♪ ♪ welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. we begin here in tokyo, where people are struggling with the scorching summer heat. health officials say 79 people died of heatstroke in the capital so far this month. they say about 80% of the victims were age 70 or older. most of them either didn't have an air conditioner or were not using it. the officials say this summer has been especially hard for the elderly, as temperatures spiked immediately after the prolonged rainy season ended the start of august.

they are advising people to use air-conditioning around the clock and to drink water frequently to minimize the risks. death valley in the u.s. state of california has reported what could be the hottest air temperature on record. it's 54.4 degrees celsius there. the u.s. national weather service says if the preliminary figure is verified, it would be one of the highest recorded on earth. hotter temperatures have been recorded in the past. the same valley marked 56.7 degrees in 1913. a location in tunisia hit 55 degrees in 1931. but some experts question the accuracy of those readings, and say the temperature logged sunday is the highest credible one. wildfires have been raging in california, as it endures scorching heat of over 40 degrees coupled with dry air. fire tornanadoes accompapanied whirirls of f smoke and blazing

fires burned in the northern part of the state on saturday. weather officials issued a special evacuation alert. the national convention of the united states democratic party has opened to officially pick its presidential candidate. former u.s. vice president joe biden is expected to be nominated on tuesday. the party initially plplanned t bring togethther memembers and dedelegates inin milwaukee b bu to l limit the in-person presen due e to the pandemic. most speeches at the four-day convention are being made online. >> together we must build a nation that is more equitable, more compassionate, and more inclusive. i know that joe biden will begin that fight on day one. >> biden is scheduled to participate remotely from his home state of delaware and will give his aeptance eeeech o

thursd. the party wi a also provove s platform during the convtition which h servess an election ededge. the democrats llll forn incrse in spding to mbat e coronarus as wl as providg a vacce to eve erican free of charge. president donald trump addressed his supporters in wisconsin in the state where democrats are holding the convention. > do you want to o crush our ececonomy ununder the crazy socialist policies of sleepy joe biden n and his boss, , kamala harris, or do you want to quickly rebuild the strongest economy in the history of the world, which we did? we're going to have to do it again. we're going to have to do it again. we're in the process of doing it. >> trump will deliver a speech at the white house next thursday after accepting the republican nomination. israel wants to launch direct flights to the united arab emirates over saudi arabia.

the plan comes after last week's landmark deal between israel and the uae to normalize ties. on monday, prime minister benjamin netanyahu said the routes would link tel-aviv, dubai, and abu dhabi in three hours. saudi arabia's airspace is currently closed to israeli airliners. riyadh has been a key presence among arab countries that are hostile toward israel. in 2018, saudi arabia started allowing air india to fly over its territory to tel-aviv. reuters says israel viewed the move as a positive sign. economic analysts are expecting the japanese economy to grow during the current quarter despite a record contraction in the previous period. but some are not sure whether the expansion will be sustained.

japan's cabinet office announced on monday that gdp shrank nearly 30% annualized in real terms in the april through june period compared with the previous quarter. the figure was the worst since comparable data became available in 1980. for the july to september period, many private research firms are forecasting positive growth, saying the economy has recovered since a state of emergency was lifted in may. some are even citing annualized growth of more than 10%. but one analyst says that despite the optimism, growth for the current quarter could be relatively small. >> translator: if the current quarter continues to be sluggish from autumn onward, gdp will grow at a very low rate or plunge into negative territory in october to december. >> for the fiscal year that ends in march, the cabinet office projected last month that gdp will contract by around 4.5% in real terms. the office is now saying that to maintain that projection, the

japanese economy must expand at an annualized rate of around 13.6% for three consecutive quarters. the economies of southeast asian countries are also feeling harsh effects of the coronavirus pandemic. data for the april to june quarter shshows that singapore' gdp shrank more than 13% from the same period last year. that's the steepest contraction since 1976 when such data was first released. thailand is down over 12%. that is the worst since 1998 when the country was hit by the asian financial crisis. the economy of malaysia contracted over 17%. the philippines, more than 16%. indonesia is the region's largest economy, and it shrank over 5%. it is the first time in 21 years for the figure to come in negative. travel restrictions imposed in response to the pandemic took a big toll on tourism in the region.

personal consumption also plunged after authorities placed restrictions on social and business activities. some analysts believe that investors may pull money out of these emerging economies unless their situation improves. the philippines government will ease coronavirus restrictions in and around its capital manila from wednesday. it's an apparent bid to revitalize the domestic economy. the move comes despite the continued spread of infection in the country. president rodrigo duterte said in a televised speech on monday that the pandemic has caused the global economy to plunge and put mamany people out ofof work. he saiaid his gogovernment can n longer afford to compensate citizens and companies affected by the lockdown. the country had been graduduall easing lockdown measures since june, but a spike in infections triggered renewed restrictions on outings and business activities in manila and four

neighboring provinces on august 4t4th. most businesses in the region will now be able to resume nonormal operations from wewednesday. figures from johns hopkins university show almost 1 165,00 coronavirus cases in the philippines and ov 2 2,600 deaths. the global tally now stands at more than 21 million cases while the death toll has exceeded 774,000. nursing care facilities may soon have new help in their efforts to minimize the risk of infections in the form of robots. by its very nature, nursing care work involves a lot of physical contact, making it difficult to avoid the so-called three cs, close contact, confined and crowded situations. at this facility in tokyo, a robot is taking the place of the human therapists.

