♪ hello. a very warm welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. we begin in the u.s. where the president-elect is making a case for his pick to delead the defee department. joe biden is set to nominate retired general lloyd austin. he served in the army as recently as 2014, leading some to speculate he will blur the

line between civil service and the military. if confirmed he will be the first black american to lead the pentagon. getting there will require a special congressional waiver since he hasn't been out of active service for the requisite seven years. some are hesitant to sign off. biden wrote an article in the "atlantic" explaining his choice and urging a swift confirmation. austin led the u.s. central command under president barack obama when biden said he pved he could react well under pressure. biden wrote his many strengths and knowledge in the department of defense and our government are uniquely matched to the challenges and crises we face. he is the person we need in this moment. the required congressional waiver has been granted only twice in the past, most recently when congress approved president donald trump's nomination of jim

mattis in 2017. biden says he aims to vaccinate 100 million americans for covid-19 during the first 100 days in his administration. >> my first 100 days won't end the covid-19 virus, i can't promise that. i'm absolutely convinced in 100 days we can change the course of the disease and change life in america for the better. >> biden held a news conference on tuesday to introduce the top members of his team that will deal with the virus once he takes office on january 20th. he said the members will be ready on day one to spare no effort to get this pandemic under control, so americans can get back their work, their lives and their loved ones. biden said he will ask all americans within the bounds of the law to wear masks in public during his first 100 days in office. the president-elect also said he

plans to have at least 100 million vaccine shots administered and will try to reopen most of the country's schools during the period. in japan, the northern prefecture of hokkaido is getting some help to deal with the number of cluster infections. with hospitals struggling with 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 stf 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 no longer than 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. this is the fourth time for sdf members to be sent to provide assistance over the pandemic. sdf doctors and nurses helped take samples of passengers from the "diamond princess" cruise ship to conduct tests. authorities confirmed more than 2,100 new cases across japan on tuesday. a record 47 deaths were reported. 536 people are currently in serious condition, also a record high. japan's government is drafting its budget for the next financial year and, of course, fighting covid is at the heart of its plan. it also wants to shift to a greener and more digital society. monitoring risk is a key focus as it casts a shadow over the economy.

e government wants a strike balance between anti-infection steps and social and economic activity. it's pushing to ramp up digitalization to stoke national growth, while working on becoming a carbon free country. it wants cycle where both productivity and wages continue rising. it will finish the draft budget later this month. the next fiscal year starts in april. unicef is urging countries to get children back into the classrooms. it says more schools are shutting down despite evidence they are not the main drivers of the pandemic. the u.n. body says nearly 1 out of 5 children were out of class and that amounts to 320 million worldwide, up nearly 90 million from a month earlier. it says data from 191 countries shows no correlation between

local infection rates and school closures. unicef is urging governments to prioritize reopening schools while doing everything possible to make them safe. it also says plans must include expanding access to education including remote learning. people in afghanistan are remembering a japanese doctor who was killed there one year ago while working on humanitarian projects. more than 1,000 people joined a memorial service on tuesday for nakamura tetsu. he spent years in afghanistan providing medical services and building irrigation canals to restore rmlands and feed the hungry. >> translator: mr. nakamura improved the lives of afghans. i will never forget his achievements. >> the governor of the province where nakamura was killed vowed to track down those responsible. nakamura was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in the province of nangarhar on

december 4th of last year. he was 73 years old. a retired professional sumo wrestler from russia is now working on the second chapter of his life in japan. nhk world's reporter asked him about the new endeavor he is taking on. >> reporter: i first met 37-year-old nikolai eivanof fiv years ago. he came to japan when he was 18 years old to become a professional tsunami presser. he fought under the name amura from his russian homeland and retired two years ago in 2018.

>> reporter: rf after retiring, ivanof decided to stay in japan and become a sports trainer. during the coronavirus pandemic he began his own online training course. he teaches the basics of sumo training, including shiko foot stomping and leg stretching exercises. the main goal of the course is to increase the flexility of the groin muscles.

>> translator: i haven't done exercises th are this efctive fore. tralator: tse exercises feel le theyre traininmy core. >> reporr: ivanofocuses building a bodthat c stay jury-fe. this is based on his own painful experiences when he was an active sumo wrestler. >> reporter: ivanov treasures his mementos from his sumo wrestler days. his memories inspire him to take on this new challenge in japan.

