hello, and thanks for tuning in nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogoswara. we begin here in tokyo where officials with the metropolitan government are speeding up the phase to reopening the city. they have decided to further ease restrictions put in place to contain the coronavirus after this weekend. >> translator: we are moving to the next step startiting june 1. >> the change will allow businesses like gyms, theaters and retail shops dealing in nonessential goods to reopen, but restaurants and cafes will

still be asked to stop serving food and drinks by 10:00 p.m. the number of confirmed cases in tokyo has been rising in recent days. 22 new infections were reported on friday, but officials say they are also considering the impact on the economy and the condition of the local health care system. another part of the country is also seeing g an increase ofof cases. officialals are taking steps to reverse the trend. >> translator: our city is in the middle of a secondnd wave. we'll do our utmosost to contai the virus by asking everyone who hahad close contact with t the infected to undergo pcr tests. >> the southwestern city of kitakyushu confirmed 43 cases in the last 6 days. a junior high school in the city of nearly 1 million has closed

for disinfection after one of the students tested positive. the spread of the virus is even casting a shadow over the annual observance of the atomic bombings. hiroshima and nagasaki marked 75 years this summer since the attacks. but authorities say a tenth or less than the usual number of seats at the outdoor ceremonies will be offered. in japan, more than 16,800 people have tested positive and over 880 have died. workers at a nissan motor factory in spain has staged a protest against the company's decision to shutter the plant. the closure is part of the japanese automaker's global restructuring effort. nearly a thousand workers gathered in front of the plant thursday in barcelona. some of them burned tires and blocked roads. this comes after nissan unveiled

a four-year streamlining plan saying it will start negotiations with relevant parties to close the factory. labor unions say the closure would affect about 3,000 employees and threaten indirectly more than 20,000 jobs. >> translator: we won't give up hope and we'll continue working and fighting to get someone to continueueperating this factory whether it's nissan or anyone else. we don't want t to losose the industrial fabric of this area. >> spain's foreign minister expressed regret over nissanan' decision saying the government has done everything it could to prevent the closure. the industry ministry says it's closing with local authorities and unions to assess the impact. nissan posted a net loss of more than $6 billion for the fiscal year that ended in march. the philippine government says it'll ease coronavirus

lockdown measures for the capital manila a and sixix surrounding provinces from monday. president rodrigo duterte announced the plan without giving any reasons to relax the restraints at this time. the restrictions have been in placace since mid-mamarch. trains and buses will resume with a maximum occupancy rate of 50%. many businesses will be able to fully restart operations. curs and outings will continue for people age 20d or younger and those aged 60 or older while people in other age groups will be allowed to frereely go outsi. but duterte warned the crisisis has yet to end. >> this state has every right to control your movement if you pass on a contagion to thehe otr population. >> the philippines has confirmed

more than 15,5,000 coronaviruss cases.s. the u.s. government has indicted 33 people for channelling payments worth at least $2.5 billion in violation of u.s. sanctions to help advance north korea's nuclear and missile programs. the justice department unveiled the indictment on thursday. the 33 include former executives of north korea's state-owd foreign trade bank and officials of the bank's branches around the world. five of those indicted are chinese nationals. according to the indictment, in 2013 the ftb was added to a u.s. treasury department list of sanctioned institutions for transactions that facilitated the nuclear proliferation network. the bank secretly opened branches in countries including

china and austria. more than 250 front companies were also created to process illegal payments and ede sanctions. the justice department said that the indictment dememstrates its commitment to hampering n north korea's ability to illegally access the u.s. financial system and tosing proceeds from illicit actions for its weapons programs. u.s. media say the indictment is believed to be the largest criminal enforcement case ever against north korea. u.s. president donald trump is expected to announce shortly his administration's response to china over its decision to introduce national security legislation for hong kong. >> we'll be announcing what we're doing tomorrow with respect to china, and we are not happy with china. >> trump plans to hold a news conference on friday. observers say the row between washington and beijing is most

likely to intensify if trump announces harsh measures. china's congress on thursday approved the security legislation plan, which is desisigned to crcrack down on anti-government t activities in hong kong. concerns are spreading in hong kong that the adopted plan would undermine the territory's autonomy. the move has also triggered an international uproar with many voicing concerns that it would weaken the one country/two systems framework. trtrump's top economic adviser, larry kudlow said, quote, we can't let this go unnoticed ana theyey will be held accountable for r that. "t"the new york times" quoted senior u.s. government officials as saying trump is considering a plan to revoke the visas of f thousands of chinese students and researchers in the u.s. who have ties with the people's liberation army. the chinese embassy in washington has released a statement saying china will take necessary countermeasures if

