♪ thank you for joining us. from our studio in tokyo, this is nhk "newsline." we begin with the impact of the coronavirus on the highest echelons of power in the united states. president donald trump has left the military hospital where he spent three days receiving treatment. the 74-year-old d was flown bac to the white house, where he will continue to be cared for. he gave a thumbs up to reporters after landing. and removed his mask moments

lateter to salute the d departi helicopter inn what appearared be a a p photo op. hours earlier t trump posted a message on twitter vowing to return to thee c campaign trail soon w with weeksks to gogo unt november election. he also urged the public not to be afraid of covid, a disease that has kled overr 200,000 americicans and more than a million people worldwide. trump's medical team said monday that he had not had a fever for 72 hours and that his oxygen levels were normal. they said hee may not entirely e out of the woods yet but he was well enough to return home. the doctor said his condition will continue to be monitored around the clock at the white house. in trump's inner circle at least 12 people have tested positive so far, including him anand the first lady. the president's to be spokesperson joined the list on monday. white house press secrery kayleigh mcenany said she has

the virus. 7 of the 12 including the president and close aide hope hicks attended the same event, introducing trump supreme court nominee on september 26th. u.s. media says the virus may have spread there. they're also saying that many white house staffers are confirmed to be infected. the "wall street journal" is reporting that trump told one of his advisers who tested positive not to reveal the result. parts of the u.s. media are also suggesting the trump administration has failed to carry out sufficient contact tracing, which is finding people who've had close contact with those known to be infected. now switchihing to japan, t number of people from tokyo who visited other prefectures over the weekend rose by 7% from last week. this was the first week trips to and from tokyo were included in the government's nationwide go

to campaign to encourage tourism. ♪ tourists from tokyo were seen in many places over the weekend. >> translator: i looked around sendai city and ate deliciousus dishes. i'm very satisfied. >> translator: our sales have doubled this saturday compared to last week. we got more responses than i expected. it was a great help. >> according to data from mobile carrier nttp docomo the rise in visitors was especially high around tokyo. in some prefectures it rose around 20%. but a new case of the coronavirus was linked to a trip made under the government's campaign. a woman in her 20s from tokyo who visited western japan was confirmed to be positive on saturday. tokyo confirmed 66 new cases on monday. the first time the daily number

has dropped below 100 in a week. across japan over 280 new cases were reported. the total is now over 86,000. more than 1,600 people have died from the virus. turning now to the latest on allegations the japanese government may be hindering academic independence. prime minister suga yoshihide has defended his decision not to appoint certain researchers as members of one of japan's top academic bodies. the science council advises the government on potential policies. half the council's members are chososen every three years base on council recommendations. the prime minister makes the final decisions. but this time six of the 105 recommended candidates were rejected. the first time that has happened to any nominee. the decision has resulted in a major backlash as those rejected are all known to be critical of government policies.

they have spoken out against controversial legislation that prompted public protests including national security legiation and an anti-terrorism law. suga said the appointments have nothing to do with the opinions of the nominees on past legislation. >> translator: during the reorganization of government ministries we debated the membership approval process and the needs of the council. we decided to call on the council to conduct comprehensive activities, and i made the decision so that the council could carry out such activities. >> three of the unsuccessful nominees discussed the matter with opposition lawmakers. >> translator: we must leaearn e reasons. it could undermine our academic anand research activities if something lilike this happens again.

>> translator: this presents a major problem with the council. the government says the decision was in line with the law. but it doesn't seem to understand any legal provisions. >> opposition lawmakers say political motivations may have been in play. they're demanding that the government give a clear explanation in diet deliberations. a hyogo prefecture assembly in western japan has reviseded ordinance so it could stop the country's largest crime syndicate from handing out treats to children on halloween. the assembly on monday unanimously apapproved a draft revision of the anti-draft ordinance submitted by the hyogo prefecture police department. the yamaguchi gumi has been giving candy to children at its headquarters in kobe city on halloween for many years. the revised ordinance prohibits crime syndicates from letting children under 18 enter their offices without relevant reasons.

