♪ hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara. we start here in japan, where the race to lead the main ruling liberal democratic party is taking shape. the eventual winner will take over from prime minister abe shinzo when he resigns to deal with health issues and is virtually assured to lead the

country. a win in the diet is nearly a fo foregone conclusion, since it is controlled by an ldp-led coalition. chief cabinet secretaryry suga yoshihide is the first to gain support of large party factcti. he's known as the government's top spokesperson, supporting abe through that role for nearly eight years. suga is expected to announcee hs candidacy when the party officially decides when and how it'll elect a new leader. former foreign minister fumio also long supported abe in the cabinet and as an ldp executive. >> translator: i've made it clear that i am resolved to r r for the party leadership in the next election. i will firmly maintain my motivation and determination and prepare for the moment of truth with unwavering resolve.

>> the former secretary general of the ldp also has shown interest in the post, s saying members of his facaction have encocouraged him to independent decicide whether he'll run. >> translator: i feell i neeeed make up my mind soon, so party members across japan can know what's happening. >> a senior ldp official says the party will likely choose its next leader in two weeks, on september 14th. the party is expected to allow 394 lawmakers and select representatives from each prefecture to cast a ballot. some lawmakers are demanding that all party members get the chance to vote. the outgoing prime minister has spoken with u.s. president donaldld trump about futurure relations between their two countries. abe and trump have enjoyed a particularly friendly relationship, which abe says he hopes will continue no matter who takes over for him.

during their 30-minute conversation, abe thanked trump. he said the japan/u.s. connection remains imporortant amid growing security concerns in parts of asia. abe also asked for continued to support to resolve the issue of japanese nationals abducted to north korea more than three decadesleaders agreed to cooperate to develop drugs and vaccines to deal with the coronavirus. after the call in a twiwitter message, trump described abe as a friend and the greatest prime minister in the history of jajapan. laterr on monday, a abe connect by phone with russian president vlvladimir putin. during their 20-minute talk, putin called abe a trustworthy partner and thanked him for his greaeat contributionsns to the bilateral relationship. abe touched on the longstanding territorial issue between the twtwo countries. they confirmed that the two sides will continue negotiations to resolve the issue.

a powerful typhoon is forecast to move closer to japan's southern prefecture of okinawa. the weather system known as maysak is expected to develop wind gusts of 250 kilometers per hour. stormy weather reached okinawa on monday afternoon withh stron windnds and h heavy rain hittine regionon. >> translator: there are expected to be violent winds over a long period, with okinawa projected to be lashed by the storm for most of the 24-hour period. >> local government officials had already issued evacuation advisories to households and some areas of naha city and oak i can't with oakinawa city on monday. flights were canceled on the day. at naha airport, the terminal

buildings will remain closed from 6:00 p.m. on monday through noon on tuesday. though more coronavirus infections are being confirmed, ththe prefecture's governor is urging people not to hesitate to take shelter if necessary. >> translator: please take refuge at the shelters and homes of relatives s if these will bg safety. >> meteorologist sayaka mori brings us more on the typhoon. >> it was a week ago when the previous typhoon approached the region with record-breaking rainfall. they're experiencing stormy weather once again due to another typhoon, maysak. it's the ninth named storm for the western pacific. maysak is packing gusts of 216 kilometers per hour, and it is a large typhoon that's likely to intensify further into tuesday morning. it'll likely get very close to

okinawa for the next 12 hours or so, then it will likely head to the north and east, probably make landfall in south korea on thursday, and then drift over north korea as we go into late thursday. again, it'll likely intensify. the peak intensity could be 935 hectopascals, the central pressure. it is likely too become the strongest typyphoon of ththe yeo far. gusts could be over 250 kilometers per hour. for okinawa, the peak will be overnight monday into tuesday. we'll be looking at record-breaking, strong winds. gusts could be, again, 250 kilometers per hour. that is a record for some places. also, waves are going to be up to 13 meters. plus, storm surge. that could lead to coastal inundation and an additional 600 millimeters of rain are in the forecast. it could cause many toppled

