hello and welcome to nl h k "newsline." we start in japan where medical institutions are straining with clustered infections. they occurred around 100 hospitalings in. more than three times as the previous month. two hospitals in the northern prefecture have been hit with 180 infections each. the governor is set to ask the self-defense forces to send nurses to help alleviate the shortage of health care workers.

the western prefecture is also experiencing a medical care shortfall. the prefecture set is up a new facility with 30 beds equipped with ventilators to treat serious coronavirus cases the governor says 80 nurses have been cured to far, but this is not enough. hes hoo asking for to be sent for reenforcement. 16 people including pashlts and nurses became infected. the hospital says the cluster sta started with a patient who tested negative in a cr test on admission. the patient was hospitalized with a different disease in october and discharged two days later. ten days later, two nurses who looked after the patient reported fever and upset stomach and tested positive for the virus.

>> translator: we must assume every patient may have contra contracted the virus the day before a pcr test and treat patients they may show covid-19 symptoms any time until about two weeks after contracting the virus. >> a clustered infection on remote island is pushing medical workers to brink. 53 people or 2% of the population of the island have been infected. many were sent to the main island, but the hospital says its beds are almost full. some of the patients from the island were sent to hospitals in the city and elsewhere strain ing the entire area. >> translator: we can still accept some more patients, but if infection clusters occur in

other places, the number of cases will surge and could cause a panic. >> more than 165,000 people have tested positive in japan since the pandemic began. about 2,400 people have died. turning to the united states where the coronavirus is continue iing to spread with no relief in sight. figures from jons hopkins shows the nation is averaging more than 2 deaths every day. and in just the first five days of this month, newly reported cases topped 1 million. large parts of the country's most heavily populated state is locking down. tens of millions in california are under a stay-at-home order following a post-thanksgiving surge. they reported more than 30,000 cases on sunday. that state imposed stricter rules on sunday.

in some areas, residents are prohibited from leaving home, except for essential travel, for at least the next three weeks. retailers must allow in no more than 20% of normal foot traffic and restaurants can operate only takeout and delivery services. across the country in the northeastern state of massachusetts, a so-called field hospital with some 220 beds has opened to handle the growing number of covid-19 patients. u.s. health and human services secretary alex azar said on an abc television program on sunday that the food and drug administration could authorize a new coronavirus vaccine within days. meanwhile, president donald trump's personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, has become the latest in the president's inner circle to contract the coronavirus. trump revealed this in a tweet on sunday. the 76-year-old former new york mayor has traveled extensively

to battleground states in recent days to persuade state lawmakers to overturn the results of the presidential election. in the tweet, trump wished giuliani a speedy recovery. with daily cases topping 600 this n korea, they are tightening social distance measures to curb infections in surrounding areas. nationwide numbers are back to the levels they were in march. rebounding from fewer than 100 new cases early last month. the government announced that restrictions will be imposed for three weeks from tuesday. the maximum number of people allowed for meetings and other events is to be cut by half to fewer than 50. large supermarkets and movie theaters will be required to close at 9:00 p.m. the prime minister is call for the public's cooperation, saying

the current crisis must be overcome before lives can return to normal. turning to indonesia where a cabinet minister is accuse d of taking $1 million in bribes relate ed d to a program that distributes food for struggle people. he turned himself into anticorruption authorities on sunday. the case invols his dealings with two food supiers that secured government contracts. arrested for takingbacks in less than t weeks. the incident could cast doubtn the president's pledge to root out corruption, but he maintains such acts will not be tolerated.

>> translator: i will not prkt those who are involved in corruption. we believe that the corruption works in transpare and professional manner. the government will consistently support efforts to eradicate corruption. >> according to johns hopkins university 570,000 coronavirus infection cases have been confirmed in nearby. 17,000 people have died. now to a growing problem among vietnamese technical interns in japan. who lost their jobs are turning to gambling to support their families back home.

foota footage shows people playing a game. each one worth $96. sources say as many as 100 gamblers will pack into private apartments to risk their savings. one participant told nhk a vietnamese gang sets up the game. they share details of theext secret location through social media in a bid to stay ahead of police. >> translator: my savings had run out due to the coronavirus pandemic and i have been unable to send money to my family in vietnam. i knew it was illegal in japan. i regret what i did. >> police are now on high alert and groups that support them are warning to stay away from any illegal activities.

