♪ hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." we begin with a public apology by japan's former prime minister abe shinzo. this came after prosecutors brought a summary indictment against one of his secretaries over violation of the political fund control op. we bring you our coverage of his news conference with simultaneous interpretation.

>> translator: this morning i received an explanation from my secretary that my political support group made corrections in i political fund reports for 2017, 2018 and 2019. the support group covered part of the costs for parties for my supporters held on the eve of the cherry-blossom viewing event, but those spending was not mentioned in the report, so my support group made corrections. i was also briefed that tokyo prosecutors have brought a summary indictment against my secretary who is also the accounting manager of my support group over political funding

violations. such funding shows things have been done without my knowledge, but i strongly feel my moral responsibility. i reflect on my conduct and would like to apologize to the people of japan. regarding the parties on the eve of the cherry-blossom viewing events, i offer explanations during extraordinary session of the diet in 2019 and the ordinary session of the diet this year. during my statement, i told the diet that my support group organized parties but the contract was signed between the individual party goers and the

hotels where the dinner parties were held. the support group has no revenues and spending, so there was no need to mention it in the political funding reports. the expenses for mills and villages were covered by the participants. considering all of these, there's nothing that violates political fund control law.

i checked with my office and made statements of the parliament to the best of my knowledge, but as it turns out later, the statements included some information contrary to the fact and therefore i ended up undermining the public trust in politics. as the leader of the administration at the time and as president of the liberal democratic party who has to behave exemplary in handling political funng and as a member of the diet i most sincerely apologize to the japanese people and all the members of the parliament ruling and opposition parties.

i just met mr. oshima speak of the parliament and the chairman of the upper house of the diet and ask them for opportunities committees of the parliament to make corrections and i believe that i need to offer explanations and make corrections and offer apologies to the diet. i am aware that i have heavy political responsibility for this situation. i take this very seriously. in order to restore public trust, i will do everything possible. first, i will do my best to improve the transparency of the

funding in my political activities, in my election support office and all my offices so that the people will never have doubts. and i will -- i lead these efforts. and based on this deep remorse i have been feeling now, i will do my best to meet the expectations of the public remembering the state of mind i was in when i started my political career. once again, i like to take this opportunity to offer my most sincere apologies to people of japan and all members of the parliament of japan. >> so we would like to entertain

questions from the floor. so when you ask questions, please speak to the microphone and please identify yourself when you ask a question. and one question per person, please. >> so i would like to ask you about the financial resources for making up the short fall. according to prosecutors, 7.08 million yen was saved from 2016 and 2019 over the four-year period. only 4.6 million yen was carried

over to 2019, so where did the difference come from? my bank account, my bank deposit was used to finance new expenses or meeting expenses, transportation, accommodation fees of myself and my wife. and was sent to my office and the office paid out of my deposit. so i deposited those moneys with my office. >> i have two questions.

first, checked repeatedly and this arrangement was found outside of your knowledge, but when and how did you learn the fact? secondly, you said that you have heavy political responsibilities and opposition party members that you should resign as a role maker. specifically, how are you going to take responsibility? are you going to resign as a role maker and/or leave the party? >> to your first question, when did i learn the fact? i became aware of the fact after the investigation began, that wa recently.

after the investigation started, the person who is responsible for my office in tokyo, well, this is the person to whom i confirmed with the 5,000 yen membership fee was enough to cover all the expenses for the party, including the food and the venue. and this person provided ts information to me because the details of the expenses haven't been reported properly in the political financing statement previously. so that ishy i believed that -- falsely, that the membership fee was enough to cover all the costs. but, when the investigation started and this staff member was questioned by the

authorities, he came up to me to tell thetruth. but this person was told not to discuss many matter with me. that is why is truth was not conveyed to me. in november, when the media started to cover this matter i contacted this person again and then i learned the fact. how to take the responsibility is i believe that i have heavy political responsibility. i am aware of that. and your question is specifically how i'm going to take the responsibility based on the remorse i have been feeling now, as i id. i like to behave and improve the

