♪ hehelo. this is nhk "newsline." i'm i don't see ogasawara. we start with extreme weather in japan. japan's meteorological agency has issued a heavy rain emergency warning for fukukuoka saga, and nagasaki prefectures in the country's southwestern region of kyushu. the warning is the highest level of alert on the agency's scale. the prefectures are experiencing rainfall that hasn't been seen in several decades. officials s say that seserious damage from flooding and

landslides is likely. they are urging people in the area to get to an emergency shel shelter or seek safety in a building with a strong foundation if it is too dangerous to travel. if residents can't leave their homes, they're advised to stay on higher floors on the opposite side of any nearby slopes. heavy rain started over the weekendnd, causing deeadly floog and mudslidedes. authorities in kumamoto prefecture say 44 people have been confirmed dead. ten others are missing. 14 of those were found at a nursing home near the kyuma river. water was flowing out of storm drains. several rescue requests have been received from residents. in the city of minamisatsuma, police say a man in his 60s is

missing after leaving his house toto deliver newspapers. another viewer in fukuoka prefecture took this video of what he says is a rice field, which was flooded by an overflowing irrigation channel. this one shows the water level on a river in nagasaki prefecture almost reaching the danger zone for flooding on monday afternoon. the man who recorded it says the water level rose about 1 meter in just 10 minutes. prime minister abe shinzo instruccted eveveryone to do wh they could toto save livees. he called people across japan to be on alert and get the latest information from local governments. our meteorologist sayaka mori joins us with a look at the situation. sayaka? >> it is the peak of the rainy season for kyushu. in july, kyushu experiences flooding and landslides sometimes, but this time, the amount is unprecedented.

now, on saturday, the southwest hit the hardest. on monday, the north is experiencing the worst of it. let me talk about the south. this is the radar, a line of rain battering the south of kyushu island. this is called a training. a training is a series of storms that continues for a long period of time over the same area. because of that, record heavy rainfall has hit the south. we have over 750 millimeters of rain iin tkagoshima prefecture. misaki prefecture expeerienced lots of heavy rain, a as well. rain hass shifted t to the nort. this is the radar monday. training has been affecting the nonorth. the e emergency w warning has b in place in the nororthernarare at this moment. over the last six hours, 152 millimeters of rainfall. once again, more rain is

possible, at least into your wednesday. we have the seasonal frontal system to the front continuously dragging in hot and moist air. dry air is pushing to the south, but warm air is pushing out the front to the north. it has to stay here for a while. we will be looking at very heavy rainfall, nearly 400 millimeters of rain still possible in kyushu and other parts of japan. please be safe. ♪ tokyo governor koike yuriko has clinched a second term in office in the capital's

gubernatorial election on sunday, receiving the second highest number of votes cast on record in the history of the race. >> translator: the most urgent task is to tackle the new coronavirus. i want to profect protect the lives, health, and livelihoods of all tokyo residents. >> koike won a landslide victory, gathering m more than 6 million votes or 60% of the total. she took on 21 contenders. koike focuseed on online campaigns to prevent people from gathering and she said she prioritized official duties of governor in order to deal with the coronavirus. koike called for improving medical and testing systems to prepare for the second wave. she also said that tokyo olympic and paralympic games, which have been postponed until next year, will be simplified and cost reduced. according to nhk's exit polls, over 70% of respondents said

they approved of koike's administration so far. more than 60% of them said they supported her measures against the coronavirus. prime minister ababe has congratulated koike on her victory. the two met at hisis office and spoke about their determination to work togetether to c contain coronavirus. >> translator: we must win the fifight against tthis disease t make next year's olympics and paralympics a success. >> translator: tokyo will cooperate with the central government to meet this challenge, and we will hold the games next year. >> koike later told reporters that the prime minister had provided details on the effort to create a vaccine. the metropolitan government will support that goal. earlier, nhk world's reporter gave us some insight into the election and what we might expect from koike's