now to the latest on an unmanned japanese probe that could help experts unlock the secrets of the origin of life. japan's space agency says the capsule is on its way home and due to arrive tuesday morning. >> translator: i felt relieved rather than happy. >> after traveling six years and more than 5 billion kilometers, the probe's capsule is home and in perfect condition. >> translator: we hope we'll be able to conduct scientific experimen experiments. i'm looking forward to opening the capsule. >> the capsule contains samples from an ancient asteroid. no more than one fwram is

expected to be inside, but that sample is considerable. it will be split nasa and other groups for future research. experts hope by analyzing particles from theuntouched asteroid they can find clues about how the universe first fostered life. the probe is already off on its next mission to explore another asteroid. the pandemic is affecting tokyo games next summer and not just in the capital. hundreds of communities across japan have been gearing up to host athletes from around the globe, but as nhk world reports, local officials are worried about how to do so safely fpz >> reporter: messages of support from residents in the northern city to olympians in a far away country. these videos were posted online

s in july after the games were postponed by a year. the city has hosted three visits from bulgaria's rhythmic gymnastics team since 2017. local officials see it as a chance to revitalize the economy. like many other communities in japan, the population is aging. now covid-19 is posing a challenge to the project. >> translator: we had planned to visit bulgaria in april during the rhythmic gymnastics world cup to meet with officials, but we were forced to cancel that trip. >> the central government has been encouraging cities and towns nationwide to host

training camps for teams from around the world. one aim is to boost the spirit of international solidarity embodied by the olympic and paralympic movement. more than 500 cities and towns have registered for the program. but they have to figure out how to minimize the risk of infection as they weigh the assets. earlier this month, officials from the central government and the games organizing committee came up with antivirus guidelines. they include using dedicated buses to transport athletes and ensuring that each has their own accommodations. instead of rooming together. athletes are also required to practice in dedicated facilities. part of the broader recommendation to limit contact

with locals until after the games. officials are trying to adapt their plans to abide by the guidelines. they have picked an entire hotel to accommodate the bulgarian team. they are considering how to hold exchange events safely. and they are thinking about the rising costs of these preventive measures. >> we're expecting about $3800 in added expenses. we are in a severe economic situation because the city's finances are bei affected by the pandemic. >> he says the city does not want to stop the exchange program since residents are looking forward to cheering on

the gymnasts. they are facing difficulties striking a buzz between promoting international exchanges and keeping athletes and residents safe. nakagawa saori, nhk world. sumo health exercise. ♪ ♪ >> ya! >> sumo health exercise is your guide to staying fit and healthy. extremely wild weather has hit the east.

our meteorologist joins us now with the details. >> hello. two ra weather events took place during the weekend in the middle east. one is a huge tornado that occurred in northwestern portions of saudi arabia and a massive twister emerged in the middle of a desert and a massive hailstorm hit lebanon on the same day. it looks like snow, but it's not because the temperature was about 15 degrees at the time. the capital of lebanon along with suburbs dealt with gusty winds and heavy hail saturday. after a storm blew through the area. a white blanket covered some parts of the region while heavy rain caused streams to flow through local roads. according to one meteorologist, beirut last experienced a hailstorm in 1968. videos on social media showed

cars sliding in water while roads were blocked off causing traffic jams, so weather was extremely severe during the weekend in saudi arabia and lebanon. the weather is improving, however. we are still looking at some rainfall in lebanon. so be careful of more flooding. we have this storm system. this system is expected to dump heavy snow, plus heavy rainfall in and around northern india as well as portions of afghanistan. temperatures are in the middle east. rainy weather and beirut could see a chance for thunderstorms once again on your tuesday with a high of 24. this area experienced flooding two weeks ago. so whether has been pretty rough in the middle east. meanwhile, japan is experiencing calm weather in many places and we saw the first frost of the season in places. snow is falling across the

northwestern portions of japan at this moment. a snow will taper off as the day goes on on tuesday. snow is expected, though, later this week and temperatures will be warmer than normal in many places inclauding tokyo during the week and also into the weekend. but next week it's going to be exceptionally cold. meanwhile, we are looking at dry conditions across the united states, but there's a possibility of more thunderstorms across the florida peninsula. that's it for me. have a nice day.