>> this robot helps elderly people to do rehabilitation exercises, for which human caregivers often need to be nearby and speak loudly. the facility has also introduced robots that can monitor the breathing papatterns of the residents while they're in bed, so that care workers can reduce the amount of contact during the night. japan's welfare ministry has set up new sections to support the development and promotion of robots that can help with nursing care. this placeced ate of the art robots, including one that can deliver meals and another that allows conversations betweween elderlrly residents anand famil members at home. >> translator: it is important that robots are introduced to help improve the overall quality of the nursing care that is provided. >> these robots can also decrease personal contact, raising the hope that they can help reduce the risk of infections.

north korea's state-run media says a key party meeting will discuss improving what it calls fighting efficiency. the plenary meeting of the central committee of the ruling workers party will take place wednesday. its stated aim is to discuss and decide on an issue of crucial significance. the meeting would come one day after the u.s. and south koreae kicked off joioint military exerercises. the drills appear to have angered north korea, and it may take retaliatory measures against the two countries. committee members may also discuss preventing the coronavirus from entering the country. pyongyang claims to have no confirmed cases. the plenary session will be the first since last december.

at that session, leader kim jong-un indicated that his country may review its promise to halt nuclear weapons testing and icbm test launches. he also said he would soon reveal a new strategic weapon. the post-election turmoil is increasing in belarus. calls are growing for president alexander lukashenko to step down. even state-run enterprises under the control of the government are joining the protest. lukashenko visited a state-run factory in the capital, minsk, onon monday. during his speech he stressed that the vote was free of fraud, but he was heckled by the crowd with somome chanting to get out. the president had to suspend his address momentarily. the country's state broaoadcast is also taking part in the protesest by going on strike. lukashenko apparently won his sixth term in the august 9th election with 80% of the vote.

the e protesters have respondedy taking to the streets in the capital saying the contest was rigged. his main rival in the election, svetlana tikhanovskaya, is now in neighboring lithuania. in a videoeo message, she sasaie is ready to o act as the nation leader.. the japanese embassy in belarus said one of its citizens in his 20s is in custody in a detention facility in minsk after being captured by authorities last week. embassy officials are investigating why he was detained and whether he was taking part in protests. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ here's a look at what the weather will be like in your part of the world. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ that's the news this hour. i'm gene otani. for all of us here at nhk

"newsline," thanks very much for joining g us. ♪ welcome to "newsline" in depth. the pandemic is not just spreading a virus it's also spreading fear, people fret about their health, their livelihoods and their future. social distancing may keep us safe from infection but it also leads to emotional isolation. across t the globe, that isolatn is taking a growing toll on people's mental health. those already struggling with mental health disorders are especially vulnerable and that includes people in the grip of

drug addiction. in the united states, the problem has health officials sounding a new coronavirus alarm. >> this man is from the state of florida. he died in april at just 28 years of age. his mom has found memories of her son. >> the best wayay to descscribe chandler, he h had suchh a grea sense of humor, he loved people and he loved to be the comedian. >> he says chandler got sidetracked when he was 19. he suffered a shoulder injury and during his recovery became addicted to painkikillers. he was drug-free for more than two years. >> hi, i'm michelle. >> he and his mother shot video to tell people about what they went througugh.

>> i'm excited about our talk. i have a great relationship with my family again. i have great job again. i'm healthy, i'm happy. >> but the pandemic threw chandler into a spiral. he w was working at a restauran and lost hisis job. that forced him to spend his days at home alone. a month later he was found dead in his apartment from an apparent oveverdose. >> i i thoughtht we were over t pointt of the harard drug use, hardesest day -- i it wasas the hardest day of my life. i couldn't believe it. >> patients in treatment centers around the country are facing similar issues. this facility treats about 40 people recovering from addiction. the pandemic hasas preventeted

from meeeeting face toto face. counselingng sessions are held online. the hope it will ease anxiety but pararticipants say they're still feeling t the stress of isolation. >> alslso desperately desire hun contact and being in the presence of other people in the same room and so i'm definitely looking guard to getting back to normal. >> one study warns that if the pandemic gets worse, 1 in 150,000 could be at risk from so-called death of despair. some e experts say the worst effect may be seenn in sococial disadvantaged cocommunities. >> we are partiticularly concerd about those who were vulnerable to begin with,, samhsa is workig

