♪ hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara. we begin this hour here in japan where officials confirmed more than 7,800 new coronavirus cases on friday, a record high for the fourth day in a row. it comes on the same day a month-long state of emergency took effect for the tokyo area. nearly 2,400 of the new cases were in the capital. the figure is just shy of a record set a day earlier. the state of emergency applies

to tokyo, chiba, saitama, and kanagawa prefectures. the local governors have asked bars and restaurants to close by 8:00 p.m. and residents to avoid nonessential outings after that time. companies are being asked to reduce the number of staff at their offices by encouraging remote work. >> translator: the trains are pretty crowded. i want to avoid them as much as possible. >> translator: there are still too many people. they won't switch to working from home unless authorities make a stronger request. >> central government officials and experts are trying to figure out how to ensure businesses shorten their operating hours. one option being considered is a legal revision that would allow the government to punish businesses that don't comply with the request. infections are also rising in parts of western japan. the governors of osaka, hyogo,

and kyoto prefectures plan to ask the central government to include their area in the state of emergency. japan is hoping its latest measures will limit the risk of infection when drinking and eating out. most major restaurant chains quickly said they'd follow requests to close early, but for mom and pop businesses, it's quite another story. >> reporter: this japanese pub relies on late-night customers. the bar owner is determined to seek its way past thpandemic, even if it means defying government requests and staying open until midnight. >> translator: i buy from butchers and liquor shops and towel suppliers. if i comply with the request, these businesses will suffer too. will they get compensation as well? nobody wants to answer that question. that's why i don't want to comply.

>> reporter: the government provides nearly $600 a day to restaurants and bars, but the subsidy is the same for everyone. this pub owner says he has more bills to pay and should get more aid. >> translator: i pay $9,600 a month in rent, whereas other companies only pay $280. that's not fair. >> reporter: some businesses are seeking help elsewhere, taking out private loans. the japan chamber of commerce and industry says many have seen hard times before and have the will to fight. but says the government also needs to flex or risk a wave of bankruptcies. a research firm says hundreds of restaurants and bars went under last year. >> translator: many restaurants are nearing their limit. financially, they're at the end of their rope.

it's hard to imagine these bankruptcies will slow down. >> reporter: but businesses are determined to make it work. open for 130 years, this high-end sushi shop hopes to stay above water and follows the rules. >> translator: sales have gone down and the situation is getting worse every day. but i have to endure for a month. that's all i can do. the u.s. president has released a video acknowledging the biden administration will take power later this month. it comes a day after a mob of donald trump supporters stormed the halls of congress, disrupting the proceedings to

finalize the results of the november election. >> now congress has certified the results. a new administration will be inaugurated on january 20th. my focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly, and seamless transition of power. thisomtalls for healing structiowould be hd who accountable. that ctradicted earlier messe in whie expresd fection r the riers. four people died and dozens were arrested after the mob smashed its way into the capitol, forcing the building to be evacuated. on thursday, an officer died from injuries sustained during the chaos. capitol police are being criticized for not preparing properly, prompting the head of the force to resign. president-elect joe biden says that trump unleashed an attack on the country's political system.

>> yesterday, in my view, one of the darkest days in the history of our nation. an unprecedented assault on our democracy. what we witnessed yesterday was not dissent. it was not disorder. it was not protest. it was chaos. >> pro and anti-trump protests were held in several cities on thursday. in new york, some called for trump's resignation. >> i think that he should not be president anymore. and what's happening is very sad. >> i hope there's some sort of justice for all the things that i think he's done to undermine our democracy, and just all this trouble he's caused within the country, turning us against each other. >> trump had been calling for a massive protest on capitol hill to coincide with wednesday's joint session of congress. some senior lawmakers are now

demanding he be removed from office. u.s. house speaker nancy pelosi has asked vice president mike pence to invoke the 25th amendment. that wouldnable trump's own cabinet to oust him. failing that, pelosi suggested that congress begin impeachment proceedings against him for the second time. meanwhile, joe biden is finalizing his cabinet lineup ahead of the january 20th inauguration. his staff have announced two more key members of his economic team. rhode island governor gino armando has been named commerce secretary. the biden team says armando has revitalized her state by investing in economic development and infrastructure. as commerce secretary, she's expected to play a key role in strengthening u.s. competitiveness in the high tech sector where rivalry with china

is fierce. biden also chose boston mayor marty walsh to lead the labor department. walsh is the former president of a local labor union. he's expected to lead efforts to create jobs, which have been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. ties between japan and south korea could come under further strain after a korean court ruled that people referred to as wartime comfort women should be compensated. japan calls this unacceptable. the ruling was handed down on friday by the seoul central district court. it ordered the japanese government to pay about $91,000 to each of the 12 plaintiffs. that's a total of about $1.1 million in damages for mental and physical pain. the 12 south korean women sought court mediation over compensation in 2013. they later filed a lawsuit. the first hearing was held in april last year. japan has not attended the court

proceedings. it takes a position that the lawsuit should be dismissed based on sovereign immunity. it's a concept under international law that the state is immune from the civil jurisdiction of the court of a foreign country. the south korean court did not apply sovereign immunity to this case. it noted that the acts were a crime against humanity that were systematically planned and carried out. the japanese government lodged a strong protest. >> translator: based on the concept of international law, the state is immune from the civil jurisdiction of the court of a foreign country. with the understanding of this rule, the government maintains its position that the case should be dismissed. we will not accept the ruling. >> suga also said that japan maintains that all matters of reparations were settled completely and finally in 1965.

