♪ welcome to "nhk newsline." i'm ramin mellegard in tokyo. the world health organization has listed for emergency use a coronavirus vaccine jointly developed by u.s. pharmaceutical giant pfizer and germany's biontech. the w.h.o.'s emergency use listing serves as a reference for developing countries that don't have their own screening systems for regulatory approval. this is the first time a covid-19 vaccine has been added to the w.h.o. list. an official said on thursday it's vitally important to secure

the critical supply needed to serve all countries around the world and stem the pandemic. the pfizer-biontech vaccine has already been rolled out in the united states, britain, and other countries. people across japan are celebrating the new year amid reinforced measures to prevent the spread of the virus. many gathered at cape the northern prefecture of hokkaido to watch the first sunrise of the year. >> translator: the sunrise doesn't change every year. no matter what happens in the world. >> the pandemic put the brakes on the tradition of visiting a shrine overnight on new year's eve. meiji shrine in tokyo opened its gates at 6:00 a.m. masked worshippers were seen keeping a meter apart from one another to toss coins into a giant offering box. >> translator: the staff pay attention to lines and social

distancing. we also try not to get too close to each other. >> translator: i prayed that the coronavirus will subside quickly so we can once again have time to meet with other people. >> visitors can buy arrow amulets and good luck charms at the shrine, but they're not allowed to touch items before purchasing them. department stores in japan are gearing up to start selling special new year's bargains known as lucky bags. to avoid congestion, sets containing food items are sold on a different level from the food section. >> translator: we're taking these special measures to allow our customers to spend time in our stores with peace of mind. >> the department store put about 70% of its lucky bags on sale at the end of last year as an additional way of reducing crowds. japan's emperor has expressed concern for people affected by the coronavus pandemic in a new year video message.

>> this is the first time that emperor naruhito and empress masako have addressed the public in a video message. the emperor expressed concern for those who are facing difficulties. >> the emperor thanked health care workers and other people for their efforts in protecting lives. he also conveyed his hope that

people will support each other and move forward in these difficult times. >> the empress expressed her concern about the impact of ongoing winter storms. >> the imperial family's traditional new year greetings at the imperial palace have been cancelled this year due to the spread of the coronavirus. snow caused by a powerful

frigid air mass is intensifying mainly in mountainous areas along the sea of japan coast. the meteorological agency says heavy snow is falling on the hokuriku and toe reek cue regions along the sea of japan coast. the snow is expected to continue through sunday. more will likely accumulate on the plains as well. the agency is advising people to watch out for snow sliding off roofs, avalanches, and blackouts caused by snow on trees and overhead cables. people clearing snow from roofs are advised to ask another person to come along and to take safety precautions when under the eaves. more than 100 domestic flights have been canceled for friday and saturday. train services have also been disrupted. airline and railway companies are calling on passengers to check their websites for the latest information. japanese prime minister suga

yoshihide has outlined his policy priorities in a new year message focusing greatly on the coronavirus and the economy. suga says he will do all he can to prevent the further spread of infections and protect people in japan. he says his government will support investments that spur innovation and promote agricultural reforms and tourism to bring vitality to local ecomies. on foreign policy, suga says he'll pursue a free and open indo-pacific with a japan/u.s. alliance as the cornerstone. then the prime minister vowed that tokyo would hold olympic and paralympic games this summer, saying it would symbolize the unity of the world. the 2020 tokyo games were postponed for one year due to the pandemic. organizers of the postponed tokyo olympics and paralympics are facing challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. the games are scheduled to start in seven months. the olympics will open on july

23rd, and the paralympics on august 24th. organizers plan to decide in the spring how many spectators should be allowed at the venues. test events with measures to prevent the spread of the virus are due to take place at olympic venues between march and may. it remains uncertain whether all participating countries and territories will be able to hold competitions to select athletes for the games. organizers also need to put together a medical support system for the games which could become a burden for ontline health care workers. in an opinion poll conducted by nhk in december 32% of frontlin health care workers. in an opinion poll conducted by nhk in december 32% o health care workers. in an opinion poll conducted by nhk in december 32% o health care workers. in an opinion poll conducted by nhk in december 32% ohealth car. in an opinion poll conducted by nhk in december 32% of respondents said the games should be canceled. that was 5 percentage points higher than those in favor of holding the games. the chairman of the japan business federation has called for an increase in digitization in order to spur economic growth.

he said the coronavirus has caused the japanese economy to undergo major structural changes, such as working from home. >> translator: i'd like to make 2021 a year which will accelerate new ways of growth. >> he also pointed out that discussions on japan's energy sector have not made sufficient progress during the past decade. >> translator: i personally believe nuclear power should be utilized because it is the brain child of mankind. but discussion should be reviewed from a broad perspective. >> he added, fundamental discussions should take place on whether nuclear power reactors in japan should be restarted, as well as on renewable energy sources.

