♪ hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara. we begin in taiwan where a high ranking american official has just touched down. keith crock is visiting the island to attend a memorial service for the formerr tie win knees president who died in july. the trip is likely to put further strain on u.s.-china ties. the undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment is set to attend the

service on saturdrday. the state department issuedd a statement saying washington is honoring lee's legacy by continuing our strong bonds with taiwan and its vibrant democracy. economic cooperation. the trump administration appears to be aiming at countering china which has been s steppingg up pressure on taiwan. the u.u.s. enacted the taiwan travel act two years ago to facilitate visits by senior officials. the taiwanese foreign minister is welcoming crock's visiting, saying he'll be the highest ranking u.s. state department official to visit taiwan in 41 years. a chinese foreign ministry spoke person on thursday says the trip contradicts china's one beijing policy. >> translator: opposed to any visit to taiwan in any form. china will take necessasary

measures depending on the progress of the situation. >> wong said china had strongly requested the u.s. cancel the visit. one day after suga became japan's prime minister, he a an his cabinet members got down to business. >> translator: i'm determined to work hard for the japanese people and will try to live up to their expectations. >> suga's top priority is the coronavirus. tamara norihisa has returned to deal w with the virus. he was melgt minister for a time in the previous administration. >> translator: the pandemic is a worldwide issue. so, japan cannot solve this problem by itself. we need to find ways to alleviate people's anxiety.

kono that row is in charge of administrative reform. he was briefed about his new duties b by h his predecessor. he statarted a new w web page a inefficienencies d due too govet regulationons. >> translator: it's the age of social media, not a call centerment i've already received messages from many people and started my work. >> hirai takaya will set up a new government agency in charge of digitalization. the goal is to increase efficiency and promote economic growth in the post coronavirus remote work era. >> translator: the prime minister has asked me for quick results. i want to focus on the outcome of those results as well. >> while suga's cabinet

ministers may be resetting their focus, attention is also turning to whether a shift in foreign policy will be happening under suga's watch. in south korea people are wondering what it may mean for the country's sometimes strained relationship with japan. nhk world has reaction to the change in leadership from seoul. >> reporter: on wednesday south korean president moon jae-in sent a letter congratulating suga. local media saying moon wrote he was ready for dialogue at any time emphasizing that japan is south korea's closest friend, both geographically and culturally, but it remains unclear whether ties will be any different under suga who has already said that his foreign policy will closely follow his predecessor abe shinzo. this week i sat down with a leading expert on south korean-japan relations.

he doesn't see suga making drastic changes but says there may be room for improvement. >> first of all, he's moree pragmatic and practical politician as far as i know, rather than too much ideologically minded. so that's a new chance. the korean president already made it clear that he wants to solvee the troubledd relationsh through dialogue. so as long as two leaders try to find a way to open the dialogue and find an alternative solution, it can improve the situation a little bit more. >> reporter: two issues thahat have caused a friction are wartime and trade disputes. in 2018 south korea's supreme courttrdered japanese firms to

pay comompensatioion to south koreans who say they were forced to work in japanese steel mills during world war ii. japan m maintains any rights to claims weree s settled in a 196 agreement they're also at odds over japan's decision last year to tighten expert controls of high-tech materials, a matter that is currently before t the world trade organization. papark sayss a diplomatic breakthrough can only happen if the two sides try to find common ground. >> we have to realize that korea and japan have lots of commonality in terms of values and system. we have democracy, market economy and rule of law and human rights. so that commonality is not that usual by global standard. so we have to realize that we are on the same side on the

global scene. >> reporter: this is just suga's first week on the job, so it's still too early to tell whether he'll make repairing ties a priority, but what happens during an upcoming summit between japan, south korea and china could provide insight into whether change is on the horizon. the new administration's plans for u.s. relations are also under the spotlight. nhk world's takeshi reports from washington, d.c. on how the country is responding to the suga's first hours of leadership. >> there are high future of the partnership in the united states. the white house says it hopes the relationship between these two countries will grow even stronger under suga. so far the new prime minister has not shown much of his own diplomatic vision. so most people expect he'll stay

on abe'e's path. it's likely suga will have to focus on challenges closer to home. tensions are high between the u.s. a and china as they battlen a number of fronts. one of the first tests for suga will be how he can navigate the intetensifying coconflict. in the past the united states has weighed in on japan's issss with sououth korea. american experts suggest that pressure will remain.. >> ass long as japan and korea are fightingg like this, whoho loses? japan loses, koreaea loses, th u.s. loseses. who winsns? moscscow, beijing, pyongyanang. so the next primeme minister is going to be expected i think by the u.s., and i think koreans will hope that there might b be somewhat more positive tone lookining for some creative diplomacy, not to compromise on japan's basic position. >> when it comes to north korea there are people wheer who hope

suga will use his experience on the abduction issue to take the rolele o on lead shim. wawarm beerr died after b being released from a year of captptivity in northth korea. his parents hope e suga can bri attention to their concerns. >> jajapan, unlike america, has created a cabinet, almosost a cabinet-lelevel position to suppor the victims of terrorism. ministerer suga is a key part o that. >> i think t the u.s. has lost theieir influence in speaking o against these human rights violatators. ththey are failing in so many arenas in that way, and i think it's time for another country like japan t to show the rest o the world how to do it. >> suga is certain to keep the japan-u.s. alliance as the

