♪ thank you for joining us. from our studio in tokyo this is nhk "newsline." we begin in the united states where lawmakers have voted to impeach president donald trump for a historic second time. ten republican lawmakers broke ranks to vote to impeach the president whom house speaker nancy pelosi called a clear and present danger to the country. >> today in a bipartisan way,

the house demonstrated that no one is above the law, not even the president of the united states. >> the impeachment resolution won majority support in the house of representatives on wednesday. the process will now move to the senate for a trial. a two-thirds majority is required to convict and remove the president. the resolution charged trump with incitement of insurrection for his role in the deadly riot at the u.s. capitol last week. the yes vote makes trump the rst u.s. president to be impeached twice. he was first impeached in december 2019 over allegations of applying improper pressure on ukrain it's extremely unusual for impeachment procedures to be initiated against t president whose term expires in just a week, but it's unlikely the senate trial will take place before january 20th, when trump's term as president ends.

in a video releas by the white house wednesday, trump did not mention the impeachment but called on americans to ease tensions and calm tempers. on the potential for further riots ahead of president-elect joe biden's inauguration, trump said there must be no violence or vandalism. he added that thousands of national guard troops will be in washington to ensure safety and orderly transition. now to the coronavirus situation here in japan. the government has expanded a state of emergency it recently declared for parts of the greater tokyo region, as the country battles its most serious wave of infections yet. the prime minister spoke to the media on wednesday evening to explain the decision. he also called for greater public cooperation to contain the spread. >> translator: to put the current situation behind us as soon as possible, the people, the state and local communities must be united and work toward a

common goal, endure the restrictions on our lifestyle and overcome this crisis. the government will do whatever it can to protect the lives and livelihoods of the people. >> seven prefectures have been added nationwide. they are osaka, hyogo, kyoto, aichi, gifu, fukuoka and tochigi. the declaration iginally took effect last friday for tokyo and three neighboring prefectures. it will remain in place until february 7th. a state of emergency is less strict in japan than in many western countries. people are asked to refrain from nonessential outings and help reduce the number of commuters by 70% by working from home. restaurants and bars are asked to close early, and event venues are asked to limit attendance. health authorities reported more than 5,800 new cases across

japan on wednesday and a record 97 deaths. 900 people are in serious condition, another record high. the country has now logged more than 300,000 infections since the pandemic began. the governor of osaka stressed the need to protect people's lives regardless of the financial hardship anti-virus measures may cause. >> translator: people have suffered immense economic damage. i'm very aware of this, but we must act now to stop the virus from spreading. >> reaction was mixed in the seven added prefectures. >> translator: it's too late, isn't it? the government should have declared an emergency before the new year holidays. >> translator: each and every one of us must do what we can to protect essential workers, so

the restriction is inevitable. >> bars and eateries are expecting a very tough few weeks. this restaurant manager in tochigi prefecture plans to close earlier, improve his takeout menu and keep looking on the bright side. >> translator: it really is difficult to reduce our operating hours, but i still want customers to come and drink without hesitation over the next few months. >> the government is also tightening border controls after new variants of the virus were detected in the country. it plans to suspend an exemption that allows businesspeople from ten countries and taiwan to enter japan. the change will effectively ban all foreign travelers. in the united states, which has the most cases in the world with close to 23 million people

infected, more major league ballparks are to be used as mass vaccination sites. the move comes as the number of people who've been inoculated has fallen far short of the government's target. new york mayor bill de blasio says the home stadium of the new york mets will become a site for giving shots around the clock. 5,000 to 7,000 new yorkers will eventually be able to get the jab at citi field each day. in california petco park of the san diego padres has been used since monday to give 5,000 shots daily. dodger stadium in los angeles will be available from friday to administer up to 12,000 doses a day. officials say national football league stadiums and disneyland, which is closed, will also be used as vaccination hubs. south korea is still struggling to contain the coronavirus and is keeping its social distancing rules at the second highest level. this is a major blow to businesses that welcome customers into cozy spaces.

nhk world's kim chan-ju has more. >> reporter: business used to be booming at this korean barbecue restaurant, but the pandemic caused his sales to plunge more than 90%. he had to let five staff members of his staff go. he still has one person on in the day time and works on his own at night. >> translator: i don't have enough customers to continue properly. i've had trouble paying the rent. everything has changed. >> reporter: some businesses are having trouble surviving, while others have found that closing down is not easy either. taxes remodeling the shop space, penalties and large repayments

all add up to huge costs. this man runs a number of cafes and restaurants. he struggled to keep them open before deciding to close them all but one due to mountg debt. he made a video to explain the process of going out of business. the response was enormous. he now shares knowledge with others in the same tough situation and hope for those who want to reopen one day. >> translator: it's difficult for them to think clearly about what to do. they need to research carefully and find the information they need, and they have to save money to make a comeback. >> reporter: the government has rolled out awe relief package worth $3.7 billion to help small businesses and is discussing a plan to ensure fairer rent for