japan and the united kingdom have begun a new economic partnership agreement which came into effect on friday. the two nations signed the accord last october following britain's departure from the european union. the new agreement is based on the existing economic partnership agreement between japan and the eu. it calls for abolishing tariffs in 2026 on japan's automobile exports and for noew tariffs on japan's foreign product imports. the agreement also sets tighter rules in the field of e-commerce. they include restricting government intervention in data exchanges for business purposes. japanese businesses in britain will also avoid tariffs on their products to be exported to the eu based on the deal between the uk and the eu. authorities in yemen say explosions at an airport in the country's south earlier this week were the result of a missile attack by houthi rebels.

the govement said 25 peoe have been killed and 110 others wounded by the explosions at the international airport on wednesday. the blasts came immediately after an aircraft carrying yemeni cabinet ministers arrived at the airport from saudi arabia. the governmentaunched a ity binewith separatists in december. the two sides had been at odds despite their earlier cooperation in the fight against houthi. the prime minister told a cabinet meeting on thursday that preliminary investigations indicate houthi were behind the attack that used guided missiles but he did not reveal evidence to prove houthi involvement in the explosions. houthis have not issued any official response. yemen has been mired in more an five years of civil war between the saudi-backed

government and iran-supported houthis. an emerging economy, cambodia's new digital currency, is backed by its central bank with a mobile transaction system. >> reporter: cambodia has a population of more than 16 million. most people don't have bank accounts, but they do own smartphones. a new payment system called bakong was started in october. the app allows users to send or receive e-money that has the same value as the country's curren currency, the real, as well as the united states dollar. there are no transaction fees between individus.

it's believed that about 80% of cambodians do not have a bank account. the introduction of bakong is expected to spur growth in financial services. >> translator: i can use 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

riel declines further, the impact of the central bank's monetary policies and stimulus measures could be diminished. >> cambodia is one of the most polarized economies in the world. now we introduce something even newer which is in a digital form. does the role of the central bank create confidence in the local currency? >> reporter: cambodians are among the first in the world to access this type of central bank structure that has the potential to bring about widespread change. and here's a three-day forecast for selected cities.

that's a wrap for this edition of nhk "newsline."

i'm ramin mellegard. thank you very much for joining us. with weather conditions and covid-19 in mind, please stay safe ♪ hi. i'm shaula vogue. welcome to a special edition of "biz stream." we feature businesses and innovations coming out of japan. or commentator today is martin schultz, chief policy consultant. thanks for joining us today, martin. >> i'm so happy to be here. >> all right let's take a look at today's featured story. >> reporter: the simple shipping container revolutionized commerce and logistics and is considered one of the most impact inventions of the 20th century. by standardizing their size and

strength, it allowed for a variety of goods to be transported almost anywhere in the world safely and efficiently. more recently they're being used in architecture like rooms for this motel. and their portability also allows them to use another service as emergency support services for evacuees or emergency support services. how shipping containers may help bolster japan's emergency response capabilities. >> when i first read about these containers being used for homes, i thought that was very interesting. what i didn't know is shipping containers are considered to be one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. >> they are the symbol or global trade. so in this year, in the next century, we really have to think about new users and more flexibility for these containers as well.

>> absolutely. and what i didn't know was actually shipping containers used to come in different sizes and dimensions and then of course they eventually became international standard size and it really increased efficiency. we shouldn't forget how important they still are. this year, trade broke down, so you had to store all things, and then we had very flexibly when trade was coming back because not everybody could introduce and costs were going up. this was only possible for these containers. >> next, a company that has come up with an out of the box way to use shipping containers. >> reporter: near the tallest statue in japan sits a large group of shipping containers. they have been turned into unique motel that opened here in october of 2020. 34 containers have been converted into hotel rooms, which can be rented for about $50 per night. at 150 square feet, each room is

equipped with a bed, desk, mini fridge and a prefabricated unit bathroom. each unit is fully assembled and outfitted inside the company's factory. since each room shares the exact same dimensions and layout, they can be built for nearly 70% less than a standard hotel. >> translator: it's basic math. the lower the cost is for us, the lower the room fee is for our customers. >> reporter: the company currently runs 21 shipping container motels across japan, with a total of 667 rooms. the container rooms aren't just affordable. they're also extremely portable. each unit is set up on top of a full set of wheels. in addition, water, power, gas and hookups are made ultra accessible so the units can be connected and disconnected quickly and easily.

