we start here in tokyo where officials are considering issuing an alert after confirming the highest daily tally for coronavirus infections for weeks. the governor says it's a way of urging residents to be cautious. officials reported 34 new infections in the capital on tuesday. it's the first time the number has topped 30 in more than three

weeks. nearly 5,300 people tested positive so far in the city of about 14 million. the increase comes one week after the central government lifted the state of emergency for the tokyo metropolitan area. that prompted the governmentt t bebegin easing requests that sa many businesses close. officials have been monitoring the situation a and say it's worsening. >> translator: this is aimed at making residents aware of how much infections arere spreadingn tokyo. it doesn't mean we're changing our plans to reopen social and economic activities but we want people to refrain from nighttime activities. >> tokyo officicials are particularly concerned about infections at bars and night clubs. roughly a third of the 90 cases confirirmed inn tokyo over the t week have been linked to these kinds of establishments. the businesses pose a problem for people in charge of chasing

infection routes because employees have contact with so many strangers. >> japan is pushing forward with plans to make covid-19 tests simpler and easier to access. itit will help with the country aim to boost low testing numbers. >> i believe this will reverse patients and medical institutionsns. >> they approved a tesest kit, revised test manual and use of health insurance to cover to procedure. with the pcr test health workeks need to take thorough protective measures. in the new test saliva is handed to medical staff. a ministry study showed patients tested within nine days of exhibiting symptoms and the results are largely the same as those with existing methods. it will be for patients that exhibited symptoms within the previous nine days.

while the coronavirus pandemic lead to a surge in e-commerce it opened the door to a new kind of retail experience. businesses are starting to see big opportunities in virtual reality shopping andnd that's brought sales staff back into the spotlight. >> the scenery will look familiar to tokyo residents. it's the backdrop for a vr shopping event. like any vr world the user adopts an avenatar to move arou. it's like a 3-d puppet. a puppet that'ss ready too s sh and virtual market is the place to spend real money.y. last held i in aprpril the even attracted 43 companies to set up stores ranging from convenience chains to clothing outlets. let's start with a show room for a german auto maker. inside an impressive display of electric vehicles.

visitors can take a ride before the cars arrive in japanese dealerships. that's done from within your vr goggles offering a realistic driving experience. for companies, the big advantage of vr is the ability to station staff in their virtual stores. >> at this department store staff highlight their product and why it's a must by for the customer. here's what is happening behind the scenes. store employees working from home are controlling their avatars remotely. stafff can direct customers to the store's website to make a

purchase. this store manager says he's impressed by the customer engagement in the virtual world. >> the virtual store had tenen times as many visitors as we expected. it's made me optimistic about sales using vr. >> a big hitter in telecommunications was just as busy connecting with avatar customers. it believes vrvr shopppping can accelerate up tick of 5-g high spspeed networks. >> t translator: with 5-g, i im will b sharper a and responsee titimes w will be quicker whichl lead to more enjoyable vi experience. >> according to the event organizer, that realistic experience offers retailers a powerful new way to market their products. simply put, it brings a sales person back to life. >> t translator: this is a stet beyond e-commerce.

we call it vr-commerce. as a business it has great potential. >> his company plans to hold another event at the end of this year. far from slowing down, the coronavirus may be actually taking the brave new world of shopping to the next level. the world health organization is trying to mend ties with it's single biggest donor, the united states. the u.s. cutoff the un agency as it struggles to manage a global response to the pandemic. >> the u.s. governments and it's contribution and generosity toward global health over many decades has been immerse and it has made a great difference in public health all around the world. it is our wish for this collaboration to continue. >> he handed out the praise on monday during an online media briefing. last week u.s. president donald

trump announced he was permanently ending his country's relationship with the w.h.o. he criticized their handling of covid-19 saying it's controlled by china. he also said the organization had not received formal notice from the u.s. plans to reopen complaint

over china's export of high-tech materials to its neighbor. they cited security controls and trade controls on the part of seoul. later that year japan dropped south korea from its list of countries and took the dispute in september but suspended in november instead hoping for a settlement through negotiations. last month south korea said it would boost staffing must bes and called on japan to clarify it's position by this sunday. an official from the trade ministry in seoul blamed the lack of progress on japan. > translalator: the japanese government has not shown any willingness to solve the issue. we therefore have concluded that we cannot proceed with normal negotiations which was the premise of suspending the complaint at the wto.