before we go, let's take a look at a preparations for the upcoming new year. a giant tablet featuring an ox, next year's symbol in the oriental zodiac has been installed at a shrine in wakayama prefecture. the ceremony was held to dedicate the tablet to a shrine in the town.

the shrine stands at the foot of a unesco world heritage site. about 20 people took part. there was also a bit of cleaning taking place. the tablet showing this year's zodiac sign, the rat, was replaced by the new one, which is two meters tall and three meters wide. >> translator: i hope i'll be able to stay calm and relaxed with the ox. >> translator: i wish for coronavirus pandemic with strength and vigor like an ox. >> the chief priest says he hopes the new tablet will ease people's minds and help usher in a wonderful new year. and that will do it for nhk "newsline." thanks for watching.

this is "newsline biz." i'm gene otani. japan's top business lobby co compiled a set of proposals for the government to meet its seethe roan greenhouse gas companies will play an active role in providing low-price carbon free energy and developing electric and fuel cell vehicles. f f

fpz. >> translator: it's important that the government and the academic community work together to create a common approach. >> large-scale governments are needed to develop key technologies including those related to the use of hydrogen. it calls orphan the government invest in power systems based on renewable energy. the proposals say nuclear power is essential if the government is to meet its target for mission cuts. discussions on the use of nuclear energy should start as soon as possible. the chairman says it's important to create a mechanism for invest the thes that lead to innovation instead of reare lying sbar entirely on government support. >> it was hack ed from brazil late last month. the company says beta on the

stores were startitargeted in t attack. hack vermay have accessed 20 million data items including store names. it hasn't found any cases of the did ta being downloaded or used so far. the if you remember says it's wrapping up efforts to make sure it's not hacke again. japanese fast food businesses including sushi chains are opening new outlets despite the increase in coronavirus cases. they are betting rising demand for quick bites and takeout food will boost revenue. the leading chain plans to open six new restaurant bis next october in areas that have heavy foot traffic. the chain hopes to attract new customers including that. they are easier to find with pubs and restaurants being

forced out. >> we tried to operate in yurl and urban areas. a good business location in the store. >> the japan food service association says the rrlt sni stri as a whole suffered 6% drop in sales in october compared to the year earlier. but other businesses saw revenues rise by 1.8%. china's exports rose sharply in november fuelled by demand for medical goods and other items popular during covid lockdown around the world. shipments have now risen for six months in a row. customs authorities say exports jumped 21% last month from a year earlier. shipments of face masks and medical equipment grew as the virus surged in europe and the

u.s. demand for pcs and other electronic devices remain robust. imports rose 4.5%, climbing for a third straight month. the valley of china's overall trade hit $460 billion, up 13.6%. the data underscore's the country's recovery ahead of other major economies. chinese authorities are concerned a higher yuan could dampen exports in the coming months. they're wary of soaring infections in other countries. spending in the world's second largest economy is another worry that domestic consumption is lagging the surge in exports. as people change the way they shop. nhk world akuto has this report. >> reporter: the chinese government is going all out to revive domestic consumption. consumers can use coupons issued by local governments. but the effect is limited.

amid these circumstances, many websites on saving money have really caught on with young people in china. >> transtor: i repaired my 6-year-old's shoes myself. >> translator: potatoes are cheaper than rice. >> reporter: users contribute ideas, such as turning old shirts into cushion covers. among them, this group is particularly popular. the name, the cheapskate means association. 36-year-old lu started the cheapskate means association five years ago. >> when the tooth paste tube got to be like this, my wife would throw it away. but if you squeeze it like this, you can get a lot more out.

>> reporter: the number of members in the group recently surged to 130,000. >> translator: with so many new members joining recently, the message boards are really active. >> reporter: here is one member of the cheapskate means association. he is 31 and single. translator: i saw the news that the pandemic caused a lot of people to lose their jobs and their source of income. i took that as a warning and started saving. >> reporter: before the pandemic, he had no savings and made no attempts to limit his spending.

now, he checks the forum for ideas on how to cut corners. he started to buy used books online and sells them after he's done reading them. he lives in his office with permission from his company to avoid paying rent. he says in half a year, he has saved about $7,500. >> translator: to have hope for the future, i have no choice but to save money. >> reporter: the coronavirus pandemic is changing young people's awareness of consumption. iga akito, nhk world, beijing. let's have a look at the markets.

from the team in tokyo, thank you for joining us. ññwewel