♪ hello, and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara. we begin here in japan. nhk has learned details that japan's government briefed local authorities on how to dispose of radioactive wastewater stored at the damaged fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant.

they they say a meeting was held on thursday with the towns of okuma and futaba. the wastewater contains trin yum after being used to cool water from the march 2011 meltdown. it's being stored in giant tanks along the coast. sources say the plan involves diluting the water to decrease the level of tritium. the council will be set up to discuss how to limit the negative impact on local communities. nuclear plants elsewhere in t t world releasese wastewater with low concentrations of tritium into the ocean or air based on their own local standards. the industry minister has hinted that the government may announce how it plans to proceeeed so.onr

>> traranslator: as for managin eeth wastewater, considering th situation we're running out of space to store s it and it's increasing daily. it's a fact we can't delay our policy decision forever.r. >> representatives from a national fisheries group told the minister responsible f for their iusndtry that they strongngly oppose the plan. >> translatotor: releasising wastewater into the sea will inevitably cause harmful rumors and could be a devastating blow. >> the plant's operator, tokyo electric power c company says i could run out of space to store eth wastewateter within theext twoo years. turning thehe t the united states whehere psisiderent dona trump and his democratic rival joe biden have held dueling town halls. the televised events came about after a presidential debate scheduled for the same day was canceled over trump's covid-19

diagnosis. trump fielded many questions over his handling of the pandemic. asked when he had last tested negative before his positive diagnosis earlier this month, trtrump d deflected saying he possibly took a test the day of the first presidential debate. he announced he had the virus just two days later. trump defended his administration's response. the u.s. has the highest number of cases in the world at nearly 8 million. >> -- mortality we're a winner, on the excess mortality. what we have done has been amamazing. we have done an amazing job, and it's roundnding the corner and have the vaccines coming and we have the therarapies comingng. we did the right thing. we were expected to lose 2,200,000 and maybe morore than that. we're at 210,000 person. one person is too much.

it should never have happened because of china. it happened because of china. you have to get that and understand that. it shouldn't have happened. >> biden faced more questions focused on policy. the former vice president also weighed in on the pandemic. >> therere's a presidential responsibility to lead, and he didn't do that. he didn't talk about what needed to be done because he kept worrying, in my view, about the stock market. he worried if he talked about how bad this could be unless we took these precautionary actions, then, in fact, the market would go down. his barometer of success in the economy is the market. >> biden committed to not seeking revenge with republicans if he wins the white house saying in politics grudges don't work. the two candidates are still set to square off for one final debate october 22nd. staying with the u.s., the judiciary committee of the republican-led senate has set an october 22nd vote on judge amy

coney barrett's supreme court nomination. the move is a step closer to approving trump's pick despite democratic objections with a final confirmation vote on the senate floor by the end of this month at the earliest. on ursday, the committee wrappeped up four days off questioning in t confirmatation hearing for the conservrvative appellate judge. among those testifying were legal experts and a woman who had an abortion after being sexually abused. trump is pushing to have barrett confirmed before election day in a bid too please his c conservae basese. democrats have objbjected to wh they call a rushed nature of the proceeeedings. four years ago republicans blocked then president barack obama from nominating a judge because it was an election year. biden argues a conservative majority on the supreme court will pose a threat to the country's medical insurance system, abortion rights and

others. the u.s. secretary of state is driving home a request for american schools to close culture and language programs funded by the chinese government. mike pompeo o once again claime that t the confucius institute part of a communist plan to expand its global influence. he told a florida radio station he's asking universities and grade schools to shutter the programs by the end of the year. the state department first denounced the program this summer. at the time china called the statements an unfair demonization of an open and transparent program. some have already shut down. as manany as 75 institutes coul still be running. u.s. education and state officials sent out letters last week urging further closures. they said the confucius institute uses propaganda tools to improperlrly influence the

youngest americans, adding that schools can create their own programs. the trump administration has been ramping up criticism of china for months, clamping down on foreign businesses accused of spying and speaking out against the country's moves in hong kong. the president has used his hard-line stance as part of his election platform while his opponent has suggested a return to earlier diplomatic methods. philippine president due ter they has lifted a ban on oil and resource exploration in the disputed south china sea. local media say china is likely to launch joint exploration with the philippines. energy projects will resume in three areas. these include the waters around palau want island off the western philippines. due tear they has criticized china over territorial disputes

in the south china seas, but apparently wants to move forward with resource development with china's help. the former president had hamted activities in this area to protest china's increased maritime activities. a visit to a shrine is an essential new year's tradition for many people in japan. this year the government will come up with guidelines to prevent coronavirus infections among worshippers and others at mass gatherings. >> translator: people are looking forward to joining seasonal and traditional events. i'm hoping to issue our guguidelines on preventive measures by early november. >> economic revitalizatioion nishimura yasutoshi who is in

