from tokyo. we start with the latest on the coronavirus here in japan. help is on the way to a hurting hokkaido. japan's northern prefecture has been hit by cluster infections. with hospitals struggling with a health care worker shortage, the defense minister is sending in reinforcements from the self-defense forces. >> translator: we concluded that emergency medical assistance to hokkaido prefecture is necessary. so we decided to send sdf medical assistance teams on a

disaster relief mission, as early as today. >> about ten nurses will be dispatched to two hospitals dealing with cluster infections. the mission is expected to last for around two weeks. defense ministry officials are also preparing to send nurses to a medical facility in osaka that's focused on serious covid-19 cases. now, this is the fourth time for sdf members to be sent to provide medical assistance over the pandemic. sdf doctors and nurses helped take samples of passengers fm the "diamond princess" cruise ship to conduct pcr tests. another cruise ship was in nagasaki, helping with medical systems in okinawa. 167,000 people have been infected in japan since the pandemic began. over 2,400 people have died. it's been a year since chinese officials confirmed the first case of what is now known

as covid-19. since then, the virus spread across the globe, killing over 1.5 million people and infecting more than 67 million. countries deployed a variety of measures to reign in the pandemic, but officials are reimposes restrictions, in hopes of stemming the spread until vaccines become more available. we spoke earlier with our senior correspondent in beijing. >> what is situation like there now? >> reporter: china may have been the epicenter at the outset, but after imposing stringent lockdowns and conducting mass testing, infections have dropped significantly. official statistics show in recent months, the daily average of new domestic cases has been below ten. for most people here, life has been gradually returning to normal.

including in wuhan, where the first case was reported. our crew visited the city on monday. full restaurants and bustling shops. one place that remains off limits is the market linked to many of the first cases. in recent months, the government has gone to great lengths to change it. officials are trying to focus on how they contained it. part of that strategy is that wuhan emphasizes -- while it appeared to have some success among citizens, not everyone is convinced. nhk has spoken to some critics who say the government was too slow to respond. one of them is a wuhan resident,

who blames beijing's strict control on information for causing the outbreak. >> translator: only the government knows what's going on in wuhan, and they don't share it. we have to believe what the communist party says. all news must be based on state-run media. no matter what we say, it's meaningless. >> reporter: he is now under surveillance, but he's faired better than three ofis friends, who are detained after criticizing the governmt on social media. >> well, the government may be able to silence critics within the country, but there are increasing calls from the international community for greater transparency. how likely is that going to happen? >> reporter: based on beijing's actions over the past year, it's unlikely. five months ago, the world health organization dispatched a team of experts to beijing, but

they still haven't been allowed to conduct a survey in wuhan. experts say access is crucial at finding the origin of the virus and how it spread is vital to preventing future pandemics. here's what one w.h.o. official had to say about the timeline. >> now, i would say it's probably in the coming weeks, months, but it's very uncertain. for sure, we're not going to wait six months, but one, two months, i cannot tell you. >> reporter: and as negotiations drag on, china appears to be changing its story on the origins of the virus. in february, chinese government experts said the virus likely originated in bats and transferred to humans. now, officials say they can't rule out the virus was brought

in from abroad. although, a w.h.o. official has said it is highly speculative to say the disease did not emerge in china. this recent development means questions about what caused the virus and whether anyone should be held accountable remains unanswered one year after this whole ordeal began. u.s. president-elect joe biden announced key members of his health care team will be tasked with responding to the coronavirus pandemic. >> biden nominated california attorney general javier becerra as secretary of health and human services. he is known for spearheading lawsuits in many states that sought the continuation of the health insurance program known as obamacare.

the current administration's top disease expert, dr. anthony fauci, will serve as chief medical adviser on covid-19 to the president. biden also named d ed dr. walen chief medical officer. murphy is in the same position he was serving with obama, surgeon general. biden said the experts will be ready to oversee the safe, equitable, and free distribution of vaccines. now, the pandemic is taking a growing toll on health care workers around the world, including in france, which is one of the highest coronavirus counts in europe. one recent survey of 60,000 nurses there found more than half are suffering from exhaustion. our next report looks at how the situation is affecting one

person on the front lines in a rural part of the country. >> reporter: this woman had been working as a nursing aide, taking care of cancer patients, until the virus arrived last spring in her town. that's when her work situation changed radically. she's asked to care for more patients than ever before, most suffering from covid-19. she was often called in to work on holidays. >> translator: many people died. i felt it was like hell. >> reporter: making matters worse, cnot being able to care for her cancer patients caused a lot of guilt. in early october, a second wave of infections hit. >> translator: i couldn't sleep without taking medication. i got tired of my work environment.