>> japan's foreign minister expressed disappointment. >> translator: it is regrettable that the south korean side unilaterally made the announcement even though we have been maintaining dialogue. >> the focus now is on whether seoul pushes for the laurgel of the wto resolution panel which would serve as a court for settling the dispute. in other news, russian president vladimir putin says a nationwide vote on amending the constitution will take place july 1st. it was originally set for april 22nd b but put on hold because the coronavirus. >> translator: we postpononed t dadate of thehe nationwide vote based on our priority, the preservation of life and the health of our citizens, but

consididering the situation wit the pandemic is improving, we are certainly returning to normal life. >> putin's fourth term expires in 2024. if approved he could stay in power through 2036. russia is struggling due to the fall out there. putin seeks to consolidate public support through the vote. trump has declared himself the president of law and order. he has threatened to call in the u.s. military. the riots began after an unarmed black man george floyd died in police custody in minneapolis a week ago. >> if a city or state refuseseso take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents then i will deploy the united states military and quickly solve the

problem for them. >> protests have become violent in many cities. the demonstrations have spread to 140 cities in at least 40 states. more than 4,400 people were repoportedly arrested over the weekend. early monday, floyd's brother visited the cite where a white police officer kneeled on floyd's neck for over 8 minutes during an arrest. he called on protestors to demonstrate peacefully. >> if i'm not over here messing up my community, then what are y'all doing? what are you doing? y'all doing nothing because that's not going to bring my brother back at all. an autopsy found floyd died f m

fromsfrom neck and back compression a tropical system is brewing west of india and is expected to intensify rapidly. what's the latest on the system? >> we are talking about a rapidly intensifying storm right west of india and expected to move on shore and in the process intensified quickly. we're talking about a severe cyclonic storm by the latter night into the early part of wednesday. and this is the wind movement associated with the system. we're expecting it to intensify. the red coloration indicates the quick intensification. stronger wind and heavier rain in the area and for those of you in mumbai, be on the look out for significant rainfall. some of you may be dealing with rainfall amounts close to 150 millimeters and we're talking about 24 to 36 hours so it's going to be a wet day for you wednesday, thursday and friday.

highs in the low 30s. new delhi you'll be seeing rain and the monsoon continued to move through sri lanka and the southern tip of india and rain as you go through the day on wednesday. meanwhile, across japan, a relatively dry day for most of the country. we have a frontal pattern in place. tokyo seeing high skies. we will be dealing with that warm pattern in place across tokyo. continue to bring the chance for the rain as we go through time. we go through wednesday. so have your umbrellas nearby. we are looking at the rain to continue down through the southern areas of china with the rainy season pattern in place so rain expected for places like hong kong and thunderstorms as well. i do want to mention though in tokyo, we're looking at a high close to 30 degrees coming up on

wednesday. so you want to make sure that you take it easy outdoors because it's going to be a lot warmer for this time of the year. hope you have a good day. ♪

and that concludes this edition of nhk newsline. there's much more to come here on nhk world japan, so please, do stay with us. welcome to newsline indepth. going to the zoo can be a fun way to learn about animals but facilities do so much more than just provide us with entertainment. today we have stories about animals as well as the people helping them to survive and thrive. now zoos are always popular especially with kids but with the low birth rate and declining

population many zoos here are struggling. our first report goes to one such zoo in southern japan. they have racked up more than 120 million video views worldwide. >> translator: it's surprising. we really didn't imagine it would be this popular. with plenty of material to choose from he turns out around 8 videos a month. the more popular the videos the

more income they generate from streaming. they use the funds to improve facilities like this new feeding terrace. it's good pr too. >> i saw the zoo on social media and decided to come. >> foreign visitors are up 20% year on year. >> i've been here four times. >> he's now looking for his next hit and he is banking on the zoo's most popular animals. videos with soothing souounds a a big thing these days on youtube. so he is trying to capture the sound of the animals under a a trickle of water. >> sometimes it's difficult to capture the moment but i try to

make videos as natural as possible. >> hopes to have the full zoo online so people everywhere can see the collection in one pick. >> only someone that spent a lot of time with animals can capture the interesting moments for people around the world to enjoy. >> but they just aren't for enjoying cute animals. they have an issue to protect rare species. in the 70s there were only about 1,000 giant pandas in the wild and until a few years ago it was listed as an endangered species. japan has ten of them in three different zoos on loan from china for breeding purposes. pandas are notoriously difficult to breed in activity but one

living at a zoo in japan is famous for being father to over a dozen cubs. zookeepers are hopeful for more to come despite the panda's age, 80 in human years. >> 25 years ago when the panda became one of the world's most endangered species the large zoo joined forces with a zoo in china. the result is a success. 16 cubs. a record number outside of china. a panda male has played a starring role in this affair ever since china offered him on loan to the zoo in 1994.

