♪ thank you for joining us from our studio in tokyo. this is nhk "newsline." we begin in japan where experts advising the government are optimistic that the worst of the coronavirus has passed. tokyo reported 95 new cases monday the first time the daily figure dropped below 100 in nearly seven weeks. officials say younger adults are still at the center of the outbreak. people in their 20s and 30sade

up about 60% of the new infections. the capital has now confirmed more than 19,400 cases. across japan 493 new cases brought the national total to nearly 64,000. experts say the outbreak has likely peaked but the panel is still advising the government to hold off on lifting the 5,000-person cap on events at least until the end of next month. >> translator: the proportion of untraceable cases remains high, and we s still d don't know the impact of travel over the summer holidays. the risk of the virus spreading further is still there, so we need to remain

>> fireworks lit up the skies over tokyo in a surprise event. for centuries people in japan have used the colorful displays to ward off pests and now a pandemic. >> translator: the colorful fireworks are so beautiful. >> natations are still racing t develop a covid-19 vaccine. the world health organization is calling on countries to ensurur they will be distributed fairly. >> we are working with manufactururers to ensure a all countries will have timely and equitable access to all vaccines licensed and approved. >> the w.h.o. chief said 172 countries are now working with the covid-19 vaccine global accessacility.y. the agency creaeated the progra wiwith an internatitional organinizaon. but the united states and china have not said they'll

participate. meanwhile, researchers at the university of hong kong say they've confirmed the world's first case of reinfection with the coronavirus. they suggest patients who recovered should be vaccinated and keep wearing masks. the research team announced monday a 33-year-old man contracted thehe virus a s sond time this mononth after his f f infection i in latee march. the teamm and h health a author say the man spent about two weeks in hospital and was discharged after testing negative. then his second infection was confirmed at an airport screening upon his return to hong kong from a trip to spain via britain earlier this month. he has not developed any symptoms and left hospital last friday. the researchers say the gene sequence of the virus detected in the second infection was partially different from that of the first one. they said this case shows that while coronavirus patients

develop antibodies, the levels could decrease after a few months. data from john hopkins university shows the number of cases worldwide has topped 23.5 million. officials of japan's ruling party say prime minister abe shinzo will be working normally after a medical test that prompted speculation over his health. he is expected to focus onn the fight against the coronavirus and measures to boost the economy. abe visited a university hospital in tokyo for the second time in a week on monday. he received the results of a test he took last week and underwent additional tests. abe told reporters that he'll take all measures to manage his physical condition but said he would not comment on the nature of the tests or the results. >> i hope the prime minister will exercise leadership while

taking care of his health. >> there are concerns over abe's health within the opposition camp which wants to hold an extraordinary diet session to debate the government's response to the coronavirus and other issues. >> translator: i wish for abe to be in the best of health i him in good condition when i challenge him in an extraordinary diet session. >> on monday he broke the record for a japanese leader serving the most days in office. 2,799 days. turning no the united states, president donald trump has formally become the republican party's nominee for president at the party's national convention. >> this convention will come to order! >> the four day event opened at

a convention center in charlotte, north carolina. the whole of last week's democratic convention was held online to prevent coronavirus infection. the republican convention is being scaled down and partly broadcast remotely. on monday, trump secured his party's nomination in a vote by party delegates.s. mike penence was formally nominated as the party's vice presidential candidate. >> this is going to be, and i really believe this, this is the most important election in the history of our country. don't let them take it away from you. >> as key policy for the second term trump stressed he will strengthen the military, create 10 millionon jobs, and take bac jobs from china and other countries.s. >> before the plague came in from china, that's where we were going. we were going in a direction like we had never seen, the most successful economy in the

history ofof our country, the bt unemployment numbers in history for african-american, asian n american, hispanic amerirican, women, college students, bad students, good students, everybody. >> trump also claimed democrats are using the coronavirus to defraud the american people of a fair and free election. trump is expected to wrap up his -- ramp up his attacks on democrcratic presidential nomom joe biden in a a bid to catch u with him. biden has constantly led trump in the opinion polls. turning to belarus massive protests have been building. tens of thousands of people took part in the rally in the capital minsk on sunday calling for the resignation of president lukashenko. the country's defense chief threatened use of militarary to control the demonstration.