upcoming term. >> so, decisions made by tokyo often have national importance. how would you say japan's top politicians view this outcome? >> japan's ruling coalition seems to welcome koike's overwhelming victory as they've been working with the capital on coronavirus measures. koike ran as an independent, but she has a history with the mai ruling liberal democratic party. that allowed her to effectively get the backing of some top lawmakers without ever officially asking for their support. >> and how did that affect her opposition? >> frankly speaking, koike didn't haveve any strong competition. early plans to unite behind a single candidate fell apart, meaning votes against her were too widely dispersed. now they're turning their gaze to a bigger stage, saying they will have to strategize ahead of ththe next national election, which could happen any time depending on what prime minister

abe shinzo decides. >> for koike, what's next? >> her top priority will no doubt be the coronavirus. towards the end of campaigning, there was some increase in infections. and at the same time, the capital and central government are working to kick-start the economy. koike's administration has a budget bill which would help hard-hit businesses, and she wants it passed. showing the world tokyo is safe will take on new importance in the next few months. the capital needs to be ready to host the olympic and paralympic games in one year's time. japan's newly established panel of experts has held its first meeting to discuss ways to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. they're looking to open up more businesses while containing the outbreak. the subcommittee replaces another panel of health experts that provides the government with key proposals.s. newly added are represenentativ

in the fielelds of economics an journalism, along with the prefecturall governor. the minister in charge of the cocoronavirus respsponse asked membersrs to analyze the curren situation and suggest ways to strengthen the country's virus testing capacity. a former regional director for the world health organization heads up the new body. >> translator: i think that balancing the reopening of social and economic activities while maintaining measures to contain the outbreak is now a national issue. >> meanwhile, tokyo metropolitan government officials reported 102 new coronavirus cases on monday. it's the fifth consecutive day in which the number has hit triple digits in the capital. there are more than 150 confirmed, new cases across japan on monday. in total, nearly 20,000 cases have been confirmed. more than 970 people have died.

as the number of foreign workers in japan increases, so doeses the amount of support th need to adjust, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. on monday, the government opened a new consultation center aimed at providing a variety of resources under one roof. the foreign residents support center brings together eight organizations, including the immigration services agency, the legal support center, and the employment security office. previously, these agencies were spread across the city, making it difficcult for newcomers to access them. staff are able to provide health in 11 languages. the center's director sayss theree's increasing demand amid the coronavirus pandemic. >> translator: i believe there are many foreigners here who have anxietyty right now. it's crucial they get coronavirus related information in a timely manner.

the ministries here are providing it in multiple languages. >> students from sri lanka and myanmar are among the first to visit the center on mmonday. >> translator: i'm here to look for a job because i'm finishing school next year. >> translator: i came here to have my resume reviewed. i do not have confidence in my writing, and i want help fixing it. >> the center also provides information to local governmnmes aand companies and h helps conn them with foreign workers. now, we turn to the latest fallout from the controversial national security law in hong kong. people visiting publicic librars are being blocked from reading or borrowing books by

pro-democracy campaigners. titles from three writers, including activist joshua wong, are unavailable. the security legislation imposed by beijing took effect last week. it bans acts deemed to threaten national security, including subversion, succession, and collusion with a foreign country. hong kong's government says it's been reviewing some b books to e if thhey breakak the new law. wong says he wrote one of the books seven years ago when he was 16. he says it's not about national sovereignty. he criticized hong kong authorities for using the law to suppress free speech. public discontent has been spreading in the territory as the government steps up ceensorship.. officials have said it is illegal to use the slogan, "liberate hong kong, the revenue of our time," which was popular at many pro-democracy protests. the killing of george floyd has sparked protests in the

united states on an unprecedented scale. demonstrations have even reached the heart of white america. but, not everyone welcomes them. nhk world's sam suzuki has the story. >> reporter: in early june, a small town in the state of indiana became a flashpoint for the black lives matter protests. a video showing demonstrators being confronted by armed, white men caused widespread outrage online. people all over the world have marched in protests to support the black lives matter movement. many watched in alarm as whites with guns showed up at a peaceful rally for racial justice. >> black lives matter! [ chanting ] >> reporter: cedric caschetta is the protester seen walking in the video. he is from the nearby town of lowell, which is over 90% white. some residents there do not support the demonstrations.

