♪ hello. a very warm welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. we start in bangkok where -- with developing news. thai police have cracked down on anti-government protests following the government ban of five or more people in an emergency decree. authorities have also arrested two leaders of the protests that have royaled thailand for three months. people began gathering outside

the prime minister's office to demand his resignation on wednesday. on thursday, government police moved to quell the protest, by reuters are reporting that state television said it was necessary to maintain peace and order. in addition to the ban on gatherings, the publication of any news or online messages judged to harm national security is also prohibited. the huge anti-government protests have come at a time when the king, who spends most of the time outside his country, is in the thai capital. then str they are demanding change in the political system, including a new constitution and reform of the monarchy. moving to france where the city of lights will be going dark. a nightly curfew will be in effect starting saturday for paris and other major cities, as the french government grapples with a resurgence of the coronavirus.

>> translator: the message i want to send is that i need each of you, we need each other to stop the spread of the virus. >> the government declared a new public health state of emergency for limited travel. in an interview, president emmanuel macron said the curfew will be from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in nine areas hardest hit by the virus. it will be in effect for four weeks. violator also be fined 135 euros or nearly $160. the measure will drastically restrict businesses, including restaurants, cafes and movie theaters. france confirmed nearly 27,000 new coronavirus cases four days ago by far exceeding the daily tally reported in the spring. patients with serious conditions are increasingly occupying icu beds nationwide. france is not alone on the

continent. european infections have been running at an average of almost 100,000 per day. johns hopkins university in the u.s. says the global total of confirmed cases has topped 38 million, over 1 million people worldwide have died. health authorities in hawaii have taken drastic steps to slow down the coronavirus. they've imposed some of the strictest measures in the united states, and now they're seeing results and are ready to welcome back tourists. nhk world has this story. >> reporter: the scene around hawaii's famed waikiki beach sun recognizable. in a response to the coronavirus, authorities declared beaches and parks off-limits. police officers cracked down on gatherings of large groups around the clock. airlines have suspended flights passing through the islands, and

the number of tourists has plunged. before the pandemic, about 30,000 people visited hawaii each day. that number has fallen as low as 2,000. >> once we have a green light, we will go out to japan and we will show them our recovery plan. >> reporter: better days may be just around the corner. state authorities currently require all visitors to quarantine for two weeks. but starting on october 15th, that will be necessary for people who test negative before taking flight to hawaii. on this poster, green means go. it lets tourists know that health officials have determined them to be safe. to earn a rating, business owners must take measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

cleaning staff at this hotel have a new tool to use against the coronavirus. they sanitize elevator buttons and doorknobs using ultraviolet right, which is said to eliminate viruses. airport officials are being proactive, as well. they ehave installed a camera that can detect body temperatures of arriving travelers. previously, a staff member with a thermometer had to check visitors one by one. >> the reason why this is important is because it adds efficiency to the process of deplaning the aircraft. >> reporter: organizers of the annual honolulu marathon are hopeful that this year's race in december will go ahead as scheduled. last year, 30,000 runners took

part. to reduce crowding, organizers are limiting entrants to 20,000 and tweaking the route to avoid narrow roads. >> we're not ready to give up yet. we've spent a lot of time in the last three or four months putting together a plan that takes into account covid. >> reporter: like people all over the u.s., people in hawaii are walking a tricky line. they are hopeful for a resurgence of the tourism industry that supports their economy. but if they move too quickly, they may see a spike of new infections. planning a test to see how their coronavirus measures work when the number of spectators at baseball games exceeds the current limit. for venues that can accommodate

more than 10,000 people, the numbers capped at 50% of capacity. that includes baseball and soccer stadiums. officials plan to conduct a test in october 30th to november 1st during professional baseball games at a stadium in yokahama near tokyo. they will use precision cameras to check if anyone is not wearing a mask. they will show footage of nearby areas on the stadium monitor after the game, and call on people to avoid crowding on the way home. the organizers will attend a government subcommittee meeting of experts thursday to discuss the tests and seek advice. more than 90,000 people in japan have tested positive for the coronavirus in total, and over 1600 have died. chinese president xi jinping plenl

pledged on wednesday to promote the development of the greater bay area economic zone and develop the one country, two systems framework. xi and other officials attended the event alongside hong kong chief executive carrie lam. he stressed the importance to china's long-term growth of the zone in driving domestic demand and attracting foreign >> translator: we will develop one country, two systems framework. >> xi and other officials attended the event alongside hong kong chief executive carrie lam. xi called for exchanges with young people from hong kong and mccaw to strengthen their sense of belonging with mainland china. former palau president and second generation japanese

nakamura has died. he achieved independence for the pacific island nation. palau's presidential office said nakamura died at his home wednesday morning. he was 76. nakamura was born in 1943 in palau, then a mandated territory of japan. in 1993, he became president of palau, which became a trust territory administered by the united states after the second world war. he played the lead role in palau's gaining independence the following year. commenting on nakamura's death, palau's president said he made the country what it is today. a traditional ceremony to pay tribute to the ancestors of the indigenous ainu people has been held in the prefecture of hokkaido. about 50 people attended the ceremony at the national museum and park.