transparency for there to be no doubt from in the eyes of the public. in order to restore public trust, in order to become politician deserving general public trust i remember the state of mind i was in as a lawmaker and to fulfill my responsibility as a lawmaker. >> is that wraps up our coverage of the press conference with former prime minister abe shinzo. turning to the coronavirus in japan, clinical trials are under way for a drug to treat covid-19. the medicine contains antibodies from people who recovered from the disease. the international program is funded by a u.s. health agency. two japanese institutions are

taking part. one is the national center for global health and medicine. it says the drug called hyperimmune is being administered to ten covid-19 patients. their conditions will be monitored for about a month. the drug's effectiveness will be assessed based on data from a participating countries. the japanese health center says it hopes the treatment will prove effective and safe as few methods of treating covid-19 currently exist. meanwhile, japanese government panel has discussed anti-infection measures for the upcoming holiday season. the panel is calling on people to cancel plans for year-end and new year parties and urged restaurants and bars in tokyo and other big cities to shorten their business hours. the panel sees infections through dining as a major factor behind rising cases. >> translator: i think more strong measures including

reducing the movement of people and contact are necessary. now is the time to do everything we can. >> we use people in and around tokyo to basically cancel year-end and new year's parties. >> the tokyo metropolitan government says there were 888 new cases of coronavirus infection on thursday. this is a new daily high. the previous record was 821 marked a week ago. and now here is your three-day world weather forecast.

that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi in tokyo. thanks for watching and we'll have more for you at the top of the hour. hi, i am shaula vogue, welcome to a special edition of "biz stream," we feature businesses coming out ojapan. our commentator is joseph kraft, always good to see you joe >> good to see you, too. >> let's take a look at today's feature report. >> reporter: a major japanese electronic maker released a cutting edge ultra-violet disinfecting lamp. it is the first to kill pathogenwhile being safe for humans.

elsewhere a traditional paper and wood craft company has learned ancient treatment for protecting art work can be adapted to protect people during the age of the pandemic. >> translator: it is totally safe and can be used on any surface materials. >> reporter: today's today we'll show you a new technology and traditional treatments are making public spaces cleaner and safer. >> a new technology that's making public space cleaner and safer, that's what we need right now. not only are we battling a pandemic, flu season is upon us. how have you been dealing with covid-19 here? >> standard, wearing masks and being in a well-ventilated room and praying. >> same here. a company created the world's first uv lamp that's not only safe for women but successfully combatting covid-19.

>> reporter: in october of 2020, this hospital began to use a new ultra-violet lamp. that have been used in rooms. each unit covers an area of 3 square meters and effective of killing a wide variety of bacteria and viruses including covid-19. what makes it stand out is humans can be present while the lamps are being used. >> we have a lot of members and visitors here as well as patients with conditions that put them in high risk group for covid-19. we want to do whatever we can to protect them so we introduce these lights to safely disinfect the area while people are present. >> reporter: uv lights admitted from the sun.

however, uv lights can be dangerous to humans. not only causes sunburns but lead severe damage to the skin and eye or even cancer. researchers from columbia university announced that uv light with wavelengths near 220 nano liters could provide disinfecting the facility. soon after that, a major japanese lighting company and the world's leading producer of uv lamp entered into an agreement with the university and began to looking to create a commercially reliable product. the biggest challenge they face was finding a way to create a lamp that only falls in the safe range of the 220 nano meters. a plate of glass is treated with

multiple layers. the result, the first lamp in the worlthat uses only uv rays that falls into the 220 nano meters. >> a lot of hard work went into making this lamp. i really think we succeeded in making a product that'll have a positive impact. >> reporter: so far the lamps primarily have been installed in hospitals, schools and other public locations. the company is planning to expand it to transportation, creating lamps for use on trains and automobiles. >> this sounds like something we want in every entry way. the only thing is it is a bit

pricey. one is under $3,000. they are working on a new range, a specialized range. one that is are less expensive and more geared for domestic use. i have to wait for that to come out. do you think it will be a game changer? >> i think it is a great technology and love to see it spread out in wide area of usage. i do think there are some marketing or education that needs to be done and as you know women are sensitive towards the negative impact of uv light especially on their skin. for consumers to use it, people have to be aware of it its safety. >> right, absolutely. you know what's interesting about this is these findings of uv lights, it was made by columbia university, when they first announced it, they were skeptical and didn't think it was safe and effective at the time.

