but lee and his colleagues believe the law undermines the

ci city's awe onmy on freedom of speech which they promised to uphold. why now? there have been attempts in the past. why the move now, d dyou thinkn? > t ty t take advantatage of sickness. the covid-19 sickneness, a and they do nasty thingngs too hong kong, knowing the other governments will be too busy so they will take advantage of this calamity. to do the dirty work. and at the same time they are worried that in the f forthcomi lelegislative c council elelectn september they are afraid to lolose the majority to the democrats. >> reporter: how would you see the international businesses responding to thihis movement ts time around shsh. >> i think manany of them are pulling up. and they still want to do business in china, why in hong kong? why not shanghai? what's the difference? >> reporter: so that would be sort of detrimental to hong kong's economy? >> yes, that's what china is

doing. they are ruining hong kong. they want to turn hong kong into just another chinese city. but we will not allow them to do so. >> reporter: the congress is due to vote on the draft law on thursday. that's expected to fuel more protests in hong kong. after a lull in large demonstrations due to the covid-19 pandemic, protesters are back, resolved to make their voices heard. doden aiko, nhk world. people in parts of india and surrounding areas are dealing with dangerously high temperatures. the mercury hit the 50 degree mark in pakistan. our meteorologist joins uss now with the details. >> yes, yoshi, the m most significant heat wave of the season is greeting northern india. take a look at these temperatures, the high rose to

50 degrees in pakistan, seven degrees higher than normal for this t time of year. may is typically the hottest month of the year. new deli saw 46 degreeees the se day. authorities issued a red alert for heat for northern india, including new delhi on monday and tuesday, to caution people not to go out from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. this summer could be one of the hottest summers on record for india. india is currently under a lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. that weather is going to be still on the hot side at least for the next couple of days. but slightly cooling down, 47 for the high on wednesday. sunny weather continues until friday. new delhi, finally the temperatures will drop into the 30s starting friday. strong winds could cause a sand

storm on friday as well as saturday. let's go to asia. we're looking at a line of crowds stretching from china and also the southern islands of japan as a seasonal frontal system is still lying over these areas. as you can see, you can see several low pressure systems on the frontal system. these areas will see very stormy conditions. as you can see, the low will likely hit towards the okinawa region, that means they will see increasing rainfall plus thunderstorms. winds will be strong as well. lots of rain is in the forecast for the southwestern islands of japan and for taiwan heavy rain will continue into wednesday. temperatures are going to be in the 20s in hong kong, taipei as well as tokyo. the high will be 20 in tokyo on wednesday. that's it for me. have a nice day.

and that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline,"

thanks for joining us and we'll have more for you soon. welcome to newsline "in depth," i'm marie yanaka. theacific war broke out putting japan against the united states and the allied forces. here in japan this led to detention of people from opposing countries, often in horrible conditions. italyy was, alongng with german initiayy an alllly of japanan i the axis pact. butt after sururrender to ththe allies it became an enemy literally overnight and this led to italian nationals also being

detained in japan. nhk t teamed u up with a pririv organization researching prisoners of war to uncover the harsh reality the detainees faced. >> these photographs of p.o.w. camps in japan were taken by occupation forces. the army had detained more than 32,000 foreign prisoners in 130 facilities around the country. the p.o.w.s stare out with lifeless eyes during a meal. they are all skinny from lack of food. this man was transported to a hospital ship. most of the prisoners were suffering from starvation. to learn more about what life was like in the camps, nhk spoke with the son of a p.o.w. jakomo

is the owner of a long established italian restaurantt in tokyo. his father antonio served i in e italian navy and was taken prisoner by japan during the pacific war. >> my father enjoyed talking. but when the topic of war came up hee always fell silent. i often hear that people who've experienced war will scream at night as though they're having a nightmare. for example if someone phoned for him, when i tried to wake him up. he'd jump o out off bed. i think t that says a l lot abo the trauma he experienced durg

the war. >> in september 1940 japan, italy and germany had formed an allian a again thehe alliedd forc. giacoo sayis fathewas a ew membe otheruiser calitea that was conducting joint operationons with japan. in 1943 while the ship was anchored, italy surrendered to the allies, including the united states and grereat britain, and declared war on japan's ally, germany. alll 12121 i italian crew membe boarard the calilitea w were s deemed enemies of japan and were taken to a prisoner of war camp near kobe. the private organization p.o.w. research network japan has been collecting material and