charge of the coronavirus response was speaking at the inaugural meeting of an expert's panel on friday. the panel is tasked with discussing anti infection measures at mass outdoor gatherings and other occasions. the minister also said the government will use the few gak queue super computer to create simulations to study how droplets are spread as part of ways to balance anti infectiono measures with economic and cultural activities. meanwhile, a remedy to fight the virus took a step forward. the developer of the influenza treatment avigan applied on friday for japanese government approval to use the drug to treat covid-19 patients. the anti-flu drug was developed by fugi film toy ohka chemical, a subsidiary of fugi film holdings. it showed improvement in coronavirus patients who received the drug. they tested negative almost

three days earlier than patients who didn't receive it. the company said it found no new safety concerns other than possible known side effects. avigan would be the third medicine available in japan to treat covid-19. the government has fast-tracked the ebola drug remdesivir. it also approved the steroid dexamethasone. officials from the tokyo metropolitan government says 184 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the capital on friday. nationwide total cases topped 92,000. more than 1,600 people have died. japan's prime minister has marked his first month in office by reaffirming a pledge to tackle key issues facing the country. suga yoshihide told reporters that time has flown by since he assumed the post in mid september.

>> translator: i'm always mindful of tackling the tasks at hand expeditiously and withohou hesitation. one of my policy goals is to reduce mobile phone charges. i will promote reforms starting with those that can be carried out quickly so the public can feel the benefits. >> on the diplomatic front, suga has held talks by phone with world leaders such as trump and chinese president xi jinping. next week he's scheduled to make his first overseas trip as prime minister, visiting vietnam and indonesia. tokyo and kyoto are the favorite defted nations for annual school trips in japan. this year lots of schools have canceled trips to those cities due to the coronavirus pandemic.

many have opted for excursions closer to home. in northeastern japan journeys to areas struck by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011 are becoming popular. nhk world's ishikawa sagi. a warning this segment includes video footage from the tsunami disaster. >> reporter: these middle school students from the inland park of iwate that prefecture rarely have opportunities to see the ocean. this field trip to tokyo was canceled. but they got the chance to take a special study tour instead. this local train travels through the tsunami-hit areas along the coast. suzuki is the teacher who organized the trip.

for years she was only able to teach students about the disaster in the classroom because the school's tight schedule prevented her from taking them to the coastal areas. but then the coronavirus pandemic hit. >> translator: this excursion is replacing the trip to tokyo. we could have decided to take them only to fun place, but i think it's important for them to see the coast and learn the truth about the devastation. >> a tour guide provided by the local railway company talks about the reconstruction work that is still going on. >> translator: construction to raise the road is under way. i think it will take another two years. >> reporter: the train always stops at the station to allow visitors to say prayers for the victims.

the next stop is at a memorial museum. suzuki is not the only teacher who thinks it is important for students to learn about the disaster. the museum has been packed with teachers and students from the prefecture recently. >> translator: it's been almost ten years since the disaster, and some children don't even know about it. they need to understand the importance of life and learn about disaster prevention starting at an early age. we have a responsibility to teach them. >> reporter: suzuki allows the students to watch footage from the tsunami. she obtained their parents' consent first, because these are the most disturbing images in the museum..

>> translator: in nature anything can happen, and i think that's scary. >> translator: i think this experience will help me if there's another disaster. >> translator: some students said it was a meaningful trip. we see only part of the world in front of us as we go about our lives. so i think it was a good opportunity to learn about the coastal areas that are so close and yet so far. >> reporter: tokyo may have been the city they were all eager to visit, but by staying close to home, suzuki and her students discovered a place awash with memories they never want to forget,i ishikawa seigi, nhk world, iwate that prefecture. autumn is in full spring in japan. residents in hokkaido woke up to the chilliest morning of the season. sayaka mori has the details.

>> the coldest air of the season gripped hokkaido bringing very low temperatures. the country's lowest temperature of the season so far. other parts of hokkaido experienced the first ice and frost of the season, too, but the fridge ill air will likely pull away from hokkaido. instead central japan will see very low temperatures during the weekend. we have a frontal system to the south. that will drag cooler air from the north and send ample moye tour from the south. we'll see rainy weather in tokyo at least into sunday. it's going to be another wet weekend. toke yes's high will be 14 degrees, more like mid november or late november so buntal up. sapporo will see 17 degrees, warmer than tokyo. that's rare. it's heating up to the 30-degree mark in naha. fall is fall foliage seasonment

take a look at this video from ib back i can prefecture. the thick round plant, summer cypress, turns red during the cooler autumn month of october in a hitachi seaside park. about 3,000 are planted along the hill. this year the plants are a little smaller due to the additional rainfall in july. the fall foliage season will arrive in central tokyo by late december. let's go to the south. we have another system approaching vietnam. huawei experienced about 70% of its annual rainfall last week. we have the remnants of tropical storm nangka over cambodia. we have a tropical depression

near the vietnam area. this system will likely make landfall in central vietnam on saturday. an additional 200 millimeters of rain or more is likely to fall. be careful of flooding and landslides. temperatures in hong kong 27. rainy weather will continue in chone chi with 16 degrees. we have a dip in the jet stream across the worth that will allow cold air to flow in from the arctic. frigid conditions continue into the weekend, so be careful. that's it for me. have a nice day.