if my son weren't here, i might have committed suicide. >> reporter: after pushing herself to the limit for months, her doctor said she was suffering from burnout. she was given two weeks off work to recover, but says it hasn't helped. she's now looking at changing jobs. >> tnslator: i'm ready to switch to factory work. i can't stand the level of pressure at the hospital anymore. >> reporter: chedemail isn't alone. many others at the hospital took leaves of absence or quit in recent months. the labor union says those who stay on are forced to work even harder. >> translator: staff are becoming more exhausted as their numbers fall. even if one of them returns from medical leave, another will take time off because of overwork. >> reporter: nearly 10% of medical positions at the

facility now sit empty, and a nearby medical center is helping to fill the gap, but it's a temporary solution. the head of the hospital is worried. >> translator: no policies have been implemented to help health care workers. it feels like we are the only ones dealing with infected people. there is no end in sight. the situation is very difficult psychologically. >> reporter: infections have been falling in recent weeks after france ended its second national lockdown. but as the government eases up on those measures, many front line workers will be hoping for more help to cope with another possible influx of patients. people gathered in hawaii on monday to remember the japanese attack on pearl harbor.

it's been 79 years since the fateful day, which led the united states to enter world war ii. ♪ many u.s. veterans watched the event online since anti-virus measures saw attendance sharply cut. at the exact moment of the attack, a bell was rung, and everyone at the event observed a moment for about 2,400 people who were killed. ♪ the land of the >> the sacrifices of our sailors from the greatest generation, and the sacrifices of our navy for the past 79 years, has delivered peace, stability, and prosperity for all nations around the globe. >> with each year, there are fewer witnesses to the attack, so the u.s. government is offering lessons online. elementary students learned about the attack and how it affected u.s./japan relations up

to today. >> hopefully, the more people understand those stories, the better we can make the world. >> tusands of students took part over five days. international circumstances at the time of the attack, and the importance of handing down this history to suceding generations. next, a capsule likely containing samples from an ancient asteroid has arrived at its final destination on earth. after the hayabusa2 space probe's long journey to pick up the precious cargo, it's now safely in the hands of scientists at a facility near tokyo. the japan aerospace exploration agency, or jaxa, believes the capsule contains sand from the asteroid. it was retrieved from an australian desert sunday and arrived in tokyo tuesday, before being taken to a jaxa lab. officials thanked the public for

warmly welcoming back the capsule. the project manager of hayabusa2 spoke of the historic nature. >> translator: i'm finally able to really understand that this capsule has made a round trip of more than 5 billion kilometers. it's something that's overwhelmingly touching. >> the head of the institute of space and astronautical science said the project faced difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic, and postponing the return of the capsule was even briefly considered. >> translator: i thought we could give the world a positive boost by showing an example of humanity's vigor, at a time when people's activity has stagnated due to the pandemic. >> he said the scientists will now enter a phase of analyzing the substances and are determined to maximize its

scientific value. the international olympic committee has some breaking news for sports fans. the 2024 paris games will see breaking added at the event. breaking is a competitive form of break dancing. competitors are judged not only on technical skills, but also creativity and style. key elements include pop rocks, footwork, power moves and freezes. it's popular amongst the younger generations and was formally introduced in the 2018 youth olympics, drawing big crowds. the executive board also approved surfing, climbing and skateboarding, which will make its olympic debut at next year's tokyo games. however, baseball, softball and karate will be excluded in 2024. under the rules first introduced for the tokyo games the olympic host cities can pick sports and propose them if those sports are popular in that country. the ioc also announced it will

cap the total athletes' quota for the paris games at 10,500, about 600 fewer than in tokyo which is expected to be the highest number ever. gender equality will be the focus in paris, with officials committing to 50/50 male and female athletes. officials also cut the overall events in paris to 329 to reduce costs. ioc president thomas bach said we're making the olympics in paris 2024 fit for the post-corona world. and now we go to world weather. china is being turned into a winter wonderland. sayaka, what is the situation there? >> yes, we are seeing very low temperatures in many places of asia, especially in northern china and mongolia. take a look at this footage. a surge of cold air burst into

northern areas of china last week, leading to beautiful winter scenes ithe region. in pts of the north and northwest, a phenomenon formed on the trees. super cold water droplets and fog came in contact with the branches and leaves. freezing immediately and creating a white coating. cold air will continue to dominant the forecast. we are two weeks ahead of the official start to winter and already seeing very low temperatures. now, the darker the color, the colder the air. very frigid air will continue to dive down to the south, reaching portions of the korean peninsula, too. this is your forecast for the next five days. these are your morning lows. u l a ulaanbaatar is colder than the. >> average this time of year. watch out for hyperthermia in

harbin. seoul is not too cold, but as we go into monday, it is going to be minus 8. be careful of the freezing conditions. meanwhile, a bush fire has been occurring in frazier island in australia since mid-october. this is the world's largest island. dry conditions continue the next couple days, but later this week, we'll see cooler temperatures plus rain. hopefully, conditions will improve. a tropical low is approaching western australia. this system will likely cause flooding and rainfall to northern areas of the state. we'll see lots of heavy rainfall, plus gusts probably nearly 90 kilometers per hour. 34 is expected in port helen. rain could continue in the south today. opposed to late november, where the mercury hit 40 degrees, sydney will see 24 on wednesday, seasonal for this time of year. and across europe, heavy snow has been pounding the alpine

region. 3 meters of snow in three days, the all-time record for the area. strong winds were reported in france as well as serbia. red flag warnings were posted at the time. we'll see stormy conditions in italy and the balkan peninsula. watch out for rain and strong winds. that's it for me. stay safe. ♪

