. hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news from tokyo. we begin here in japan where the country's longest serving prime minister is stepping down. abe shinzo announced his intention to resign on friday citing worsening health. he said a chronic condition has made it difficult t to fulfill s duties. >> translator: i have to fight this illness and undergo

treatme treatment. my physical condition is not good, and i will be in pain, but that should not be an ekts cues to makee mistakes in important political decisions or fail to produce outcomes. as i am not a physical condition to fulfill the mandate of the people, i am going to step down. oo >> abe said he's been diagnosed with ussive kol lieive earlier this month. kol lieive forced him to resign as prime minister 13 years ago after holding the post for one year. he said he thought this was the best timing to step down because the number of new coronavirus infections are beginning to

decrease and the government has compiled a set of antivirus measures ahead of wintnter. still he apologized to people for resigningng amid the pandem. he shared his regret of not -- he mentioned peace treaty negotiations with russia and the constitutional amendment he's long pushed for. abe said he'll continue to hold office until the next leader is appointed. abe's tenure as the leader of the main ruling liberal democratic party is set to expire next year. ldp lawmakers plan to decide next week how and when to elect his successor. many in japan were shocked to hear of abe's resignation. >> translator: with the coronavirus and the olympics to deal with, i think there should be a new leader immediately to handle things.

>> translator: there were rumors that he wasn't feeling well. i hope he will now be able to get some rest. >> people in the prime minister's constituency also expressed surprise. >> translator: i would like him to continue but there's nothing to be done if that is too difficult. >> translator: i'm shocked, but there have been so many things to deal with. the postponement of the tokyo olympics and the coronavirus, i'm sure he wasn't able to take a break. >> top officials from japan's ruling and opposition parties have commented on abe's intention to step down. the liberal democratic party's policy sheet told reporters hehe'll confirm the facts later. the leader of the coalition party said to nhk abe told him hehe would step down. yamaguchchi added he was very

surprised because it was so sudden. constitutional democratic party also told reporters he was very surprised. he went on to say abe may have been in a worse condition than previously thought. he also said the impact of the resignation is i'm measurable and it would change the political situation in japan completely. moving to reactions to reactions from neighboring countries to abe's resignation. a chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the government is closely watching the situation surrounding abe's resignation. >> translator: even though we're monitoring media reports, i will refrain from commenting on japan's internal affairs. japan is a neighboring country, so we will stay focused on imprproving andevelopingg the bilateral relationship. china has been placing more importance on tie's with japan as tensions between beijijing a washington ratchet up. a state visit to j japan by

president xi jinping was set to take place in april but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. people in beijing expressed concern about abe's resignation. >> translator: the relationship between china and japan has been tense at times, but it was getting better. it would be regrettable if bilateral ties were to become strained under a new prime minister. i hope that a person who is friendly to china will take over from abe. >> relations between japan and china worsened over matters including claims to the senkaku islands in the east china sea. a crawler collided with coast guard ships in 2010. in 2012 the japanese government purchased some of the senkakus from the private owner. japan controls the island. the japanese government maintains they're an inherit part of their territory. a south korean government spokesperson made a statement

saying we are sorry to hear this sudden announcement but are eager to cooperate with a new pr prime minister with an aim of foster good will between south korea and japan. various media outlets reported the story as brbreaking news referrining to sources includin nhk. one saying abe took a hard line stance on historic issues between seoul and s soak i don' one example they give is a ruling over wartime labor handed down over south korean court. the conservative newspaper noted abe has been in office longer than any other japanese prime minister. the daily went on to claim his popularity has been in decline due to perceived weaknesses in his government's response to the coronavirus. given the long history of tensions between the neighboring country there's much interest in south korea as to the identify of the next prime minister.

earlier we spoke. >> why has the prime minister decided to step down. >> abe has been in poor health due to a chronic stomach problem. he was forced to step aside in his firirst time as prime minisr in 2007 after just a year in office due to ulcerative kol lieive. it's unclear that is appeared again. his government has come under heavy public criticism for its handling of the coronavirus crisis, and the cabinet approval rating has been in the doldrums in recent months. meanwhile the gdp's april to

june quota marked the biggest drop since the 2008 financial crisis due to steep decline in consumer spending. the coronavirus pandemic has battered the economy. another factor is uncertainty over whether the tokyo olympics can be held next year after they were postpononed from this year due to the coronavirus. hosting the games was a major ambition of prime minister abe. >> so what happens now? >> japan's ruling democratic party is set to hold a presidential election to choose a successor to abe. the new ldp president becomes new prime minister. a few big names willing likely to join the race. deputy prime minister aso taro,

suga yoshihide da, ishiba shig ear rue, kishida fumio and kono taro. it's believed thatt ishiba is certain to throw his hat in the ring the focus is now on who the forces that have opposed abe will end up his successor to hand -- today marks a start of a hot political season in japan. >> thank you for your insight. >> you're welcome. the daily number of coronavirus infections here in tokyo remains high. the tally has topped 200 for the third day in a row. tokyo metropolitan government officials reported 226 new cases