syndicates are also banned from giving cash or goods to children. violating the ordinance could be punished by a prison sentence of up to six months or fines of up to about $4,700. two years ago a powerful earthquake and tsunami struck the indonesian island of sulawesi, killing more than 4,000 people. reconstruction work has been under way ever since. but now the coronavirus is putting the brakes on progress. nhk world's ferdinand karsten reports on an area hit first by a disaster and now reeling from the impact of the pandemic. >> reporter: more than 70,000 houses and schools were destroyed in the earthquake. over 200,000 residents were forced into shelters. one of the hardest-hit cities was palu in central sulawesi. nearly 1,200 households now have

permanent homes thanks to ongoing recovery work. but many more people remain in temporary facilities. >> translator: i've been here for over a year, and it's tough. my life no longer has a foundation. >> reporter: the coronavirus is making a bad situation worse. the number of new cases nationwide w were at record d h for consecututive days last mon. people in temporary housing are at high risk of infection. others are worried about their economic plight. they have lost their jobs or seen their income plunge after the introduction of restrictions on social and economic activities. raodah and her family are living in a tent while they await temporary housing. >> translator: no money. we're still living in a tent. my husband has no work because of covid-19.

sometimes there are jobs, but rarely. >> reporter: yakkomo emergency unit is an ngo. the pandemic has forced it to modify its methods. members refrain from meeting survivors in person. the staff try to reach out online. but poor internet connections often mean that people's needs are not confirmed. ngo members also have concerns about funding. before the pandemic the local government's budget was dedicated to the reconstruction project and improving people's lives. but now a portion of t that mon is allocated to dealing with the coronavirus. >> translator: i thihink that's fine. as long g as you don't't forgett the rehabilitation and reconstruction process also remains a priority. >> repeporter: the financial squeeze caused by coronavirus could delay the reconstruction work. continued and consistent support will be needed so that the

earthquake survivorsrs can move forward. ferdinand karsten, nhk world, jakarta. now turning to sweden, where three scientists have been awarded the nobel prize in physiology orr medicine f for tr groundbreaking work that led to the discovery of the hepatitis c virus. >> the nobel assembly at karolinska institute have today decided to award the 2020 nobel prize in physiology or medicine jointly to harvey j. alter, michael houghton, and charles m. rice for the discovery of hepatitis c virus. >> the nobel assembly says the breakthrough helped explain the majority of blood-borne hepatitis cases that remained after the discovery of the hepatitis a and b viruses. it added the discovery of the hepatitis c virus made possible blood tests and new medicines

that have saved millions of lives. hepatitis is a major global healthth problem that causes cirrhosis and liver cancer. a man who had been treated for hepatitis c was delighted to hear the announcement. >> translator: i think they should have gotten the award much earlier. the number of infections has not yet reached zero, so we hope further research will be taken so that no one will suffer. >> the world health organization estimates over 70 million people have chronic hepatitis c virus infections. now turning to world weather with our meteorologist yoko komagata. we've been seeing storm alex in europe since the weekend and it's causing major floods. so how severe is the situation now? >> so the hardest-hit areas are in the southeastern portions of francece, where they received 5 millimeters of rainfall in a short period of time. that's more than thrhree months worth of rainfall.

some gusts were also reportetedn the c country and heavy rainfal hihit norththern itataly as wew. dodownpours in france and italy are leadingng to d deadly flood. heavy rain and floods hit southern france over the weekend. strong rivers have swept away homes, bridges, and roads. four more people have died and 18 are missing. rescue workers believe more e people are still missing andnd cannot be rescued b because som roads are still blocked. storm alex has been weakening, but it's still a large storm system. alex will continue to produce strong winds in northeastern europe for the next couple days. some of ththe showers c could develop in parts of france and germany and showers will go into the scandinavian peninsula on tuesday. windy conditions are expected in london, paris, all the way up to

stockholm on tuesday. another low pressure system will produce severe thunderstorms in kiev with a high of 20 degrees.. in japan we have a new tropical stormm names janghon. it's moving slowly and it's likely t to movee northwestward the latter part of the week. high waveses are already affectg the pacific coast of japan. as the storm system moves closer to the country, heavy rainfall my hit the kinki, and kyushu regions as we head into the weekend. for the rest of asia a couple of high pressure systems will dominate northeastern china and the korean peninsula, producing calm conditions. sunny skies are expected in beijing and seoul tuesday. meanwhile, some showers will spread into southern china and places like hong kong and taipei. that's all for now. have a nice day. ♪

