♪ hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara. thursday marks one year until the opening of the tokyo olympics. the games were postponed because of the pandemic. japanese athletes are preparing while the coronavirus continues to spread. sprinter cambridge took part in a track and field competition in tokyo. he won silver at the rio olympics in 2016 as a member of japan's 400 meter relay team.

he's glad to have an extra year to prepare for tokyo. >> translator: i want to push ahead so i'll be in good shapes for the olympics next year if they happen. >> jude doak co-onosho won gold. he's the ace on the japanese team. but his training is restricted because athletes have to practice social distancing. >> translator: to be honest, i haven't been able to think about the tokyo olympics yet. nonot being able t to t train he me enjoy judo more. >> the postponement of the tokyo games is expected to cost several b billion dollars. organizers are considering ways to reduce spending in over 200

areas. those include cutting the number of spectators. they plan on focusing on savings in around 50 areas. they're planning to announce the overall increase in costs in the next few months. meanwhile nhk learned the organizing committee of the world event is studying measures to prevent infections. sources say committee officials have more than 400 proposals for antivirus steps. they're using the basketball venue at the super arena as a model. the measures for athletes cover transportation by bus, media interviews and doping tests. athletes will be asked to refrain from eating or shouting in the locker rooms. athletes and interviewers are to remain at least 1.5 meet ergs apart during media interviews with a transparent partition placed between them. spectators will be asked not to shout and will be required to ask face masks. the proposals also include

mamandatory use of cashlhless payment sysystems at s shops. the committee to assess the feasibility of the proposals and look at measures for all 43 venues for the games by the end of this year. the covid-19 situation in tokyo is causing fresh concern. governor koike yuriko says thursday has brought 366 confirmed new cases. the number has topped 100 for 15 days in a row. >> translator: i it's an extremy big number. and 15% have no symptoms. i want people to observe the basics of washing their hands, avoiding close contact, and not spreading droplets with loud voices.

>> koike says further spread of the virus must be stopped at any cost. otherwise she says it will be necessary to put the brakes on economic and social activity once more. she's urging tokyo residents to stay home as much as possible during a four-day holiday that started thursday. she's asking elderly people and those with underlying health conditions to take care. a r record 920 cases have been reported on thursday across the country. the figure brings the nationwide total to nearly 29,000 including more than 700 from the diamond princess cruise ship that was docked near tokyo in the early stages of the crisis. the previous day, the government launched a campaign to encourage domestic tourism in tokyo. tokyo is excluded because of the relatively high number of covid-19 cases.

tourist spots in the capital are quiet. those in other cities are busier. o knchtszitama station in tokyo outskirts were unusually quiet. the hilly and forested area around the station is normally busy with hikers and anglers at this time of year. officials at the towns tourism association say local accommodation facilities were swamped with cancellations after the government excluded tokyo from the campaign. they are bracing for more cancellations now that the metropolitan government is urging people to stay home during the four-day weekend. officials say footfallll near t station on thursday was about half that at the same time on, foot fall, rather, near r the station on thursday was about half that of the same time in an averagage year.. >> translatotor: it's partly du to the weather, and i feel the number of tourists is quite low because of the coronavirus. we want them to come but i kind of have mixed feelings. >> outside tokyo, people are taking advantage of the government's campaign. passengers were lining up at

departure counters at chubu airport in central japan. transparent panels to prevent the spread of drop letlets were installed at the counters. airline staff wore masks and face shields. passengers had their temperatures checked. airlines say they may refuse boarding for anyone they suspect has a fever or infection. >> i'm going to travel from nagoya to kumamoto. i want to use what i can use. >> the airport had scaled down its schedule in response to the coronavirus outbreak with 36 domestic flights on a typical day. 63 flights were scheduled for thursday. the pandemic has forced the united nations to radically rethink its plans for september's general assembly. for the first time in the annual summit's history, world leaders will not be giving statements in person but through pre recorded

video. the decision was formally adopted on wednesday after none of the 193 member states objected. typically they're each allocated six seats in the assembly hall, but this year they'll have just one official each, such as their permanent representative in new york. the arrangements will be made for a ceremony in september to mark the world body's 75th anniversary and for three high-level meetings on biodiversity, women's rights and the elimination of nuclear weapons. the un's new plans come as global coronavirus cases continue to rise. johns hopkins university puts global cases at more than 15 million. the death toll exceeds 623,000. environmentalists are raising the alarm over disposal masks and gloloves littering rivers and motions across the globe. consumption of the objects have

surged amid the covid-19 outbreak. a nature conservation group in hong kong says max and gloves have been washing up on local beaches since late february. officials at a non-profit organization in france say their members have noticed an increase in the amount of masks and empty disinfectant containers since may, mainly in waters in the south of the country. workers at tara ocean foundation retrieved over 100 masks last month alone. the group conducted a survey last month of ten major rivers in europe including the sen and the thames. it found gloves and masks in all of them. it's a similar situation in japan. members of a non-profit group who cleaned a beach in fuj sawa city near tokyo says the amount of litter there has grown since last month. they say they spot more t than dozen masks on days after it rains.