there is foreign meddling in hong kong's affairs. as businesses in japan start to reopen, more people are back on the streets with face masks. nhk world looks at how the coverings have become a vital part of people's daily lives. >> reporter: tokyo's koreatown is known as a hot spot to buy the latest in food, fashion, and cosmetics. but lately businesses have pivoted to another sought-after item. face masks. from plain white masks to ones with stylish and unique patterns, stores are trying to attract shoppers after stay-at-home measures were lifted earlier this week. face masks have long been a

staple in japan. but their prominence has grown since the coronavirus outbreak. >> translator: i'm okay with using face masks. i've been wearing them a couple months. >> translator: i enjoy putting them o on when i think of it as part of my overall style. >> reporter: face masks are also an e essential partt of the strategy to curb the spread of the virurus. with politicians like abe shinzo popularizing them during his many public appearances. some experts say masks are one of the major reasons for japan's relatively low number of infections. the world health organization says masks are not a silvever bullet but can help. in the u.s. officials are now recommending their use after initially down playing their effectiveness. but many americans say they infringe on their rights and freedoms. others simply say they are

uncomfortable. >> i do have a mask, but, you know, out here it's kind of hard to exercise with it. and i mean, as you can probably see there's not a lot of people wearing masks out here. >> reporter: it's become a controversial issue. president trump has been criticized for not wearing one despite his team of medical experts promoting their use. but local governments are urging people to take preventive measures. >> please wear a face covering and maintain social distancing when in public. taking these steps will protect you and your loved ones. >> reporter: but the message didn't get through to some with thousands flocking to a nearby water park during the recent memorial day long weekend. back in japan, people here are bracing for what's shaping up to be another hot and humid summer. about 500 people die every year because of heatstroke. the concerns prompted officials

to issue new guidelines on ththursday. they sayay peoplple should remo masks if temperatures run too high but urgrge them to take otr precautions. while face masks are not typical summer wear, people here in japan seem to be adjusting to the new normal. whether it becomes a global trend remains unclear. but a simple cloth could become a crucial tool in the battle against the coronavirus.s. nhk world, tokyo. people in india and pakistan have been dealing with life-threatening hot weather for days. our meteorologist sayaka mori joins us now we the latest on the situation. sayaka? >> yes, yoshi. india and pakistan have been the world's hottest places. we've got lots of high temperatures in many places.

jacobabad in pakistan saw 50 degrees celsius for three days in a row. and churu in northern india had 50 degrees on tuesday and about 50 degrees on the following day as well. but finally temperatures are gradually trending down. highs in the upper 40s in jacobabad. on saturday, 41. that's much cooler compared to what we saw earlier this week. new delhi will see 36. earlier this week, new delhi experienced the warmest may day in about 18 years. and across the south, the monsoon has k kicked in. now, temperatures are going to be q quite high many places of e nation japan on friday. the high was about 31 in kiru. we saw unstable weather conditions. severe thunderstorms popped up

in gouma prefecture. generally sunny conditions will continue, but once again a cool air mass aloft will continue to bring unstable weather to many places of japan. that means once again unstable weather is possible. that means we might see severe thunderstorms along with excessive amounts of heavy rainfall. if you don't want to experience heavy rain, have your umbrella handy as well. we might see afternoon showers. temperatures remain on the warmer side in tokyo into the weekend. obihiro will see 31 on saturday and stay in the 30s into sunday. and the rainy season will likely start soon in kyushu. that's it for me. have a nice day.

those were the top stories at this hour on nhk "newsline."

thank you very much for joining us. welcome to "newsline in-depth." i'm marie yanaka. today we look at foreign residents in japan and what may be their biggest stumbling block. communicating. getting by in a new language makes daily life difficult. but in cases of emergency or the need to make a living, it can be a serious hindrance. in our two stories coming up, we meet people trying out new ways to cross the language barrier. let's start with a report on establishing trust in the

workplace. japan is currently home to more than 1 million workers from overseas. some are receiving vocational training under a government-backed internship program. however, many are fleeing their jobs before the end of the five-year period. the reasons include miscommunication due to language barriers and harsh employment conditions. though authorities are trying to tackle the issue, one company has come up with an unconventional way to interact with its trainees and it seems to be working. >> five vietnamese interns work at this metal processing plant north of tokyo. this worker arrived in may. >> translator: life in japan is kind of hard. japanese is difficult. i study every day.

>> to support nguyen in the country, the company gave her what's known in japan as an exchange diary. every evening, she writes in japanese about her day and any concerns she has about work. nguyen share this diary with the company president. he responds with his own thoughghts. he proposed the exchange system as a way to get to know his interns individually. >> translator: reading the exchange diary entries showed me that there are a lot of things that confuse the interns. some even write about delicate subjects that may be difficult to talk about in person. >> he came up with the idea after an intern suddenly q quit three years ago. although tada's company had paid for the intern's language classes and travel expenses, he left after only ten months.

