♪ thank you for joining us. from our studio in tokyo, this is nhk "newsline." we begin here in japan where the number of people contracting the coronavirus continues to reach unprecedented levels. around 1,250 infections were reported on wednesday. that's the first time the daily total has topped 1,000.

across the country, eight prefectures saw a record number of new cases. one was the western prefecture of osaka where the figure surpassed 200 for the first time. all of japan's 47 prefectures have now reported cases after two infections were confirmed in ibate. >> tokyo continues to be the hot spot with 250 new cases. public health officials are also closely watching the raid of positive test results, a key indicator of how much the virus is spreading. that number stood at 1% on may 25th with a nationwide state of emergency was lifted. as of last friday, it had risen to 6.6%. this infectious disease expert is worried, but he says weekly averages give a clearly picture than daily infection numbers. >> translator: the current situation seems very much like

in early april when the first wave came just before the state of emergency was declared. i think we'll have to take thorough preventive measures more than ever without overreacting to the number of infections reported each day. >> in total more than 34,000 cases have been confirmed across the country. over 1,000 people have died. the japanese government will allow the reentry of some foreign nationals with resident status starting next wednesday. the measure includes foreign students with that status. japan currently denying entry of foreigners from 146 countries and regions as a measure against the coronavirus. foreign r residents are also barred from reentering japan once they leave the country unless there are special circumstances. but the government now says it will let certain people with

residency status back in. that's on condition they comply with requirements such as taking a pcr test. those eligible include international students, technical employees and companies employees stationed in japan. they have to have temporarily left japan before the entry restrictions were put in place. japan has already agreed with vietnam and thailand to allow visit people to resume visits between the countries and has begun accepting long stay visa operations. arrivals of those are expected in august. staying with the coronavirus, the united states has reached a grim milestone. confirmed fatalities from covid-19 in the country have topped 150,000. this latest figure comes two months after the 100,000 threshold was crossed early in june. around 1,000 deaths have been reported daily for thehe past several days. a key member o othe governrnmens

coronavirus task force says concerns are growing that the virus will spread further. >> some of the other states, the ohios, the indianas, the tennessees, the kentuckys that are starting to have the very early indication that the percent of cases regarding the number of tests that you have, that the percent is starting to go up. >> fauci is calling on people to follow guidelines carefully if they're thinking about reopening their businesses. as house officials in the u.s. struggle to contain the surge in cases, they're urging people to wear a face mask when they go out. but that simple suggestion is proving to be controversial. nhk world sam suzuki >> reporter: in early july, president trump war a mask in public for the first time. he tweeted that doing so is patriotic. many people, including his

supporters, criticized him for taking so long to endorse the idea. but trump still opposed government measures that would require people to wear masksks. he said passing such rules won't make the virus disappear. others feel the same. in june, people in florida vented their anger at county officials. >> you're removing our freedoms and stomping on our constitutional rights by these communist dictatorship orders or laws you want to mandate. >> and they want to throw god's wonderful breathing system out the door. >> reporter: many conservative politicians agree with them. like the president, thehey oppo mandatory mask rules. in fact, the governor of georgia banned cities and counties from requiring people to wear masks in public. >> while we all agree that wearing a mask is effective, i'm confident that georgians don't

need a mandate to do the right thing. >> reporter: one city official in arizona went further. he attended an anti-mask rally and repeated a phase often used by members of the black lives matter. >> i can't breathe! i can't breathe! >> reporter: many people criticized him for mocking the movement. the councilman maintains that he was not. but he also contradicted the consensus o of the mededical community by falsely ciming that mks are ununsafe. >> iff you're wearing a a mask, you're not getting oxygegen. you're breathing in your own carbon dioxide. >> reporter: many people are worried about the antiti-mask movement. one of themm iss sidney waters o lives in illinois. she was out shopping and saw somemeone not wearing a mask, s

she asked her to put one on. >> you're disrespectful to everyone else in this store, and the entitlement is disgusting. >> yes, i am entitled. i'm more than entitled. i believe in white power. >> white power? >> yeah. >> reporteter: after waterers s up to the white supremacist rhetoror, the womoman ripped of the mask off her faface. >> it's really not that much to ask to put a mask on to protect your fellow human. >> exexperts are u united in th belief that weariring mask is crucial to stopping the spread of thehe virus. >> it is important to say that masking is importatant not just for you but for everyone around you, and we need to band together to ensure that the transmission and that the health care system is able to cope with

the surge that may occur again. >> reporter: as the number of coronavirus cases surges throughout the united states, so does the debate around wearing masks. sam suzuki, nhk world, new york. the u.s. federal reserve has decided to keep its current monetary easing policy unchanged as the world's biggest economy struggles to recover from the pandemic. fed policy makers unanimously agreed to keep the key interest rate at near 0. they'll continue to buy bonds, injecting massive volumes of money into the financial system. the officials wrapped up their two-day meeting on wednesday. a statement afterward said following sharp declines, economic activity and employment have picked up somewhat in recent months but remain well below they're levels at the beginning of the year. fefed's chair jerome powell tol