the facility in the ainu language means singing in a large group. >> translator: we sincerely offer our respect to the souls of our ancestors resting here. >> ainu people offered food and wine to honor their ancestors at a memorial site. between the 19th and 20th century, remains of more than 1500 ainu people were excavated from graves for research purposes. they've been kept at universities throughout japan. last year, most of the remains were brought here so they could be properly taken care of and honored. >> translator: we will continue to stand by ainu people and do all we can to help create a society where they can live with pride in their ethnicity, and where their pride is respected. >> a survey by the hokkaido

government found there were about 13,000 ainu people in the prefecture in 2017. ♪ let's check out the world weather with our meteorologist tsietsi monare. so india's monsoon season is wreaking havoc and causing deadly floodings in the country. what's the latest? >> the latest is a lot of reports are coming in of significant amount of rainfall that's leading to disruptions and traffic disasters and also people losing their lives due to the heavy rainfall there, and the numbers are quite staggering. closer towards mumbai, we saw rainfall going as high as 146 millimeters in just the 24 hours

along here. so people are urged to be on the lookout there. let's take a look at this video just to get an idea of what's happening there. as more than 12 people have died due to heavy rain on wednesday. officials say many parts of the city received more than 250 millimeters of rainfall in just the past 24 hours. wednesday and thursday have been declared as holidays with residents asked to stay at home. rice paddies and other crops have been damaged and more damage is basically expected after full assessments have been done of what has happened in that area. we are expecting more rain conditions to continue there as the monsoon season is still active along the west coast of india. you see lots of rainfall towards the southern part. the situation is also perpetuated by other storms not far off, especially in southeast asia with vietnam. so heavy rainfall over the last couple of days. another tropical depression is leading to more rainfall, pushing the country particularly

towards the northern parts of vietnam. we could see anything between 150 to 200 millimeters of additional rainfall by thursday and friday. stormy weather is expected in parts of mumbai as well as parts of calcutta. sunny and hot weather in the northern parts. not so much sunny and warm weather in japan. a high pressure system should keep things clear, but upper cold air coming in towards much of the northern region. so if you're in hokkaido, slightly cooler conditions for the next couple of days and expecting snow along the higher mountains. tokyo will be quite wet at 19 degrees and a big drop coming in by saturday, as temperatures drop to about 15 degrees. if you're in sapporo, expect the cold pex fronts. that's all your weather. take care.

and that's nhk "newsline" for this hour. i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. thanks for being with us. ♪ welcome to "newsline in depth." i'm yanaka marie. the coronavirus pandemic has radically changed our lives, and that means we now demand different things from the spaces where we spend our time. whether it's the workplace or home. today, we look at how japanese companies are finding business opportunities by responding to these new needs. we start with a place where we spend the majority of our time, home sweet home.

many people are now teleworking in japan. but research by a major real estate company in april found more that be half of the people working from home do not have a dedicated place to do so. they are forced to make living rooms and dining rooms do double or triple duty. and with other family members often present, concentration can go out the window. aside from space, another issue is how to keep the virus out of our homes. architects are coming to the rescue with modified designs for our times. >> reporter: choosing a home has always been a tough decision. now, buyers must also consider whether a new place is designed for life in the time of coronavirus. >> a distinctive feature of this house is its entrance. when you get home, you can wash your hands right away. >> reporter: in july, this housing firm started pitching new homes with anti-virus features, such as a wash basin

near the front door. and this coat closet has a special sterilization lamp, usually found in hospitalals. >> translator: whether we can wash our hands at the entrance is important. we're looking for a house where our family can live with peace of mind. >> reporter: the company says sales of such homes are reviving business hit hard by the pandemic. >> translator: deals in april and may dropped by a dououble digigit perntagage from a year ago. but in august, they were up 30% year on year. >> reporter: shifts in work habits are also changing homes in a country where new properties dominate the housing market. a quarter of people surveyed by real estate website sumo said they want a work space at home. he has been working from an apartment he shares with his wife. he says it hasn't always been

easy. now they have ordered a new house on the outskirts of tokyo. >> translator: it can be hard to switch into or out of work mode here. in our new homeme, i'll have a room that makes me feel like i'm inin the workplace. >> reporter: one housing firm wants to make sure people can work with a bit of peace and quiet. >> translator: customers are particularly interested in this sound proof room. >> reporter: the room has a sound proof door and a double glazed window, designed for people who want to listen to music at full blast. the company says the space can be as quiet as a library, no matter what else is happening in the house. the lights can also be adjusted for work, or when it's time to take a break.