trees, and several houses could be destroyed by the storm. protests continue across the u.s. against racism and police brutality. one of the flash points is in portland, oregon, with presidedt donald tmpmp and his democratic val j j bidenen trading insults over how the situation is bein handleled. violence erurupted on satuturda. demonstratators clashed with trp supporters, who traveled to the city in a 600-vehicle caravan. one man was shot dead. some media outlets are reporting the victim was wearing a hat bearing the symbol of a far right group. trump is blaming portland's mayor for allowing the death and destruction of his city. trump abuse eccused biden of be unwilling to lead. portland mayor wheeler denounced trump for his campaign fear. in july, trump dispatched federal law enforcement agents to the city without the consent

of the governor or the mayor. >> it's you who have created the hate and the division. it's you who have not found a way to say the names of black people killed by police officers, even as people in law enforcement have. >> biden also criticized trump, saying he was recklessly encouraging violence. he said people are less safe because trump can't do the job of the american people. >> no justice. >> no peace. >> meanwhile, protests continue in kenosha, wisconsin. that's where police fired seven shots into the back of an unarmed black man last week. jacob blake is still recovering in hospital and is now paralyzed from the waist down. trump is planning to visit the city on tuesday, but wisconsin's lieutenant governor says now is not t t time, citing the president's incendiary remarks.

biden will make a campaign stop in the swing state of pennsylvania on monday. he is expected to address saturday's clash in portland. in thailand, thousands of people rallied in the capital on sunday to show their support for the government and monarchy. it comes as the country faces growing student-led protests, calling for reforms to both of those institutions. many of them are concerned about defending the royal family. speaking out against them has long been taboo in the kingdom. >> translator: i was shocked to hear criticism of the monarchy. the demands by these young people are unacceptable. >> one of the organizers suggested, without evidence, that foreign interference was behind the anti-government protests. the authorities recently shut down a facebook page with a million members, where people would discuss reforming the

monarchy. many protesters are worried their calls for change could lead to another government crackdown. in belarus, over 100 protesters have been detained during a massive anti-government rally.y. demonstrators say an election this month was rigged and want president alexander lukashenko to step down. >> an estimamated 100,000 peopl took to the streets of the capital on sunday, which was lukashenko's 66th birthday. it was the latest in a wave of protests over the past three weeks. >> translator: i came here to express my disagreement with the results of the election and my solidarity with political prisoners. i stand for peace for belarus, but not for lukashenko. >> security authorities say the protest was unauthorized and started removing demonstrators. the internal affairs ministry

says 125 people have been detained so far. the country's presidential office says lukashenko t talkedy phone with the russian president vladimir putin. the two leaders will hold a summit in moscow in the coming weeks. putin has been calling for dialogue in belarus to resolve the post-election turmoil. but in a recent media interview he endorsed the election result in a show of support for lukashenko. rescue crews in china's shanxi province spent the weekend combing g through rubbl afafter a restaurant colollapse leaving dozens of dineners and staff trapped. 29 people were killed and many others were injured. the country's state-run xinhua news agency says the incident hahappened on sasaturday mornin the city of linfen. the restaurant was reportedly hosting a birthday party at the time. local residents had been quoted

as saying g the building had undergonone repeated additions recent years. such collapses aren't uncommon in china partly due to illegal construction. the authorities are now reportedly promising to inspect restaurants and hotels across the province and force any that are illegally built t close. with foreign tourist numbers dwindling to almost zero, the coronavirus pandemic has had a massive impact on tourism around japan. so the hospitality industry is coming up with new approaches to attract visitors in the northern prefecture of hokkaido. many hotels are looking to survive through microtourism, targeting people living nearby as their main clientele.