caschetta is committed to raising awareness of racial injustice in his hometown. >> it's either keep sitting and doing nothing or are you going to show up and show your voice and show support for a change that you believe in? >> reporter: emily izigarri also took part in the protests that went viral. she says she couldn't just sit idly by after hearing about the discrimination that caschetta has endured in lowell. >> cedric would sitit at my kitchen table, in tears, both of us, telling me the stories he went through. it opened my mind, and that made me want to get out and do something. >> reporter: caschetta says he's encouraged by white allies who came out to march at his side. >> the support of the community helping me. in the beginning, the people who did help me in the beginning, already makes it stronger. one more unity chant before we get in there. unity on three! one, two, three! >> unity!

>> reporter: some longtime residents are also getting involved. ken traavis has lived in lowell for 35 years. he says he's never taken part in a demonstration, but marched with the protestors to show his support. >> it just seems a shhame ththae really h haven't come veery fart all. they're the ones that are going to change the world. >> reporter: caschettta says he realizes that society has a long way to go to overcome racism, but he's hopeful about the future. >> and i j just think the young generation has it in their hands right now to do it, because we are next,t, you know? we aare going to be the next people who aare ggoing to bbe running the world. so, we've got to do it. >> reporter: over one month has passed since the murder of george floyd. the horrific crime sent ripples of unrest through the most rural and whitest parts of america. sam suzuki, nhk world.

our meteorologist sayaka mori is back with more on the weather. saya sayaka? >> hello. as we have been reporting, the emergency warning for heavy rain has been posted for the north of the kyushu region. let me explain what the emergency warning means. this is the highest level of alert, and it's issued when an extraordinary phenomenon of a magnitude never experienced by locals is occurring or is likely to occur. it's the possibility of a catastrophe, and it's very high. an emergency warning was in place for the southern areas of kyushu on saturday, and it is now northern areas experiencing the worst of it. heavy rain is possible, at least into wednesday, because we still have the rainy front lingering over kyushu. we have drier for the north, pushing the front to the south, and also warm air is pushing the

front to the north. that means it has to stay here for a while. over the next 48 hours, we may see drenching rainfall once again for the west. moisture from the south will continuously hit the pacific side of the country. not just kyushu but also shikoku will experience drencnching rrainfall. eveventually, , floodingng from video in the province. rain lasted 12 hours overnight in parts ofof s southern china. it causeded a severere rising oe water. many houses were flooded with seseveral residents trapped. the rescue workers had to use boats to reach some people. again, the rain was caused by the same seasonal frontal system. along the yancey river basin, you'll see more rainfall, especially hubei province. you may be looking at nearly 500

millimeters of rainfall into thursday, or so. heavy rain plus high temperatures will likely hit the southern half of the country. china, shanghai, 32, with a chance for thunderstorms on your tuesday. opposed to that, it is dry and hot. beijing, 30. rainy wweather in seoul as well as tokyo. heavy rain has been hitting india, as well. this is the southwest monsoon season. more rain is possible, especially along the west coast of the country. plus, northern myanmar will likely see many heavy rainfall, at least into the next several days. temperatures are going to be pretty hot, too. that's it for me. have a nice day. ♪

♪ ♪ that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline." yoshi ogasawara in tokyo.

do stay with us for more. ♪ japanese business leaders are offering advice for tokyo governor koike yuriko's second term after her victory in sunday's election. the chairman of the japan business federation nakanishi hiroaki says the governor should focus on containing the coronavirus and putting the economy back on track. he says those steps should be taken quickly to meet rising social challenges, including lagging digitalization.

