♪ hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara. we begin with tensions on the korean peninsula. pyongyang is reportedly preparing to send millions of propaganda leaflets across the border as part of a propagandaa war. the country l loadi mororehan 000 balloons with flyers. it is a direct response to south rean mpaign. aroup of dectors ithe uthhauaunchepampmphls lt montririticizi the leader, kim ng-un.

the actasas called painful, sel needs to she. bad habit th massive flyers, which will total 12 million. north korea blew up a liaison office in the south on the border city of ka ease s kaeson week. north korea criticized seoul for siding with the ununited states, which continues to maintain economic sanctions against the north. one of donald trump's former advisers is slamming the u.s. president's record on north korea. john bolton says trump failed to accomplikoccomplish anything in high-profileuclear talks. adserr i now one o h surity publish a tell-a book on t to tuesday. he me the lestomments in an exclusive interview with abc

ws' martha raddatz. bolton spoke about the 2018 summit with north korean leader kim jong-un. he said trump put his energy into connecting with kim on a personal leve >> the idea that just this oliogenous layer of compmements totohis brutal dictator woul nvince h that yocould ma a dealith dona trump i thought was both strikingly naive d dangerous. >> bolton said the move brghght himself, but the uted stat saw lile proroess on denuclearition. he also said he pes histy will remembetrtrump a one-term president. bolton rails against trump in his book, saying there is more to the ukraine scandal than has been publicized. the u.s. house of representatives impeached trump over charges he pressured ukraine to investigate his political rival, joe biden, but

the president was acquitted in a sena trial. the trump administration tried oo to block theooook, sing it reveals assifiednformati. seoul will reportedly ask unesco to strip several japanese sites of their world heritage status. south korean media says the country plans to make the demand because japan isn't acknowledging the history of forced labor at the sites. sites connected to shipbuilding and mining were granted heritage status in 2015. they all date back to japan's industrial revolution. just last week, japan opened a center in tokyo to educate people about the sites, but south korean officials complained about the content of historical documents. they said the displays deny that any koreans were forced to work there. the japanese government says the content adheres to unesco guidelines, and there's no

problem with it. when the heritage designations were first announced years ago, japan said some koreans did face harsh working conditions at some of the sites. a city in japan's southern prefecture has passed a bill to change the administrative name of a group of islands under its authority to officially include the name senkaku for the first time. the move is drawing criticism from china and taiwan, which both claim the territory as their own. on monday, the ishigaki city assembly in okinawa passesed th bill to change the name to add senkaku. the assembly says it wants to avoid mistakes in administrative work, as other locations in the city share the name. japan and its neighbors have

been at odds over the group of islands in the east china sea. japan controls the islands. the japanese government maintains they're an inherent part of japan's territory. china and taiwan claim them. the move comes at a time when chinese coast guard vessels have been repeatedly inintruding int japan's territorial waters near the islands. on monday, japanese officials spotted four chinese ships in the area and warned them to move out of the waters. officials in beijing reacted sharply to ishigaki's decision. >> translator: japan's move to change the name of the islands is a serious provocation against china's territorial claims, and it is illegal and invalid. >> taiwan's government also issued a statement, saying the

ilap islands are under taiwan taiwan's sovereignty, which cannot be changed by unilateral action. weekend travel to and from n major cities was up across japan after the government lifted restrictions on movement between prefectures. the number of people who moved from tokyo to other prefectures last weekend was 11% higher than the weekend before. a bus terminal in the capital was bustling on sunday night. >> translator: the two days i spent with my mother made me realize how special it is to share my time together, with others. >> translator: my parerents are getting older. and i thought i should spend more time with them, even when i get busy with my work and daily life. >> apami, a resort city in shizuoka prefecture, gets about 80% of its visitors from the tokyo area. this hotel says that 14 groups of guests made reservations on saturday. it's been nearly three months since the hotel had more than

ten groups. >> translator: i'm worried about a second and third wave of infection. but i feel like we are finally at the point to start agaiain. >> the lift in travel restrictions hasn't just affected people looking to leave the capital. the number of travelers coming into tokyo was up 14% compared to the previous weekend. the coronavirus pandemic has seen nearly 18,000 people test positive in japan. over 950 people have died. japan's professional baseball season is finally under way after a three-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. it's a welcome return for fans and players, but the in-game experience is a lot different than it used to be.