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and that concludes this edition of nhk "newsline." thank you very much for staying withth us. welcome to "newsline in depth." the coronavirus pandemic still continues to spread around the world. in japan sports and music events were allowed to restart, albeit in a limited capacity. and travel restrictions are gradually being relaxed for visitors from other countries. however, there are major differences among countries in the severity of the situation and the way it has affected people. today we have a close-up look at

how individuals have beeeen impacted. the kind of stories that often get buried when we only look at the big picture. first up, we have a report from thailand on how the ongoing travel restrictions have torn families apart. >> reporter: giovanni fahdo has been waiting for this day for seven months. the italian is about to rereuni with his family in thailand after the bororder restrictctio kept them apart. giovan settled in thailand after marrying his thai wife in 2017. th have a 3-year-old son. last november giovanni went to nigeria to work on an offshore oil rig for a few months. but before he could return thailand's borders were sealed due to the pandemic. separated by thousands of miles,

the only way he could feel close to his family was through video calls. >> everybody happy. >> reporter: finally in july thailand eased border restrictions for foreign spouses and family members of thai citizens. and giovanni was allowed back. >> now we are together. we are more stronger than before. next time i will leave my job. i will not finish my job and i will come back at home. if i feel the risk that i cannot come back, i don't take this risk anymore. >> reporter: but there's no such happy ending for most unmarried couples, who still have to wait. this woman is seven months pregnant and has been without the father of her unborn child since the border closure. >> translator: i wish his dad were here to help choose clothes for our baby. >> repeporter: nisasarat has ben a relationship with her german

fiancee for nearly eight years. they planned to marry in march. but the border closure meant her fiance could not come. shortly afterwards she found out she was pregnant. >> translator: we had to postpone everything. but the one thing we can't postpone is the birth of the baby. >> reporter: nisarat is asking the g governmenent to eas t tra restrictions for ununmarried couples who are expecting a baby. she has submitted dna proof that her fiance is the father. but the officials have not relented. >> translator: when my fiance received their response, he cried. it was hard. i don't want to see him cry. i want the government to take into account more than just legal status and documents. >> reporter: an online campaign called love is not tourism thailand has brought people like

nisarat together. the organization submitted a petition with 5,000 signatures to the government, calling on it to give special consideration to their partners and family. >> translator: at least eight countries in europe have already allowed unmarried couples to reunite by showing evidence of their partnership. we want the government to agree to our request. >> reporter: with the fear of a second coronavirus wave lingering in thailand, it is unclear when the government will allow wider entry to foreigners. the anxiety and distress due to separation from loved ones is likely to continue. nhk world, bangkok. >> the situation remains fluid right now, but most eu countries have started accepting some visits for both business and tourism. in many asian countries travel has only been allowed for some business and medical personnel

and tourism is generally still not permitted. in japan the government has now been easing its entry restrictions on foreign nationals from all countries who have medium to long-term visas. this includes those in the medical and education fields as well as the foreign students and those traveling on business. around the world masks have become accepted as a simple but effective tool for preventing the spread of coronavirus infectionsns. on "in depth" we have run reports on this subject, including a story on an indian family who remake cloth remnants into masks and hand them out for free to the poor. although japan does not make it mandatory, the vast majority of people here wear masks without hesitation when they are in situations that require proximity to others. however, this can make things difficult for the minority of people who find it impossible to wear a mask due to their

physiological condition, as we see in our next report. >> reporter: minori has a skin disease. when she wears a mask she gets an itchy or painful situation. after about ten minutes it becomes unbearable. she was born with a sweat gland condition that makes it hard to regulate body temperature. as a student she used to sit out physical education classes on hot days. but even a cool indoor environmenent doesn't alleviate the painful symptoms of mask wearing. >> translator: it bothers me. if possible i'd like to take it off. >> reporter: it may yonezawa wore a mask when going out. soon her face became swollen and her body temperature rose to 38 degrees. >> translator: i felt feverish and sick and had a terrible headache. i had to take some medicine and rest.