shops. there are calls for even more to be done. kim chan-ju, nhk world. new vehicle sales in china declined for the third straight year in 2020 as the pandemic took a toll on the world's biggest car market. a chinese industry group says over 25 million cars rolled off dealers' lots in 2020. that's down nearly 2% from the year before. sales of passenger cars fell 6% year on year to around 20 million units. nearly 1.4 million so-called new energy vehicles such as electrics were sold. that's up nearly 11%. the industry saw a sharp decline at one point due to the spread of the coronavirus, but subsidies by local governments and increased levels in infrastructure investment have put sales on a road to recovery

since april. the industry group expects growth this year of around 4% to more than 26 million units. even so, a global shortage of semiconductor chips is forcing many automakers to scale back production. the group says the situation is likely to seriously hurt the industry during the current quarter. a russian opposition leader who was poisoned last year says he will return to his country from germany sunday. alexei navalny posted a message on social media. he says his rehabilitation is going well and he's almost recovered. >> translator: the putin administration is making every possible threat to prevent me from returning home. they must be thinking, please don't come back. >> navalny fell unconscious on a flight in august. he's been treated in germany. an international investigative

journalism group issued a report in december saying navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent and russian security agency was involved. the agency denies the investigation. investigation is underway against navalny on charges of fraud. he may be detained if he returns to russia. he denies the allegations against him, and says he'll continue to challenge the administration of president vladimir putin. now moving on to world weather with our meteorologist tsietsi monare. tsietsi, another sunny and warm day in many parts of japan including parts of tokyo. how are things looking for the rest of the week. >> well, the rest of the week is going to be slightly warmer, closer towards the weekend as well we'll be seeing double digits, especially us in central tokyo and even towards kyushu. temperatures are looking good and there's warm air coming from the southern side. the problem with the warmer air is it's going to create unstable conditions.

you can see possibilities of lightning and even blizzard-like snowfall in some places. we're not totally out of the woods yet in terms of warm weather returning in some places. snowfall possible towards sapporo. temperatures low along those parts so it's chilly there. from the rest, especially the central regions going down toward south western japan, it's going to be a lot warmer there, temperatures going as high as 15 for tokyo and naha goes to 20 degrees. sunny skies along the korean peninsula as a strong pressure system is sitting along the eastern side of china and is bringing sunny conditions toward shanghai and even down towards place such as taiwan. taipei will see a maximum of about 22 degrees. crossing over to europe, there's still lots happening here. a very strong low pressure system associated with a front is moving towards the southeastern direction closer towards northern england.

there could be heavy snowfall. another part of europe will be seeing similar conditions with belgium, switzerland, and austria. switzerland is expecting close to 110 centimeters snowfall is expected along those parts. and temperatures are going to get quite chilly as you move towards the end of the week. you'll see a lot of subzero temperatures through stockholm, moscow and kyiv. minus 2 for your thursday but later into the week, friday, saturday, and weekend as well, temperatures grow even colder along those parts. still fairly warm for lisbon. single digits but sunny skies expected to hold along those parts. in higher grounds you might see snowfall but majority of the country is experiencing a little bit of warm weather. that's all your weather. stay warm and stay safe. ♪

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thank you for watching this edition of nhk "newsline." we'll be back with more, so please stay with us. ♪ ♪ welcome to "newsline in depth." i'm shibuya aki. the human-animal bond. from worker dogs to pets. the connection keeps evolving and deepening. research shows that these companions can reduce stress, lower blood pressure and enhance well being. but it's not a one-way street. animals need guardians to meet

more than their basic needs to ensure their relationships are mutually beneficial, as we explore today. our first report is from china. the country's ongoing pet boom means related businesses are flourishing. and as owners are becoming increasingly conscientious, they're investing time and money in their family family members to safeguard a long healthy life together. >> reporter: this is a special fitness class for pets. many of them have gained weight staying at home more amidst the pandemic. the instructor has a medical background. she teaches pet owners how to train their pets at home. a 60-day course of mainly online classes costs about $480. more than 100 people have signed up. >> translator: keeping a pet is the same as raising a child.

i don't care how much i have to pay to improve the quality of my pet's life. >> translator: this course is aimed at enhancing relations between owners and pets by showing them how to better interact with their pets at home. >> a recent report shows a number of pet dogs and cats is near 100 million in urban areas alone in china. the market for pet-related goods and services in 2019 was about $30 billion, up more than 18% from the previous year. this chain has grown rapidly. they develop smart products for pets, such as toilets that can be automatically disinfected and deodorized simply via smartphones. the company said the number of shops has increased by more than

700 nationwide this year. >> translator: mostly young pet owners are buying novel products we offer one after another. >> reporter: genetic tests for pets are also getting popular. owners can check their pets' risks for diseases. there are easier ways of checking. samples can be obtained by swabbing the pet's mouth. test results will be sent out by mail within seven to ten days. the tests start at $60. the firm says it has conducted 100,000 tests so far this year, a tenfold increase compared to last year. >> translator: pets are one of the most loved parts of the family now, which boosts interest in pet-related products and services.