primary pillar of the nation's foreign policy, but there are still some bilateral issues to resolve. in the coming months people in both countries will be looking at how suga discusses trade talks and demands skbrap pan pays more for the u.s. military stationed in the country. turning to japan where the number of new coronavirus infections in the capital has hit triple digits for the third straight day. officials in tokyo reported 171 cases on thursday, and they're warning the metropolis is at risk of a larger outbreaeak. >> translator: we don't know if it's tememporary or not. but if it continues, infections could spread rapidly. >> speaking after a weekly meeting of experts and tokyo officials. he sayss the average daiaily nur of cases for the past seven days

has risen to 181 after falling to 149 the previous week. the percentage of untraceable cases has risen for the first time in about a month. tokyo's governor is urging residents to take precautions over the coming long weekend. >> translatotor: i think many pepele are s scheduled to trave or visit their ancestors' graves during the holidays next week, but i want them to refrain from doing so if they feel unwell. >> in total more than 78,000 infections have now been reported across japan. over 1,500 people have died. experts in the country are also learning more about the virus. a survey suggests that pregnant women who catatch the virus can become more seriously ill if they're furtrther along in the term.

>> t translator: the result is similar to influenza w where won in the later stages of pregnanay are more likely y to develop severe symptoms. >> the japan association of obstetricians and gynecologists says it doesn't mean pregnant women in particular are at higher risk, but those in later stages should take special care. antonio guterres has called on the international community to come together in the fight against the requires. >> our world is meeting the grimmest of mild stones, 1 million lives lost to the virus. meanwhile, the outbreak remains out of contrtrol. >> as for a vaccine, guterres said we need a vaccine to be affordable and available to all, a people's vaccine. he called for more funding for a global collaboration led by the w.h.o. for developing and ensuring equitable access to

vaccines for covid-19. more than 29 million people are confirmed infected and over 940,000 people have died worldwide according to johns hopkins university in the u.s. guterres also urged governments to do more to fight global warming. e said he hopes countries will be able to review they're missions reductions goals. asked about a grassroots youth climate action movement, the u.n. chief expressed hope for the generation's role in the fight against climate change. he stressed the need for international cooperation. completion of the sagrada familia, one of the most popular attractions in spain has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. construction of the touring basilica began in barcelona in 1882. its final phase was due to be completed in 2026 to coioincide

with the 100th anniversary of the architect's death. however, officials said on wednesday that t the pandemic h delayed the projection. construction halted abrupuptly when the country ordered a nationwide lolockdown in march.. a decline in tourist and drop in admissionn r revenue have alsls to a budget crunch. work is expectedd to resume within two weeks, although a a w completion date has not yet been confirmed. news of the delay comes as spain tackles a resurgence in coronavirus cases. the rate of new daily infections there has been steadily climbing since the summer. the united states sayss its charged five chinese hackers with carrying out cyberattacks on a global scale. a high ranking justice official is now accusing beijingff neglecting to crack down on criminalal activity. >> unfortunately, the record in

recent years tells us that the chinese communist party has a demonstrated history of choosing a different path, that of making china safe for their own cyber criminals, as long as they help with its goals of stealing intellectual propeperty and stifling freedom. >> written indictments lay out details of the attacks which targeted more than 100 companies in the u.s. and ababroad. malwlware to comprpromise videoe plplatformss so they could stea and launder money. they also targeted foreign governments and companies with valuable intellectual property. pro-democracy activivists in ho kongng were alsoo hacked. thee u.s. s says it wilill investstigate linksks between t attacks and beijing. officials stopped short of saying the government is involved, but suggested one defendant told a colleague he was close to chinese intelligence agencies. people in western japan are contending with torrential rains

and strong winds. more stormy weather is on the way into friday. our meteorologist sayaka mori joins us with the latest on the storm. >> heavy rain is pounding western japan, and right now the heaviest rain is falling over the hoke queue rico region. parts of kyushu saw 150 millimeters of rain in six hours. that's the record for the month of september. the rain is caused by a seasonal frontal system. we have the wet season in autumn as well. this frontal system will likely affect areas from northern kyushu through the hoke queue region and into northern japan, possibly hokkaido as well into friday. not just heavy rain. we might see thunderstorms and even tornadoes. severe weather is expected to batter mainly the sea of japan side of the nation into friday at least. that could continue into the weekend as well. the front is in the boundary between cooler air and warm air. so areas to the south will see unusually high temperatures on

friday. that includes tokyo. 32 for the high on friday and then things are cooling down sharply because the front will sag to the south by sunday. the daytime high will be only 24 degrees and rain is in the forecast on saturday as well as sunday. sapporo will see rainy weather on friday, but beautiful sun many weather on saturday and sundayay. hurricane sally made landfall in alabama on wednesday morning, the second hurricane to hit the united states in three weeks. we have video coming out of florida and alabama to shohow y the situation. sally brought significant damage to the coastal communities near the alabama-florida border as it came onshore wednesday. boats were pushed next to roads from the high waters caused by storm surge and piers were also damaged from the powerful winds and waves. one person was killed and dozens of large trees were toppled because of the storm. sally has become a tropical

depression. it has weakened a lot, gusts of only 65 kilometers per hour. this has continued to move slowly. over 760 millimeters of rain already in pensacola, florida. that's five times the monthly rainfall for september. we'll see more rainfall across the southeastern united states at least into friday. heavy rain will continue to affect the northeast. in fact, one more storm is expected to pound florida and alabama as we go into the weekend. we have very dry conditions continuing across the southwestern united states, but some r rain is in the forecast across the pacific northwest. temperatures are going to be as follows. that's it for me. stay safe. ♪ ♪