>> reporter: the owner of the gym where ivanov holds the online classes supports ivanov's second life. >> translator: i'm impressed with his seriousness and earnestness. i want to help him as much as i can. >> reporter: ivanov knows sumo helped him grow and achieve success in japan. now he thinks it is time to return what he owes to this country by teaching and sharing his deep knowledge of the sport. morita hiroshi, nhk world. tsunami health ♪

let's check out the world weather with our meteorologist tsietsi monare. so people in northern asia are enduring bitterly cold temperatures today. what do you want to tell them to watch out for? >> people certainly need to watch out. overnight temperatures can drop so quickly and that can cause a lot of damage to your plants outside, maybe even your pets. you might forget them and might forget to put in an extra blanket indoors. temperatures can drop so suddenly and is happening where we're seeing temperatures well below zero for your low

temperatures. cold air could also be coming in to us in northern parts of japan, we will be seeing snowfall in places. over the next couple of days. be prepared for a blast of cold conditions with bitterly cold conditions moving in. for people that are going to be in tokyo, while you might have experienced warm temperatures tuesday, look what's happening wednesday, dropping to 12 degrees and single spreading across seoul and beijing. minus 17 is the highest temperatures you will notice for your wednesday. it will be bitterly cold. for people in europe, they have been hit by a couple of storms coming in. you can see from the pressure systems developed in the uk and balkans and much of the mediterranean. that's where i want to put a lot of focus there.

rainfall has hit that region. let's look at this video in italy where heavy rain and strong winds on tuesday caused flooding in venice and italy and caught them off guard and count implement the change in time and it brought it in a short period. people should still expect another increase by thursday. that increase could go as high as 130 centimeters there, which could lead to even more flooding. if you look at what is coming, more rainfall coming up across the mediterranean affecting many places in southern europe, slovenia, croatia, could see a lot of excess rainfall as well as snowfall in certain places looking at snowfall building up

to 90 centimeters and rainfall up to 110 millimeters possible. please be careful and take care at all times. that's all for your weather. have a great day.

that's nhk "newsline" for this hour. i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. thank you for staying with us on "nhk world" japan. ♪ welcome to "newsline" in depth. i'm shibuya aki. food is one of our greatest sources of pleasure. aroma, texture and taste, presenttation on the plate, the celebration of the seasons. and, of course, the way it brings people together. but our insatiable appetites can lead to overharvesting and threatening species to the point

of extinction. today, we focus on how the food industry is applying both common sense and high tech to ensuhuur sustainability, all so we can continue indulging in our favorite delicacies. >> so mouth watering. what truffles are to europeans, matsukaki is to japanese. aromatic, earthy. the prized delicacy is also the scent defining autumn. in recent years, the domestic supplies have remained low. around 60% of them come from china. but there's been an interruption in the supply chain. >> a vast array of these mushrooms is on display at the market. china's largest producer of the fungi. >> translator: these mushrooms

cost around $81 per kilo. they're the best among today's crop. >> reporter: prices are high. and so is demand. the mushrooms are now showing up in more and more kitchens across china. nurtured by the growing taste for japanese cuisine. >> translator: they're tasty. i always order them. >> reporter: but the popularity has created a problem. the mushrooms grow in pine forests. coupled with high prices, more people are heading into the mountains to collect them. and that led to excessive harvesting. >> translator: i come here as no one controls this area. >> reporter: there are rules for

harvesting the mushrooms. but not everyone is following them. in this area, people are only allowed to collect mature mushrooms. they must be bigger than five centimeters. but at this market, many smaller ones are on sale. >> translator: i put all my energy into picking them all day long. i want to sell even small ones. >> reporter: aroused by the record harvesting, he goes to a mountain. he's now managing the mushrooms and sharing know-how with other farmers. he teachers people how to boost profits while also protecting the habitat.

>> translator: this is too small to pick with a lid to protect it. as it's been harmed by insects. >> reporter: strict controls and management seem to be paying off. the harvest has started to increase. >> translator: i will keep a close watch over it to protect the species and grow ones of a higher quality. >> pu has planted the seed and now waiting to see if sustainable farming takes root. others are taking notice of the mushroom's plight, too. in july, a major global status group, the iecn designated this mushroom as a threatened species. it cited low global harvest and loss of habitat. yes, the deterioration of the

