♪ hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara. people in japan are taking a moment to pause and remember the victims of the atomic bombing in heiroshima 75 years ago. it was the world's first nuclear attack, and the city remains a powerful symbol of the devastation of nuclear weapons. hiroshima fell silent at

8:15 a.m., the exact moment when the u.s. bomb struck the city. 140,000 people were killed by year's end and many more exposed to harmful radiation. this year's peace memorial ceremony looked different this year due to the coronavirus. about 800 people, less than one-tenth of the usual, attended. social distancing was in effect, and some of the day's other traditions were scaled back. >> translator: i urge world leaders to continue constructive dialog toward a security system free from reliance on nuclear weapons. >> hiroshima mayor urgeded the japanese government to listen to atomic bomb survivors and sign a un treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons. nuclear powers like the u.s. and russia do not support the treaty, and japan, which relies on protection from the u.s. has not signed it.

prime ministster abe shinzo has maintainined japan will not sig the treaty and has vowed to work towards a world without nuclear weapons and japan will serve as a bridge between a nuclear and nonnuclear states. the e u.n. secretatary-general expressed his s desire to elimininate nuclear r weapons i video messssage. antonio guterres said the risk that they will be used is high. a survivor who participated in the ceremony says she believes humans have the power to abolish nuclear arms. >> translator: there's no choice we just have to eliminate nuclear weapons. i would like to continue our efforts so that no one else has to become a survivor of an atomic bomb. >> survivors known as hibakusha are getting older with their average age now over 83, but

many continue to speak out against the horrors of nuclear weapons. the coronavirus pandemic prevented many people from taking part in here osha's memorial ceremony, but this didn't stop them from reflecting on the fateful day 75 years earlier. among those unable to attend was 74-year-old mamas who liveves i tokyo. he was in his mother's womb b wn oopgs the bomb exploded. his father was killed in the blast. he normally attends the annual ceremonyny at the hiroshima a p memorial park every year, but this t time, he did not travel e to coronavirus concerns. instead, on thursday morningng offered silent prayers from his home while watching the memorial ceremony on tv. >> traranslator: it's very regrettable that i can't go

directly. i'm remembering many people who died, including my father. plplease rest in peacece. >> hamamasumi also said he wasa encouraged to see children call for a nuclear free future during the ceremony. a u.s. newspaper has run an opinion piece saying the atomic attacks on japapan in 1945 were nonot necessary. the authors question the view of many americans that dropping the bombs was the only way to end the war. the piece came out in "the los angeles times." the authors claim u.s. leaders knew they didn't have to drop the atomic bombs to win the war but did it anyway. they say evidence from u.s. and japanese archives shows japan would is surrendered in august

of 1945 even if the bombs hadn't been used. and they say the evidence shows president truman and his closest advisers knew it. the ahorslso say tman kneww aoviet i iasion would kno japan out o of the war. there has been a persistent beliliefn the s.s. that the aticombingsere necessar but rectolls sugst a owing numrf young americanthink they were unforgivle. > turni thehe present day, th u. secreta of stat is caing oncagain forhina to join a k treat bweenhe u.s.s. a ruia. mike pompeoas responding t a estion aut talkso renew the agreement as hiroshima marked the atomic bombing anniversary. >> president trump literally since i first met him, first in my role as cia director and now as secretary of state, has made clear one of his top priorities is ensuring that we don't have a

really bad day in the wrorld as a result of a nuclear weapon being used. >> he called the u.s., russia and china three nuclear powers with significant capabilities. he said it's important for them to create a more stablble stratetegic situation. the new s.t.a.r.t. treaty, a nuclear arms reduction deal between the u.s. and russia is due to expire in february. negotiations for an extension have stalled while the trump admininistration calls for chins participation. a senior chinese arms control official said in july that beijing would be happy to join try lateral negotiations, but only if washington is willing to cut its nuclear arsenal to china's level. in a recent nhk survey, over 80% of u.s. respondents said they want to know more about the atomic bombings of japan.

we look at why opinions on this issue are changing. >> my name is mary and i'll be your guide today. >> reporter: mary popeo is from the u united states, lived in e hiroshima since 2016 and works as a guide at the atomic bomb side. she's leading the first online tour of the peace memorial uniform. >> his uniform was burned to his skin, so his mother had to cut it off using scissors. >> reporter: with international travel disrupted, it was created for ngo i can for people around the world. popeo's own views on nuclear weapons chained greatly after she heard firsthand accounts of survivors after ot tommic bombings and now wants to explain the devastation to visitors.

