hello and thanks for joining us on nhk world-japan. this is nhk "newsline." we begin with an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. scientists from the world health organization have arrived in the chinese city of wee huhan, where virus was first detected. they hope to find out where it came from and how it started to spread. a team of 13 scientists are beginning their time in wuhan with two weeks in quarantine. they then plan to investigate

what happened at the start of the pandemic. details of their schedule have not been made public. the team's leader told nhk last month that it's logical to think the virus originated in china. he said this week that the team will investigate the initial cases in detail and wl try to find out if there also were early cas in other areas. still, he suggested they won't get all the answers durinthis visit. >> i don't thinke wl have clear answers after thi initial mission. but we will be on the way, and hopefully in the cing months, that will be completed by additional missions, additional studies, and leading us slowly to a better understanding of the origin of the vis. >> chinese government experts initially said the virus came from bats in china. but lately they said they couldn't rule out the possibility it was brought in from abroad because it had been detected in some imported foods.

it remains to be seen whether the team will get enough cooperation from the chinese government. it's also not clear whether they will be allow to investigate the wuhan laboratory from which u.s. president donald trump claimed the virus had escaped. the china is seeing a resurgency in coronavirus cases. it has reported its first covid-19 death since may. the national health commission says more than 200 new cases were confirmed on wednesday. turning to an update on the coronavirus situation here in japan, experts are warning the current wave of infections is putting increasing strain on the medical system in the capital. they say hospitals are being forced to turn away some covid-19 patients, and hotels where those with mild or no symptoms are asked to quarantine are full. the daily tally of new cases in tokyo has been well over the

1,000 level for much of the past week. 135 people in the capital are now in serious condition. public health experts report the average number of daily cases is up 165% this week compared to a week earlier. >> translator: the current situation may reflect an explosive spread of infections. >> with hospital beds filling up, more than 8,000 people who tested positive are quarantining at home. three have died, including two people who had a pre-existing condition. hospital beds for covid-19 patients are also running low in other parts of the greater tokyo region. one reason is that some patients need to stay at the hospital long after testing negative, as they recover. even after testing negative, other hospitals are reluctant to accept these patients. the prime minister is urging

medical associations to help secure more hospital beds for coronavirus patients and to prepare for a vaccination drive. >> translator: we need your continued cooperation to provide nessary medical assistance to those who need it. >> in an effort to curb the contagion, the central government's added seven prefectures to its state of emergency on thursday. the measure will remain in place to february 7. residents are urged to help by working from home, but it appeared to be business as usual in the newly added prefectures thursday morning, compared to the state of emergency last spring. >> translator: the train was crowded. >> translator: i don't see any significant changes. >> some businesses are finding

it hard to shift to remote work. this bank developed a new system to allow employees to access confidential data from home. it has also introduced flexible working hours. but the ratio of telework is still around 30%. >> translator: a 70% reduction is a high hurdle, because a certain number of staff must be in the office, including those who are at the service counter. we plan to reduce the number of in-office staff at our headquarters since they don't handle customer service. >> experts say that senior managers or leaders of industry groups should set a concrete guideline instead of relying on the personal judgment of workers. health authorities reported more than 6,500 new cases across japan on thursday. over 310,000 people have tested positive in the country since the pandemic began.

now turning to the uk, where a single-day record of more than 1,500 fatalities were reported on wednesday. british prime minister boris johnson has asked people to observe strict lockdown rules as hospitals become increasingly strained. >> all i can say is that the risk is very substantial, and we have to keep the pressure off the nhs. the only way to do that is to follow the current lockdown, and that's what i'd urge everybody to do. >> johnson says hospitals have admitted about 70% more patients compared to the uk's first peak last april. infection rates are soaring as a highly contagious variant of the virus spreads across the country. johnson says vaccination services will soon be made available around the clock, seven days a week. the government plans to vaccinate about 15 million people, prioritizing the over

70s and frontline health care workers by mid-february. some 2.6 million people have already received their first jabs. around 3.2 million people have so far tested positive across britain. more than 84,000 have died. russian president vladimir putin has ordered officials to begin mass coronavirus inoculations next week using a domestically made vaccine. putin said on wednesday that the country plans to administer the vaccine, called sputnik v, to all citizens. putin also expressed concern about the situation in britain, where a variant has been spreading. a russian deputy prime minister said that another domestically developed vaccine approved in october appeared to be effective against variants. she added that research is ongoing. the virus is continuing to

spread in russia, with around 20,000 new cases confirmed every day. the putin administration is currently promoting vaccination, despite many people expressing doubts over its safety and effectiveness. turning now to the u.s. americans are struggling through emergencies of their own. the coronavirus killed a record number of people on tuesday, more than 4,300. and most people still don't know when they will be getting a vaccine. nhk world's catherine kobayashi reports. >> reporter: these paramedics are looking for somewhere to bring their patients. they drive from hospital to hospital, only to be turned away. >> i don't know that it could get much worse for us. >> reporter: officials in the trump administration said they would vaccinate 20 million americans by the end of last year. two weeks later, only 10 million people have received at least