why keep the rooms ready to roll at a moment's notice? the company hopes they can be used as emerncy shelters in times of trouble. >> translator: disasters can happen anywhere and at any time. we came up with the idea of shipping container motels when thinking about what it would take to quickly set up evacuation centers anywhere in japan. >> reporter: in april of 2020, they responded to a covid-19 break. when out of service cruise ship carrying 148 infected crew docked at a port in nagasaki, the government requested 50 units to be brought to the port. when the shipping containers arrived, they served as lodging and testing centers. in under three days, the company was able to send all of the units from motels over 1300 kilometers west to nagasaki. less than week after being requested, they were fully

connected to all facilities on site and ready to serve their designated services. in june of 2020, more units were sent out to local governments in tokyo for use of pcr testing centers. these successful responses caught the attention of government officials across japan. so far, more than 30 municipalities have signed usage agreements with the company to ensure they will have access to the container units in case of emergency. >> translator: it is important to be able to have shelters ready to go in case we have a natural disaster. >> reporter: the company plans to open more shipping container motels across the country to provide the fastest response possible to natural disasters

anywhere in japan. >> translator: if we aren't spread out enough, we won't be able to send the number of units we want as quickly as we want when a natural disaster strikes, so our goal is to build motels all over the country, even in places that don't have any hotels at all now. >> you know, what a great concept. it is a hotel that can go out and help in times of need. >> that is so very, very important and they are doing it at such a high level. it is comfortable what they are providing, so this a great solution. >> you know, we saw in the video this was used when there was an outbreak on the cruise ship. they're also being used for pcr test centers. when you are looking at the world dealing with this crisis, it really makes sense. >> well, crisis will come. crisis will go. and the next one is probably nonjust around the corner. we are in the third wave of the coronavirus infections right now.

what happens is that hospitals are getting killed up already again, and this means that patients are being placed in japan into hotel rooms and this response is really something that helps to do this flexibly where the biggest need is right now. >> absolutely. you know, what they do is the company policy is to give precedence to emergency response requests. so if the hotel happens to be at full capacity, they politely ask the guests to leave and move to a nearby hotel. if the hotel room is more expensive, they will happily pay the difference. but it is require for them to be at full capacity, so it is probably not a huge issue. >> what's important is that flexibility requires an ecosystem. so they need to have partners. when they need to move things around, they need to have partners to come up with spare capacities to have another option when something is stuck. this is what they're doing, so flexibility and building ecosystems, this is what this company is doing so well. >> well, this next company is also providing disaster relief using shipping containers. the difference?

off the grid power. >> in september of 2018, a powerful earthquake struck japan's northern island of hokkaido. power outages left cities paralyzed and over five million people sitting in the dark. less than a year later, tokyo's neighboring prefecture suffered a direct hit from a typhoon. with much of its power grid damaged, local residents had to go weeks without electricity. after seeing disasters strike communities across japan, a small business owner decided he could make a difference, so he sent out to create the first shipping container units in japan that could be run in areas with no power. the prototypes currently being used as a skateboard and apparel shop. 100% of the electricity it uses is generated by solar panels attached to the roof. any excess electricity is stored away in lithium ion batteries. they can store enough

electricity to power the unit for 12 hours, allowing it to remain operational in dark conditions. if more power is necessary, additional solar panels can easily be connected. the man who came up with the off the grid units runs a truck and investor equipment sales and repair business. he felt inspired to create it after seeing the harsh living conditions of evacuees displaced by natural disasters. >> the thing thagot to me most was the terrible disaster that struck japan in 2011. after seeing what those people had to go through, i wanted to make things better for evacuees, so i set out a way to provide them to stable access to electricity. >> howev, building the solar powered shipping container unit wasn't the only challenge. following a major disaster, many roads can be blocked or damaged, making it difficult for standard trucks to reach areas in need.

that's where the expert in debris removal from disaster sites was able to step in and use his experience to be able to provide a solution. he helped find a way to attach the containers to the massive trucks normally used to clear rubble and debris from disaster areas. not only did this solve the accessibility issue, but the units can be off loaded in 1:30 and the entire process can be handled by a single person. >> translator: in heavy hit areas, almost all lifelines will be cutoff, so being able to provide just a little electricity with these off the grid units can make a huge difference. >> reporter: he helps to make his units even more useful by adding an antenna to boost

mobile phone reception. >> translator: if we can add an antenna, we could also help to improve communication access to evacuees. i think we can really make a difference. >> you know, we take electricity for granted, but in an emergency situation, you need heat. you need light and you need communication. >> we cannot do without electricity. particularly in a crisis situation when you need to connect. what this company also does is not just flexible crisis response. they are adding autonomy to it. you need to have as much autonomy as possible. these things can be placed basically everywhere. this is really a very, very good concept. >> also, you see the need for local government to be prepared here.

>> local government will love that because resilience usually means high costs. you have to prepare. you have to have capacities. with this you can really put the containers and, well, the likelihood versus being needed in a crisis. this is what governments need in a crisis situation. >> absolutely. these shipping containers are actually being used around the world in different ways. let's get a photo here of qatar. this will be host to the 2022 soccer world cup. this, as you can see is made out of colorful containers. this can be disassembled to minimize it's carbon footprint and reassembled and recycled in the future. i think this is really cool. what do you think? >> it looks really cool. they want to send a message. we are global. we are connected through the global world, and we are doing this in a very flexible way.

this is a very good message. tokyo is hosting the olympics this year. the stadium also sends a message. it uses a lot of wood, a lot of reusable material. this is the message of japan. >> so important. that's all the time we have today. thanks so much, martin. >> thank you. >> this is "biz stream." we'll see you next time.