♪ hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news from tokyo. we start in china, where top legislatures are discussing a national security law for hong kong. nhk learned the law could be passed on tuesday and come into effect the next day, which is also the anniversary of hong kong's handover to china from british rule. the standing committee of the national people's congress began a three-day session on sunday. state-run news agency says the final draft has been submitted

for vote. the security law is aimed at cracking down on anti-government activities in the semiautonomous region. it lays out things that beijing says threaten national security. submission, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with external forces. it also allows for a security agency in hong kong which may exercise jurisdiction in certain circumstances. on sunday, protesters opposing the legislation held rallies across hong kong. police arrested 53 people after shuffles broke out. there's growing concern in hong kong and abroad the planned security law will threaten the one country, two systems principle that has guaranteed the territory a high degree of autonomous. here in tokyo, officials say 58 new coronavirus cases were confirmed on monday. the number of invex infections

been on the rise in recent days. the government says there's no need to declare another state of emergency. the latest figure is slightly smaller than sunday, when the daily tally was the highest since the nationwide state of emergency was fully lifted last month. >> translator: i feel we are facing another threat. >> translator: i'm afraid the number will continue to rise. >> translator: facilities are reopening, and people may be lowering their guard. >> officials say about 40% of people who tested positive in tokyo over the past week have worked at or visited nightclubs. a group infection was also confirmed at a nightclub in a neighboring prefecture. health officials are singling out small karaoke bars in the northern prefecture of hokkaido. 36 people have tested positive, and one person has died. among them are retirees who often visit the facilities during the day.

the chief cabinet secretary says there is no immediate plan to have another state of emergency or ask people to stop traveling between prefectures. >> translator: after the declaration was lifted, the number of new infections has been confirmed mainly in tokyo. however, the results include those who were in close contact with infected people, regardless whether they had symptoms themselves. >> one infectious disease expert saysys now is the time too prep for another possible surge in infections. >> translator: if the virus starts to spread rapidly, it will be difficult to deal with a second w wave off infections. we should do all we can to avoid that..

>> hamah da is noting that overseas travel is expected to ease in the next months. over 10 million cases worldwi worldwide. ththe united ststates is seeing surge in numbers with vice president mike pence encouraging people to wear masks to help st stem the pandemic. >> wearing a mask is a good idea, and we know from experience it will slow the spread of the coronavirus. >> pence made the comments sunday during a visit to texas. the southern state has seen a steep increase in the number of new cases following the reopening of most of its economy. the appeal also comes as president donald trump refuses to wear one in public and criticizes those who do. in new york, face masks have been mandatory since april in places where social distancing is difficult. but governors in hard-hit states like texas, florida, and arizona, have so far indicated

they will not force individuals to wear em. globally, theninited ateses leads the way in confirmed cases with more than 2.5 million. ov 125,00 people havedied. so ithe unid stat, t racial rkonings contiing th a debe over sbols associat with racism. the confedete btle emblem will dispear frothe fla of al u.s. stesfter lawmakers in the southern state of mississippi passed legislation for its removal. the battle emblem, with its distinctive blue and white cross, is regarded as racist and associated with the south during the american civil war. mississippi is the last state to keep the emblem. the legislation follows the recent protests against racial injustice that have taken place across the u.s. mississippi governor tate reeves tweeted one day before the bill was passed, saying it was time to end the argument. he have would support the legislation.