he wants tokyo to be a model for grorowth inside and o outside t country. japan chamber of commerce and and industry chairman mimura akio wants the tokyo government to continue supporting businesses impacted by the virus. he has also asked the governor to continue looking at the best way to hold the postponed tokyo olympic and paralympic games. this is "newsline biz." i'm gene otani. fujitsu is embracing the new normal for working conditions in japan, prompted by the pandemic. the tech firm says work from home will become standard practice for about 80,000 domestic employees. fujitsu will also stop the practice of job transfers that can result in employees living away from their family. the changes will go into effect later this month. the company says it will no longer give out allowances for commuter passes. instead, employees will receive about $46 a month to set up a

remote work environment. the new policies do not apply to factory employees. fujitsu plans to slash office space in japan by half over the next three yearars. it'll also increase its satellite offices throughout the country. corrporaate executive officer hiroki says the company wants to implement a way of working that doesn't burden the lives of employees. japanese automakers brought most of their overseas facilities back online as they gear up for recovering demand. many governments seized restrictions, and automakers were able to resolve parts shortages. the automakers have been gradually reopening their plants, mainly in europe and the toy yota resumed from april to late july. nissan resumed production at all

overseas plants except those in south africa. honda brought its overseas facilities back online, except for indonesia and brazil. mit mitsubishi and suzuki started all overseas plants. there are signs of a recovery, but it's not returned to its original level. 100 top japanese companies in niche industries worldwide made it on to a list of firms compiled by the economy ministry. officials plan to support the research and development efforts. the ministry selected them based on global market shares and the techniques they use to produce key parts or machines for supply chains. the roster includes food manufacturing equipment maker daong g automatic machinery. it's the first in the world to put into automatic use forming of popular snacks, such as sweet

bean pastries. the machine has been sold to 125 countries for making such favorites as china's mooncakes and russia's piroshki. a precision machinery firm boasts a more than 95% sshare o the global market for a part called the cascade.e. it isis the leading developmentf the product made from carbon fiber reeninforced plastics. they're light and tough, yet difficult to process. as the coronavirus restricts freedom of travel, online tours have become popular, and not just with people who want to see the world. the travel and restaurant industries, which have been struggling since the pandemic began, are also embracing this new style of tourism. >> reporter: a sake brewery in ishimo city.

the e staff are about to start oonline tour r that shohows the brewing process. >> konnichiwa! >> reporter: about 50 participants from around the country are taking part. broadcasting from her smartphone, the brewer enters the room dedicated to cultivating yeast, a key ingrgredient in sake brewing. she re-enacts the production process. but as this step takes place in the winter, the participanants e shown a video of it. >> reporter: the participants are sent sake ahead of time. as the tour wraps up, it's time for a toast.. >> translator: learning how much care goes into making the sake has given m me a deeper apprpreciationon for it. it definitely tastes different from bottled sake from the supermarket.

>> reporter: during the 3 1/2-hour tour, the participants get to see five facilities that produce local specialties. the tour is free of charge, but they are asked to purchase the manufacturer's merchandise. the project was created by the government and a start-up in tokyo. >> translator: we hope the initiative will help civiilian shops and restaurants that have been struggling amid the huge drop in tourism. >> reporter: at this old restaurant, a chef demonstrates how to make soba noodles, a sppeciality o of the city of iz. >> rerrter: ththe participants receive uncooked noodles from the restaurant before the tour.

>> reporter: bon appppetit. partiicipants are now encourage to dig in. >> translator: the food tastes different because i can see the person who made it. >> reporter: online tours have become a new way to travel amid the covid-19 pandemic. they offer huge potential for both h travelerers and ththe to industry. all right, let's have a look at the markets. ♪ ♪

from the "newsline biz" team in tokyo, i''m gene otani. thanksks very mucch fo joininin.

>> russia has the world third highest number of covid-19 cases, the figure standing at nearly 700,000. we will get the latest from our new delhi correspondndent. franan's newew prime minister jn as theyasas a new cabinet facece unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic. the world''s most visited museum hold to the mono laser reopens in paris. the louvre