that's when the two countries normalized ties as part of the deal, toky provided sul with ecomic ll or seous annual ion, >> a taiwase nonprot group says cna arrested dens of pro-mocrac activis in hong kongartly because bjing feelsternatnal pssure o easi.umanights rerd is >> transtor: i wanthe inrnatiol commity, toct i unity to counter bloc, cha. >> a senior member of the group, chee 89 min-yen, held a news conference in taipei on friday. the group is helping people who want to move from hong kong to taiwan. chee yang cited the transition of power in the united states and broad trade agreement with the european union as reasons beijing considers pressure is

easing. prominent hong kong activist nathan law attended from britain, where he is based. are in darkness and repression. we have lost hope for the future and feel powerless. >> most of the 53 who were arrested on wednesday have been released, but two other activists were arrested on thursday. japanese have a phrase they like to say before eating a

meal. it's an expression of gratitude to the person who cooked the meal and to the animals whose lives were sacrificed to make it. in our next report, we find out why a young photographer wants to spread this phrase around the world. >> reporter: takimi akiri calls herself a livestock photographer. she photographs farm animals -- cows, pigs, and chickens. her works are much more personal than that job description may sound. she gets right up close, shooting from a low angle. >> translator: we rarely get to look into t eyes of livestock animals. i hope viewers of my photographs will realize how precious their lives are by thinking about the environment they are raised in. >> reporter: takimi had always

been interested in work with livestock, and in 2014 she quit her job at a bank and flew to new zealand to experience it firsthand. there she had a life-changing experience. >> translator: i saw weak newborn calves. the farmer said he was considering killing it because there was no sense in raising livestock animals that did not have value. the calf was moving in hi arms and was definitely alive. i asked if he could save the calf, but it was eventually shot to death. >> reporter: takimi wanted a way to show respect to animals that lose their lives in the food industry. instead of a gun, she picked up a macamera. today, takimi has come to a dairy farm in hokkaido, northern japan. the couple who run the farm have named every cow they've raised.

>> reporter: takimi has visited about 100 farms, domestic and overseas. each time she realizes how much farmers cherish their animals. >> translator: i'm very happy that she has documented our animals, because we try to take good care of them when they are alive. >> reporter: on her website, takimi's slogan is "make itadakimasu an international phrase." >> translator: i want to promote use of the phrase and raise awareness through my photographs. >> reporter: as a first step toward achieving her goal, takimi hopes to exhibit her works in tokyo this year.

heavy snow continues to fall along the sea of japan and is accumulating rapidly in some areas. fierce winds are also expected in the northern parts of the country. in tottori prefecture, a car was hit by a passenger train after getting stuck on a snow-covered railway crossing. the driver was fortunately able to escape to safety. at one point, tens of thousands of homes in akita prefecture were without power. in some places, snow levels are up to four times higher than normal for this time of year. the meteorological agency is advising people to be on alert for possible traffic disruptions. it's also calling on residents to watch out for avalanches, blackouts, and fallen trees. more heavy snow is expected in parts of japan this weekend. our meteorologist, jonathan oh, has a look at the forecast. jonathan? >> hello. we have been dealing with significant snowfall as we went

through friday. take a look at some of these numbers here. in toga machi, 101 centimeters of snow in 24 hours. wind gusts were as strong as 153 kilometers per hour in parts of aomori prefecture. we will still deal with heavy snow along the sea of japan side of the nation through next week. a little bit of an interesting change in the paper, though. we're not expecting the winds to be as strong from the north and west, which means that as opposed to seeing a lot more of the focus on the snow toward the higher elevations, it's going to actually be a little closer to low-lying areas because there will be some resistance with that wind pattern. as opposed to going further inland, it will be further toward the coastal areas, at least for the lower-lying areas. be on the lookout as snow will accumulate in those areas as we go through the weekend. here's a look at the forecast. that will take it all the way into the early part of monday. we'll be seeing the snow

anywhere from hokkaido all the way back to fukuoka as we go through part of that weekend. then by the time we go into the first part of next week, watching out for a little spin-out in tokyo with cold air that may bring interesting weather coming up on tuesday. the forecast taking us through monday evening, looking at accumulation for the hokuriku region, snowfall up to 272 centimeters on the ground. on top of that, 150 centimeters of snowfall possible into hiroshima prefecture, that possibility as well. snow all through the weekend, the holiday weekend, monday as well. tokyo saw temperatures drop off on friday, and we'll see temperatures staying cold as we go through the weekend. osaka, single-digit highs. snow into fukuoka. this cold air mass is going to continue to push toward japan. some of these blue shades indicate some of that colder

air. that's going to be the real factor of these chillier temperatures. coming up on saturday in beijing, a high of 2 with sunny skies. quick note in north america, rain continues to be a big part of the story in the pacific nortest. that's going to be something you need to look out for. and more rain for the eastern seaboard as this low moves toward the north. hope you have a good day wherever you are.

