joining us on this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo with the latest at this hour. we start with a developing story out of washington. a key government agency has given president-elect joe biden formal approval to begin his transition to the white house. the announcement by the u.s. general services administration unlocked funding for the incoming administration.

it also allows biden and vice-president-elect kamala harris access to national security briefings. in a tweet, president donald trump said gsa administrator emily murphy and her team should do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols. he said he had instructed officials in his administration to do the same. the gsa announcement came shortly after officials in michigan certified biden as winner of the battleground state in the november 3rd election. biden has been moving quickly to form his cabinet. he's now unveiled nominees for several key posts, including antony blinken for secretary of state. blinken was national security adviser during barack obama's first term as president. he served as deputy secretary of state during obama's second term. biden says former secretary of state john kerry will be a special presidential envoy for climate. linda thomas-greenfield will be

ambassador to the united nations, and alejandro mayorkas, homeland security secretary. avril haines, former deputy director of the cia, will be nominated as director of national intelligence, the first woman to hold the post. u.s. media is also reporting biden is expected to appoint former federal reserve chair janet yellen to serve as treasury secretary. that would make her the first female to hold that position. israeli media have reported benne benjamin netanyahu secretly met with the krouns prince of saudi arabia. media outlaws quoted an official saying netanyahu and an intelligence agency met crown prince msnohammed bin salman on

sunday one israeli cabinet ministry made comments suggesting the meeting took place. saudi arabia's foreign minister denied the reports in a tweet, saying the only officials present were american and saudi. israel has been working to improve ties with arab nations. it struck deals this year with the united arab emirates to in israe and sdi arabi have long bn at odd or the iss of palestinian. notstablishipmatic ts l th iael uilhe lestinns achie statehood >>peoplen south rea have commemorated ten years since the north korean military bombarded the island and set off a crisis. memorial events were held across south korea on monday. at the national cemetery, government officials and families prayed for victims. on november 23, 2010, north korea shelled the island of yeonpyeong, killing two south

korean civilians and two marines. south korea's defense minister said he's determined to build a strong defense system to protect the peace and prosperity of the peninsula. heaid the suffering of the past should not be allowed to happen again. he did not directly criticize e north. he said the two koreas have left confrontation and conflict behind and are on a path to peace. the administration of president moon jae-in has been trying to improve relations with pyongyang but opposition parties state south korea's security situation has not improved and moon's stance towards pyongyang is weak. the coronavirus pandemic continues to grow more serious in many countries. that includes japan where over 500 new cases were reported on monday. the situation has prompted government authorities to rethink an initiative to

encourage domestic tourism. it'll stop subsidying stipulates to two major cities for the time being. the governor of hokkaido prefecture says a spike in cases forced him to consider excluding its largest city for the go-to travel campaign. the governor of osaka prefecture will ask officials in tokyo to do the same for the city of osaka. both prefectures reported over 200 new cases on monday. experts say cases are also on the rise in parts of tokyo and aichi prefecture. the government is considering other measures for regions reporting more cases. they include suspending a related campaign to encourage dining out and asking restaurants and bars to reduce their hours or close altogether. more than 130,000 cases have been confirmed across japan. over 2,000 people have died. british pharmaceutical giant

astrazeneca says its coronavirus vaccine under development was found to be up to 90% effective in an interim analysis. the company released the data on clinical trials done in the uk and brazil by an independent board. it been deveping the vcine with the university of oxford. astrazeneca said over 23,000 participants are being assessed, and there were a total of 131 covid-19 cases in the study. in the cnical trials, they adjusted the vaccination dosage and analyzed multiple groups. the company said one regimen showed a vaccine efficacy of 90%, while another showed it was 62% effective. the combined analysis resulted in an average efficacy of 70%. the firm said no hospitalizations or severe cases of the disease were reported. the company said it will immediately prepare to submit the data to countries that have a framework in place for a conditional or early approval.

astrazeneca is aiming to have a manufacturing capacity of up to 3 billion doses of the vaccine in 2021. it's made an agreement with the japanese government to provide it with doses. almost one year has passed since a well-known japanese doctor and aid worker was killed in afghanistan. nakamura tetsu has spent years providing humanitarian assistance to help rebuild the war-ravaged country. a memorial has been held at his birthplace. nakamura dedicated himself to reconstruction in afghanistan as a representative of the japanese ngo. he was shot and killed in jalalabad last december. nakamura's memorial was ld on monday at his alma materkyushu university in japan's southwestern city of fukuoka. his family and supporters were among about 450 mourners.

