ways to provide service, they be ready for the challenges ♪ hello. a very warm welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. we start this hour here in georgea. president-elect joe biden's democratic party is hoping to gain control of the senate for the first time in years. polling stations were set to

begin closing at 7:00 p.m. local time although many people opted for voting during the pandemic. if democrats win both races it will allow kamala hair torris tt the vote. it could block biden's legislative agenda. the democrats maintain control of the house in the november elections. >> especially because to have control of the senate it's a great big deal, yes. it's a big deal for all american people. >> biden called for democratic support at a rally in atlanta on monday. he once again criticized trump's handling of the coronavirus and wants to speed up vaccinations. >> he spends time whining and complaining than doing something about the problem. i don't know why he still wants

the job. he doesn't want to do the work. >> trump also held a rally in the state attacking biden and stoking fears over the democrats' immigration policy. >> they'll throw open american borders and allow tens of millions of illegal immigrants to pour into our country from every corner of the globe. >> the results may not be known for days because of the high number of mail-in ballots. all of this comes as members of congress prepare on wednesday to certify the outcome of another race, the november presidential election. a growing number of republicans have suggested they will raise objections. >> people in countries around the world start the new year knowing they will face some hazards. the american consulting firm, eurasia group has released risks. ian bremer is the president of the group.

katherine kobayashi spoke to him about the risks in the u.s., china and beyond. >> now we have a president in the united states and almost half of the country is going to put an aerisk after his name, and say that the election didn't count. now you and i both know that he won the election, but the united states is unprecedentedly politically divided right now and vastly more than any other wealthy democracy in the world and that is the number one risk. >> mr. biden wants responsibility for the fight against the coronavirus. where do you see covid in your assessment? >> 2021 will mostly be how much economic suffering is continuing and in fact is even growing on the back of this coronavirus because in 2020, even though a lot of us got the health care wrong, we did provide a lot of money to ensure that the people that weren't a part of the knowledge economy, the people that were suffering didn't have to worry about three, six, 12 months. that doesn't persist in 2021.

>> what risks do you see in the relationship between the u.s. and china? >> the one area that's new is clive at because as the united states is starting to focus much more on climate, the u.s. and the chinese will both try to dominate the post-fossil fuel energy environment. the chinese government has a big, big head start when you talk about solar or wind and the infrastructure around -- the infrastructure around electric vehicle batteries and all of that is going to be an area of much greater competition for two countries, a good thing for the planet because it means much more money will be spent on sustainable energy and production, but a problematic thing for u.s.-china relations. >> given all these dynamic, how should japan position itself? >> anything that the japanese can do to promote multilateralism especially in

these new arenas of confrontation around data and technology and a.i., around climate. it's to japan's great advantage. japan's most important security relationship and if it's not close, to the united states. japan's most important economic relationship and it's not close is china. to the extent that the u.s. and china are increasingly, directly competing in lots of areas of the economic relationship, that's very bad for japan. it's one thing if canada has to make a choice for the u.s., it's a very different thing if japan does. ♪ ♪ now to the coronavirus in japan. health authorities reported more than 4900 new coronavirus cases on tuesday. 76 people died. both figures are daily records. the increases come as the central government considers

declaring another state of emergency for tokyo and three neighboring prefectures. the area now accounts for half of the country's daily infections. yoshihide will make a statement on the state of emergency on thursday and it will remain in place for about a month. the declaration will give prefectural governors the legal authority to urge people to cooperate with prevention efforts. >> translator: a state of emergency declaration will lead to stepped-up measures. i hope they will be more effective. >> the four governors will ask people to refrain from nonessential outings after 8:00 p.m. they will also request that bars and restaurants close by that time. but a state of emergency is less rigid in japan than in many western countries. it has so far relied on voluntary closures rather than strict lockdowns.

suga says he will submit a legal revision to the diet that would allow penalties for those who do not comply. the education minister says the government will not request schools to close during mixed reactions from students. >> translator: i can study hard at school. i don't want my school closed. >> translator: i'd rather study at home, even if i have to do lots of homework. >> but transportation will likely be affected. the tokyo governor is asking railway companies to stop running earlier than usual. and all nippon airways says if there's a decline in demand, it will reduce the number of flights to and from the capital. a government panel of coronavirus experts warns that the virus could spread across japan rapidly unless infections in metropolitan areas are brought under control. they compiled a proposal on tuesday.