>> reporter: as pets and their owners keep getting closer, china's pet business is likely to continue venturing into a new array of services for higher level pet care. nhk world. japan is also experiencing a pet boom, as many people continue to work remotely. but impulse buying is never a good idea. a dog or cat is for life, not for a convenience and certainly not for comfort during the pandemic. what happens when things return somewhat to normal? people working in animal rescue here say they're anticipating a rise in unwanted pets once more people start going back to work. potential owners must weigh the future. next, we visit the city of cats, istanbul. it's common to see residents looking out for the scores of stray felines. of course they're feeding them and some are even putting out all kinds of little houses for

the cold winter months. but recently with the pandemic the turkish economy has suffered and the most vulnerable are being affected, including the city symbol. >> reporter: the city of istanbul is home to more than 120,000 stray cats. traditionally they have been fed and cared for by the people in each district. however, since the start of the pandemic, they have been getting less attention, as fewer people venture outside and with less money to spare, their feline neighbors have been going hungry. alarmed by the situation, the governor of istanbul issued a declaration, stating that the lives of all animals are precious. he appealed to people to provide

food and water for the city's stray animals so they can overcome their hardships together. some locals have already taken matters into their own hands. twice a day, this woman spends an hour and a half going around to seven different places to feed cats. >> translator: the cats are hungry. i can't turn by back on them. >> reporter: this summer, she founded a group, along with 20 other volunteers, to help the strays. even though some of them have lost their incomes during the pandemic, they do all they can to feed the cats. >> translator: just like us the animals have been having a hard time because of the pandemic. i want to do as much as i can to help. >> reporter: despite these

efforts the number of cats in need has not decreased. in fact some owners have abandoned their pets, as their life has become harder. every day sick or injured stray cats are brought to this facility where they can be treated, checked with x-rays or given surgery. the number of cases continues to grow and it's now sheltering about 200 cats. >> translator: cats also have the right to life. although we only have a limited budget, we intent to carry on doing all we can. >> reporter: she remains concerned about the current situation. >> translator: i don't want to

see any living being in turkey forced to scavenge for food, neither people nor animals. it's very sad when that happens. sharing with others brings happiness for everyone. >> reporter: when times are tough, the best way to ensure that we will all survive is by supporting each other with both food and compassion. fadi baghdadi, nhk world, istanbul. >> as we just saw, part of the human bond with animals is the desire to help them. in japan a giraffe named ha gumy was born in a zoo. the zoo keepers believed she might not survive. that was until a man from a field entirely unrelated to animals stepped in.

>> reporter: her disability in her hind legs made it impossible for her to even reach her mother teet as they were too high up. >> translator: to be honest when i first saw her, i thought she wouldn't live long. >> reporter: the tendons in her feet were overstretched causing her hind legs to bend at an abnormal angle. the zoo decided to secure her legs with plaster casts to help correct them. but the casts made it impossible for her to move her muscles and joints. a different method was needed for her to walk naturally. the zoo decided to ask for help from yamada tetsuo. he's an expert in artificial

limbs and harnesses for humans. yamada began by visiting the zoo numerous times to observe how giraffes work and how their legs are angled. >> translator: i don't even know how much a giraffe weighs. everything is completely new to me. >> reporter: yamada made a custom set of braces to fit her legs. she was able to stand on her own, but she showed signs of discomfort and the devices were removed shortly after. yamada repeatedly strengthens the braces and made other adjustments to make her more comfortable. his third mel was a success.

hagumi was finally able to walk effortlessly. as yamada adjusted the devices, hagumi practiced walking. her muscles developed as a result. her braces were removed five months after they were first fitted. for the first time in her life, she was able to walk without any assistance. >> reporter: i hope that hagumi will be able to run around someday so they can encourage our visitors. >> reporter: hagumi still needs more practice before she can run. yamada and the zoo keepers will continue to support and prepare her until that day comes. nhk world, hiroshima. >> yamada, the prosthetic designer, was able to help

hagumi through close observation and sensitivity. and his effort transcends the animal-human barrier. it really is amazing to see this level of communication. some further news on zoos. many have been losing profits due to enforced temporary closures or restrictions on visitor numbers. they're returning to creative ways like crowd funding to bring in the lost revenue that covers maintenance, food and medicine. without these funds, the health and safety of these animals would be put in jeopardy. it does make one pause and reflect on the huge responsibility of keeping wild life in captivity. when i wake up and see my dogs, i am filled with joy. and when i walk through the door after work i always feel so grateful to have them in my life. through thick and thin, our animal companions give us strength and pleasure. they're there for us, and we should be there for them, not

just when it's convenient. a healthy human and animal bond can only thrive when we take into account their welfare. thank you for watching and see you soon. ♪ai■>ú■ogfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfv■

>> today in a bipartisan way the house demonstrated that no one is above the law. not even the president of the united states. >> the house of representatives votes to impeach donald trump for inciting an insurrection, making him the first u.s. president to be impeached twice. ♪ >> this is al jazeera. 10 republicans crossed the political aisle to support the impeachment, but most argued the vote is divisive. >> this is all