>> translator: my life has changed since i went to pick up my father. the year has passed in the blink of an eye. 's the fily's hope that the project will continue. >> a video message from afghan president ashraf ghani was shown at the memorial. they've renewed their work after a temporary ha. next, ecosystems across the globe are coming under threat for invasive species. researches in japan's ancient capital of nara are working to protect indigenous species lig in a historic pond. as we see in our next report , this modern--day project is getting help from local relics. >> reporter: the ancient buddhist temple is a unesco world heritage site. next to it lies a pond, one of the most popular spots for

visitors to nara. the pond is home to many species of indigenous fish, includi. however, in recent years they have come under threat from a growing number of nonnative predators, such as pond slider turtles. this is a specialist in freshwater fish. here's been looking at ways to protect the native species. he came up with the idea of using old roof tiles backed up on the pond, he thought they could act as artificial reefs that might protect the fish. the tiles originally came from the roof of the nearby temple. when they were replaced some 30 years ago, they were considered too precious to be thrown away. >> translator: i think it's a wonderful idea for these old tiles which were once on the

roof of a temple to be reused and take on a new life. >> reporter: a week later, it was time to check back on the tiles. the team sank fish baskets in the pond to see what they might reveal. they found twice as many native species in the baskets closest to the roof tile reefs compared to those further away. using an underwater camera, they could see gobi hiding in the reef. the gap between the tiles is only about four ntimeters, so the turtles and larger fish can't enter. the tiles are beneficial in other ways too. their rough surfaces allow algae and moss to grow. because the tiles are made of clay, there's no concern about polluting the pond water.

>> translator: the science providing a safe habitat for the fish, i hope this project will generate greater interest in one of the most iconic spots in nara. >> kitagawa and his team will keep monitoring this project to observe the ancient tiles in their new role. time for a check of the world weather with our meteorologist yoko komagata. there is an intense storm over the bay of ben gal. >> we have a deep depression just east of india. this storm system is expected to be become a colognic storm shortly and even intensify as it

moves closer to southern india and sri lanka. as it does so, heavy rainfall mean storm surges will be the main concerns. total rain, 300 millimeters in southeastern india and northern parts of sri lanka that could cause major coastal flooding. rain will increase on tuesday going into wednesday and rainfall will also spread into colombo. meanwhile dry conditions will occur first in the north. people in new delhi may deal with hazy conditions. in northeast asia, a couple of high pressure systems will keep things dry across a large portion of china and the korean peninsula. meanwhile in japan, we had windy conditions including in tokyo over the weekend. winds will be down on tuesday but clouds will spread it into the air as a slower system approaches. tokyo may see rainfall in the latter part of the day on

tuesday and we will have much colder temperatures. the high will drop to 15 degrees in tokyo, which is about six degrees colder than yesterday. a big high-pressure system is producing dry weather across the eastern u.s., but conditions are going to change as we go into the week. a low-pressure system will develop over the plains, bringing unstable conditions. thunderstorms are expected in the plains all the way up to midwest on tuesday evening and continue into wednesday. behind the storm system, cold air will also produce heavy snowfall in the mountain areas. then we will have some snowfall on tuesday and some rain could turn to sleet or snow in chicago. there's a chance of severe thunderstorms in oklahoma city and houston on tuesday. unsable conditions will shift east and affect new york and atlanta as we go into wednesday. that's it for now. have a nice day.

that concludes this edition of nhk "newsline." we'll have more headlines at the top of the hour, so please stay with us. welcome to "newsline in depth." as the covid-19 pandemic has spread around the world, few industries have remained unaffected. the apparel industry is no exception. lockdown measures saw shopping malls empty, stores closed, and sales dropping steeply. many brands and retailers opted to close brick and mortar outlets, turning their focus instead to online retail.