reporterss thatonsumer spendinig had w wkened since l late junund job growth is slowing. > the current economic downtn is the m most severe in our lifetimes. it will take a while to get back to the levels of economic activity and employment that prevailed at the beginning of the year. >> the continuing spread of the coronavirus is forcing some states to restrict economic activities again, dashing hopes for a v-shaped recovery. analysts are awaiting another crucial indicator of the u.s. economic activity. most expect gross domestic product for the april to june quarter to shrink by around 35%. that would be the biggest drop since officials started keeping record in 1947. the ongoing trade dispute between japan and south korea has entered a new chapter. t the world trade organization

will weigh control over seoul. wto members approved the panel's second request. the governments of both countries have been at odds to tighten control of shipments to three materials to south korea. the items are used to make high-tech products such as semiconductors. the measusu is aimed at preventing materials from being diverted for military use. seoul originally asked the wto to establish a dispute sellalalment planl past month. the wto did not set up a panane due to opposition from japan. tokyo said it still allows exports of materials to south korea as long as there are no security problems. but under wto rules, a panel is formed after a second request unless all members are opposed. the japanese government says the

wto's decision to form the dispute settlement panel is extremely regrettable. it sayss japan'n's measure is a necessary operational review to appropriately measure items that can be diverted for military purposes. south korea'a's trade ministry says seoul plans to prove it is discriminatory and run counter to wto rules. for world weather, let's check in with our meteorologist teet ri monare. tell row tsietsi. >> hello. >> people in india are dealing with severe monsoon rain and it's causing flooding. which part of the country is affected the most. >> most of the parts affected in india include the west coast, some parts of the northeastern very close to nepal. and there is a state there called behal that has been severely affected. it doesn't look like the situation is going to get a lot better. more rainfall is moving towards the northeastern side especially with the bordeder with nepal

there. just likike you wilill seeee in next video, peoeople have been dealing with severe rainy conditions. for the state of behar, they've had 30% more rain than usual, causing widespread flooding. the flood in the area strandede 2.4 millionn people and some highways were closed. heavy rain as well as thunderstorm warnings are still in effect for much of the state. so, you'll be seeing lots and lots of water in the roads, bridges being almost submerged and houses inundated. you can see temperatures towards new delhi as well as into calcutta, those are quite high and basically feeling the system. and similar events sbrn happening across eastern asia as well. if you look at china they've had lots of rainfall through the west, through the central parts going through coastal regions. and the frontal system slowly

dissipating. as you can see also closer towards japan as well, these two higher pressure systems here sort of keeping things clear and making the front move slowly away. but warm air along the ridges of the high pressure system are still fuelling the front, leading to rainy conditions. and we're kbpting the showers to continue in places such as south korea where they can see further rainfall between thursday and friday morning. please do take care in certain places. temperaturewise, seoul is around 38. temperatures in the mid 30s for a few days now. and cross over in towards japan. major cities are going to be quite warm. as you move towards the future, sunday, 34 for both pufukuoka a osaka. tokyo also reaches mid 30s. that's all for your weather. take care. ♪

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that concludes this edition of nhk "newsline." thank you very much for staying with us. ♪ ♪ welcome to "newsline in depth." i'm yanaka marie. covid-19 has dealt an immense blow to economies worldwide and left many people unemployed. but in japan, some enterprising companies and individuals are finding opportunities amid the pandemic. in some sectors, the spread of the coronavirus is leading to

increased demand for goods and services. we'll start with the used car market. because people a are cutting ba on big ticket spending, second hand vehicle dealers arere appealining to customers in new ways. they're using technology to limit face to face interactions and targeting different types of customers. >> reporter: rows of cars lying the in a large lot. this is a storage site of a major used car exporter. some vehicles are headed to zimbabwe in africa while others are bound for the bahamas in the atlantic. but many countries restricted entry to their ports from march to guard against the coronavirus. unable to ship the cars, the company stocks swelled to around 12,000 units by april. according to data from a private research company, roughly 30% of japan's second hand cars are

exported. they have now become surplus stock. domestic consumption is also sluggish. the excess of inventory has led to an average price drop of nearly $850 per unit. an official at the company says export reinstructions had a greater than expected impact. >> translator: as more countries closed their ports, we worried whether we could stay in business. >> reporter: the company decided to try to boost domestic demand. it established an agency to help used car sales. 360 degrees cameras and upload them to cloud storage using smartphones. then they post them on the dealaler's website. in the past, customers had to visit a dealer to check a car's condition and see bumps and scratches. but this service lets them see it up close and in full.