>> reporter: this is a hot spring resort on the outskirts of sapporo. this is one of its longest established hotels. foreign tourists used to comprise 30% of its guests, but since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, it has lost many of its japanese tourists, too. >> translator: there's virtually no one outside on the street. it's a terrible situation. >> reporter: so this hotel has changed tack. it is now aiming to attract people from the nearby city. >> translator: we have measures in place to prevent infections, so you can stay with peace of mind. >> reporter: staff from the hotel are going door to door, promoting new rates of just under 50 u.s. dollars per person for groups of four guests. that's a discount of about 30%. from virtually zero occupancy, it has rebounded to about 40% of capacity on weekends.

most of f the guests are local sapporo residents. >> translator: we are now looking to partner with other tourist facilities in the johzankei area, and create packages so our guests can visit local attractions, too. >> reporter: meanwhile, another hotel in the area is also becoming popular among local people. the attraction herere is guests can avoid all person-to-person contact, from check-in to check-out. >> translator: welcome. >> reporter: it opened in may. now, it's sometimes completely booked at weekends. almost all the guests are from the city. meals are delivered through a special box, including gourmet dishes, such as clay pot beef. it costs from around $105 to $140 per night, per person. the initial plan was to target visitors from abroad.

now, it's caught on among city people, looking for a stylish get sk getaway within easy driving distan distance. >> translator: because it takes less than an hour to get here by car, it is convenient for people from sapporo. i hope guests will use our hub to visit other tourist destinations. >> reporter: with little sign of foreign tourists returning soon, japan's hospitality industry has new approaches to attract local cliente clientele. in taiwan, a 3-year-old child became entangled in a kite and was swept high into the air. the accident happened on sunday at a kite festival in the northern city of hsinchu. the girl was tossed up and down as high as ten meters. people around her rushed to pull the kite back to the ground. local media say the girl was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. they say winds up to 60 kilometers per hour were blowing at the time.

the city officials who organized the festival apologized and said they will take measures to make sure it does not happen again. our meteorologist sayaka mori is back with a look at the rest of world weather. sayaka? >> typhoon maysak is expected to impact the okinawa region overnight monday into tuesday as a very strong and also a large typhoon. it could be the strongest typhoon for the western pacific so far this season. we're expecting record-breaking, strong winds and high surf. also, after affecting the area, the korean peninsula will be directly hit by maysack. it could be the fourth named storm to hit the area this season. naha will see the impact of the storm on tuesday and also possibly into wednesday. tokyo will likely see rainfall almost every day.

temperatures are not going to be too high. the highs will be in the low 30s every day into the weekend. it looks like heavier rain is in the forecast during the weekend because of an approaching other storm. we are looking at a disturbance to the south of japan. this system will likely intensify to a typhoon, or rather a tropical storm. it could be the tenth named storm of the western pacific. the system may intensify even further and may get very close to or even move over the main island of japan. as we go into the weekend,d, wel keep youou posted on e program. let's gogo to north america. last week, hurricane laura hit louisiana as the tenth strongest hurricane to hit the united states in history. take a look at this footage coming out of louisiana. lake charles in southern louisiana is dealingng with the devastating force of hurricane laura. president donald trump toured the areas hit by the storm on

saturday. laura made landfall on thursday as a category 4 hurricane, bringing witness stands of 240 kilometers per hour. the stronongest recorded for th state.e. more than 650,000 people in louisiana and texas lost power. unfortunately, at least 15 people have died because of the storm. the leftover moisture from a frontal system will cause ongoing heavy rainfall over the southeastern united states. the risk of flooding and landslides will remain high across the southeast. and a long line of rainfall will likely head toward the great lakes region. we're looking at patches of snowfall over the northern rockies already, as the snow is in the forecast in the higher elevations. temperatures on the coast are higher than average. 27 in seattle. 21 in vancouver. looking pretty messy across the east, as well. that's it for me. have a nice day.