one exception has been japan's biggest apparel brand, uniqlo. it's sparked the trend by opening major new stores in tokyo and expanding its goals. uniqlo's aim is to become what it calls a real global company, but what does that mean? today we meet branding guru john c. jay who's implementing that mission as the right-hand man of uniqlo chairman, yanai tadashi. he's renowned for his work for brands such as nike, microsoft and coca cola. in the five years since he joined fast retailing, the parent company of the uniqlo brand, he's been leading the company's efforts to achieve its global ambitions through his role in charge of the creative. nhk world's yuko fukushima interviewed him in person and online to find out more about his vision. >> this pandemic had, you know,

impacted our lives so much and for you, how has it impacted your life? >> well, i've been in portland. one of my homes. one of my offices. i'm sitting in my studio now. this is the longest time that i've never traveled. now, this has changed things for everyone around the world in terms of the apparel industry. look at the luxury business. they are -- basically the question everyone has to ask themselves, no matter what segment of apparel that you work in, the question is, why do we exist? do we offer something that is purposeful and meaningful and valuable for the people, you know, in our society? >> despite the pandemic, uniqlo unveiled a new store in tokyo's harajuku district known internationally as a center of japanese youth culture and fashion. the store embodies john jay's vision. he believes having a physical presence is still essential to tell consumers what the brand is all about.

he also believes the future lies in integrating digital media with the actual sense of touch. on one wall 240 display panels show photos of fashion styles. you just click on the panels you like to check availability. john c. jay was born to a family of chinese immigrants in ohio. he grew up in the backroom of his parents' laundry business. his career as an art director started in the 1980s at the iconic new york department store, bloomingdale's. in the mid '90s he became the talk of the industry by bringing street culture to nike, which changed the brand's marketing strategy forever. john jay has been recognized as one of the world's ten most influential art directors of the past 50 years. he first worked with uniqlo in 1998. the brand opened its first urban store in harajuku.

john jay helped launch uniqlo's fleece campaign. >> i'm very proud to be a part of it. that was the beginning of the message of made for all, the real, we call it the fleece campaign. that was the product, of course. but the deeper message was democracy. the message in the campaign is everyone was equal. you look at the casting, no famous srs. maybe a few up-and-coming people, but everyone was treated equal, a professor, a student, a factory worker, a construction worker. everyone was treated equal. >> the campaign had a huge impact turning casual wear into fashion. the fleece was a huge hit elevating the brand to a household name. john jay and uniqlo's chairman had been building up a strong relationship since the campaign. finally, nearly 15 years later, john jay joined the company in a newly established position, as president of global creative.

john jay's mission is to support yanai in turning uniqlo into a global company, though it has stores in 22 countries and regions across the world. tokyo, new york, and portland. he has offices in all three cities working with teams in planning, design, marketing and public relations to develop strategies to visualize the brand message and connect with customers. made for all is an idea underlying uniqlo's key concept, life wear. john jay says it's simple everyday apparel to meet all the needs of daily life for everyone in the world. >> in an age where everything is marketing, in an age where everything is visual, in an age where everything is eye candy on social media and so forth, we are creating a brand with no logo. no physical identity. it's radical because we start

with respect of everyone. >> reporter: however, john jay feels the company is not ready to achieve its vision yet. >> despite all of the great advances this company's had, it's still a japanese company. it's not truly a global company yet. our attempt to change the company is ongoing. in order to change the way you work, you have to change the way you think. >> reporter: he believes creative thinking is one of the keys to becoming a real global company. his first and the biggest project was to conceptualize its new global headquarters and arts center in tokyo. the centerpiece is the library. there are 25,000 books of all kinds from photo books, culture and history for the staff members to find inspiration. many of them have been

handpicked by yanai and jay. it may still be a long way before it becomes real global, but john jay says uniqlo actually has a big advantage as a japanese company. >> think about sustainability, a word that is so popular right now in marketing, but in japan sustainability has always been a part of your culture. this is a culture that has high reverence for the environment, that worships nature like a religion. we don't even need to talk about that because it's embedded in the dna here. >> reporter: although he travels all over the world, his relationship with tokyo runs deep. whenever he stays in the city, he heads outside to discover what's happening in the youth culture. that's how he maintains his creativity and gains inspiration. >> we need to listen to the younger generation. you know, the time of the baby boomers ruling the world, you know, thankfully, is being challenged through new ideas,