on friday. the total number of infections in the capital exceeds 20,000. the southern prefecture of okinawa has been under a state of emergency for nearly a month spurred by a rise in cases. officials there have decided to maintain emergency restrictions for a further week and are urging people not to come together in large numbers. across japan, about 67,000 cases have been confirmed. more than 1200 people have died. in france, the prime minister decided to make face masks mandatory in paris. he says the number of new cases could rise exponentially if they don't act quickly. masks are already compulsory in certain crowded parts of paris. the united states and china are trading accusations over each other's actions in the disputed south china sea. the united states says china's

recent military exercises are counterproductive to easing tensions and maintaining stability. the department of defense also claims china launched four ballistic m missiles into the south china sea on wednesday. the pentagon described the moves as an attempt to assert unlawful maritime claims. china has overlapping claims with vietnam, the philippines and other countries in the disputed waters. a senior chinese military official accused t the u.s. of sailingg a warship through its territoriall waters on t thursd without permission. he said the u.s.s. muss ton was sailing off the islands, also known as the pair sell islands. china, vietnam and taiwan all claim them. u.s.ment donald trump wrapped up the last day of the republican party convention. he used his final speech to attack democratic party opponent joe biden and set up his

re-election campaign. >> my fellow americans, tonight with a heart full of gratitude and boundless optimism i profoundly accept this nomination for president of the united states. >> trump delivered the acceptance speech in front of a crowd on the white house lawn. the move itself made waves in political circles since government buildings are not supposed to be used for campaigning. trump also referenced rececent racialal unrest in the country, topic that came up several times over the past four days. the president says his opponents are using the movement to undermine the country's prosperity. >> at the democrat national convention joe biden and his party repeatedly as saltd america as a land of racial, economic and social injustice. so tonight i ask you a simple

question. how can the democrat party ask to lead our country when it spends so much time tearing down our country? >> trump laid out his plans for the future and what he considers his many triumphs. if re-elected, he says he'll build the greatest economy, raising incomes and bringing back jobs. for more insight into the u.s. election in november we spoke with yoko okumi who was a senior fellow at the heritage foundation in washington. the latest poll data shows biden is in the lead. she says there are several rereasons trump still has a chae to win. one has to do with the high approval rating he enjoys within his own party. >> this election is all about trump. enthusiasm for republicans means support for trump.

more than 90% of republicans support him. this number higigher than president reagan's approval who was the most favorite president in republicacan histstory. this also let's trump focus on the battle states like florida, pennsylvania and michchigan. > yokoe says the upcoming presidential debates will b be e keep and could help trump gain in the polls. >> as of know, moderate suorters foror president trump may not start showing up until after the tv debates start, and then they may be ready for trump to show his -- about biden. trump didn't know the political issues as well four years ago. but now he knows everything after these last four years in

the white house. >> the black lives matter movement is another issue. yokoe says that could also play to trump's advantage. she says his law and order may resonate with people worried about security. switching gears for a check on the weather with our meteorologist jonathan oh. sweltering heat and humid

conditions have been covering much of japan. jonathan, will it remain hot this weekend. >> looks like we're talking about mid 30s across tokyo and across a good portion of japan. we talk about temperatures quite warm with the humidity in place as well. we have been watching out for more of an active pattern back toward the west. we what had was bavi moving the the north. we have an unstable front draped across russia toward the korean peninsula. that's where the rain will be. across japan, the pask high bringing in a southerly flow. that's going to keep temperatures up and the humidity will be up as well. it's going to feel quite hot outside. if you're going to be outdoors, make sure you stay hydrated, wear light loose clothing, try to get more shade as opposed to being under direct sunlight. all in all, try to stay cool. heat stroke is a higher risk especially with the temperatures as high as they are. we're seeing rain and possible

thunderstorms scattered from russia, through china, toward the eastern peninsula and toward china. we may see scattered showers across japan. but the main story will be the heat. sapporo 30 for the high on sunday. osaka upper 30s. again, take it easy outdoors. it's going to be quite hot. you're going to be seeing a change in your forecast in naha sunday into monday. we have a tropical storm formed south of okinawa that will make its way toward the north. it will take a couple days to get close to okinawa. we just got writ of bavi, now another system in your direction. we're talking high winds along with high waves that's going to start picking up late sunday and then into monday and tuesday. this storm is expected to become a very strong typhoon. get ready for this particular storm. it's going to make its presence known by early next week.

again, rain from the korean peninsula toward eastern china as we go through saturday. down through the southeastern areas of the united states, we have laura that caused real problems to louisiana and arkansas, now drifting into the eastern areas of the deep south. it's going to interact with a front toward the north. moisture is going to bring the enhanced risk for severe thunderstorms. be on the lookout for that. south and west it's going to be dry and hot to look at on friday. talking about highs into the 40s for las vegas and phoenix before we start to cool down just a tad by the weekend. hope you have a good day wherever you are.

that craps up this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pratt han in tokyo. coming up next is "newsline biz" with ramin mellegard from tokyo. stay right there.

