♪ hello. welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news in tokyo. we start in tokyo where officials confirmed a record high 367 coronavirus infections on thursday. to try to stop the virus from spreading, the governor is calling on residents to refrain from going out and drinking in groups. >> translator: we are facing a critical situation and they're on the verge of an explosive increase of infections.

we need to take measures to curb it. >> the government is asking restaurantnts and bars that ser alcohohol to shorten their hour for most of next month. establishments that operate between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. will be eligible for subsidies. some bar operators say the amount, about $2,000, isn't enough. >> translator: rent is extremely high in tokyo. i don't think the subsidy is enough to cover losses any establishment incurs. >> tokyo continues to be the biggest hot spot in japan. the daily figure in the capital has been above 200 nine of the past ten days. the tokyo medical association says the number of people asking to be tested has exceeded capacity at some testing sites and is causing delays. nhk has learned the association is planning to increase the number of sites in tokyo from around 300 to 1,400. across japan more than 1,000

cases have been reported for two days in a row. the daily tally exceeded the threshold for the first time on wednesday. in total, more than 35,000 cases have been confirmed throughout the country. over 1,000 people have died. nhk world spoke with a health expert who thinks the upward trend may not be an emergency, though it is a cause for concern. >> reporter: the rising numbers have caught many by surprise, but not public health experts who have been tracking the virus and the response of the people in the capital. >> i'm not really surprised because we don't have any prevention measures taking place at this moment. itit's hard to control the infections later on. so we really need to take some actions at this moment. >> reporter: cases in the capital have been consistently increasing over the past few weeks. tsukamoto say it's likely due

to silent spreaders, people without symptoms. so far officials have warned people to steer clear of nighttime entertainment districts. but in recent days the number of people infected by family members have surpassed the number of cases connected tonight life. experts say the virus is easily transmitted when people who are close together don't wear face masks, that includes meal times at home. with cases much higher than earlier this year, some are asking why the government won't call one again. but she says the situation is actually much different. mao the virus is a affecting people from much younger and less seriously ill. >> i just assume that virus is

mutating. so even though vaccination is developed, the vaccination may nonot work later on. >> reporter: she says there's still cause for concern. japan testing rate is relatively low and recent trends indicate the virus is spreading farther. within a few months, the country will deal with another compmplication. >> once winteter comes, air dri and the droplets spread much longer distance. and people probably -- aeration of the room is much harder in colder weather. so i'm really concerned about the winter time. >> reporter: for now, experts propose a simple solution, wear a mask, practice social distancing and avoid unnecessary outings, chiraq kamar rina, nhk world tokyo. as the rate of infections

climbs in many parts of the world, north korea is reasserting its claim the country has zero cases. thursdsday's edition of the rulg pay's newspaper says no infection haves been recorded inside the country. the paper also urged vigilance saying a moment of inattention could cause a crisis. this comes less than a week after state media said a defector who returned from south korea was suspected of being infected with the virus. in response, pyongyang sealed off the city located near its border with the south. one expert suggested if there was an uncontrollable outbreak, north korea's first response would be to seek china's support. he says no such moves have been discovered so far. now, south korea gearing up for what tourism industry employees hope will be a bigger season domestically after the coronavirus hit hard. earlier nhk world report friday

a beach on the eastern coast for a closer look. >> reporter: this may look like your typical beach scene. with many of the country's 250 beaches in operation now, safety comes hand in hand with swimming and sand. the government has come up with innovative ways to fight the coronavirus. some regions have implemented a beach reservation system and about 50 beaches have an online traffic line servicece, so peop can check how busy certain beaches are. more safety measures include parasols installed at two major intervals turned country's social distancing campaign. at this beach, authorities check temperatures and hand out wristbands. each visitor is required to