the panel said the infection is taking on aspects they've never been seen before, pointing out that the virus is likely to spread in outlying areas in addition to large cities. it also says cluster infections are becoming widespread. it says now is the time to declare a state of emergency to quickly hold down the number of infections and reduce the burden on hospitals and public health centers. it calls for people to refrain from nonessential outings and reduce commuting to work by 70% by encouraging remote work. nishimura, the minister in charge of the coronavirus response says the government urges companies to encourage remote work. >> translator: when the government declared a state of emergency in the spring, the number of people going to work decreased by 70% or even more. one of the major parts of the measure is to reduce the flow of people who eat or drink outside e me. >> the head of the expert panel

says it will be difficult to improve the situation significantly in a month. he also says every person needs to come up with measures and take action. used car sales in japan plunged last year as the pandemic kept customers away from tealdealerships. last year people drove home 4.6 million new cars. that's down 11.4% from the previous year. it was also the first time in four years that the figure dipped below 5 million. standard sized cars, compact models and trucks account for 2.9 million units sold, down 12% and just over 1.7 million mini vehicles were sold. a drop of over 10%. when the pandemic prompted a state of emergency last year, sales plummeted.

in may they were down more than 40% from the previous year. auto industry groups say the future is uncertain especially if another state of emergency is declared and more people opt to stay at home. the head of the world health organization says he is disappointed that chinese officials have yet to grant entry to a team of experts investigating covid-19. the w.h.o. had made arrangements to dispatch the international team this week to examine the origins of the coronavirus and what happened during the early stages of the outbreak in the country. petros ghebreyesus says two team member his set out on their journey, but chinese officials had not finalized the necessary permission for them to enter the country. >> but they have been in contact with senior chinese officials and i have once again made it clear that the mission is a priority for the w.h.o.

we are eager to get the mission under way as soon as possible. >> team leader dr. peter ben anderak told nhk last month that it is reasonable to assume the coronavirus originated in china because it resembles a virus detected in the chinese province of unan in 2013. ♪ ♪ let's check out the world weather with our meteorologist sietsei monare. what's the latest? >> the cold is going to continue for the next couple of days and in fact, it will be moving along china into the korean peninsula and affecting a lot of people in japan. so we should all be prepared for slightly cooler conditions to come ahead as the new year starts with cold weather and

basically wintry patterns are starting in japan. starting in the hokkaido region from south korea and north korea, you can see the blast of cold air moving into the northern part of china and temperatures has been lingering in minus 5 and minus 28 degrees. some of the coolest conditions that we'll be seeing as we start off into january and for seoul, look at that snowfall also expected that companies are going below zero for four consecutive days now and it is going to be cooler in certain places of japan as we expect low pressure systems to develop across the japanese convergence zone and that will lead to snow conditions, and also at the same time the pressures will lead to stronger winds and we're expecting winds to go to 144 kilometers per hour and also to 126 and up into tohoku and along the coast, it will increase

waves to as high as eight meters. so please do take care if you're along the shoreline and especially fishermen with their boats along the coast it will get a little bit rough and a little bit more difficult for you then. unsafe conditions are expected. otherwise in other parts of japan it will get chilly and fukuoka will see blowing snow by tuesday and up north it will be minus six degrees and single digits will be coming in for tokyo. for those in australia, we see mild to severe heat waves coming in and temperatures will be fairly high toward a lot of the western interior of australia, but the east, you're still seeing monsoonal and rain there which could lead to flooding in certain parts. like i said, it is going to be intense and around the city, eight degrees. so if you're there, please do stay safe and stay cool. that's all for now. ♪ ♪

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and that's nhk "newsline" for this hour. i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. thanks for watching. ♪ ♪ welcome to "newsline in-depth." i'm shibuya aki. war, it's the most destructive and worst human act and its consequences shape history. for many people in japan war has become a thing of the distant pass, living as we do in the so-called long piece. younger people fortunately have simply been untouched by it.

now the hiroshima and nagasaki atomic bomb survivors known as hiba shuka and their personal stories who can paint a full picture are valuable beyond estimation. how to keep their experiences alive and how to do this so it resonates? >> today the younger generation is carrying the torch finding ways to make these stories more than just story, but something concrete that hits you personally. this year, they reached 60 ratifications to come into port in they played a small part and he's been carrying on a mission of her mentor, a

tamiguchi fought for it right up until his death. ♪ ♪ >> just hours after the news of the treaty's ratification was announced in nagasaki a-bomb survivors renewed their pledge to work toward the abolishment of nuclear arms. >> translator: as long as we live we thohope to walk togethe with our peace-loving friends toward a world without nuclear weapons. >> atomic bomb survivors are ageing and many did not live to see this moment. the man who launched a petition four years ago in nagasaki is one of them. >> we must accomplish our goal no matter what. >> t bomb was dropped when