nhk world's okada noriko looks at how one team is adapting. >> reporter: it was an unusual start to an unprecedented situation. usually, players and coaches are drowned out by thousands of fans. but that wasn't an issue this weekend. and while there was no one in the seats, players did get some unexpected cheers. japanese baseball teams are known for having some of the most dedicated fan bases. among them is the yokohama base. it has one of the league's highest attendance records,

surpassing 2 million last season. it had even installed 5,000 more seats to accommodate surging demand. but with games being played without fans in the stadium, the team has had to figure out ways to keep up the enthusiasm. >> translator: we are stepping up our preparations so that fans can be entertained, even if they can't attend the games in person. >> reporter: part of that effort includes giving fans a chance to be in the stadium, in a sense. for about $30, people could get their photos placed in the infield. the team also organized online meet-and-greets to connect playerers withanans. >> translatotor: thanks toto yo papatience, we're e able to pla. we'll continue to work hard to

win. >> reporter: opening day wasn't what they imagined when the first pitch was thrown on friday, and the team struggled early y on, dropping theirir fi two games agaiainst hiroshima toyaka. but the base adjusted sunday. down a run in the bottom of the ninth, the team staged a comeback, clenching victory with a walk-off hit. >> translator: i think fans were still able to enjoy the game. i hope today's victory will keep us motivated. >> translator: i am relieved to see the e news finally u underw. we hope we'll be able to find a new way for fans to enjoy games, when they return to the stadium.

>> announcer: strikeout. >> reporter: the baysters are hoping the new normal is only temporary. the league plans to welcome back spectators next month if the conditions are safe. but, for now, both players and fans are just happy that baseball is back. okada noriko, nhk world. though the rainy season has ended in nocona withe okinawa te dealing with drenching rain. meteorologist sayaka mori joins us with the forecast. >> the rainy front has shifted to the south, aligning dry air to be over western japan. wet weather over the southern areas of the country. okinawa experienced 110 millimeters of rain in a space of only one hour. now, we will continue to see rainy weather across okinawa because the front will continue to sit here for a while. the attached low has brought

rainy weather to central japan, including tokyo. this is a slow mover, preventing this low to move to the east. it'll likely bring more rainfall into tuesday morning into the tokyo area. temperatures are going to be on the cooler side in tokyo again on tuesday. 24 for the high. it is four degrees higher than today. however, it is cooler than average. it is going to be warming up to the 30 degree mark starting on your wednesday. naha should be out of the rainy season, but you'll see a spell of rainy weather throughout the week. sapporo will see warming up temperatures, 24 for the high on tuesday. heavy rainfall has hit the ivory coast. nearly 260 millimeters of rain fell in 48 hours. half of the monthly rainly for june. because of the rainfall, a deadly landslide took place in the outskirts of the ivory coast. 13 peoplple have been killed. in fact, deadly floods took

place, too. one person has been killed because of the flood. the rainy weather will continue for the next several weeks. this is the rainy season there. another story for africa is the saharan dust. strong winds is carrying the saharan dust toward the west. it has reached the ocean and will likely reach the united states into the latter part of this week. temperatures are going to be as follows. 38 across the north, and it is going to be pretty chilly in the south. johannesburg, 17 degrees and thunderstorms near the equator. that's it for me. stay safe. ♪

♪ ♪ that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. thanks for joining us, and we'll have more for you soon.