>> translator: deaealers said ty were seeing fewer customers. this system lets customers have a close look at vehicles s as i they're at the dedealer. reporter:r: also increasing in demand are subscription services for used carars. this major used car dealer started a new domestic subscription servicece in february. customers can rent out a car for an entire month for about $280. the pandemic has made many people wary of commuting by public transport. the company says its number of registered users has surged five fold since april. 40% of them are medical workers such as doctors and nurses. they say the service is attractive because it offers personal access for a reasonable price. >> translator: users can rent a car for just 30 days or keep it

longer if needed. the system's flexibility seems to appeal to customers. >> reporter: the company says the subscription service is also growing popular among small business owners. many people seem to be finding the flat see system handy as they try to control their cash on hanand. >> because the subscription rentals were so popular among doctors and nurses, the dealer launched a free service in support of coronavirus campaign. that offer was while japan was still in a declared state of emergency. in the first two weeks, there were more than 40,000 applications. priority was given to essential workers such as medical staff and delivery personnel. the operator has many satisfied customers. some people like commuting by car instead of public transport so much that they even asked the dealer if they can purchase a vehicle after the campaign ends. the program looks set to be extended until the end of the

year, as it not only contributes to community efforts to contain the virus but is good for business too. next we turn to the manufacturing sector, which is looking to creative solutions to survive. some companies are using their existing materials and techniques to make products that the coronavirus era demands. >> tooth picks are a humble but essential implement for eating japanese sweets. these are made of domestic lumbar. they're a main part o of this manufacturer's business. sales are half of what they were last year, but the company is ready to hit back. it's thinking long, at least longer than a t tooth pick. the come back commodity is a wooden stick. it can be used to push buttons without touching them. six days after coming up with the idea, the company had it available for sale.

>> translator:r: i thought of i when i saw a picture of a person in wuhan using a tooth pick to push an elevator button. i realized we could make something that could help avoid contact. >> reporter: the new product won't make up for shortfall in sales, but has boosted employee morale. >> translator: our staff have been discouraged by the drop off in orders since the virus situation began. now people seem happy to be working again. >> reporter: another manufacturing outfit, this one in osaka, also is turning its attention to pandemic products. in ordinary times, it makes display panels and booth partitions for expos and trade shows. however, almost all major events have been cancelled, at least until the summer. some of the employees had an aha moment while watching people line up at an atm. they realized their technology is exactly what these times

demand. it can be used to create partitions that separate lines of people and thus prevent the virus from spreading. the screens are transparent to discourage crime. air circulates through the bottom half. >> translator:r: i t think our employees' skills have grown through this experience. i hope it makes the company more resilient too. >> reporter: necessity is said to be the mother of invention. these two companies are taking responsibility for nurturing the public and themselves. >> there are many more coronavirus-inspired products that are hitting the market. offices that are looking for affordable solutions are installing cardboard partitions with plastic windows. they're made by a box manufacturer that's rethinking its product line up. the partitions take just a few minutes to assemble and cost 1/3

the price of the alternative. and this plastic device helps people open doors without touching them with their hands. the company has just launched another version for sliding doors which tend to be used at hospitals and care facilities. these examples of product development keep fact ories ope. employees get to retain income and morale gets boost knowing they're helping society prevent the spread of infection. but it's not just companies using their strengths to stay afloat. individuals are finding that side jobs they can do online are compensating for income they've lost from primary employment. they're targeting the large pool of stay-at-home customers eager to learn new skills. >> reporter: this woman runs a private lodging business for ovseas visitors. but since april she's had zero reservations. >> translator: i was a little panicked with no idea of when i

would see guests again. >> reporter: it hara hit on an idea to pull through the hard times, weekend online cookingng tutorials. >> translator: how thick should i slice the sweet potato? >> translator: 1 to 1.5 centimeters thick, like this. >> reporr: ittohara offers lessons every week for $7 and they're getting popular. >> translator: thank you very much. >> translator: thanks for joining. >> reporter: about two months later, her profits reached nearly $1,000. >> translator: i never imagined i would be teaching cooking from home. i'm surpriseded i could start ts side job right now. >> reporter: this website is offering courses with perspective students. this type of service is catching on. more than 1,00000 online course providerss newly registered in

april a and may. that's about 40% more compared to pre-pandemic days. >> traranslator: i thinknk the coronavirus has made more people worry about the possibility of losing theirir job. i think this is what is fuelling our service. >> people who had depended on side jobs in n the past are seeg new potential in online business. this man works for an i.t. start up in tokyo. >> translator: hello everyone. >> reporter: he offers weekend tutorials on how to create clear presentation materials for business. seki once used rental conference spaces for teacaching, but with the cororonavirus, he moved online. >> translator: people from all overer japan or even from abroa can t take my online courses. this platform is great for attracting people outside tokyo

too. >> reporter: taking advantage of spare time to translate hobbies and expertise into online classes is becoming easy and convenient. this work style may become a new normal option at a time when we are learning to coexist with the coronavirus. >> just because people are staying in more doesn't mean there's less opportunity to develop knowledge and experience. large education providers are also offering more online courses. one industry leader in japan has announced a tie up with the united states platform that has users in 190 countries. businesses are gearing up to improve accessisibility in a ti when many people are turning their attention to personal growth. living with covid-19 is something we're gradually getting used to. there are many negatives, but our reports taisoday show opportunities do exist for those willing to taek a creative approach.

all right. that's it for this edition of "newsline in depth." thank you for watching our program, and make sure to do so next time too. ♪

>> dust from the coronavirus in th from thesdea coronavirus in the u.s. passed 150,000, nearly a quarter of the global total. i am lauren taylor. this is al jazeera liveve from londndon. up, a u.s. retreat from a nato ally, 12,000 troops ordered to pull out of germany, and the headquarters moved.