check in with an individual qr code. restrooms and shower booths are sterilized three times a day to ensure extra sanitation, and cars are being disinfected at three stops. and to make sure people are following the rules, there are two drones doing flyovers every hour. >> reporter: a favorite pastime for beachgoers has been enjoying cold beer and fried chicken at night, but that's changing, too. starting this week, the ministry of oceans and fisheries has banned nighttime drinking and eating at large beaches. violators will be fined up to $2,500, so you better get your

beer and chicken before the sun goes down. all the changes has resulted in mixed opinions from pepeople. here's what some had to say. >> translator: it's inconvenient, but what can you do? it's better than being infected with the virus. >> reporter: i feel wary, especially in a crowded place. people swimming in the water can't wear face masks, so that is concerning. >> reporter: so, as you can see, some mixed emotions about the new measures, but with cluster infections continuing in the double digits, mainly fromom densely populated areas like seoul, there's a push to prioritize safety alongside traditional summer fun. the japanese government says it will allow some foreign nationals with residence statut to re-enter the country from next wednesday. the measure includes foreign students with that status. japan currently denies entry of

foreigners from 146 counts and regions as a measure against the coronavirus. foreign residents are also barred from re-entering japan once they leave the country unless there are special circrcumstances. the gernment n now says it will let foreign p people with certa residency statuses back in. that's on the condition they comply with requirements such as taking a pcr test. those eligible include international students, technical trainees and company 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 business people to resume visits between the countries and has begun accepting long-stay visa applications. arrivals of those people in japan are expected to begin in august.

emergency official in japan's fukushima prefecture suspect a powerful explosion at a restaurant was caused by a gas leak. they say the b blast in the cit killed one person and injured at least 18. the explosion occurred thursday just before 9:00 a.m. >> it was louder than anything i've heard before. i thought someone might have dropped a bomb. >> translator: i heaeard from a fire d department official thatn area neaear the gas meter was probably blown up and gas is still leaking. i can still smell the gas. >> reporter: fire department officials say the blast destroyed a restaurant and damaged surrounding buildings. firefighters discovered a body nearby. two of the 18 people who were hurt suffered serious injuries. police and fire department officials found six propane tanks at the site including

three that were leaking. police say the restaurant had been closed since april due to the pandemic and the owner was preparing to reopen on friday. next, communities hit by devastating rain in southwestern japan this mononth are gettingn helping hand from taiwan. an envoy visited the taiwan-japan exchange association with a donation of nearly $30,000. >> translator: when taiwan had earthquakes we received lots of financial support from japan and were encouraged by warm friendship. we hope to be of some help in the r recovery of stricken area. >> translator: this donation and the warm messages we've received from people in taiwan will be a great encouragement to people in disaster areas.

>> the head of the japan-taiwan exchange association said some people are still living in evacuation shelters. he said it's vital for people in japan and taiwan to join hands. police in hong kong have arrested four former members of a pro independence group on suspicion of violating a national security law for the territory. the arrests are first of their kind, the result of a police investigation rather than taking place at the scene of street protests. the police arrested 19-year-old tony chung and three other people aged 16 to 21 on wednesday. they belong to a groupup called student localism and chung was its leader. >> the arrest for the offenses under the national security law is for sub very generals,

organizing and inciting cessation according to the laws. >> police say the four were involved in forming a new group and calling for the foundation of a republic of hong kong through social media. student localism was established in 2016 but disbanded in hong kong at the end of the june. the group said it would continue operating overseas. the police say the four will be questioned in a newly established department dedicated to cases regarding the law. attention is focused on what criminal procedures will be taken. in other news, the commander of united states forces japan has pledged support for japan over the senkakaku islands over the east china sea.a. japan controls the islands. the comments are the latest example of tough talk from the united states o over beijingng pushing territorial claims in asian water. >> the united states is 100% absolutely steadfast in its commitment to help the