♪ ♪ and that wraps up this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. coming up next is "newsline biz" with gene otani, so don't go away.

♪ this is "newsline biz." i'm gene otani. south korea's president says his country will consider joining the transpacific partnership free trade pact. moon jae-in was speaking in seoul on tuesday in an annual trade day ceremony. >> translator: as the global economy recovers from coronavirus, countries will compete with each other to seize market share. we'll continue to consider joining the tpp. >> south korean media say this is the first time the president

has spoken in a positive way about participating in the 11-country free trade deal. the asian nation is among the members that signed the regional comprehensive economic partnership last month. the deal includes 15 countries on the western side of the pacific, including japan and china. seoul is apparently taking another look at international free trade frameworks in an effort to reduce side effects resulting from the trade confli between the united states and china. the government compiled a stimulus package worth $700 billion to tackle the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy in japan. prime minister suga yoshihide spoke at a meeting with senior officials. >> translator: this economic package is to maintain employment, keep business going, revive the economy and open a path to growth, including

through green and digital technolo technology. >> measures will include support for hospitals and nursing homes as well as financial aid for businesses. the package ramps up investment in green technology, so as japan tries to shift to a net zero carbon footprint by 2050. plans to extend a program promoting domestic travel would be funded by a stimulus. the government will also help companies as they try to avoid cutting staff. japanese officials have revised upward the country's gdp reading for the last quarter. the cabinet office says gross domestic product grew at an annualized 22.9% in real terms from july to september. the preliminary figure issued last month was 21.4%. that's the largest expansion since comparable data became available in 1980. but it follows a historic plunge in the previous quarter when the coronavirus battered the economy. consumer spending makes up more than half of japan's gdp. it's been revised to 5.1% from

4.7% quarter on quarter. corporate investment was revised up to minus 2.4%, stronger than the preliminary figure of minus 3.4%. japan's gdp growth for the year is expected to come in negative. the organization for economic cooperation and development is projecting the economy to shrink 5.3% in 2020. analysts say recovery will depend on progress to fight the coronavirus. the latest government data show that people in japan earn less but households spent more in october amid the pandemic. the average monthly wage stood at 270,000 yen or about $2,600. that's down 0.8% in yen terms from a year earlier, marking the seventh straight month of decline. over time, a non-regular pay shrank 11.7%. that extended a run of sharp falls that began in april. meanwhile, spending by households of two or more people

climbed for the first time in 13 months. it rose nearly 2% year on year to an average of 283,000 yen. people spent more on home appliances. spending jumped 400% on microwaves and more than doubled on refrigerators. but that came from a low base in october last year when shoppers were hit by a hike in the consumption tax. an emerging economy in southeast asia is at the forefront of what's set to become a revolution in global finance. cambodia's new digital currency is backed by its central bank with a mobile transaction system. nhk world reports. >> reporter: cambodia has a population of more than 16 million. most people don't have bank accounts, but they do own smart phones.

a new payment system was started in october. >> translator: this is the bakong app. >> reporter: the app allows users to send or receive e-money that has the same value as the country's currency, the real, as well as the united states dollar. there are no transaction fees between individuals. it's believed that about 80% of cambodians do not have a bank account. the introduction of bakong is expected to boost growth in financial services. >> translator: i use the app to buy things, receive money and transfer money to other banks. it's easy, quick, safe and effective. >> reporter: the central bank hopes the system will help to

restore confidence in the real. many people are distrustful of the national currency, as its value has fluctuated sharply in the past. that's one of the reasons the u.s. dollar is in circulation. >> reporter: if the use of the real declines further, the impact of the central bank's monetary policies and stimulus measures could be diminished. >> cambodia's one of the -- and now we introduce something newer which is the digital form. this is frl from the central bank, to produce trust in the currency. >> reporter: cambodians are among the first in the world to access this type of central

bank-backed structure that has the potential to bring about widespread change. nhk world, phnom penh. all right, let's have a look at the markets. ♪

from the news line busineen in tokyo, i'm gene otani. thank you for joining us. ññwewel

rob: u.s. health experts are warning that the surge coronavirus infections is likely to keep going up, especially after the holiday season. the country reported its daily seven days april.