lukashenko was re-elected to a fifth term in the presidential election on august 9th. protesters say the results were ririgged. demonsnstrators approached as close as a a few meters frorom security forces. but no major clashes occurred. state media showed lukashenko watching the protest from a helicopter before landing. he then stepped out wearing a bullet proof vest and holding a rifle. the media also reported lukashenko offered his thanks to the security forces and they responded with applause. tensions have been mounting as the defense minister has said any threats to peace and order would be dealt with by the army not the police. when disaster strikes people across japan head to emergency shelters but some worry those fleeing tsunami, typhoons, and earthquakes during a pandemic may face another danger.

our next story reports -- our next report focuses on two communities t that found a solution for crowded shelters was hiding in plain sight. >> reporter: this city is where the first was born more than 450 years ago. it is also famous for buddhist temples. lots of buddhist temples. more than 300 of them. when the city started looking for more disaster sites it realized the solution might be right inside. they were already short of evacuation spaces for some 5,000 people. the pandemic added to the urgency. >> translator: we were ordered to make suree each evacuee woul have four square meters of space. >> reporter: anai set out to talk to the temple overseers. the temples were better suited to serving as temporary shelters than he expected. evacuees could sleep right on

the flooring and many temples are divided into multiple rooms, allowing for social distancing. the grounds are often large enough for cooking and food distribution as well as parking. >> translator: my fundamental belief is temples should helelp people. we're quite willing t to accommodate ththos in dire straits during natural disasters. >> reporter: the city hopes to cultivate similar relationships for temporary evacuation sites all over town. next door is the city of toyota famous for the car company that is based there. municipal planners think they can assist in emergencies without even moving. the city hopes vehicles powered by rechargeable batteries can provide electricity in times of crisis. that would reduce the need for evacuation shelters.

this car could supply four days of electricity for an average family. >> translator: by providing power vehicles like these could enable people to stay home in a disaster related blackout. >> reporter: the city created a sticker to identify cars of any manufacturer that can do the job. it is also encouraging residents to buy vehicles of that sort so that half the cars in town will fit the bill by 2025. >> evacuation doesn't always have to involve a formal facility. in the right circumstances, other places may be good enough. >> reporter: natural disasters can come in an instant. these two cities hope to be ready by thinking outside the evacuation shelter box. now to world weather. a typhoon has brought downpours to the southern islands in japan

and is still affecting areas in asia. our meteorologist joins us with details on what people needed t watch out for. >ver the eastern chihina seat has swept across the eastern okinawa r region last weekend a saw about 250 millimeters of rain in just 12 hours and will be stronger as it moves over the yellow sea. waves and winds will be picking up in the eastern coast of china and south korea as we go into tuesday night and heavy rain may hit the korean peninsula and northeastern china as we go into mid week. severe winds will also produce heavy rain in southwestern japan. peek could see 200 to 300 millimeters of rain over the next couple of days. it will be on the dry side in fukuoka but will produce hot temperatures. 37 degrees may be the high on

tuesday. a high of 37 degegrees with scatattered showers. we have two other tropical storm systems over the gulf of mexico and caribbean. marco is over the florida coast and there will be minimal impact on shore but storm surges and coastal flooding could be the main concerns. laura hit haiti bringing destructive winds and downpours. cuba will get stormy weather as the storm system sweeps through. into the gulf of mexico of as we go into tuesday there will be energy from the hot waters a an it will become a hurricane by mid week and as it does so laura could impact louisiana and mississippi with the possibility of coastal flooding. meanwhile, in the southwestern u.s. people are dealing with scorching temperatures and a high of 32 degrees, 34 degrees in denver with scattered showers. dry and hot temperatures will