>> reporter: now yonezawa uses a face shield instead of a mask. but even in the shade she can only wear it for an hour. yonezawa feels self-conscious about what people may think of her walking around without a mask. >> translator: it's difficult when i have to go to the bank or to the shops and there are signs stating that customers without masks will not be allowed. the looks of disapproval i get are so hard for me to bear. >> reporter: people with skin diseases are not the only ones suffering. from children with developmental disorders have sensory hypersensitivity and are unable to wear masks.

the condition can affect all five senses and the feeling of touch may be interpreted as painin. scientists have only just started learning how developmental disorder results in sensory hypersensitivity. masakazu is currently researching this field. he thinks that the rejection of masks is due to a physiological reaction of the brain, not due to stubbornness or lack of tolerance. >> translator: i think it is possible that there is a strong reaction within the brain that makes it difficult to wear masks. so no matter how manany times o tries to get used to wearing the mask we may still see no improvement. >> this mother tried coaxing her child with various face masks but he refuses to put a any of

them on. >> reporter: these symptoms of sensory hypersensitivity are also reported in those with alzheimer's disease or depression. however, there is no accurate tally of how many people are unable to wear masks for such physiological reasons. teenager cato jie is trying out new ways to help out those whose bodies reject masks. kato himself suffers from sensory hypersensitivity of taste and smell. this january he started a website to raise awareness of sensory hypersensitivity. it's also a platform for those

with the same problem. >> translator: it's so unbearable i had to remove it while still on the move. >> translator: please get in touch if you know of any easy to wear mask or method. >> reporter: kato has also come up with the yfdidea of a statem badge that says "due to hypersensitivity i cannot wear a mask." it's a way to seek understanding for one's condition by simply pinning a badge on one's clothes or bags. kato is also working on foldable fans as an alternative to masks. it's not as effective a cover but it is a show of consideration for others. he says he doesn't want to just complain about not being able to wear masks but to come up with constructive solutions and create opportunities for dialogue. >> translator: it's not about taking a hard line and insisting on being let into shops but

explaining that we can't wear masks because of sensory hypersensitivity and then engaging in a discussion to compromise. >> reporter: as the world struggles to adapt to a new normal, social understanding is as important as keeping our social distance. >> the teenager we saw in our report has now developed two different kinds of n, and abt 1,500 ofhem have aeady been bought. onef these i is a fan made of clearplastic, wch allows people with hearing impairments to seehe speaker's mouth. now, in japan mask wearing has developed its own distinctive culture. this is a typical japanese phenomenon. and since the start of the pandemic people have come up with so many decorative varieties. it would be very hard to choose if i were buying one. at the same time, there are masks for those with sensitive

skin as well as for children. and this summer special masks were available made from materials that feel cool to the skin to help reduce discomfort from wearing them in the heat. in the northern hemisphere it will soon be winter, and there is concern that the pandemic may be exacerbated by the spread of ththe flu virus. it appears that as long as the coronavirus exists anywhere on earth it could trigger the next wave of infections at any moment. we are all in this together, and the only way to prevent the spread is by acting in unison. that is why it's essential to make sure no one is left behind in a collective efeffort to tace this global challenge. that's it for today's "newsline in depth." thank you for watching and see you again next time. aiog

>> president trump says he is leaving hospital in the coming hour and urges people not to be afraid of covid. >> he may not be out of the woods yet. the team and i agree all our valuations and his conical status support president safe return home. ♪ >> hello. this is al jazeera live from