♪ ♪

that wraps up this edition of 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. japan's mitsubishi electric has constructed an energy self-sufficient building as part of efforts to devevelop power-saving technologies. the test facility is in cam cure raniere tokyo and features a temperature control system that

uses the flow of warm or cool water to keep its rooms comfortable. solar panels on the roof and window awnings increase powerer generation while large windows absorb plentiful sunshine. the company aims to conduct experiments and other activities at the facility that will translate into more energy efficient construction. >> translator: there is a growing commitment among people to consider the environment in the way they live. >> the japanese government provides subsidies for the introduction of technologies that reduce power consumption. the global airline industry has been thrown into crisis by the coronavirus pandemic, but a new japanese low-cost carrier has risen to the challenge by launching internationanal passenger r services.

zipair tokyo started passenger flights twice a week between narita airport and incheon near seoul on friday. it follows japan's easing earlier this month of entry restrictions due to the pandemic. the subsidiary of japan airlines was due to start passenger services in may, but it had to postpone its first flight due to a surge in coronavirus infections. instead, it's been using its passenger jets to transport cargo. >> translator: we are happy this day has finally come. >> the first flight took off from narita shortly after 9:00 a.m. with only two passengers on board. zipair said the late startor accepting reservations was to blame for the low number. >> translator: the prolonged

coronavirus pandemic has led to an unprecedented drop in demand for air travavel. >> thehe fee reduction only affects domestic flights at state controlled airports. it will be applied retroactively from august and will haft through february next year. the transport ministry had previously granted a six-month moratorium on payments of landing fees up to july. the coronavirus has forced universal studios japan to postpone the launch of a new area with attractions featuring popular video game character mario, but it's luring fans before the debut. the theme park has just opened a mario-themed cafe. . ♪ >> the cafe brings the nintendo game to world. it's decorated with iconic motifs from the games such as

blocks and pipes. the tables look like mushrooms. the menu include pancake-shaped like mario's trademark red cape. opening day featured cast members dressed like the character. >> reporter: i love the feeling of being in mario's world. >> the opening of usj's new mario-themed zone has been rescheduled to next spring. israel and the united arab emirates reached a breakthrough agreement on august 13th to establish full diplomatic ties. the mood is expected to boost economic exchanges between the two nations. one japanese company is looking to benefit. nhk's world arielle snapiri has more.

>> reporter: israel and the uae are moving quickly to boost economic ties after the agreement. israel has nurtured state-of-the-art technology. the uae, on the other hand, has enormous wealth built on revenue from oil. but until now, the two nations have had to go through a third party or country to do business. one israeli entrepreneur sees immense benefits to both sides from the agreement. >> uae is hungry for innovation. israel innovates on a very broad basis. the uae are very eager to invest in this market. >> reporter: tel aviv is israel's high-tech hub attracting companies and investors from around the world. a major trading house set up here last year, a venture capital firm that focuses on technology.

the company, inventure, held a meeting to consider investing in a startup in israel. >> well, the story of how the company was initiated -- >> reporter: inventure is looking for companies with innovative technologies in areas including digital health and agriculture. it aims to selell cuttining-edge tetechnologigiesevelelopedn isrl to the uae. >> t there a a perfe aligngnmen between e e strengthth of israe in innovation, between what sumitomo is trying to do impacting the world, and what uae needs. >> reporter: the company is also expecting opportunities with african nations. israel has not been able to do direct business with arab nations in north africa. countries on the continent are enjoying rapid growth through cooperation with dubai and the uae, the financial and logistics hub of the middle east. in venture set up a conference

call for the first time between its headquarters in tel aviv and the japanese trading company's dubai office. >> if you come to uae, you talk about all the business in the region. >> reporter: one b business s et says japanese e companieies nee act quickly y to take vantntagef the unique businesess opportrtunities.s. >> t translatotor: japananese f are facicing fiercrce inteation cocompetition and have n no tim waste. buneness leadeders have to maka quick decisions in order to be successful in this promising market. >> reporter: competition is heating upup. business cooperation in varirio fields between the two countries have already been announced following the agreement as many countries l look to cash in. ariel snapiri, nhk world,

jerusalem. >> all right. let's have a look at the markets. ç

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