he has sired 15 of the cubs born at the zoo. as part of the conditions of the loan, pandas bred here are relocated to china. his most recent offspring came ininto the world in 2018 when h was 25 making him the world's oldest captive panda to father a cub through natural breeding. the average lifespan of pandas living in captivity is between 25 and 30 years. does the 27-year-old have it in him to become a father again? she has been taking care of him for over a decade and is dedicated to keeping him tiptop toward that end. >> since he is aging we are

giving top priority to his health and we really hope the breeding goes smoothly. with his age, though, i can see that he doesn't have the stamina as before. staff rereported his every move. theyey carefully check the imag to see if he's scent marking or communicating vocal love queues indicating feeling amorous. as part of his regular check ups, blood samples are taken everery two weeks and his blood pressure once a month. keepers use incentives like food to get him exercising keeping his lower legs strong is vital to successful breeding. special attention is also paid

to diet. like most pandas he eats around 20 kilograms of bamboo every day but the breeder's collect three times that amount that they sort manually for quality to suit his finnicly palate and mood on any given day. >> we tend to pick bamboo with abundant quality leaves. he only eats the truly delicious parts. it's a bit tricky to find bamboo to his liking and his preference differs day-to-day and by season. so you never really know until you feed him. >> his mate is the 19-year-old born at the zoo to a a differen male.

the two seem to click and chemistry is key in successful panda breeding. they produced nine cubs so far. he may verery well break his ow record of the oldest male panda to produce an offspring. >> i think he still has the spark as long as he has the will, i hope he goes for it.. >> we just try to follow the daily health maintenance program to keep him fit to ensure more successful mating. i just hope another cute baby panda will be born and loved by everyone. >> spring, when females come into heat for two to three days is mating season for pandas. will he have the stamina to keep up with the romancing?

>> if he fathers another cub it will eventually be returned to china as all panda babies born in japan are so they can help grow the panda population in their own country. >> we meet a japanese woman working at a breeding center in china that's dead katdicated he to the panda cause. >> the birth place of the panda, experts hope some of them will one day be released into the wild. >> she went to china in the hope of getting closer to the animals and work at the center.

but her job would turn to dispair when a baby panda in her care died six days after it's birth. >> i was devastated. it was so hard. i never want to go through something like that again. >> she eventually returned to the breeding center to brush up heher skills. a few times a week she works overnight to feed the cubs milk and help with their digestion. sometimes it's a challenge to get the little ones to breast feed from their mothers.

she has an effort to stimulate the process but it doesn't always work. she tries again and this time is a success. one of her responsibilities is keeping the pandas in good shape, for maeal times she has devised a contraption that gives the animals a little workout. not just for their balance but their minds too. to get their food, they have to climb down and reach up into the basket. >> translator: i think it's good for the pandas. they have to find the food which stimulates their brains. >> she keeps a detailed record for her observations and notes

down everything her co-workers teach her. >> translator: i want to absorb everything and keep trying to improve. my dream is to help grow the number of giant pandas living in the wild. >> it's one of the great success stories but she and her colleagues know there's much work to do before they're once again in the natural habitat. nhk world. >> thanks to the efforts that we saw today giant pandas are no longerer classified as endanger and their number in the wild is not far off, doubling from its low point. but there are about 8,000 other animals species around the world still listed as endangered or critically endangered and humans

are set to be behind the current high rate of species extinction. there's still much to be done so all creatures can thrive and prosper

>> thank you for joining us here on france 24. if the u.s.s. presesident is threatening to deploy the military on american citizens if violent protests are not squashed. ththe protesests across multiple u.s. cities, in response to heavy-handed police practices after george floyd died while in police custody last week. >> no justice, no paste. -- piece. hundreds filled times square and midtown manhattan, calling for justice for george floyd, ahead