testimonies about the facility. a staff member took us to the site of the former camp. it's now a residential area, but the nearby steel mill casts a shadow, linking the past to the present. >> testimonies from prisoners indicate they are forced to performm manuall labor, such as loading and unloading coal and picking up iron shavings produc when the steel was made. >> the camp held more than 600 p.o.w.s, including italians. the prisoners were made to walk four kilometers each day, to and from the steel mill, where they were forced to work from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. while gathering information for this report we obtained an important document from an italian government official. it was written by one of the

prisoners. i am starving. i eat weeds i find on my way to the steel mill, and find food scraps in the garbage, like orange peels and cucumber skins. another italian serviceman died from starvation and being beaten. the following year two more detaineeees died of malnutritio within two months of each other. italian civilians also found themselves caught up in the turmoil. this photograph is from a 1941 magazine issued by the japanese government. it shows girls of the three access countries enjoys themselves at new year's. one of them was the daughter of an italian diplomat. the photo was aimed at promoting close ties between the two countries, but even this girl

would soon be detained along with 40 officials and their families. they were eventually transferred more than 500 kilometers north to a town in the mountains of akita prefecture. mayu works for the japanese ngo, she gave us a tour of the former detention facility. this church housed 48 detainees. among them, four families consisting of nearly 20 people lived in the space used for services, which measures 10 meters square. at the time there were no benches, only bare floor boards. >> i guess they somehow managed to survive in this place. but when you take into consideration the lack of toilets and basins and bathtubs,

the situation was intolerable. >> we spoke to some local residents who had heard about what life was like for the detainees. this is masaka, who ran the town's clinic at the time. she visited the church several times. fukunaga died 15 years ago but she told her daughter about the situation during the war. >> translator: she said most of them were malnourished. she gave them some food because they had so little to eat. >> the diplomats and ambassadors and their wives, as well as high ranking military attaches had to

face a life of starvation, with no bathtubs. i think that constitutes abuse, even if they weren't beaten. >> in detailed reports by the occupation forces there is one particularly horrific case, that of lieutenant earnest saxida, an officer from the calitea. he was taken to a p.o.w. hospital in tokyo, suffering from cirrhosis of the liver. he became a human guinea pig. the japanese military doctor injected intravenously ordinary soya bean milk. saxida had three injections. this caused him to go into a coma with severe and repeated vomiting, which lasted up to his

death, about 48 hours later. after the war the u.s. war crimes tribunals found the doctor guilty of conducting experiments on human beings. he was sentenced to death. the p.o.w. research network plans to publish a book in a couple of years on the p.o.w. and civilian detainee camps to make sure the lessons of the war are passed on to future generations. >> translator: our primary aim isis to ensure that these tragedies never occur again. to this end we must study the past, only by studying the past can we begin to understand what war is, and its effects. >> of the 33,000 p.o.w.s and foreign detainees, more than

3,500 died in captivity. with the passage of time their stories could have been lost to history if not for the efforts of a determined few. joining us now is nhk world siyoshi. they weren't the only ones, were they? >> no, all enemy countries living in japan were rounded up, including -- missionaries and -- they were deprived of their jobs, had their assets seized and were sent to detention centers. as other detainees came from abroad. for example following the japanese army occupation in pap with a new guinea, 18 nurses

were taken prisoner and brought to japan. they were kept in a detention facility in yokohama until the end of the war. these photos were taken after their release. according to a survey by the p.o.w. study group, around 1,184 civilians were detained in japan during world war ii, including many who had lived here for a long time. >> is experience must have left deep scars on the minds of the detainees. >> that's right because they faced such harsh conditions, many of the p.o.w.s and their families hold a strong and enduring hatred towards japan. however, members of the p.o.w. research network have found that views can sometimes change. they offer programs for former captives and relatives, inviting them to japan to visit the site of the detention camps and to

meet with people who l lived nearby. >> let's hear what the head of the p.o.w. research network has to say about the issue. >> repororter: therere are form p.o.w.ss and detainees w who co here feeling hatred a against japan, but through dialogue with people who understand what happened in those days, they seem to realize the japanese at that time had been driven crazy by the war. and gradually they come to hate the war, rather than thehe japanese. this change of thinking helps to soothe their hearts before they head back home. >> here in japan this chapter of our history is not so well-known. by deepening our understanding of what happened to the p.o.w.s and detaiainees we may b be encouraged to work toward stronger relations based on peace, not war.

>> thank you. and that's all for today's newsline "in depth."

>> welcome back to the france 24 nusrsra. begin in london. there are signs of a growing revolt within the british conservative party after dominic cummings, special advisor to boris johnson, said he had no intention of resigning. this after breaking lockdown restrictions and traveling the length of england when h he and his wiwife are showing symptomsf covid-19. resesigned from the view isnt, saying his not shared by the majority of his party. a number of deaths involving covid-19 and great britain have topped 47,000.