>> reporter: the aim on the online tour is to reach young people around the world. over the past few years many of them have changed their views on nuclear weapons significantly. in 2015 in a poll by a u.s. think tank 47% of young americans said they felt the bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki were justified. by contrast, an nhk poll of young americans this year said only 31% felt they were necessary while 42% said they were forgivable. nearly 70% said they feel nuclear weapons are unnecessary. emery says there's growing support for this movement. >> i thinknk thahat i it's a ti period growing up that you

realize that something is very wrwrong with our government. >> reporter: under the trump administration tensions have risen with north korea and iran. rubino sayss a growing numbeber americanans likike her are alar by the hugbubudget d doted to developing n nuclear arms. >> that money instead c could b usused for free heaealth care,, medicare f for all, tuitioion, college tuition. a lot of students in the united states have taken large debt to go to school. >> reporter: many young people in america seem to feel that countries should not follow policies that assume war is unavoidable and that change is needed. the peace museum's online tour let by popeo takes about 30 minutes. >> h he wass in his front yard riding on this tricycle when the bomb exploded, burning both him

and the tricycle and he died later that evening. >> reporter: her aim is to drive the message home that those who died in the atomic bomb attack which each individuals whose lives were cut short. today young americans are among those leading the campaign for peace and working to ensure that the tragedy of hiroshima is never repeated. we turn now to the u.s. presidential election. president donald trump says he's concerned about voter fraud in nevada. he's criticizing the state for passing the law that will give a mail-in ballot to every registered voter. >> i don't believe the post office can be set up. they were given no notice. you're talking about millions of votes. it's a catastrophe waiting to happen. >> trump described nevada as a

big and very political state. he claimed the democratic governor's policy of expanding mail-in voting will lead to fraud. the state passed a law this week, the president's campaign filed suit in a federal court to try to block it. also on the campaign trail, trump's opponent joe biden will not be attending the democratic national convention. he'll accept the party's presidential nomination online. the democratic national committee said wednesday that biden made that decision to help keep people safe from the coronavirus. the convention will be held in milwaukee, wisconsin, over four days starting august 17th. the republican party has canceled national convention events in florida this month, also because of the coronavirus. trump had been expected to deliver his acceptance speech there. japan and the united kingdom have agreed to work together to respond to the coronavirus and

support freedom in hong kong. japanese foreign minister met his british counterpart dominic rob in london foror talks on wednesday. they agreed the two countries will work closely to help set up an international framework for the distribution of vaccines and medicines for covid-19. the ministers also agreed to work side by side in making sure that freedom and the rights o o residentnts and busininesses ar exexpected in hong g kong. japan andnd britatain wilill al promote greater security cooperation against the backdrop of china's intensifying military activity in the south china sea and around the region. he's the first japanese cabinet member to travel abroad in about six months due to the coronavirus pandemic. the two sides said officials will arrange the early holding of a so-called two plus two meeting that would include the respective defense ministers.

north korean leader kim jong-un ordered emergency relief to the residents of kiss song after the city was sealed off amid a coronavirus scare. the ruling party newspaper reported on thursday that kim analyzed a report on the situation in the quarantined area. he or deferred food and funds to be supplied to residents. north korea state-run media reported previouously that a defector to south korea returned to kiss song and was suspected of carrying the coronavirus. it says the southwestern border city was sealed off and a state of maximum emergency was put in place. observers say the north korean leadership wants to show support for people struggling with economic hardship while underscoring efforts to contain the spspread of the coronanavir.

♪ japanese astronaut hoshide akihiko says he is looking forward to his third trip to the international space station scheduled for next spring. hoshide will become e e second japanesese to seserve as comman of the iss and will head to the space statioion on the second operational flflight of the u.s crew d dragon spacacecraft. before that, another japanese astronaut will be on board on the first flight of the operational phase as early as september. speaking from houston in an

online news conference, hoshide said japan's space development is highly regarded. >> translator: i hope that we will do our best on the international space station to enhance our reputation and build momentum on the next mission to the moon and mars. >> hoshide said the age has arrived when people from various fields will be traveling to space. he r referred to plans f for totourists to stay at the iss. he wants members of the public to e enjoy spacece travel. his first visit to the iss was in 2008 on the u.s. space shuttle. he returned to the space station on russia's soyuz spacecraft in 2012. the remnants of a typhoon are posing threats of flooding rains and fierce winds. our meteorologist sayaka mori joins us with the forecast. >> heg put made landfall on thursday morning and it has become a low pressure system and is drifting over the sea of japan. it is intensifying further.

it's expect to pound northern japan on friday, expecting to cause typhoon-like strong wind gusts and also heavy rainfall, nearly 200 millimeters possible in hokkaido, not just rain and winds. we might see heavy thundershowers, plus tornadoes are possible and also very dangerous conditions are expected to pound northern japan, especially hokkaido. the attached frontal system will cause a line of thunderstorms across hjorth earn japan and parts of western japan. meanwhile, there's a front across portions of china. the system has been bringing heavy rainfall to parts of the country. take a look at this video from shang she province. multiple roads h he c collapseds a result and a natural gas pipeline exploded early wednesday.

surging rivers have swept cars away and close to 500 supreme to be relocated to safety. the frontal system will likely shift to the south a little bit. areas from inland china to the east coast will see heavy rainfall and heavier rain is expected for south korea which has been dealing with copious amounts of heavy rainfall since the beginning of august. you have over 70 millimeters already. additional 200 millimeters possible for the next three days or so. there's a potential tropical depression over the ocean. this system will likely head towards the north aiming for the okinawa region as we go into weekend. temperatures on the hot side in chong shin. tokyo will see 36 degrees. it's going to be the hottest temperature of the year so far. so watch out for heat stroke. meanwhile temperatures will be on the rise across the west

coast because this low pressure system will bring warm air from the south. parts of spain could see a high of 45 degrees. even london will see 35 on friday. that's it for me. stay cool. ♪

that wraps up the top stories for this hour on nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara from tokyo. thanks very much for watching and do stay with us for more.