healthy pine forest where the treasured fungi thrive. now, the emphasis is shifting to protecting the natural habitat to keep the richness of japan's autumn food culture alive. >> complex flavor, exquisite texture, and aromic and the they are prized. uh-huh, i'm talking about cavier. true cavier, which is produced from surgeon roe, has been coveted for centuries. overfiing and pollution he reduced their population, transforming the market. now china is a strong player in the instry, producing the black pear from farmed fish. >> aa tastg in a luxury hotel in beijing in septemr,

suck lanlt -- succulent black eggs are savored. the caviar is not imported but farm raised in china. it winds up in the first class cabins of international airlines and fine french restaurants in paris. >> i think it's very good quality and very professionally run business. it's very good, very good. >> it all starts at this province with this aquaculture farm on a lake with hundreds of thousands offer sturgeons, the farm is the biggest in the world and produc one-third oglobal expos accordg to the manager. he previously worked at a government think tank of marine industries. the farm's rapid growth is attributed to abundant funds from investors and government support. with that help he acquired a vast site and developed a system

to automatically regulate the temperature and oxygen level in the water. he finally created an ideal environment for the fish. to cater to various markets, he raises six different varieties of sturgeon. they range from affordable to expensive ones. >> translator: our goal is to make caviar more accessible so that even average families can enjoy it with their meals. we also want to produce the finest quality in the world and become a lasting brand. >> this town in iran is near the caspian sea where sturgeon fishing once flourished. mohammad used to catch wild sturgeon. overfishing and pollution caused stocks to dwindle and fishing was banned in 2010.

he started an aquaculture farm but it is hard to compete with bigger chinese companies. >> translator: china has moved to mass production. we can't compete using our same old methods. >> reporter: he decided to focus on ba luga sturgeon, which accounts for one-third of the market. the fish are raised in water piped in from the caspian sea, their native environment and can weigh up to 400 kilos. >> translator: we stay competitive by producing a high quality product. we hope iran will reclaim its position in the global market. >> an estimated 90% of caviar being traded now is farm-raised with companies in japan and europe entering the industry. there is more competition to meet the world's growing taste for caviar.

>> so how to protect food sources and food culture. led's head to singapore to see how leading edge technology is delivering intelligent approaches to the table. >> a food court in the center of singapore. more and more stores here are offering dishes based on ingredients that were created in a lab. this is pork cutlet and meatballs made with a protein substitute. some curious customers are trying out items that contains no animal meat. >> singapore's government is promoting the development of food alternatives as a growth industry. >> climate change can hit us

hard, temperatures soar, oceans supply, less to buy, less to that's whye're changg the game. >> the heavily urbanized city state has limited space for farming so food security has long been a concern. the government is targeting to raise the food self-sufficiency rate from less than 10% to 30% by 2030. for some firms the lack of land is not a deterrent. case in point is this startup whose products include a crab cake substitute that is based on microalgae. it is mixed with the straining leaves of soybeans and malt, and then stirred in a bioreacto processed in protein powder used for ak

e company says it requires only 0.02 hectors of land to make one ton of what it calls urban protein. >> if we can make it here, we prove to the world, even tiny singapore, without much space, with no fresh water, and we can grow protein at this level. wow! >> startups also developing more efficient methods of dairy farming. this firm aims to produce so-called clean milk from mammals by using cell cultured technology to reduce reliance on dairy cattle and vast tracks of land. among livestock, cattle for beef and dairy products are seen as the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases. >> we know current dairy is not sustainable. as a matter of fact, 3% of methane emissions are due to these reasons. we're able to produce high value components of milk and

biosimilar milk products that can actually feed the world. >> singapore's government continues to collaborate with companies to improve its food self-sufficiency. one official foresees the day when the country's food tech innovations may be adopted beyond its borders. >> i think this is a very unique position singapore has been involved in and with our land and water constraints we can develop the technologies as quick as possible. >> singapore is like an urban agriculture tech lab with the government promoting ever more alternative methods of food production. indoor vertical farming allows vegetable cultivation with high density environments and rooftop farming in public housing as the pandemic creates instability in the supply chain, the country is upgrading and expanding these industries. can we have our cake and eat it, too?

the answer could lie in twisting the phrase, we can have our sustainable cake and eat it, too. to do this, we have to make hard choices and rethink how we produce and eat our food. thank you for watching and see yo

♪ >> 100 million shots in the first 100 days. >> u.s. president-elect joe biden outlined his plan to bring the pandemic under control. ♪ this is the world news from al jazeera. the work as well underway in britain. already, a vaccination drive for the most at risk citizens begins in the fight against covid-19. in mexico, there is a mammoth task as authorities outline a strategy to immunize