♪ thank you for joining us. from our studio in tokyo, this is nhk "newsline." we start this hour in the u.s., where the republican led senate judiciary committee is advancing the supreme court nomination of judge amy coney barrett. all democratic committee members boycotted the vote, describing it as the most partisan and least legitimate process in the

history of supreme court nominations. the panel approved barrett by a 12-0 vote as democrats did not show up. instead, their chairs were filled with posters of americans who they say could lose their health care coverage. there had been concerns that barrett's previous rulings would side with the conservative majority and strike it down. >> our democratic colleagues informed me last night they will not participate in the hearing. that was their choice. it will be my choice to vote the nominee out of committee. >> the republicans skirted rules that require members of he minority to be present for official business. the entire senate is expected to vote monday to confirm barrett to a lifetime seat on the country's top court. the vote will likely pass, as republicans hold a majority. >> the nomination of amy coney

barrett is the most illegitimate process i have ever witnessed in the senate, and her potential confirmation will have dire, dire consequences for the senate, for the supreme court, and our entire country for generations to come. >> president donald trump nominated barrett after the death last month of justice ruth bader ginsburg.eñ he took to twitter to suggest the approval was a big day for america. bhart's nomination has been a contentious issue ahead of the november 3rd presidential election. it's expected to be discussed during thursday's final debate between president trump and his democratic rival joe biden. as the coronavirus spreads around the globe, europe is no exception. france, which has seen

spike -- there is concern that the country's health care system could be overwhelmed. > transltor: the situati in the country has continued to worsen. we will study the effectiveness ofast measurs next week. the government may further step up measures. >> he said the curfew that has been in place in paris and elsewhere since saturday will be extended at midnight on friday to cover more than 2/3 of the population. germany also saw its highest daily total on thursday, registering 11,287 cases. a government institution called on people to take precautions to slow the prspread of the pandem.

the belgian government said on thursday that the deputy prime minister was in intensive care after testing positive. but added her condition was stable. belgium has the second highest number of infections per capita in europe. data from johns hopkins university in the u.s. show that the total number of cases around the world has now topped 41 million. over 1.1 million people have died. the chinese government and the vatican have agreed to extend a deal on the appointment of bishops in china for two years. the sides have no diplomatic relations, but some say this agreement could be a sign that the ties are deepening. >> translator: we will continue to maintain close communication and consultation and advance the improvement of bilateral ties. >> he announced the ex-tension on thursday, when the original 2018 deal was set to expire.

the vatican said the agreement would help it continue to work with china for "the benefit of the life of the catholic church and the good of the chinese people." one expert says the deal could help the vatican raise its profile in asia where it's long struggled to gain a foothold. >> translator: china is strtegically critical in terms of spreading the practise of atholicism throughout aia. >> the terms of the 2018 agreement have never been made public. but the deal is believed to allow the vatican some say in the bishop selection process in china. beijing has long rejected bishop appointments by the pope as it sees the practice as interference in domestic affairs. separately, pope francis has expressed his support for civil unions for same-sex couples. international media report the

pope stated his opinn in a documentary, screened wednesday at the rome film festival. he said homosexual people have a right to be in a family. their children have a right to a family. nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it. some people welcomed the remarks by the leader of the roman catholic church as clear recognition of homosexual rights. others say his comments do not constitute a change in the church's teaching on marriage and homosexuality. the media say the pope has maintained the stance, marriage is only between a man and a woman. narita airport near tokyo is slashing landing fees, as airlines struggle in the face of the coronavirus. the firm that runs narita says it's waiving landing charges for domestic flights and cutting fees by 30%. the pandemic has hit the

aviation industry hard. the number of travelers using narita plugged to a record low of just under 1.4 million between april and september this year. the operator says it won't raise fees again until the number of passengers starts to pick up. the transport ministry says narita is the first privately run airport in japan to cut chares amid covid-19. as the number of coronavirus cases if paris rises again, evening curfews and other measures are hitting the movie industry hard. paris has a rich film history and regarded has the birthplace of cinema. nhk reports on one movie theater working to preserve france's beloved film culture. >> reporter: this cinema has screened filmed from around the world for many years. but it closed for three long months because of the virus.

it reopened in june. france loves its cinemas, but since reopening, ticket sales have not returned to their usual level. with the number of infections starting to rise again in france, this theater faces the renewed struggle to draw back audiences. >> translator: it makes these kind of screenings less friendly and warm, because there are fewer people. >> reporter: in addition to fears of covid-19, and delays in the release of new films, it's resulting in fewer people than ever going to the cinema. dialogue between filmgoers and people in the film industry is a long standing tradition in france. louie, the owner of the cinema, is preserving this tradition.