♪ ♪ that's all for this hour on nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo.

thanks for watching, and do stay with us for more. ♪ this is "newsline biz." i'm gene otani. analysts have updated their projections for japan's gdp, as the impact of the pandemic becomes clearer. they're expecting a return to growth in fiscal 2021, but not before some significant economic pain.

private research firms revised their projections for japan's economy after the gdp shrank at 27.8% in real terms in the april to june period. analysts now expect gdp to shrink from 5.4% to 6.5% in fiscal 2020. that would mark a record drop, exceeding the downturn in fiscal 2008 amid the global financial crisis. the eight firms also expect japan's economy to start growing again in fiscal 2021. the projections range from a 2.7% to a 4.8% expansion.n. but the firms say the recovery will be unusually slow.. they believe the coronavirus will continue to limit exnconom activities. this could worsen the job market and incomes of individuals. prime minister abe shinzo's sudden decision to resign comes at a time when japan faces a range of economic issues. we spoke to an executive

economist at the challenges his successor will have to overcome. >> abe's primary economic focus was pulling japan out of a long period of deflation. experts debate his success on this front, but it leaves a lot of problems for his succccessor >> first one is a huge increase of governmnment debt.. nenext one is very aggressive balance sheet for the bank of japan reserve. the huguge amount of government debt means transferring the cost to the next generation, future generarations, that could reduc ththe demand andnd growth i in future. and companies may reducuce the expectation for the growth in the medium and long term and reduce investment and employment

wages. >> he says the next administration will have to show the japanese people it is capable of providing a better future and improving their quality of life. and to do that, he says, the focus will have t to be on improving economimic productivi and efficiency. >> i think that the government policy could shift from this kind of demand side policy to the supply side policies, to increase efficiency of japan's economy and improve the productive growth rate. >> the coronaviruspriority. the pandemic has devastated the service sector, grinding the dining, retail, and hotel industries to a halt. but he says this could be a chance for an economic policy overhaul, in that the new administration should make some long-neededed changes. >> maybe those sectors could have to change, be changed.

ststructining, so that the structure, reforming the sectors can change the business to another type of business, reduce the number of employeeees. it could lead to the improvement and e efficieiency of sectors. i think that couldld lead to th implement of efficiency in japan. >> he adds the new prime minister will also have an opopportunity to redesigngn jap relationship with the u.s., particularlyly in regardd to tr with china. > i think japan shouldd play important roles to combine t tw countries, and to persuade both countrtries to stay in the free trade areas. in this sense, it couldld promo free trade. expansion off tpp, that's goin to be verery important.

that could be important for the future of japan and also the future of the world. a man credited with revitalizing mitsubishi motors and steering the company into the electric vehicle era has died of heart failure. osamu s served as the company's president, chairman, and ceo. hehe joinened mitsubishi motors 2004, when the auto maker was struggling after a scandal. he was appointed president the follwsing year. he held top posts 15 years. he expanded business in areas like thailand and indonesia. he also promoted the development of plug-in hybrid models. he helped secure investment from nissan motor, rebuild the business, and regain consumer trust after a scandal involving fuel mileage falsification. he played a leading role in

efforts to strengthen the three-way reliance with nissan and renault after another scandal in 2018 involving former nissan chairman carlos ghosn. he resigned as chairman in early august for health reasons and assumed the post of special adviser. he died last thursday at the age of 71. new figures suggest that china's economy is still feeling the impact of the global pandemic. the expansion of manufacturing activity in the country closed for the first time in three months. the national bureau of statistics says the purchasing manag manager's index stood at 51. the figure managed to stay over 50 for the sixth consecutive month. a reading above that mark indidicates expansion, but the august figure was down 0.1 from july. some indexes for new activities at both firms remain below 50. officials say business conditions are improving due to

the government's stimulus, but some analysts say the effects of the measures have been limited toto m major compmpanies, mainl state-owned firms. let's have a look at the markets. ♪

♪ ♪

>> hello from france's wine hq. decades, this wonderful metropolis is enjoying a new lease on life, thanks to investments in culture and transport, incluluding a great wine museum. join us to discover this city's art scene.