>> translator: it's smart to consider both the use of masks to prevent infection and also their environmental impact. >> another expert warns that animals may swallow discarded mas masks mistaking them for food. three years have passed since the death of show bow t. nobody beal peace laureate was a key leader in the 1989 tiananmen square protests. 234rkshk has unearthed audiotapes of a decades-old speech and as our next report shows, his wordsds still resona with many of his supporters.

>> reporter: he advocated for greater freedoms and against the communist party's role. these recordings are from 1986 when liu was teaching in beijing. a bar owner recently shared the tapes with nhk. he says a friend gave them to him when he was an exchange student in beijing back in the '80s. >> translator: it was taboo to criticize the government or talk about democracy, but enthusiastic and highly conscious students were passing the tapes around and listening

to them. >> repeporter: a friend o of hio teaches at a jap nieces university says liu's ideology appealeded too students. . >> translator: he wananted themo form their own opinions. he thought each individual should help decide the future of china. >> reporter: liu's words were prescient. at one point he warned of the government's tightening grip and the perils of consolidating power. . >> reporter: three years after liu's speech, the student-led democracy movement reached its peak. liu joined thousands of students

in teiananmen square until a bloody crackdown at the hands of the chinese military. after the tiananmen incident he was arrested for en citing counterrevolution and spent the next 30 years in and out of prison for his outspoken views. in 2017 he was diagnosed with cancer and died soon after. >> motorists in japan will soon be able to drive faster on expressways. the speed limit on certain sections will be raised from 100 to 120 kilometers per hour. the current limit has been in place since the country's first expressway opened in 1963, but people today often drive faster than 100 kilometers per hour. the national police agency

raised its limit on a trial basis while monitoring the rate of traffic accidents. it concluded that a higher maximum speed would not lead to safety problems on roads sections that meet certain conditions, having few curves and three or more lanes. >> translator: honestly, i feel a little scared. >> translator: performance is different depending on the car. if you can drive safely, i think 120 kilometers is okay. >> the new speed limit will initially apply only to certain regions including central and northeastern japan. drivers of trucks and other vehicles are excluded. they will remain restricted to speeds of 80 kilometers per hour. at the same time, police say they will step up measures against dangerous drivers. and now here is your three-day world weather forecast.

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>> those were the top stories for this hour on nhk news line. i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. thanks for watching and do stay with us for more. ♪ welcome to ""newline in depth."" i'm jan naka marie. the coronavirus pandemic has reshaped the world and changed how we live. these days we're doing many things remotely, whether it be working from home or drinking with friends online. even so, many of us miss the interaction and convenience that only face-to-face meetings can provide. today we look at some innovations that are lending our isolated lifestyles a social touch.

our first story explores the wonders of a new kind of consumer experience, shopping in the virtual world. it's a growing sector that offers enormous flexibility for retail and, unlike traditional e-commerce, it adddds a persona element. the scenery will look familiar to tokyo residents. it's the backdrop for a vr shopping event. likeke any vr world, t the user adopts an "avatar" to move around. it's like a 3d puppet, a puppet that's ready to shop. and virtual market iss the plac to spend real money. last held in april, the event atattracted 43 comompanies to sp stores ranging from convenience chains to clothing outlets. let's start with a showroom for a german automaker. inside an impressive d dplay 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 use physical demonstrations to pitch their products and highlight why it's a must-buy for the customer. here is what's happening behind the scenes. store employees working from home are controlling their "avatar"s remotely. >> if they clinch a sale staff cann direct cust mert to the

store's website to make a purchase. this store manager says he's impressed by the customer engagementnt in the virtual wor. >> the virtual store had ten times as many visitorss as we expected. it's made me optimistic about sales using vr. >> a big hitter in telecommunications was just as busy connecting with avatar customomers. it believes vr s shopping can accelerate upuptake of 5g high-speed networks.. >> translator: w with 5g, image will be sharper andnd response times will be quicker which will lead to more enjoyable vr experience. >> according to the event organizer, that realistic experience offers retailers a powerful new way to market their products. simply put, it brings the salesperson back to life. >> translator: thiss is a step beyond e-commerce.

we call it vr commerce. it offers a lotot of unique experiences like virtual staff serving customers. 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 actually be taking the brave new world of shopping to the next level. >> in this new w world of vr commerce, shops are no longer bound by geographical barriers, even whehen offering semi-real interactions. now they have access to potentially unlimited markets and opportunities, but retail isn't the only area where vr is breaking down physical barriers. as our next report shows, for the growing ranks of employees who are punching their time cards from home, virtual reality is helping to make remote work feel a little less remote.