persist throughout the week. that is all for now. stay s safe. ♪ ♪

>> that brings us to the end o this edition of nhk "newsline." thank you for staying with us. ♪ ♪ xxxx welcome to "newsline in depth." the coronavirus pandemic has been driving many businesses to the brink with shoppers avoiding crowds. today we look at creative responses that aim to turn the negatives into opportunities. japanese manufacturers are famous for quality. that's because big brands have

solid ties with the small factories that make their parts. in a coronavirus world, however, these connections aren't always the best thing. our story looks at a service that may provide a solution by matching factories to hidden possibililities. >> japan's supply chain has been ravaged by the ongoing health crisis. without being able to receive parts many large manufacturers were forced to stop production. this didn't just a affect large compmpanies butut alsoadad a devastatin impact on t smaller, local manufacturers they've out sourced, too. these smaller companies often rely on only two or three main clients. showing the need to break the reliance on a few large clients. this man set out to create a quick and easy way to e expand theieir clientelele. >> t translator: mosost of thes small mananufacturers h have tradititionally depended onn lo

ststeady relatationships wit an exextremely limiteded numberr o clientnts. while i it sounds ideal t this be q quite riskyky. if jusust one of their clienent cancels, it could lead to ruin.. we ananalyzed the strenengths a specialtlties of e each of the l mamafacturers s so we can setet prpricing commensurate w with t services and products they offer. >> he created an onlnline platfm to help match t these localal companies with clients from all over japan. potential client companies upload their design specifications for thehe system ununique analysis. they cross reference the design requirements with pricing of all 600 member companies. in just seven seconds perspective clients are provided with the best company to suit their needs as well as a cost estimate. the key to making the estimates so accurate is the degree of information the member manufacturers supply about their

capability. the company gathers 500 data points ranging from technical capabilities and product quality to delivery and pricing details. this allows the system to accurately quantify and evaluate the proroduction capababilities member manufacturers. in addition to providing the evaluation servicice, his compa also acts as an additional level of quality control, checking eaeach order before sending it to the client. >> by u using ourur platfoform, clientnts can receive c compone frfrom cutting edgee produducera compmpetitive price. and our memberranufactuturs can usee our p platformm to findd n clients too make use o of their unique offeringsgs. we really do facililitate win-w relationships. >> reporter: recently, demand for medical equipment such as ventilators and medical grade air pure purifiers has exploded

in response to covid-19. medical device makers who cannot get enonough components from standard supuppliers are using e platform to find new suppliers to help them raramp up producti. this small company recently received orders to create parts for medical devices. while they mainly produce components for semiconductors adding new clients in different fields a allowed them to mainta a higher degree of riskk averersion. >> i i pleasing bee things wili continueue -- >> translator: i think things will continue to be tough but we are getting a lot of orders coming in from new clients we could never have imagined working with before. i was really lucky to f find th platformrmhen i did.. otherwisise, who knows what wou have happenedd to us duringg th health crisis? >> mr. kato feels his platform doesn't just connectct companie. it maximizes the businesss potential for i its membe manufactururers. >> suddedenly shiftining to mak parts f for an entirely newewlit

is challenging, but onc they t overhenititial learng curve, the skill and tecechnal prowess can take o over. i hop to changhe iustry by broadenheir clientele.panies to >> each small factory has its areaf experse s bei ae to choe theight o and make the mt of that special can leadoigher qlity and speed. introdung compaes toach othehe online ptform revesidden potenti. it is greatay to deal with e csis aould inspire other iustriesn the spking of adaptino the post coronavirus world, our next story looks at a couple of companies that are taking technology intended for one purpose and using it for another. they are coming up with safer shopping or dining experiences to deliver their customers peace of mind. >> reporter: a home improvement store near tokyo. since may, the building has had