welcome to "newsline in depth." i'm shibuya aki. today we're looking at creatures coming to people's rescue during the pandemic. some from animal shelters, others from the spirit world. the global outbreak of covid-19 has changed many things about our daily lives. one result is that a lot of us, because we're working from home or just nervous about going out, we're spending more time in the house. while that can be a recipe for loneliliness and d depression,n doesn't have to bebe. in fact, people are seeing this as an opportunity for exploring

new lifestyles. like having online get-togethers with friends and working up a sweat indoors. and something else is happening. more of us are opening our doors to new family members, pets. inin the united states, the nee for companionship is causing quite a commotion at animal shelters. meaning a lot of wagging tails and seductive purring. >> reporter: mosost of the dogst this a animal s shelter in flor are gone. staff say y they used to have 3 animals, but only about 70 are left. >> i've beenen here 11 years. and d i've never seen numbers ts low. >> reporter: this family a apted a dog from a shelter at the end of march. >> yes. >> there is a bird over there. >> reporr: they sasay it's relieved a lot of stress caused

by the pandemic. >> he's good. yeah. >> you know, having a dog and when he licks their face or, you know, they laugh and it brings a lot of happiness. >> reporter: but some people are raising concerns about all the adoptions. ey worry that someme owners might mistreatr r abann ththe nepets once the paememic i over. staff at this organization in new york say they have a way to prevent that. they have written a contract for adopters to sign. it requires owners to be responsible for the well-being of their animals. >> the security that our dogs are in a good home. it really provides me the fefeeling that dogs are going io a great home. we want r dogs to have a haily ever a after, if you will. >> reporter: bonnie edwards completed the adoption process in early may.

she worked as a government lawyer, but is now retired. she used to enjoy her free time by going to the theater and dining out, but all that changed with the coronavirus. >> i miss the opera and going to restaurants with my friends. i miss all of that. i miss contact with people up close and personal. i've never seen anything like this in my lifetime. >> reporter: she says that signing the contract gave her a strong sense of responsibility. >> it's almost like having my own therapist. whatever happens, y you know, il be there for him. >> reporter: the covid-19 pandemic has upended nearly every aspect of our lives. many people are finding ways to move forward with the help of their new companions. sam suzuki, nhk world, new york.

>> the rush to adopt pets is not confined to the u.s. countries across the globe are reporting a growing interest in animal companions. in china, however, the pandemic has proved to be a rough time for many dogs and cats. abandonment t of domesticacated animals hahas been on ththe ris since the outbreak started. that trend got worse in march when the hong kong government announced it had confirmed cases of coronavirus infections in pets. this shelter is on the front line of this problem. between february and may, they took in over 200 unwanted cats and dogs. we are now hearing that the facility is doing the best they can given the circumstances, staging more adoption events to find new homes for the animals in its care. here in japan, animal rescue groups are wrestling with a different kind of challenge. while it is true the pandemic has presented opportunities to

re-home more cats and dogs, it's also throwing up a hurdle. how to create safe spaces for animal/human matchmaking. our next report looks at this thorn in the side of the pet adoption campaign and what's being done to remove it. >> reporter: this shelter in yokohama cares for 30 cats and 5 dogs. some have health issues, and they all need to be looked after. the establishment has been saving animals for more than six decades. but a state of emergency declared in april has made their work more difficult. >> translator: the number of workers has b been reduced, but not the number of animals. >> reporter: to adopt an animal in japan, people often need to attend adoption events. most have been canceled amid the outbreak. since pets aren't finding new

homes, yamada's shelter canan't rescue any new aninimals. >> translatotor: if we a accept momore animals, we wouldn't be abable to take proper care of them. >> reporter: to make matters worse, spring is kitten season. alongside other abandoned animals, many young cats are euthanized by animal control. but thanks to the work of rescue groups, the number of unwanted pets put down has been reduced to a tenth in 15 years. now the pandemic may put an end to that trend. to help with the situation, pet information n website ---- mean tail in japanese, came out with a new idea. an online adoption event. the site features groups from across the country to introduce their animals on a youtube live