this was all before covid so they definitely made a right choice here. >> they are a global leader for uv lights. i hope they are rewarded for their efforts and success will be a template for other companies to follow in terms of innovation and investing in the technology. the next company is gaining attention further sanitation service. >> reporter: this osaka base company was founded 100 years ago. sells and restores japanese art work. techniques for protection for as long as the paper itself.

take this hanging scroll for example, in order to protect it from mildew, a special treatment is being applied. by applying wax to it, he's protecting it from moisture which can prevent the growth of human and molds and human virus. it is made from the fermented juice. dating back nearly a thousand years, the treatment is used for insect proofing and strengthening wood and paper products. first the paper is sprayed with a fine mists, the craft person then works quickly to apply the solution depending on the

thickness of the washi. the company uses this to create a new type of solution with a broader range of application. >> translator: we tested a variety of different solutions in order to provide the best protection possible to the art that we work on. we realized that if it works on something as sensitive as paper that it can be applied to almost anything. >> reporter: after 100 different variations, they finally set on a solution that's used non-toxic and microbial. let's see how it compares to the traditional antimicrobial treatment.

first, we look at how many microbes are on it. >> half of the paper was treated and the other half with the new solution compound. samples taken from the treated area shows identical results. the solution effectiveness certified by the siaa. the service only been available for several months. the company is finding clients from across the country. we caught up with them in wakayama prefecture where they were treating the performance art center. the treatment sticks to some surfaces more easily than others. technician must change the speed

and direction of where it is applied. metal surfaces are the most challenging. these areas are handled by highly skilled veteran employees. >> it is not chipping off anywhere and it appears to be evenly distributed. >> reporter: the coating's effectiveness will last up to five years. >> the awareness of the pathogen around us and the antimicrobial that we have -- my hope is we here and share it with the rest of the world. >> you know this is really incredible. they taken traditional techniques and concepts for preserving art work and applying it and modernizing it. the kakishubu was more effective.

i had no idea they had such anti-microbial. did you have any idea? >> what we now know after sars and mers and covid, we'll be having viruses in the future. people are aware of this and there is more demand of this type of germ killing product and services. >> hopefully it can prepare us better for next time. we knew it was effective against influenza, we were not sure of covid. since then they have completed a new iso based test and they were able to confirm their treatment is effective against covid-19. the result shows within 24 hours, it had in activated 99.9% of the virus. that's great to hear.

2020 has been a rough year. it was great to see technology really coming in play this year and helping out. >> as you look at what we saw today, persimmon and uv lights, the way they are used today are new. we can look forward to more useful innovations in the months ahead. the companies that we saw today are not just providing ways of killing covid but peace of minds. for the economy to expand and get back on running, workers and consumers need to feel safe and, you know, comfortable in their work zone. >> japan has done a good job. i can see it being a demand. joe, thank you so much for joining us. >> you are welcome.

>> all the time we have today. our guest today is joe kraft, i am shaula vogue and this is "biz stream." we'll see you next time.

al jazeera. ♪ >> this is al jazeera p of these are the top stories, and a reminder of our breaking news about the pardons issued by donald trump. they include charles kushner, real estate developer and father of trump's son-in-law, jared kushner. also pardons for longtime associate roger stone. his sentence had been commuted. also, former campaign manager of 2016, paul manafort. 26 people have been pardoned today. gunmen have attacked the town i