he runs the cinema with his family. they share the views of its role in french society. >> translator: it's a place for people to meet, not just to go to see films. >> translator: one appeal of cinema is that it provides opportunities for discovery. >> reporter: the relationship with films reinforces the heartfelt mission to keep the cinema open. >> translator: my great grandfather built the family's first cinema on the street. >> reporter: that cinema was because wasewih, his unid ateswhennaziermany occupiefrance in 40.

he was enthralled by the cinemas in america, and after the war, he built the first cinema complex in paris. >> translator: i don't run a cinema just to make money. i'm motivated to pass on my ancestor's heritage. >> reporter: he has begun heavily discounting tickets for young people, to bring new audiences into a cinema and fill the seats again. having more customers, he talks directly with the filmgoers, sharing his enthusiasm for the movies. >> translator: i'm screening more films that appeal to younger audiences, with the hope this prompts an awareness of issues. i want them to not only watch the films, but also to be inspired to think deeply. >> reporter: mie theaters

provide a way for people to connect through film. his mission is to keep that cinema culture burning for years to come. nhk world, paris. and now for world weather, we turn to our meteorologist yoko. we're having heavy rains and strong winds in western japan. where are we seeing the strongest rest? >> the eastern and northern portions of japan on friday. so heavy rain may trigger swollen rivers and land slides. the storm system has brought more than 160 millimeters of rainfall here in only 12 hours, and a tornado was recorded in

miyazaki prefecture on thursday. up to 120 millimeters of rainfall is expected in the tokai and hokkaido for the next 24 hours and wind gusts could reach 126 kilometers per hour. uprooted trees may cause power cuts. on and off showers will be seen in tokyo. the high will be 21 degrees on friday. the condition also improve from the west. osaka have clearing skies, as we go into the afternoon. in southeast asia, we have a typhoon over the south china sea. it is packing gusts at 180 kilometers per hour. it will move closer to here and push into vietnam over the weekend. this storm system will weaken, but heavy rainfally be possible

in the hours. the ground is saturated in central vietnam, so more heavy rainfall could trigger more floods and landslides. heavy rain is expected in da nang on friday, going into sunday. down tours in manila, as well. rainfall will increase this weekend as another storm system approaches. winter-like weather is on the way to the united states. a strong low pressure is sweeping across the upper midwest, carrying cold air from the north. the rthern rockies up to the n upper great lakes region. as the cold air spreads in, temperatures will drop significantly. the high will be minus 4 degrees in denver on sunday and monday. there is a possibility of freezing rain in oklahoma city on monday. that's it for now. have a nice weekend.

that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline." thank you for watching, and hope you'll join us again. ♪ welcome to "newsline in depth." a philosopher once said people who can't remember the past are condemned to repeat it. it's a message especially relevant now, 75 years after world war ii left many countries in ashes. as the conflict fades into the past, so do the experiences of the people who suffered. many of them are no longer with

us. but the relics and ruins they left behind are still telling their tales. one moving story comes from a musical instrument. together with its owner, the violin traveled froma in japan's nigita prefecture. among the relics here is a violin brought back from indonesia, which was occupied by japan during the last three years of the war. this was owned by this man. he served as captain of an anti-aircraft artillery unit. >> translator: this is my father. >> reporter: this is his daughter. the 80-year-old says her father often told stories about playing his violin during the

occupation. as well as at the concentration camp where he was detained afterwards. >> translator: he composed music to remember those times, with lyrics that conveyed a more peceful feelg. >> reporter: as the w progressed, many of the soldiers losttheir lives. he was stationed at the north field that was attacked in an air raid. he was able to offer some comfort with his vilin paying pularongs and hs own wen japan surrnderedo the aiedpowersin 1945, a is comrades re dainedat a concenttion ca. soldiers iited him toerfrm hwas ab to conect otinallyith his former enemes thugh hs violn.

>>translator: he recalled that some of the soldiers shed tears when they heard songs from their motherland. he said that tside of war, people empathize with one another. >> reporter: days before he returned to japan, the japanese detainees were allowed to hold a memorial service for their fallen come patriots. this is a piece he composed that depicts the scene of a river where a battle had been fought and remembers lost friends. tanaka plays her father's violin herself. ♪

>> we realized about 100 allied somes who had just landed stopped marching md formed a line behind us. when i finishe they resumed their march we wereimpressed by their conduct. >> translator: muse sick a comm -- music is a common thread for all of humanity. my father often mentioned even during the war, it wasn't just about fighting and killing people. music encourages people to be kind, grateful, and compassionate. ♪ >> reporter: he died in 1995 at age 88. his music and his message lives on through his daughter, and their well traveled violin.