government of japan with the situation in the senkakus. >> schneider said in an online news cononference on wednesday beijing continues to taking a gres sive and malign actions in the east china sea and the south china sea. he pointed to what he called unprecedented chinese intrusions into japanese territorial water around the senkaku islands for the past 100 to 120 days t. japanese governmenent maintains the islands are an inherenent pt of japan's territorial. schneider also touched on a controroversial issue in comman an agreemement on stationing u. forcrces in thehe country which concluded every five years. it will expire next march. he says there's been no substantial progress yesterday on negotiations on the accord. he suggested concrete discussions will begin later this year. there are abobout 50,000 u.u. military personnel and their families in japan, the largest concentration in asia. iran has carried out a

large-scale military exercise in the strtrait off w who muse invg a mocock u.s.s. aircraft carrie. it comes amid rising tensions between the countries. iran's elite revolutionary guard core conducted the drill during a two-day period through wednesday. the guard says the exercise targeted the fake ship. the vessel resemblbles a u.s. ny aircraft carrier.r. the replica is 200 meters long and 50 meters wide. drones and small vessels w were also used duringg the operation. this footatage showsws missiles blasting out of a desert plateau. they say it's the first time ballistitic missiles havee been susuccessfulully fired from und ground. iran has frequently conducted military exercises in the strait of hormuz. this is the first time a report has surfaced about the country targeting a mock aircraft carrier during a drill. it's nowow time for a checkn the weather with our meteorologist jonathan oh.

the rainy season came to an end for some areas in western japan on thursday. jonathan, are wet conditions still on the mean you for people in tokyo? >> it looks like while the western side of japan may be seeing a drier pattern, the eastern side including tokyo looking to have a bit of a wetter pattern through the next couple days, but maybe drier weather into the first part of next week. looking at the satellite perspective, you may notice the clouds to the north of japan. that's indicating a lot of that moisture is staying offshore. high pressure to the south, we lift that up to the north. we are going to be seeing a bit of a calmer pattern. for the eastern areas, all along the eastern areas of japan, i think we'll be dealing with a little instability as we go into friday. so you need to be on the lookout for that. showers expected for tokyo for the next couple days. check that out. sunday looking at partly cloudy

skies, 30 degrees for the highs. we're going to finally break through and see some sun shine. sapporo and osaka and fukuoka looking at hot temperatures if you're outdoors. the rainy season coming to a conclusion. we'll see this map being colored in as we progress over the next few weeks. meanwhile, across the atlantic bay sin we have a tropical storm that is barreling through the caribbean right now moving over puerto rico and moving the the north and west. it does have a bit of power with it, with wind speeds of 95 kilometers per hour, moving the the northwest at 33. we have tropical storm warnings all along the coastal areas. it is expected to make a turn more to the north as it gets close to florida and moving toward the north and east. if you're following us the past day or so, you may notice the cone of concern has been shifting towards the east and north. that's been the general trend.

for the moment still it's going to have an impact for this region. you need to be on the lookout for it. for the next 72 hours, high waves through the bahamas as we go throughout the next few days. we'll see the system making the event turn. up in north america we've been watching out for this unstable pattern. a couple of fronts nearby near missouri. the low pressure system is in position has helped to destabilize the areas. we may be dealing with thunderstorms through thursday. be on the lookout for that. back to the west, on the dririe side. oklahoma city and atlanta looking at thunderstorms for thursday. hope you have a good day wherever you are.

♪ that concludes this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. coming up next is "newsline biz" with ramin mellegard. so stay right there.

this is "newsline biz." i'm ramin mellegard.d. the number crutchers in the cabinet office are putting a picture on the gloomy outlook. they say the coronavirus pandemic will cause gdp this year to shrink. contracting by 4.5% in real terms over the year from next march. that's a dramatic turn around when they were expecting growth

of 1.4%. officials say since then much has changed. the pandemic has hammered consumer spending and exports in particular. looking ahead to the next fiscal year, they're expecting the economy to bounce back and expand by 3.4%. they're adding a caveat. they say if there's another wave of infections later this year, the fallout could be more severe. in that case the economy would likely shrink by around 5% and recovery next year would be less pronounced with the economy growing by about 3%. the japanese government has determined that the economic recovery period that started in 2012 ended in october 2018. the nearly six-year period marks the country's second longest stretch off recovery of the postwar era. the cabininet officee held a meeting of scholars and economists to work out an official view. they analyze economic data to determine the end of the recovery.