back.hi w 16,avagin h he frequently attended u.n. meetings and demonstrated the horrors of nuclear weapons by showing his red back to the international community. >> i can't die in peace without being assured that nuclear weapons are abolished completely. tamiguchi cam camped for the treaty from his bed. >> i hope that countries without nuclear weapons will pressure nuclear states so that the weapons will be abolished as soon as possible. >> nagasaki high school junior okama yuka is one of the jn rap generations to heart. this came after the shock after seeing tamaguchi while in

elementary school. >> it was horrendous. i couldn't believe that something like this being lifted into the air suddenly and burned severely in an instant actually happened to people. it was a true reminder of the horrors of nuclear weapons. >> okuma's great-grandmother was also an a-bomb survivor, but rarely talked about her experience. did she suffer pain like tamiguchi? out collecting signatures. >> translator: i believe the advancement of the treaty is an important step and i hope it will motivate people to build a world without nuclear weapons.

so far the hiroshima and nagasaki peace messengers have presented over 2 million signatures to the u.n. since 2001. reesencely due to the pandemic, the organization launched an online petition drive and of course, it continues with its mission to send messages to the world about the horror of nuclear weapons. over the years, many peace activists have forged deep connections with hibakusha. hearing their personal stories in their own words. this opportunity will not exist for the next generation. documenting their past while there's still time is paramount, and high school students in hiroshima are doing just that with new technology. let's take a look. >> a quiet shopping street.

this is what hiroshima looked like some 75 years ago. until that day, august 6thhen the atomic bomb was unleashed. a searing flash of light lit the sky and everything plunged into blackness as flames enveloped the city. high school student in hiroshima prefecture created these computer graphics. >> under a teacher's guidance, they amassed a huge collection of materials about how people lived in those days, and what the city looked like toen sure the accuracy of their computer simulation. >> they've also archived more than 400 testimonies by hibakusha, people who survived the bombing. to understand their experiences and reflect them in the simulation.

>> a tornado of fire and smoke tore through the building. the sun disappeared and i was surrounded by a sea of fire. >> akihara, a member of the team, has never had a chance until now to talk about the damage caused by the bomb. >> translator: without a deep understanding of what happened, it would just be follow. this work has been really important in helping me develop my own ideas. >> the students also ask survivors to view their work using a virtual reality headset. the 91-year-old was living close to ground zero when the bomb was dropped. >> translator: the position of the mailbox was on the other side and the color of the wall needs working on a bit. it wasn't so bright. it was darker and faded.

>> thanks to moritomi, they were able to fix the location of the mailbox and adjust the shade of the wall. >> the completed footage has brought to life the city scape of hiroshima before its destruction. shop signs have been faithfully reproduced down to the font type. photo inserts show what the street looked like today for viewers to compare. >> translator: for us, the important things to show what the people living there were the same. using this technology we want to pass on these memories of the past so they live on into the future. the high school students are now expanding the scope of their virtual reality simulation to encouragesa many people as possible to appreciate the importance of peace.

>> wow. that really took me back and time and gave me another perspective, by using this language and in the future they want to take it to various overseas panels to get a dialogue going. i hope they succeed. our next story features another way technology is keeping the memories vivid. >> these siblings playing with their dogs. the mother and child are happy by a river bank. these photos are of the family all of whom died from hira shima in 1945. and were originally in black and white. suzuki ran a barbershop about

500 meters from the epicenter of the explosion. i watta andrew, a university student is bringing hiroshima back to life by converting the photographs to color. they had a.i. software programs to transform them into color. she explains that the air has learned to distinguish colors automatically and she can approach the two colors of the subjects. >> when i first saw colorized photos and i felt that things that were now far away from me so people in the images more

like to talk. not importantly, she makes a point to people who actually knows. the he helps replicate the colors he members and she showed him the photos. they discuss his memories of the colors of buildings and people's clothing. [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: when you add color to the photos it feels as if everyone has come back to life. his wife would have been so happy if she could have seen

this color photo. she looked so beautiful. >> translator: i think that these photos inspire even people who are not connected about the treaty under prohibition of nuclear weapons or about peace to consider the magnitude about what this technology steals from our lives. >> to try to understand war is a way to try and avert it. we're seeing young people today putting their heads together to make sense of history. so removed from them yet not so far in the past. that has left endeavors like the virtual reality and photography projects which are media that can get the message across to people here and overseas,nd

they can also spark dilling on which is a step toward peace. that's all for this edition of "newsline in-depth." thank you for watching and stay safe. ccccccfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfvw

national assembly is sworn in. saudi arabia and its allies have agreed to restore full diplomatic ties with qatar commending their 3.5 year blockade of the country. leaders have signed a declaration calling for solidarity and stability at a summit aimed at resolving the dispute. the declaration will enable member states to combat any threats to gulf security and it ensures no interference in each other's internal affairs. he was welcomed with an embrace