that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. thanks for watching, and do stay with us for more.

this is "newsline biz." i'm gene otani. japan's largest business group is pledging to encourage more telework as a new state of emergency is declared for tokyo and its nearby prefectures. the minister in charge of the coronavirus response asked companies in a meeting with business groups on friday to allow more remote working. nishimura toshi said staff

should be reduced by 70%. keidanren conducted a survey to see if companies are doing enough to achieve the target. >> translator: i believe it's important to work to prevent the spread of infection while allowing some social activities to continue. >> hitachi has been quick to respond to calls to get more people working from home. only a few employees were seen at its office in central tokyo on friday. about 30% of its workers currently go to an office. but the company targets further reducing that to 15% or less. >> translator: we are putting remote working into full force to protect the safety and health of our employees and their families. >> haseyama also said the company is taking steps to

ensure the change in work arrangements won't lower job efficiency. . operators of restaurants and bars in the tokyo area are trying to find ways to stay afloat even though they are closing early in line with a government request. one restaurant group called watame is shutting some locations or shortening business hours during the state of emergency period that started friday. about 140 of its establishments are affected. the company is changing the way it does business. it is launching weekday lunch services at eight barbecue restaurants from next week. >> translator: our company will definitely abide by the government's request, but i'm concerned that japan's food service industry will be devastated if this situation continues. >> watanabe says the company is also looking at other ways to meet the challenges ahead.

tokyo's benchmark stock index reached its highest level in more than 30 years on friday amid rising hopes for an economic recovery in the u.s. the nikkei average ended at 28,139, up nearly 2.4% from thursday's close. investors expect a democrat-controlled congress will roll out further stimulus measures to support the american economy. the nikkei 225 added 4% over the last two days despite the surge of coronavirus infections across japan. momentum was fueled by rallies in new york stocks. the benchmark dow jones industrial average rose more than 211 points from wednesday's close, ending at 31,041, setting a record high for a second straight day. now we look at key economic issues for 2021 in our series with expert comments. prime minister suga yoshihide this year aims to take the first steps for making japan carbon

neutral in 2050, but with the coronavirus pandemic still upon us and the economy fragile, there are many challenges to carry out green reforms. nhk world spoke to an economist and a consultant on what lies ahead. >> reporter: prime minister suga surprised many by accelerating plans to cut japan's carbon footprint. before he took office, the government said the country would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. but an expert said suga's goal won't be easy to achieve. >> translator: it will require sweeping changes to the way japan generates power, including nuclear energy, as well as efforts to tackle the problem of carbon dioxide emitted by automobiles and households. very drastic structural reforms will be needed to meet the

target. >> reporter: he points out that severe structural reforms needed will take a toll on some industries. case in point, the auto sector. getting carmakers to switch to electric vehicles is a key factor behind achieving a net zero goal. kumano says this will place a burden on suppliers. >> translator: there are a lot of subcontracting companies that supply various parts in the auto industry. some will be able to continue business, but others will find it impossible to make the change to supplying parts for electric vehicles. so the economy will suffer if we carry out this shift too quickly. >> reporter: he thinks power generation is also a big factor. nuclear power is an alternative, but plans to build new plants have been put on hold since 2011 accident at the fukushima

daiichi nuclear plant. renewable energy seems like the obvious answer, but kumano says the program is cost high. >> translator: renewable energy initiatives will be supported by government subsidies, but we don't know if the technologies can be improved enough to offset the investment costs once the subsidies are decreased or eliminated. >> reporter: another expert sees the economic impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic as incentive for people to innovate. >> translator: the government's latest growth strategy cites support for green technologies as key to reviving the economy. we can say the pandemic has pushed the issue. the political backing has lowered the barriers to entering the sector. >> reporter: hirata says a trend for environmentally conscious investing can also help achieve

the government's goal. many investors now favor companies seen as socially responsible and committed to sustainability. >> translator: the social role of companies in society has been raised due to the pandemic. companies that candle straight commitment to achieving environmental goals and also have viable technologies will be highly evaluated by investors. >> reporter: so will there be a green lining to all the disruption we saw from the pandemic? 2021 will definitely be an important year if japan wants to achieve its goal of a fully sustainable 2050. tomura keiko, nhk world. let's have a look at the markets.

from the "newsline biz" team in tokyo, i'm gene otani. thanks for joining us.ccccccfvfo

sought to create division and americans. hearing those words of reconciliation from him is quite significant, isn't it? >> it is. this is a donald trump that we simply have not seen in four years as president. the fact that it comes now, when he is basing his biggest crisis of his presidency, and this is a president that has faced many big crises, this is the biggest, 13 days before he leaves office, just shows you how he really hung on for as long as he could doing things "his way." he finally realized this message at this moment had to begin.