event. that way families can safefely choooose a pet without leavivin home. >> translator: many rescue groups are struggling because they can't hold adoption events. the online fair is easy to join. there are still lots of people who don't know about abandoned animals. >> reporter: yamada immediately got on board. seeing potenti in thisew service. >> traranslator: first of all, need people to know that shelters exist as an option for families searching for a pet. until everyone knows about it, there will still be a lot of ople buyining animals at pet shops. >> reporter: yamada hopes that online adoption events continue, even after the pandemic, to keep

abandoned animals in the spotlight. >> as mentioned in the report, adopting pets from shelters is still not a common practice in japan. one reason is that many in this country are still not familiar with the system of re-homing animals. another reason is that rescue groups tend to have strict adopoption requirements.s. while that's something we should all applaud, the safeguards drive many people to purchase a pet instead. one other reason, people tend to prefer purebred puppies, which are harder to find at shelters. volunteers and rescue groups are obviously happy about the increase in adoptions but at the same time, there are concerns that once things go back to some kind of normality, people won't have the time to care for their animals as much and some may even end up giving up their pets. i really hope this won't be the case. welcoming an animal into your home comes with responsibilities and those obligations last for a

lifetime, however many dog or cat years that may be. now from canines and felines, we turn to another type of creature coming to people's aid through the pandemic. a japanese mystical monster. it's a strange phantom believed to ward off plagues. conveniently, in this era of social media, our friend from folklore is going viral. >> reporter: pictures depict a monster with long hair, a sharp bae beak, and furry things in place of legs. it is an amabie. according to an ancient chronicle, it first appeared out of the ocean and it brought an important message. it said, if an epidemic occurs, images of the amabie should be shown to everyone, and they will

be cured. japan has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic. it didn't takeong for images of this supernatural phenomenon to spread across the country. japan's health ministry has used the amabie image in the campaigns to encourage people to stay at home. amabie pictures are all over the internet, too. people have been posting their own versions on twitter and instagram. many of these images are featured in a the nenew book t came out on may 17th called "everyone's amabie." the work on the cover is by an illustrator based in kobe. he was one of the first to post amabie images onlnline. >> translator: the charm o of t amabie i is there is something

about it that makes people want to try drawing it. this looks to contininue for a long time, i thought it wowoulde nice to have a positive topic that sheds light on the present reality and alalso goes beyond language barriers. and that's when this boom started. >> reporter: articles about the amabie spread on talk media sites. and some countries even started events dedicated to it. italy is one country that has suffered badly from the pandemic. now an art gallery in rome has launched an online auction of amabie paintings by 39 artists. all of the proceeds will go o ta hospital. >> well, the first moment that i saw it, of course, i wasas fascinated.

>> reporter: the response of gallery visitors was great. and the event is drawing quite a lot of attention among people all over the country. >> we as people, we always search for signs in the sky for different ideas that will empower us to not feel helpless, to the existence of monstermonst kind of empowers us again to take charge into our lives in such a desperate time. >> reporter: can amabie power stop this global pandemic? that remains to be seen. but pictures of the fantastic creature are helping to inspire people in many wayays during th time of grgreat suffering. >> it's interesting how people around the world are connecting through an imaginary creature in the fight against an invisible enemy. scientific or not, the amabie is definitely spreading positive

spirits, and that, as we know, can be a powerful medicine. and that's the end of today's "newsline in depth." thank you for watching and see you soon.

>> the world health organization records the highest one day increase in cases of covid-19. 183,000 added in 24 hours. most coming from brazil. acta school for the majority of french students as life slowly returns to normal. the government is insisting that all steps are being taken to ensure it is safe for everyonen. prosecutors at the international criminal court -- former ivory coast president on charges of crime against amenenity. welcome back to the newsroom.