one shot. and almost 30 million doses have been distributed. >> they were holding way too many vaccine doses back. we're in a crisis. and what people are saying is, les get those doses out to people. >> reporter: the president-elect's team said last administration would release nearly all the supply. federal officials had said they would hold some back for second doses. now they've changed course. >> every vaccine dose that is sitting in a warehouse rather than going into an arm could mean one more life lost or one more hospital bed occupied. >> reporter: federal officials instructed states to vaccinate every american 65 and older and those with condions that put them at higher risk. state leaders have open sites such as disneyland in california and sports stadiums to vaccinate thousands per day. still, they've been following their own guidelines and are

confused about the new ones. >> the vaccine is like ammunition. amnition to the states and s the said, you guys figure it out. >> reporter: federalfficials released their guidelines just a week weabefore the new administration takes over, and those dispensing the vaccines say the orders have just created more anxiety. catherine kobayashi, nhk world, new york. the south korean government says it will release more than 900 prisoners on parole on thursday in order to curb coronavirus infections. the justice ministry said the move is aimed at easing overcrowding at prisons across the country. the ministry is relaxing criteria for early release for people with high infection risks, including the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, as well as model prisoners. inmates convicted of sex crimes, child abuse, and drunk driving will not be included. the announcement follows reports

of a mass infection at a detention center in seoul. city officials say the outbreak has so far led to more than 1,000 infections since the first case was reported in november. 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 plunged sales more than 90%. he had to let five members of his staff go. he still has one person on in the daytime 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 lien repayments add up to huge costs. toinju ran a number of cafes and restaurants. he struggled to keep them open before deciding to close all but one due to mounting 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 help 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 a relief package worth $3.7 billion to help small businesses and it's discussing arrange share plans for shops, and there are talks of more to be done. kim chan-ju, nhk world. in south korea, the country's top court has upheld 20-year prison term for former president park geun-hye on bribery and other charges.

she was removed in 2016 afte being impeached by lawmakers. she was convicted of taking millions of dollars from major conglomerates, including the samsung group, and the country's intelligence agency. park was initially sentenced to 30 years behind bars, but the supreme court repealed the rulings in 2019 and sent her cases back to a lower court. a decision last july reduced her sentence to 20 years, with a fine of about $16 million. prosecutors had appealed that ruling, but thursday's supreme court ruling brings the legal process to an end. park was already facing a separate sentence for election law violations. while she isn't the only former south korean president to face jail time, even the three years and nine months she has already spent behind bars is longer than any of her predecessors, since some were pardoned. observers are watching to see whether the current president, moon jae-in, will do the same for park. the u.n.'s nuclear agency

says iran has launched resrch and development to produce uranium metal. it could be used in nuclear weapons and the move will likely be seen as a fresh breach of a 2015 nuclear deal. speaking to nhk, the iaea said iran had notified it about starting the work at a nuclear facility in the central province of issa fan. iran's ambassador to the iaea tweeted uranium metal will be used as fuel in the tehran research reactor, which the country says is working for peaceful purposes. earlr this month, iran resumed enriching uranium to 20% purity at another nuclear facility in central iran, breaching the 2015 deal. analysts say tehran could be trying to pressure incoming u.s. president joe biden and looking to have sanctions lifted.

it's time for a check on weather with meteorologist jonathan oh. it was a bit warmer in tokyo thursday. are the springlike conditions here to stay? >> hello. looks like we're going to be dealing with warm weather as we go throughout the next couple of days across the western half of japan. tokyo being a little bit cooler as we head toward friday, while snow possibilities still exist for the northern portions of japan. it will really pick up as we head toward the weekend, because by have a low pressure system that's developing over near china and the korean peninsula. as this pushes toward the east, we're going to see a real surge of warm air. so areas toward the west, such as osaka into fukuoka, highs of the mid teens. tokyo saw highs of the mid teens through thursday. a little cool-down as we have colder air wrapping around. as that warm surges in, highs in the mid to upper teens into

saturday as well. it's going to feel more like march as opposed to january. the snow will be redeveloping for the northern areas of japan as we head toward the weekend, so be on the lookout for that. we broaden out the view. we are talking cooler air once again pushing through places like china. so beijing looking at a high of 3 on friday, staying in the low single digits. the capital of mongolia looking at 20 below zero friday and saturday. tokyo, 9 on friday, 17 on saturday, then 11 coming up on sunday. meanwhile in europe, we are talking about some snow. we have this low pressure system that's impacting the scandinavian peninsula, bringing lots of snow. take a look at this video to give you an idea how things looked on the ground in sweden, where heavy snowfall caused widespread power cuts wednesday. il traffic was brought to a standstill due to 60 millimeters of snow. colder weather is expected in the next few days.

we are looking at this chilly weather in place, and that same low moving down toward the south, so areas in the central portions of the continent looking at some snow and rain as we go through thursday into friday. a busy pattern down here from turkey all the way down to the balkan peninsula, as low pressure stays in place. high pressure now controlling the weather over the iberian peninsula. they could use the break because they had so much snow earlier this week, like in spain, portions of the country saw close to 50 centimeters of snowfall. so they can use that break as they're trying to really clear out of that. they hadn't seen snow like that in quite some time. friday's forecast looking wet for paris. rome looking at a high of 8 as we go through the day. hope you have a good day wherever you are.

and that will do it for nhk "newsline." thanks for joing us, a thanks for watching.