♪ this is "newsline biz," i'm ramin mellegard. japanese prime minister abe shinzo has announced he will step down to deal with health issues. earlier in the day reports of his resignation caused wild fluctuations in tokyo's benchmark stock index. the nikkei 225 briefly plunged more than 600 points or 2.6%. it closed friday at 22,882 down 326 points or 1.4%. share prices were trading higher

in the afternoon session, but tumbled once investors started placing sell orders as the news filtered in. the chairman of the japan business federation, kad an wren says he's surprised he's stepping down. in a statement he says japan faces a mountain of important issues such as handling the pandemic and reviewing its energy policy. he hopes the next prime minisisr will be e elected iftly. a look at t the legacacy of primime ministerer's push too r the economy through his signature abenomics policy. after more than seven years chchallenges remain. >> abenomics tried to pull the economy out of inflation and achieve sustainable growth. dunner the pololicy the bank of japan bought a huge amount of government bonds to boost market liquidity. that helped weaken the yen which supported exports.

the nikkei recovered to the 20,000 mark from under 10,000 before he took office in 2012. abenomics also void the job market. the push for free trade helped the transpacific partnership pact take effect. despite all that japan's economy has shown only limited growth. this year the coronavirus pandemic has cast a long shadow. the economy vanning an annualized 20.8% in the april to june quarter, the largest contracts since 1980. government debt has snow balled despite two hikes in the consumption tax, strand local governments are expected to owe a total of 1100 trillion yen, that's about $11 trillion, more than double t the nation's gdp.

a new contender has emerged to rise the tiktok from the china based parent. retail giant walmart is teaming up with microsoft to bid for the business which has been at the heart of friction between washington and beijing. in a statement walmart says the part shim ship with microsoft will meet the expectatitions of tiktok users and satisfy u.s. gogovernmentnt coconcerns.. presidentt donald d trump sayay tiktok is a national threat as it could share user data with china's government. the company has denied the accusations. trump ordered tiktok's chinese parent byte dance to sell the u.s. operations of the app or face a ban in the country. tiktok is eststimated to h have million users in the u.s. analysts says walmart wants to tap that to expand online business. media reported oracle is already in talks with byte dance. the latest developments come after tiktok ceo quit just

months after starting the job. kevin mayer said he was leaving due to the rapidly changing political environment around the firm. the head of the u.u.s. centl bank unveiled a new and more flexible policy approach toward its inflation target. federal reserve chair jerome powell as the fed could allow the rate to rise moderately above the target. it would maintain easing measures including keeping interestst rates near zero. rate h hikes would occur only after the job market and other areass of the u.s.s. economymy a clear recovery. speaking at an o online economi policy sysymposium, p powell stressed thehe importance of helping those on the bottom rungs of the labor market. >> maximum employment is a broad based and inclusive goal. this change reflects our appreciation for the efforts of a strong labor market

particularly many in low and moderate income brackets. our policy will be informed by our assessment of the shortfalls of employmenent from the maximu level otother than deviatitionsm our m maximumum level as in our previous statement. this change reflects our view that a robust job market can be sustained without causing an outbreak of inflation. >> japan display has decided to sell its smart phone screen factory to apple and sharp. the struggling maker of liquid display panels is an apple supplier. the hack san plant in central japan has been idle for the last year. it will sell the land and buildings to sharp for about $386 million. some of the factory's manufacturing equipment will go to apple for about $280 million. this includes equipment that jdi

decided to sell to the u.s. company in march. jdi constructed the plant after receiving about $1.6 billion from apple in advance to supply it will lcd panels. about 250 people worked there when it opened. the panel maker struggled to pay back the money after the number of orders fell and it was forced to stop the plant's operation last month. jdi officials say they're confident they can return the money after the sale goes ahead. the company spun out of toesh ba's memory chip business is set to go public in what is expected to be japan's largest ipo this year. ththe tokyo stock exchange announced on thursday it had approved the listing of kioxia on october 6th. it started as the memory k4i7 division and was one of the most successful units. it was forced to sell in 2018 to pay for huge losses in its nuclear power subsidiary. investment fund bain capital

which holds a 49.9% stake in kioxia says it plans to sell in stages. the company estimates its market valuation to reach around 2 trillion yen or about $18.8 billion. let's get a check on the markets.

that's it for "newsline biz" from our tokyo studios. i'm rah min mellegard. thanks very much for joining us.

>> you arere watching france 24. itof 8:00 a.m. this morning is compulsory y to wear a fafack in the straight -- in the streets of paris. it has been designated a red zone as cases continue to rise. of new infections has passed 6000 a day. the prime minister is urging local authorities to take action in a bid to avoid a second national lockdown. in central paris. how are parisien's getting on with the new rule?