residents remain divided over the impact removing the emblem from the flag will have. >> so i'm hohoping, hopeful it will changee the supreme court' symbol, more u unifying the represesentative diversity. >> changee the namee of the streets, the schools. they don't teach history anymore. >> auto race operator nascar banned the use of the confederate flag this month. and dixie chicks and lady antebellum changed their names, dropping words associated with the south. many statues and monuments linked to slavery have been pulled down or taken away. the japan meteorological agency is rolling out a new signaling system to warn beach-goers of possible tsunami threats. the reded and white flag will particularly help people with

hearing difficulties. the agency says people should immediately get out of the water and evacuate to higher ground as soon as they see the flag. it's the same as thehe u-flag, international maritime signal used to warn of danger. life guards will likely use it only if doing so does not add to the danger or prevent anyone from escaping. the agency says a visual signal is effective, as sounds, such as waves and wind, sometimes make it diffificult to hear sirens o announcements. shareholders of struggling japanese auto maker nissan motor are criticizing the management that led the company into its first net loss in 11 years. the shareholders gathered monday at nissan's headquarters in yokohama. president and ceo apologized for scrapping year-end dividend pavements to investors. he asked for understanding of structure reforms, including

cutting production capacity by 20%. that was part of the company's bid to regain profitability. some shareholders complained management's efforts to cut executive salaries are not enough. others cast doubts on whether the alliance with france's renault is posititive, and questioned measures to deal with sagging stock prices. japan's next generation train project h has hit a stumbling block, with critics saying progress can't come at the expense of the environment. as nhk world reports, the company in charge says it could help get the economy back on the rails. >> reporter: japan is known for its cutting-edge train technology. now the iconic shinkansen is set for an upgrade. this maglev train hovers above the ground using superconducting magnets, which push it forward at a speed that's never been seen before.

it's an exciting prospect for passengers and big manufacturers. auto giant toyota and other business leaders in central japan hope the project will help make up for lost profits caused by the coronavirus. >> translator: the maglev trains will run at a speed of 500 kilometers per hour and will have a significant impact on japan's economy. its most important role is to complement the hokkaido shinkansen bullet train, which plays a key role in the nation's economy. >> reporter: the train will connect tokyo and nagoya in only 40 minutes, cutting the usual length of the shinkansen trip in half. central japan railway then plans to extend the line to osaka. the abe administration itself has endorsed the project, which will connect the two of the country's biggest cities, both

boasting major tourism and economic power. but to get there, the train will have to pass through shizuoka prefecture. >> translator: i'm not against the maglev train. the maglev project is a national priority, but environmental conservation is also a national priority. we have to think about how we can balance the two. >> reporter: construction on the project began four years ago, but there's been no progress on about 9 kilometers of track running through shizuoka prefecture. the railway company says it will need to excavate under a river to build a tunnel, but people who live and work nearby are worried. they say water will leak into the tunnel, reducing access to the important resource for nearby homes, factories and farms. >> translator: the river supports 600,000 local residents and they have been struggling

with a string of droughts in recent years. >> reporter: at friday's meeting, the governor said he will need more assurances before a deal can be struck. the company had hoped to begin running the train in 2027, but it will need to resolve this dispute quickly if it hopes to keep that idea from running off the rails. aizawa yuko, nhk world, tokyo. it's time in and onow for an the world weather with meteorologist jonathan oh. heavy rain is expected to drench the nation this week. what is expected for tuesday? >> hello. we are looking for the rain pattern to continue the next couple days. we had a relatively dry day across japan for monday. as we go into tuesday, you see the clouds over the korean peninsula? it is part of a low pressure system moving eastward.

that is going to keep us quite wet for tuesday and also into wednesday. this is going to be bringing a decent amount of rainfall, anywhere from 300 to 400 millimeters of rain into the shikoku region tuesday into wednesday. for the kyushu region, anywhere from 200 to 250 millimeters of rain. long story short, it'll be wet. we are concerned that some of the rain will be heavy and come relatively quickly. if that is the case, you're looking at flash flooding, flooding, and also possibly some hudslide and landslide issues, especially for northwestern japan. be on the lookout. tuesday, it is wet from sapporo to sendai, fukuoka. naha, partly cloudy skies throughout the day. across north america, we've been watching this system thahat has been rolling through the northeastern areas of the united states. see the clouds bubbling up? that's associateted with storms through the weekend. look at this video coming out of massachusetts. an intense storm caused

lightning, heavy rain, and winds across the area with t the national weather serervice issug warninings foror flash floods. a c cars in a parking lot were inundated as cars went through the flooded streets. local media reported no injuries or deaths have been reported so far. here is what we're looking at as we go into monday. looking at that cold front running through with the low pressure system in place. we have snow reported into the upper rockies. as we head later on through the day on monday, looking for severe thunderstorms into the upper plains. looking at possible strong thunderstorms also into the carolinas as we go through monday. that's a look at your forecast. hope you have a good day wherever you are.