>> translator: we got a big reaction as soon as houses with these kinds of rooms hit the market, with the olympics expected next year, we think more firms will let staff telework. >> reporter: the company aims to sell about 100 such houses each month. and with no prospect of the pandemic ending any time soon, japan's housing industry is hoping to keep playing its part in trying to build a safe and comfortable future. >> developers are offering more customized elements as they see robust demand for an anti-virus detection. this house lets you get from the entrance to the shower room without touching anything, thanks to automatic doors. you can also even have an ozone generator installed in the ceiling or a device to vacuum up

pollen and dust at the entrance. people are choosing custom options to make their homes safer and more comfortable. workplaces are also changing. but in a different direction. as more employees work remotely, companies are looking to down size their office space and operate at the bare minimum. but japan's praractices on leaeg commercial real estate produce barriers. now, game-changing firms are opening the door to a new system. >> reporter: the tokyo video production company is preparing to move out of its current office. but first, it has to pay to have the space restored to the way it was when they first moved in. >> translator: this is our studio. we haven't changed any of the carpeting or the walls, but we still have to refurbish them because of the wear and tear over the years.

>> reporter: tenants in japan are responsible for restoring rented office space to original condition. this means restoring the carpeting and redoing the white lls, and it's not cheap. in central tokyo, the average restoration costs about $94,000. this is a companyny that mediat between ventures and office space owners. it's been receiving a growing number of inquiries from companies that want to avoid paying the restoration fees. it says building owners have become more flexible. >> translator: owners are aware that many companies are seeking to cancel their leases, and the number of companies wanting to move out without having to restore their offices has been increasing. openers used to refuse to negotiate, but they're now willing to do so on a case by case basis.

>> reporter: the people here have no choice but to pay the restoration fee at the old office. however, they intend to minimize expenses at the new office by not changing the interior which the previous tenant spent $140,000 to customize. the restoration fee is the only responsible companies in japan face when they vacate the office. they also have to notify the owners 6 to 12 months in advice and they are obliged to pay the rent during that period. now, there's a new service that helps mitigates issues such as these. this man is the ceo of venture property. he takes over the office space and the furniturere of tenants o want to move out quickly. he then leases as is to other

companies with an agreement that those tenants can leave without restoring the offices, and that they can break their lease on short notice. >> translator: i've developed a new system in the office rental market which offers companies an exit strategy from costly rental contracts. >> reporter: the pandemic has created a new market for low-cost, high turnover office space. in japan's commercial real estate, a new normal is starting to take shape. the video production company we saw was able to relocate in september to an office already refurbished by another firm. each though they swapped space for lower rent, they say their new office feels expansive thanks to the previous tenant's layout and window locations. as more companies move to smaller spaces or close their offices all together, tokyo real

estate is seeing a drastic drop in renters. this graph shows office vacancy rate, and as you can see, by september the figure jumped twice that of prepandemic levels, with office owners now scrambling for new tenants, they may ease up even more on japan's rental practices. next, we see how some restauranteurs are shredding costs and addressing novel needs. >> reporter: the food still is sizzling when it makes its way from the kich on ttchen to the customer. no time to waste. the restaurant is renting the space by the hour. at 7:00 in the morning, an hour

before opening, an employee sets out some decorations. then it's down to business. from 8:00 to 4:00. the restaurant relates the space just for that period on weekdays. as a result, it only pays about 1/3 of what the conventional lease would be. use of the refrigerator and table ware is included. after closing time, the staff cleans everything up. in the evening, another business comes in. he has been dreaming about opening his own restaurant for years. start-up costs, though, were holding him back. renting by the hour allowed him to stop dreaming and start cooking. >> translator: i didn't know i could rent a restaurant in this way. discovering that was a turning point. >> reporter: with the rent so

low, he's been able to keep his business going, even during the pandemic. >> translator: although i'm renting be i the hour, i feel this is my establishment and my space. >> reporter: the arrangement came about because the land owner wasn't getting much benefit from the property as was. so a kititchen was i installed d offered on an hourly basis. >> translator: splitting the cost with others gives renters the advantage of starting g a business without having to pay very much. >> reporter: the leasing company is now refurbishing another space with just a kitchen. no indoor seating. it expects the growth of takeout and delivery services, operating on even tighter budgets. a father and son came to look it

over. they plan to start a bento delivery service. keep the initial costs down, they want to rent the facility just a few days a week. >> translator: we didn't think moving forward with o our ideaas feasible u until we learned abo this hourly rental space. >> reporter: it's a model made to order, for businesses just getting started and those trying to hang on. >> drastic social change tends to hit companies and livelihoods. as people make plans based on the stat kus qus quo. but having a keen eye for fresh demand leads to business opportunities, and flexibility concerning the unexpected may just invite a silver lining. i imagine doing so with spaces is especially hard, since considerable time and money go into homes and offices. but if they can do it, it gives me hope that the rest of us can adapt and thrive no matter what

the coronavirus throws at us. and that's all for this edition of "newsline in depth." i'm yanaka marie. thank you for watching our program, and make sure to do so next time, too. xxxxxxdñdñs

nighttime curfews for paris and eight major cities as covid-19 cases keep surging in france. ♪ you are watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up, fears of another covid super spreader event as donald trump travels to his upcoming campaign rally in iowa. thousands of afghan families displaced as government forces battle taliban fighters. and few signs of a cease-fire as armenia and