>> that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. thanks for watching, and do stay with us for more.

♪ this is "newsline b biz." i'm gene otani. japan business leaders are wasting no time letting the new prime miminister and his cabine know how they feel. they're urging suga yoshihide and his ministers to stop the spread of the coronavirus and get the economy back on track. >> translator: japan's status on the world stage will depend largely onn whether it can minimize the damage from the

coronavirus pandemic and recover from the crisis while it still has strength to spare. the country is now at a crucial juncture. >> mimura said small and medium-sized firms have found themselves in uncharted territory. he said demand has dried up. mimura said if there is another surge in infections and a sececd state o o emergency, m many companies will go under. the chairmaman of the japan business federation said suga's cabinet is facing several daunting challenges. he said ministers will need to oversee a major transition to digital technology and do more to promote energy and environmental policies. he said they will also have their work cut out advocating a shift back to a free and open global economic order. he said he hopes suga will use

strong leadership to promote a range of social reforms. the bank of japan has decided to keep its current monetary easing policy unchanged. it is also maintaining a program worth more than $1.2 trillion to support companies hit by the coronavirus pandemic. policymakers wrapped up a two-day meeting on thursday. they have decided to maintain the negative short-term interest rate and buy unlimited amounts of government bonds, but they have revised their assessment of the economy. the former description of extremely severe is now severe with the situation starting to pick up. the central bank has stressed it is ready to take additional monetary easing without hesitation if an increase in the number of coronavirus cases deals a further blow to the economy. after the meeting thehe doj governor said the central bank will work closely with the suga cabinet in carrying out its policies.

>> translator: the most important issue for the time being is to deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic by implementing strong monetary easing measures. the bank of japan will continue to support companies in their financing and to maintain stability in the financial markets. >> the global economy is expected to shrink by 4.5% this year. it's a decline that's not quite as bad as earlier predictions. the organization for economic cooperation and development has released a new outcome. it revised an earlier projection up by 1.5 percentage points citing recovery in the united states and china. japan's economy is projected to shrink by 5.8%, a greater rate than the global average. the u.s. is looking at a 3.8% fall, while china is the only major economy that is expected to expand. the forecast 1.8%. things are looking better

for next year with the oecd predicting 5% global growth unless the coronavirus makes a strong resurgence or strict lockdown measures are imposed. budget airline jetstar japan is struggling in the pandemic. management has asked 200 pilots and 400 cabinet crew to take voluntary retirement or long-term unpaid leave. the company doesn't expect a recovery any time is soon. jetstar halved its domestic capacity. all international flights remain grounded. officials warn services could be scaled back even further. six domestic routes face possible cancellation. another low cost carrier, air

asia japan is suspending all domestic flights once again starting from next month citing a slower-than-expected recovery. the affected flights operate out of aichi prefecture. the airline resumed operations last month but passenger demand hasn't bouncnced back as hoped. developers have released the details of a major construction project that's under way in central tokyo. it includes a 390 meter skyscraper that will be the tallest building in japan. the tokyo torch complex will ococcupy a site spanning m moren 30,000 square meters near t tok statatn. the d delopers mitsubishi partners are aiming to open it in fiscacal 2027. thee s skyscraper will have 63 floors above ground. it will contain a hotel, a large hall and an observatory. the complex will have a larger outdoor space than originally

planned. the developers say there's growing demand for outdoor space due to the covid-19 pandemic. the operator of a japanese sushi restaurant chain has taken a big step in a bid to grow in asi asia, listing shares of the subsidiary in taiwan. it debuted o the taiwan exchange on thursday. the president and some emploloys watched a debut ceremonony throh vivideo link through an office the p parent company in osaka. >> translator: our subsidiary hahas now officially become a taiwanese company. our aim is for our company to be recognized worldwide in various locations. >> reporter: they started business in asia in 2014. its 29 restaurants make it the biggest conveyor belt japanese sushi chain, planning to open

more than 20 new outlets. the company hopes the stock listing will help raise its profile and corporate image in asia and make financing easier. let's have a look at the markets.

from the "newsline biz" team in tokyo, i'm gene otani. thanks very much for joining us. ♪

onthanks for joining us "france 24." in operation thoususands of migrants afterer their camamp ws destroyed by fire last week. the leader ofof libya's u.n. backed goverentt says he's ready to hand over power in october. talks are underway to put an end to the conflict that has gone on for years. we will bring t