>> -- suburban tokyo. she and her colleagues work at an advertising firm. they clock in at 9:00 a.m. from various locatitions. >> translator: i can see myy tem members here. this is me. ththis person is in sigh tampa, and this guy over here is in nagano. the other three have logged in from chiba. >> reporter: employees feel like they're working under the s sam rules. that is partly because they can easily see what each other is doing. they set their status to available, away, on the phone or busy. when they want to check if someone is available, they move the cursor over to the person's avatar and the status pops up. this service is designed to

provide something that many remote workers feel is lacking, close communication. a recent survey shows that nearly half of such people believe they don't give or receive words of appreciation like they used to. about 40% say they have less opportunity to chat and share ideas with colleagues, do not pay attention to colleague's work progress or help each other as much as before. the president of the company believes a common problem off remote working is thahat team members can't see what each otother is up to. >> translator: japanese workers try to read the situation and carry out their duties accordingly. since we cannot see other situations while teleworking, i think many workers find it hard to communicate. >> reporter: she calls on

colleagues directly even for small issues as long as they're available. >> translator: in a real office i have experienced great ideas comiming out of casual conversations. i think this system provides a very close environment. >> reporter: an expert in teleworking thinks vr offices could catch on in japan in the future, even if the coronavirus goes away. >> transnslator: japanese firms hahave recognized the impororta of working togetheher in the sa office feeding the sense of unit. in a cloud office people can be together spiritually. i think more companies will introduce vr offices which fit the japanese way o of working. >> reporter: vr offices are becomiming the new normal i in japan. some are proving t tt onlinine workplaces don't just keep people connected, but can foster strong teamwork no matter where they happen to be.

nhk world. >> it's easy to see how interacting this way can work for people who already know each other well and are familiar with the work flow. but according to the company it's not as effective when training new hires. it says the key to finding the best approach for everyone is flexibility. managers are working on determining the right working environment for each task. while so far we've seen how avatars can be useful in the virtual world, our next report shows how they can be just as effective in the real world. >> a robot glides around the room at this family support center looking at the books. on the screen a pair of faces, a mother and son, who are controlling the avatar from the

computer in their hohome. they chat with staff as they inspect the titles on the shelves. this row b boat surface wenent trial for two weeks in may winning positive reviews. >> translator: i'm still anxious about taking my son out. so i decided to give this a try. it was really fun. he was able to use the robot to pick out a book. >> the machine is the creation of a startup owned by the airline ana: the onset of the coronaviruss pandemic h has spud calls to use the robot in a wide range of scenarioio >> previously t there was a lotf people that approached us becacause we can u use these r for 5g technologieies or iot stuff. but now people c come up t to u wiwi specific-use case, like we want to u use your robot in our

store because the customer cannot come. >> the avatar is proving useful in hospitals where it provides a safe way for people to communicate at distance. staff at this hospital in central japan are using the robot to connect families with their sick loved ones. they say even though it's a machine, it provides a personal touch, and unlike other forms of techchnology, it operates completely hands-frfree so medil staff don't need to be present to assist. >> translator: the avatar can move around and makes you feel as if someone is really there. the rebot will help to ease the loneliness our patients feel. >> an avatar service can work in all kinds of situations and help to make the transition to a new way of life smoother and safer.

nhk world. >> operating the robotot is eas. all you need is access to a computer. to steer, you simplply press th arrow keys. another factor in its favor is cost. facilities can rent one of these robots for $1,000 a month. that's why local governments are taking a keen interest. after all, medical facilities and family support centers need to be accessible for everyone. kaga city was so impressed with the robot at its hospitals that officials put avatars in some of its schools, too. the developer is now working on a new project, a vr system that allows the user to remotely control a pair of robotic hands. it even transmitsts exactly wha the hands are feeling. it's the kind of idea that could allow experts in all kinds of precise manual work to assist people anywhere in the world.

as the saying goes, human beings are social animals. we need the company of other people to survive. so it's a difficult irony that isolation is now proving equally important for our well-being. the challenge is to resolve this dilemma by finding new ways to bring people together. it's a quest that's driving exciting innovations. throughout history humans have shown that in times of crisis they will always find ways to adapt as we are right now. and that's all for this edition of "newline in depth." thank you for watching o our prograram and me s sure to d do next time, too. anchor: hello, thank you for

joining us. the u.s. where antiracism protests continue in portland, oregon. they started after george floyd was killed. tensions got worse after donald trump sent federal forces to the area. he u.s. president i is saying wants to send federal officers to other cities as he centers himself as the law & order candidate. civil liberties activists condememn the plan. president trump: in r recentt weeks, there has been a radical movement to defund, dismantle, and dissolve