♪ ♪ this is "newsline biz." i'm ramin mellegard. china's exports rose in 2020, helped by strong demand for masks and medical devices amid the coronavirus pandemic. customs authorities say the exports increased by 3.6% from the previous year to a record high of nearly $2.6 trillion. officials cite brisk demand for personal computers and other electronic devices from consumers around the world spending more time at home. imports dropped by 1% to a

little over $2 trillion. as a result, china's trade surplus last year came in at $535 billion. a customs spokesperson was upbeat about the outlook for 2021. >> translator: the world economy is expected to recover, and china's domestic economy will resume steady growth. we think this will provide strong support for gwth in overseas trade. >> china imported more soybeans and pork from the united states last year following the phase one bilateral trade agreement in january 2020. still, the country's trade surplus with the u.s. widened by 7% to about $310 billion. the imbalance is likely to remain a sticking point between the world's two biggest economies, after the.s. administration of joe biden comes to power. the latest data out of japan gives a mixed picture on the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.

the main indicator of future capitol spending rose for the second month in a row. the capital office says major machinery makers received over $8 billion worth of orders from domestic companies in november. that's up 1.5% in yen terms from the previous month. officials cite more orders for machines that make semiconductors and communications equipment used in super-fast 5g networks. they have upgraded their overall assessment, saying machinery orders are showing signs of recovery. another set of data from bank of japan shows producer prices were down 2% from a year earlier in december. that's the 10th monthly decline in a row. the boj says crude oil prices have fallen due to the pandemic, pushing down the price of electricity, gas, and products made from troleum, coal, and chemicals. boj officials say currently, crude oil is becoming more expensive, boosting producer prices. although the pandemic may limit the rise.

tokyo's benchmark stock index continued its rise on thursday buoyed by those better than expected figures from machinery owners, propelling the nikkei average to a fresh 30-year high. the nikkei closed at 28,698, up 0.85% since wednesday, the highest level since august 1990. machinery and semiconductor related hairs led the rally. the nikkei briefly rose more than 500 points, but lost some of the gains as investors took profits. the index has extended its winning streak to five days, adding 6% in that time. the upward momentum has been helped by expectations for extra stimulus measures in the u.s. universal study yous japan says it's delaying the opening of a theme park zone featuring the popular nintendo character mario for a second time. the move follows the

government's declaration of a covid-related state of emergency for osaka prefecture where the park is located. universal studios japan originally planned to open super nintendo world in july last year, but the spread of the virus prompted the park operator to push the date back until early february. it now says it will announce a new opening date after the state of emergency ends. the operator has invested about $580 million in the venture in a bid to draw more visitors. the state of emergency is currently in place for 11 prefectures, including osaka and tokyo. domestic demand for sake, a traditional japanese alcoholic beverage brewed from rice, is on the decline. a long-standing sake brewer has developed a new type of sake aimed at the international market. >> reporter: this sake brewery

is located in kyoto. masuka is the owner. the brewery uses the region's pure groundwater. he's working on sake, continuing with his brewery's traditional production method but inspired by aspects of european wine traditions. >> translator: sake and wine are both fermented liquor. i hope to develop a type of sake that is suited to the tastes of overseas customers. >> reporter: to make headway overseas, he looks for new types of yeast with strong acidity and aromas, also favored by foreign wine drinkers. masuda discovered the yeasts he need wednesday available in kyoto.

kyo-no yeast has a fruity aroma and a distinctive acidity. masuda and the researcher are tasting two types of sake brewed with two different fermenting agents. >> translator: they're completely different, even in terms of aroma. >> reporter: masuda creates a new brand of sake by blending the two distinctive delivers. while blending is common in wine might have making, it is rare when producing sake. the taste changes completely depending on the ratio of each sake used in the mix. after carefully studying the flavor of each sake, masuda came up with the ideal ratio -- 20% of the blend is from sake brewed with kyo-no-hana, and 80% from

kyo-no-koi. he named the new brand "assemblage," the french term given to the process of blending wine. >> translator: i hope our new brand will make a strong impression in the international market. the sake industry will need to produce and promote uniquely japanese products. i'm excited to take on this challenge. >> reporter: masuda hopes to hold sake-tasting events for owners of restaurants in france and impress these wine lovers with his new creation. okay, let's get a check on the markets.

and that's it for "newsline biz." from our tokyo studios, i'm ramin mellegard. thank you very much for joining us. ai■>ú■ogfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfvs

conducted on a bipartisan basis. >> trump made no mention of his impeachment in a video message on twitter released soon after the proceedings, but in a change of tone he condemned last week's violence and said those involved will face justice. >> i want to be very clear. i unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week. violence and vandalism have absolutely no place in our country, and no place in our movement. making america great again has always been about defending the rule of law, supporting the men and women of law enforcement, and upholding our nation's most sacred traditions and values. mob violence goes against