♪ this is "newsline" biz, i'm gene otani. tpp says free trade will help the global economy over come the impact of the c coronavirus pandemic and return to growth. the delegateses from japan and n other members countries of the tpp adopted a joint statement at an online meeting. they pledged to strengthen supply chainss and promote digitalization -- digitizetian.

after the world. he said he believes the trade block will play a critical role in that process. the philippine economy has suffered its largest quarterly drop on record due to the covid-19 pandemic. the country's statistical authorities say gdp from april to june shrank 16.5% from the same period last year. this is the second straight quarterly decline and the biggest plunge since the current method of data keeping began in 1981. an especially harsh lockdown from mid march drove down personal consumption. officials add businesses suffered in all sectors with agriculture being one of the exceptions. the pandemic pushed up the unemployment rate to 17.7% in april. another all time high. the government eased the

restrictions in june in a bid to revive the economy. a recent surge in the number of infections prompted it to reimpose the measures this week in the capital manila and elsewhere. toyota motor is one of the few firms that has managed to weather the global financial downturn of recent months. the japanese automaker says despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic it was able to turn a profit in the latest quarter. toyota's earnings report shows the group stayed in the black for the april to june period. that's despite the fact sales were down 40% in yen terms from a year earlier. operating income dropped 98% and nett income was d down 74% to 1 billion yen or about $1.5 billion. toyota says cost cutting efforts kept income in positive territory. the automaker now projects it ll sell 9.1 million vehicles globally in the year through

march. that's up from earlier projection of 8.9 million. it says sales are rising in china. toyota also forecast it will have a net incncome of about $6 billion f for the current fisca year. u.s. secretatary of state me pompeo annnnounced a policy to limit the activities of chinese communications firms and wants u.s. allies to join the campaign. >> we want to see untrusted chinese apps removed from american app store. we're protecting sensitive information and business intellectual property includinc. > pompeo say they're sisignificant threats because t parent comompanies are based in chinina. thee u.s. government claims tha personal data registered with those apps are handed over to a beijing. pompeo called on companies in

other countries to join what he called the clean network. in july japan started requiring retailers to charge for plastic bags to reduce waste. for some the rule is an inconvenience, but it's rather tame compared to the situation in kenya. the country has a complete ban on plastic bags with stiff penalties for violators. >> reporter: at a market in the suburb of kenya's capital nairobi, plastic bags are a taboo sight. they were band in the country three years ago. now shops can only offer bags made with non-woven fabric or paper. >> translator: when the measure first took effect, we were worried how it might work. now we're managing. >> reporter: the ban applies to retailers as well as consumers and tourists, but not everyone is on board. some stores secretly use cheap and convenient plastic bags, so

authorities have been cracking down with stiff penalties, even arrests. >> reporter: over the past two years, more than 1,000 people nationwide have been hauled in for breaking the law. violators could be fined up to $40,000 or imprisoned for up to four years. >> if they continuee defying th ban, we are actually going to close the markets completely. we are out every single day. we are going to carry out arrests u until kenya is plasti free. >> reporter: kenya enacted the law as it grapples with a garbage crisis. the government lacks the resources to clean up the waste in these areas. plastic trash often ends up blocking rivers and causing problems for farmers whose

livestock eat it by mistake. >> they tried -- when the ban came they tried to say no, the law is against the small traders t vendors, the common man. but i think nobody wants to live in the dirty environment, there's a lot of support. >> reporter: some owners of small stores and street sellers are having trouble with the hard line approach. charles roney secretly kept using plastic bags after the law took effect. they are much cheaper and help keep his sugar canes from drying out. last year he got caught during a surprise inspection. he had to pay a fine of 5,000 kenyan shillings or about $50. >> reporter: surrounding

companies are now taking similar measures. as plastic bans spread, it remains to see how strict enforcement will be and how much peoplele will accept it. let's have a look at the markets. ♪

frorom the "newswsline biz"m in tokyo. i'm gene otanini, thanks very yh for joining us.

>> emmanuel macron says lebanon will continue to sink unless reforms are made. the french president in beirut two days after a blast kills 135 people and wounding 5000 others. anger among populations mounting 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely for six years is believed to be the cause of the blast. overtakes europe with the highest number of covid-19 deaths in the world. thank you for joining us here on france 24. the french president is in