if group acknowledged it came in october of 2018 after five years and 11 months. after that u.s. and china trade disputes weighed heavily on japan's exports and corporate out put. spending slumped after the tax hike last susummer. in the postwar period it started in february 2002 and lasted for six years and one month. in january last year the then economic revitalization minister said thehe recovery phase appead to be the longest since world war ii. but the latest assessment shows the economy has alrlready turne downward by that timeme. one analystt says for the averae personon the benefits off the recovery were largely imperceptible. >> translator: the overarall p of growth during this period was quite slow. i think people didn't really feel things were improving a al that mucuch. >> kobayashi says the economymy hit rock bottom in may this

year. he says it will start t to recor at a moderate pace. he warns japan's recent spike in coronavirus infections comes with heightened risks. the chief executives of four u.s. tech giants have faced aroundnd of heavy criticism fro congress members who say their companies are engngagingg i in anticocompetitive behavior. jeff bezos of amazon, tim cook of apple, mark zuckerberg of facebook and g google attended house antitrust subcommittee hearing by video link on wednesday. they faced tough questioning from lawmakers from both sides of the aisle but defended their company's practices as fair and necessary. >> the retail market we participate in is extraordinarily large and competetitive. amazon accounts for less than 1% of the $25 trillion global retail market and less than 4% of u.s. retail. >>ompanies l like samsung, lg,

huawei andnd gubl have built successful businesses. we don't have a dominate share in any market or any product catery w where we do business. >> the executives also faced claiaims they're trying to curr favor with china. one lawmaker accused google of working with the chinese military. he responded by saying his country's work in the country is limited to a handful of people working on open source projects. takeout menus have emerged as a lifeline for many restaurants in japan as they struggle to stay in business. our next story looks at the secret ingredient to winning takeout orderers a and a professional who is giving away that secret to eateries in distress. >> reporter: dumplings in the spotlight. professional photographer tack

nam ma masanori is offering his services to local restaurants. they can use his photos to advertise their takeout food free of charge. >> translator: if the picture is good, i'm confident restaurant sales will rise. >> reporter: today takayama is helplping a c chinese restauran. sales at this eatery have fallen 70%. like any good chef, a professional photographer focuses on the best ingredients. >> translator: the shrimps need to come out more. make them stand out? yes, at least one more. >> reporter: takayama says liking is the key to getting mouth watering results. how about this? > nice, looks delicious. i'll continue doing my best. takayama has reaeally encoagage .

>> reporter: photographers across japan have been inspired by takayama. in this online lecture, he offers free tips to other professionals who usually don't take pictures of food. >> translator: we need to use different lighting methods. if we take a picture of alice of pizzaza with the samee setti as a lunch box, the p pizza wil appepear t t flat. iainly take pictures of people, but takayama's efforts to help restaurants have made a deep impression on me. so i decided to do it, too. >> reporter: dozens of struggling eateries say tack yam nah has helped them to win back business. >> translator: i'm glad if i can contribute to society through taking pictures. i hope photos encourage people and help them move forward. >> reporter: these are dark

times for restaurants. takayama says he and his camera are ready to serve. okay. let's get a check on the markets.

that's it for "newsline biz" from our tokyo studios. i'm rah m min mellegard. thanks for joinini

kong authorities disqualified 12 pro-democracy candidates. we will be crossing shortly to oliver's very. reports nearly 1400 new covid-19 cases. this is the world hehealth organization warns young people could be behind a resurgence of the virus. clasheseks of violent in portland, oregon, federal troops appeared to withdraw from the city on the condition that the local police step in.