>> translator: i didn't notice anything different. we were even eating meals together the day before he left. >> he realized that he hadn't been communicating well with the intetern and had no sense of hi true feelings. tada set out to work on building trust with the interns by responding to their everyday concerns. the workers are also working to improve relations with their boss. they invite tada to share a vietnamese feast. >> translator: the work is hard, but it's fun. >> translator: i'm still struggling. we're trying to find what works, but we can't give up. i want our company to be a place where interns are happy and have a good expererience e even if i not perfect. >> as many japanese businesses look toward welcoming an influx

of foreign workers, tada's way of bridging gaps in communication might become a model for progress. >> shared diaries are a common communication tool for japanese teenage girls back when i was in school. i remember it was easier to write about personal things than to talk about them. i could see how the diary could help the trainees express themselves better. the president of the company says he wants to not only make the interns feel welcome but also encourage them to improve their japanese. he says this could open up more opportunities for them and keep them interacting with japan even after the trainee program is over. now, one of the trickiest challenges for foreign residents is also one of the most crucial. and that's getting medical care. language barriers can lead to life-threatening situations.

authorities are tackling the problem by giving subsidies. in our next story, we'll see if they can get doctors in their own languages this can save time, money, and most importantly lives. >> this worker from myanmar is employeed in saitama. she spends five days a week packaging products. her colleagues with whom she communicates in english and broken japanese depends on her skilills. >> translator: this job is very good for me. so i'm working very hard. >> translator: our product processes and p productivity ar supported by people like aung..

they're very imporortant to us. >> in myanmar, she was living with her family, but she left for japan four years ago to find work to support her aging parents and siblings back home. but three months after starting a job at a sewing factory, she was overcome with acute abdominal pain. >> translator: the pain was so unbearable that it made me shake. i threw up, sweated a lot, and my belly became as hard as a rock. >> she visited a nearby clinic. she complained frantically about the pain in broken japanese, but had difficulty in making herself understood. prescription drugs did not

alleviate the pain. then three months later excruciating pain led her to a hospital where english language services were available. after careful examination conducted in english, she was diagnosed with a type of bowel blockage. aung underwent a surgical procedure to remove part of her intesti intestine. her doctors told her if the blockakage had been found soone chances were high that it could have been treated just with medication. she had to take a prolonged leave of absence from work t to recuperate. >> translator: hadad i been abl to convey my symptoms more accurately, i could have been treated with medication at the first hospital. it makes me sad when i think

about it. >> at hospitals across japan, communication programs with non-japanese are common. the university of shizuoka surveyed medical institutions nationwide on this issue. she received reports on specific cases from 270 hospitals. one reported that its doctors performed a long surgery on a foreign patient. the other said a lack of communication prevented them from providing necessary care to a pregnant woman which led to a risky childbirth. >> translator: receiving medical treatment is a matter of life and death.

it's important that foreignerer can receiveve trereatment witho any proboblems. this is something we need to guarantee iff we are going to bring in talented foreign workers from abroad. >> this clinic in kanagawa prefecture is taking its own measures to respond to the needs of the city's large foreign community. it hires medical interpreters to serve their non-japanese patients that come in each week. five interpreters specializing in thai and other languages work here in rotation. the interpreters ininterview patients before they enter examination rooms. this is to gather information necessary for doctors who are

usually pressed for time. >> the interpreters summarize their findings for the doctors. >> these interpreters are highly skilled at not just conveying words in two languages, but at offering emotional support to patients as well as having g medical knowledge. >> translator: the foreign patients that visit our clinic reside in japan as our

neighbors. they don't just live here but work here and pay taxes here. it's a matter of cause that we offer services to protect their health. >> as foreign workers in japan become more commonplace, their access to appropriate medical care is improving. but there's still a long way to go. just over 4% of hospitals currently offer such foreign language assistance. part of the problem is physical. there will always be a challenge in getting enough interprets on site at institutions. that's why one hospital in osaka tried out an online interpreting service. >> the systemm operated during

the g20 summit held in osaka in june. the city installed tablets at 23 hospitals and clinics and services were available in five languages. eveven after the tririal ended the summit, many institutions have shown interest in signing up. >> translator: this kind of interpreting service really helps us to provide an accurate diagnose and choose an appropriate treatment. >> japan still has a lot to do to increase the number of places to where migrants and visitors can comfortably turn for medical help. as more foreign residents live and work in japan, communication becomes ever more important. we've seen the benefits of better language skills and online technology. but also the value of cultural understanding where old fashioned methods like shared diaries can really help. and that's all for today's

"newsline in-depth." thank you for tuning in and make sure to do so next time too.

♪ ♪ a police station set on fire during a third night of unrest in the u.s. city of minneapolis. protesters gather in response to the death of an unarmed black man in police custody. presidenent trump calls the protesters thugs. warned theent has company's survival is at stake. france eases coronavirus restrictions.