♪ ♪ that's all for now on this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo.

"newsroomto tokyo" will be back with the latest at the top of the hour, so please do stay with us. ♪ welcome to "newsline in depth." businesses in countries that are lifting their coronavirus restrictions are reopening their doors to a much changed world. restaurant owners are finding it particularly hard to get back up and running. many are being forced to innovate to adjust to their new normal of post covid-19 life. today we start by taking a look at restaurants that are focusing on safety. they're aiming to use social distancing to give their

customers peace of mind. and this new way of doing things is actually bringing in more pepeople and profits. >> reporter: this restaurant has introduced a lot of changes, including this new seating map to help people to find their own table. it's an effort to reduce contact by the staff and customers by 80%. after being greeted through the monitor, you check the map and head to your seat by yourself. waiters no longer hand out menus. instead, customers choose what they want by smart phone after scanning a qr code. food isn't delivered right to the table either. it's left a short distance away with a plastic cover.

the only time patrons come face-to-face with staff is when they're paying the bill. >> translator: under the current circumstances, we believe that contactless customer service provides better hospitality. >> reporter: a project is working to legalize establishments that put antivirus measures like thiss i place. it's developed a standard in consultation with a doctor to avoid so-called seeds, crowded places and close contact. doctors visit participating restaurants to offer advice and to see whether key measures are in place. limit the number of customers to allow them to maintain social distancing.

avoid face-to-face seating. keep indoor spaces well ventilated and let customers know about the risk of infection from droplets produced while eating. >> translator: gloves could spread infections. don't wear gloves if you can wash your hands in the kitchen. or if you can use disinfectant. >> reporter: after the doctor's inspection, the restaurant gets a seal to display for customers. nearly 20 establishments in tokyo have signed up for the project so far. >> translator: i am very grateful because i was able to get a doctor's opinion, which makes me feel less anxious about the situation. i hope this will give our customers peace of mind so we can make them feel better eating with friends, which is

important. >> reporter: reopening the doors is only a start of the process. restaurants in cities are determined to make dining fun, safe, and profitable in the coronavirus era. >> many restaurants around the world have reduced their seating to free up space between customers. it's just one of several measures designed to ensure a less crowded dining experience. take a look at this app. it shows h how crowded the restaurants are and sanitation arrangements. more than 200 businesses have signed up. it wasn't so long ago that it was a point of pride for restaurants to be as full as possible. now, the aim of the game is to show empty space. next, let's take a look at some restaurants that are banding together to get through the coronavirus crisis. they've decided the best way forward is to adopt a sharing

business model that helps them all through difficult times. and that includes sharing the kitchen. >> reporter: this is one of tokyo's most popular tourist destinations. but the tourists are gone. one restaurant in the area is betting on an innovative concept. this chef is making a japanese style lunchbox. the other is cooking hamburgers. both come from different restaurants. they're using the space as a shared kitchen. five eateries currently share the space, giving customers a wider choice of cuisine in a single location. the main source of income here is food delivery. the group shares the same service.