>> like many who were sent off to fight, he wanted to pass on the lessons he learned. his daughter says after the war, he preached peace and respect for all. while the violin is no longer playing his tunes, it continues to bear testament to his message. standing in front of the battle scarred ruins of war, we can imagine the horrifying events that unfolded there. many of us know of the atomic dome in hiroshima, a building that instantly conjures up the devastation of the attack in 1945. japan has tens of thousands of other structures with links to past conflicts, like this abandoned site recently uncovered by amateur researchers. >> reporter: these students are visiting this island in hiroshima prefecture. they've come to see the ruins of war. their guide is this man who lives on the island.

>> translator: some people actually died here during experiments when gun powder exploded. >> porter the iland part of tiscit mporta ase or t imperialjapanese nav he hu battleship, yamato, was built here. after the war, many of the military facilities in the area were demolished by occupying forces. but there are still more than ten ruins on the island from that period. this brick building housed offices. and this area was used to test artillery, including cannon shells, for the battleship yamato.

he and the group have been researching these ruins for more than ten years. it hasn't been easy. many of the related documents from the shrine were lost. the group has interviewed a few islanders to remember that time. those residents say authorities never officially informed them about the artillery. one person remembers that their house shook as if it had been struck by an earthquake. that wasn't the only disruption to their lives. >> translator: military policemen would often monitor residents to ensure the secrecy of the base. >> reporter: according to documents discovered by his group, some military personnel

died in explosions and other accidents. the actual number of casualties remains unknown. 14 years ago, the volunteer group began holding memorial services for those who died. >> translator: before our peaceful lives, people on the island in those days made many sacrifices. that's why we can live happily. i often think about that. >> reporter: the number of people with firsthand experience of the war is dwindling. he hopes the ruin also help ensure that the tragic episodes from the island's past are not forgotten. nhk world, hiroshima. >> during the war, terrified civilians huddled together in these shelters. some of them are still in tact

but forgotten, now a haunting echo of the past. one of the biggest is this one in western tokyo. despite pleas of city officials to preserve it, it continues to deteriorate. elsewhere in japan, many shelters have been filled in for safety and goforever gone. >> reporter: this farmer's market sells a product called air raid shelter mushrooms. >> what do you think the name means? >> it's strange. >> do you know what air raid shelters are? >> something about the war. >> reporter: mushrooms are cultivated in a converted shelter in a residential area. the owner is this woman. she discovered the shelter after buying the property seven or so years ago. her first thought was that the large hole was dangerous.

she later learned someone had dug it to flee from danger. >> translator: i saw traces of pick marks where someone had tried to expand it. it would have been easy to fill in the shelter, but i decided to preserve it. if i were toget rid of it, no one ould rember hat hapened hee. >> rerter:tokyo, kawaki and othercities reeavilybomed sh sprises thhelter w designed for children evacuated from big cities. concrete had been added to the entrance. and the interior had been reinforced. about two years ago, she started cultivating a kind of mushroom in the shelter. the stable temperature and humidity were well suited for the task.

>> translator: i hoped labeling them air raid shelters will pique curiosity and inspire conversations at the dinner table. >> reporter: children are already talking. she was in the sixth grade when she visited the air raid shelter in 2019. she had seen the mushrooms at a market and wanted to know more about them. she learned that children her age had been evacuated to her neighborhood during the war. >> translator: i'm sure the evacuated kids must have been scared when they heard the air raid sirens. now that i know an air raid shelter is close to my home, the stories of war feel much more real. >> reporter: that's the kind of thing she had in mind. >> translator: no one thinks about the wa much.

it's not something tat people are interested in. i hope more people will learn about what happened and pass the information on to future generations. >> reporter: mushrooms from the shelter off a multisensory lesson. one that is repeated with each new crop. >> more shelters have been restaled in all kinds of ways. you might find one that's a restaurant. this one is a garage for taxis. the cab company says it's water sight and sound proof. the site is now a stop on the tour of the area. making these places more accessible to the younger generation may be key to preserving important stories of the past. these and other artifacts are all around us bearing testament to the horrors of war. if we search beyond a gleaming exterior of our cities and towns, we can uncover stories that connect uts to the past,

and we might just be surprised at what we can learn.

anchor: france extends its nighttime curfew as coronavirus cases continued to surge there and around europe. and disturbing images from the basement of a siberian hospital, where the bodies of covid victims are mounting up. ♪ this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. >> because you aren't president, screwing things up. anchor: donald trump and joe biden prepared to go head-to-head for their second and final debate. but will it