monitors, 3d sensors at every entrance. they keep track of people entering and leaving. and the monitors indicate how crowded it is inside. the level of congestion is indicated by the color. when there are more than 500 customers in the store, the display turns red. they respond by temporarily restricting the number of people coming in. >> we can see how many people are inside so we don't n need t worry. potential customers can also see how crowded it is and might use that information to decidee not to enter. it is a plus for both sides. >> reporter: the original idea behind the technology was to help shops gauge customer movements and purchasing habits. but with thehe spread of the coronavirus, the developer realized the potential for the system to measure congestion levels, too. >> translator: of course,

customers are important for business. but the benefit of this system is it reduces stress for the staff. >> reporter: this promotional video explains a new kind of restaurant ordering system currently in development. a menu is projected to know a table. customers navigate it by touch. there is no need for interaction between the staff and diners. that reduces the chance of infection. diners can use a qr code to pay at the table. they don't have to hand over cash or a card. because the system doesn't involve printed menus or hand held devices employees only have to disinfect the table. >> translator: the original purpose for this was to address japan's labor shortage. but we could see that it also is useful at preventing close contact between people.

we are hoping to commercialize and release it soon. >> reporter: with a few tweaks to existing technology, businesses are finding innovative ways to keep consumers safe from harm. now our final story looks at a fun promotion for japan's fishing industry. it began as a light hearted campaign before the coronavirus, but it's now become a booster for the industry at a time when orders are down due to falling restaurant sales. this playful program shines an affectionate light on the individuals who catch our dinner. >> reporter: fishermen proudly striking a pose.

this collection is called almori appetizers after the port of almari in japan. the series currently features about 40 real fishermen displaying their catch and physique. the cards are only available with the purchase of seafood. >> i bought a lot. it's fun because you can see the faces behind the products. you feel the connection. i'll enjoy my seafood tonight thinking about these fishermen. >> translator: i have six cards. aren't they great? the models exude such confidence and they're so handsome. they should be thrilled to be in the project. >> reporter: the mastermind behind the collection is an employee of almori prefecture's

fisheries department. this project is turning out to be a big hit. people can't get enough of them. they are selling like hot cakes. >> reporter: from the design to printing, he does all the work himself. the project is meant to address a serious challenge, falling consumption of fish in japan has led to a drop in prices. putting the entire industry into a tight spot. after their launch in december they instantly became a hot topic on social media and are in high demand across japan. qr codes on the back link to a website with more than 600 recipes as well as tutorials on how to fillet a fish. >> translator: the point is to entice people to buy and eat more seafood. the cards are an interesting and fun tool to create a kind of

cycle. then people will realize how good our seafood is and they'll purchase more. isn't that great? >> reporter: he steps out of the office to add one more card to the collection. this man owns a shipping company that ships live squid. he has taken a hit from the cocovid-19 pandemic. [ laughter ]

>> translator: feeling a connection to the fishermen will bring people closer to seafood. if people eat more fish that will raise the fishermens' income. of course aomori seafood is excellent but also fun. we continue these campaigns to promote a fun image. >> reporter: who knew? the hearty fishermen of aomori are proving ththemselves to be quite a catch. >> i'm not a big card collector but i started to feel like i really want some of these. it is reassuring to see the faces of people who provide your food. and the project is done in a way that's playful and friendly. the recipes on the back are a practical touch especially now as people who may not usually cook are increasingly eating at home. and that was a look at some positive developments in the post corona world. living in fear of the virus can be overwhelming. finding creative ways to overcome the difficulties can

help us in our lengthy battle. and that's all for today's "newsline in depth." thanks for watching our program and be sure to do so next time, too. xxxx the german hosospital housing

alalexey navalny indicate that testing shows he was poisoned. hello. you are watching al jazeera. also coming up, leading opposition figures are arrested outside of belarus. the national guard is summit in wisconsin after protests after