very harard to maintain the accessibility and t the qualityf treatmtment, y you know, for pe with mental health coconditions as welll as issues around substance u use and substance u disorders, you know, during this time. >> the u.s. is already battling a rise in coronavirus infections, at the same time health officials must help those who are fighting addictions make it through the pandemic alive. before covid-19 arrived on the scene, the u.s. was fighting an epidemic of opioid abuse. in 2017 death from drug overdoses exceeded 70,000, the highest figure on record. public awareness campaigns and medical treatments helped improve that situation, there were a almost 3,000 fewer death

in 2018 then the coronavirus came along and erased that progress. the risk facing mentally vulnerable people in the population are greater than ever. moving now to japan, which has seen a draramatic increase in t numberer of people seeking suppt for mental health problems. the reasons may differ, but the symptoms are familiar, life in turmoil and people under stress. for this woman, the feeling of anxiety became too overwhelming in late may. >> translator: before t the pandemicic, how did you relieve stress? >> transnslator: i used to exercise outside and meet u up with friends. now, i realize how important that was. >> at 58 she had a love of travel and t taking l long walk. but the thought of getting infected and then giving the

virus to someone else made her afraid to leave the house. soon, shehe developed insomnia d eventually diagnosed with depression. i know we can't say when the pandemic will end, but if we lift restrictions everyone will go outside. and i'm scared that can make the virus spread. >> she's not alone in that fear. her psychiatrist said many of his patients arere scared of th virus itself, but some worry now more about social isolation and losing their jobs. for many, the symptptoms statar with a general feeling of impending doom and loss of appetite >> translator: when stress piles up you're more likely to become depressed. people don't always need psy

psychiatry treatment. they can relieve stress just by talking to someone. >> t translator: here we hold counseling >> translator: japanese hot lines have been flooded with stressed out callers. the number of clients jumped by 50% starting in march, now averaging 1500 cases per month. some are some overcome with money worries they don't know where to start, so counselors are taking on a new and time-consuming job, helping to government bureaucracy >> translator: we have to search for the right application for each person because it's difficult to find. our clients are panicked and can't do the search themselves. >> when couounsel lors get a really difficult call, they rely on coworkers b but that's not a

easy as it used to be. about half now work from home, exposing them to the loneliness that clients struggle with. an online group meeting held every few w weeks so staff can share their ownwn feelings. >> transnslator: i used to talk with o other counselorss but no wowork fro home i need to find way to get peace of mind. the intensity of calls have also increased with more clients expressing suicidal thoughts. the center's director is now looking for more counsel lors to keep up with the growing demand of services and those trying to help. >> translator: we need to give a time and place to relieve stress, we need to continue supporting one another and look for new ways to maintain their mental health. >> with the future no more

certain today than at the start of pandemic this mental health crisis won't soon be resolved. a doctor says more recently anxiety over jobs and money are adding to people's fears of the virus itself, so even if a vaccine is developed soon the mental health issues could be plaguing us for much longer, to be sure there's no easy fixes when fighting a global crisis like this, but perhahaps we cou try laughing. experts tell us there are powerful health benefits. [ laughter [ laughter [ laughter ] >> laughter yoga, according to experts, it reduces stress and increases immunity, originating in india, people laughing without any particular reason. over the past decade, its

popularity in japan has been growing steadily. there's sumo laughter. and airplane laughter. a psychiatrist and hospital director. noting its therapeutic uses, he introduced laughter yoga in patient treatment a decade ago. the results were so good that he began offering free monthlilessons five years ago to the local community. but d due to the coronavirus, h had to rethink these lessons. he turned to an online video conferencing app to continue helping peoplele. >> transnslator: many don't't k

how to cope e with being unableo gogo out and beingng stuck at h. i want to show them how to release s stress with laughter. >> in one of his sessions, people from around japan, many who found out about them on social media, joined in. this form of yoga is quite simple. one makes a funny gesture, the othehers copy it, and then they all laugh together. >> translator: i feel the shock and can't't help but laughing. >> and there's fishing. and even swimming. somehow watatching others crackg up makes it all the funnier. >> translatotor: when i stay at home, i feel alone.

but this way i connect with others and share laughs, i feel it's very good for me. >> translator: taking actction hehelps you feel positive, just try laughghing when feeling dow. >> a famous japanese proverb says, but with your heart will follow. try laughing even if you don't quite feel like it, it could offer some peace of mind. best of all it's contagious who needs a punch line. the battle against the coronavirus is playing out not just in hospitals but in our hearts and minds, making human connections and while that can harder to do online, another powerful weapon -- human creativity. thank you for watching and see you again n next time.

♪ ♪ >> the verdict to being read

today and the 2005 a bombing assassination of the former hariri. prime minister at. democrats take aim donald trump as the first online convention takes place. cases of covid-19 growing in france