through new technology, through new values. >> reporter: with the world changing so fast in terms of culture, technology, and economy, how does john jay think his industry can prepare? >> the creative industry has to take diversity seriously. that is an iortant, important issue for all crtive industries. i think we're about to enter one of theost creative eras in our lifetime, clearly. and that's because new blood, new talent, and new technology, and consumer in the world is changing so dramatically it forces you as a creative person to adapt. >> i'm joined now by yuko fukushima. yuko, as we saw john jay stress the need for diversity, tell us in what way does this matter to him and the company? >> yes, john jay says apparel industry needs to realize that the world is more and more open to differences among the people

and respect that. now, he says uniqlo needs to build a production and sales strategy based on this concept and he says that will be one key for the company to become a real global company. >> and investors as well as consumers are becoming more critical now of the apparel industry's environmental impact, and the way clothes are produced, for example. in the past, uniqlo did come under strict scrutiny due to the severe conditions that garment workers at some of its contracted factories were forced to work under. >> yes, you know, these days investors are more and more sensitive to issues like environment, society, and corporate governance. and it applies to uniqlo, too, and it's not just enough for uniqlo to improve their brand image. they have to take appropriate action on how their goods are produced. >> women make up approximately 80% of the workforce in the garment industry. according to ilo. uniqlo has partnered with u.n.

women on a project to improve working conditions and provide capacity-building for women working at suppliers, factories around asia. i say so because i've covered it. perhaps this could be one example of uniqlo demonstrating their resolve to change. >> yes, certainly could be a step forward. >> okay. what about sustainability? john jay said sustainability is embedded in japanese culture. how can japanese companies turn this to their advantage in doing business? >> i think it's reflected in the japanese term "motainai" which means to cherish things by, you know, repairing or reusing it in different ways even if they break or fall apart. and one way in which japanese firms can compete in this global environment and gain a competitive advantage is by combining this concept of sustainability with the state of the art technology that they have. >> okay. talking about japanese culture

here in this studio, we're not far from harajuku, you know, which is right at the center of japan's youth culture. >> yes, you know, from gothic lolita fashion to cyberpunk to kawaii girls, this small tokyo neighborhood has exerted huge influence on global fashion in recent years. >> but will japanese youth culture and japanese culture in general continue to be a source of inspiration for fashion and global art? >> well, john jay says young people and their culture mirrors the age we live in. so in that sense he says they will always be an inspiration, a source of inspiration. >> right. >> john jay has been closely observing tokyo for decades even before he lived in tokyo for six years in the 1990s. and he's a bit worried now because he seems -- to him, to it seems the young people in

japan have lost passion for life and the future. >> but i'm sure he has a number of thoughts and insights he wants to share with young people, drawing on his own experiences, art director and businessman. >> yes, there's a well-known list of ten phrases among young artists that john jay has come up with. now, i'll share two of them with you. now, one is get off the computer and connect with real people and culture. life is visceral. and the other one is travel as much as you can. it's a humbling and inspiring experience to learn just how much you don't know. >> right. >> yeah, so, obviously, you know, the pandemic has interrupted people traveling and meeting up with people, so i think this is his way of saying to, you know, think outside the box, be curious, and be creative. >> definitely an interesting time not only for the apparel industry but for the artist as well. >> yes, i'm sure john jay will be closely watching how the youth culture evolves in this

era of the covid. >> we'll keep an eye on that, too. thank you, yuko. >> thank you. >> that's it for today's edition of "newsline in depth." thank you for watching and see you again next time.

>> al jazeera, wherever you are. ♪ anchor: a boost for the u.s. president-elect as a key federal agency gives joe biden the green light to formally begin his transition to the white house. donald trump gives the agency they go ahead but insists he will keep up his fight to overturn the election results despite another setback in michigan. ♪ this is al jazeera life from the hop. also coming up, astrazeneca says the covid-19 vaccine is 90% effective and cheaper than rivals, making it affordable for the developing world.