meaning all the dishes appear on one single menu. the advantage of this business model is the absence of up-front costs. each restaurant simply contributes a portion of the profits. one eatery even shut down its own space and joined the group to save on rent and overhead. the owner of the shared kitchen is ma -- megumi, who used to run her own restaurant here. she opened last november hoping to cash in on the tourism boom from the 2020 olympics. but her hopes were dashed by the covid-19 pandemic. visitor numbers plunged in march. realizing tourists wouldn't return for a long while, she decided in may to transform her restaurant into a shared

kitchen. >> i thought i should shift my focus to providing services for local customers. by joining forces with other restaurants, we're developoping whole new market. >> reporter: the response has been great. saka tries to expand her business as a matchmaker. saka is here to introduce a chef hoping to start his own business to an owner interested in launching a shared kitchen. >> translator: by sharing our kitchen, we can provide a wide variety of services to the local community. and the system really helps restaurants, too. >> translator: we can change the system to allow chefs from different restaurants to work as a team and help each other. i think we can lead the way to a new busisiness model that is better suited to the lifestyles of today and tomorrow. >> reporter: saka hopes her

shared kitchen recipe can make a difference across japan. the pandemic has forced the world to re-evaluate its traditional busineness practice. given the pivot to a shared business concept, restaurants will havave to re-examine the w they brand and differentiatete themselves. some viewers watatching thisis program may have enjoyed a virtual lunch or tea with friends online. our r next report is about an ia that builds on this concept. it involves restaurants that connect with customers online and help them re-crereate the experience of their favorite establishment. we originanally brought yoyothi storory in may when tokyo residents were being asked to stay at home. >> this district in west werner tokyo boasts a popular old style entertainment area, whehere the narrow alleyways are lined with numerous small restaurants and bars. but these days the area is much quieter, as people self-isolate

at home. a local resident wanted to do something about that. so he set up an online service that connects customers with their favorite eateries. >> translator: i wanted to create a way foror people to eny being at a pub or restaurant, drinking and chatting to whoever is there, even if it is just online. >> reporter: this small thai restaurant started using the new service. the nine seat counter is popular with customers who gather there and chat with the cooks among themselves. since the start of the state of emergency, the restaurant has only offered a takeout service. it's seen sales drop by 90%. so the restaurant signed up to the e new service which coconne it with cucustomers via an onli conferencing system. >> reporter: customers first pick a favorite pub or

restaurant in the kichijoji area they want to access. by clicking on a seat, thehey'r connected, and their faces show up on the screen. then they y can speak th thehe staff f and with thehe other on customerers. >> reporter: besides chatting, customers can also order food. this restaurant has started offering delivery within a 2-kilometer radiusus. ththe couriers are people e who out ofof work duto t the coronavirus outbreak..

>>ranslator: t this brings it homeme t me, how much i enjoy chatting with h oplele. of course, i i'm lkingng fward to the restaurants reoeopening. but it's fun to enjoy them from home. >> translator: the situationon really tough. and doining nothing st makak it worsrse. i i decided d to start usingng s a way to see some hope for the future. for me, it's been a lifesaver and my customers enjoy it, too. so i definitely plan to continue with it. >> reporter: in the first three weeks after thiss restaurant signed up for t the onlili service,e, as many ass 25 custos vivisited on some days. and about 30% of them ordered food deliveries. >> that report was about an initiative that is drawing

people together across a local business district. some services started connecting people from around the whole country. this website provides a service that connects customers with bars and restaurants nationwide. customers can order food through the site and have it delivered to their home. then while they're dining, they can visit bars and restaurants online and enjoy meeting other customers with similar tastes. this model is making us rethink our restaurant habits and challenging our notion of what we are really looking for when we dine out. the survival plan for the restaurant industry goes beyond the immediate situation. the changes we're seeing now could become the basis for a long-term business model. thank you for watching "newsline in-depth," and see you again next time.

grim milestone in covid-19 as the global death toll passes by hundred thousand. there are now more than 10 million coronavirus cases around the world. the death toll passes 500,000. butverdict was due today, it now looks like the whole corruption trial could be forced to start again. thanks for joining us on "france 24." green parties in france got big wins in municipal elections. for the first time ever, there will now be environmentalist mayors in major cities