♪ hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. we start with breaking news.

three prefectures take stricter virus measures. the designation will take effect on monday and remain in place for a month. it will pave the way for changes in the city of osaka, four cities in the neighboring prefecture and northern city of sindai. they plan to ask bars and restaurants to close at 8:00 p.m. and to stay away from kareoke bars which have been linked to many infections. the minister in charge of the coronavirus response says more contagious variants are spreading there. saying he wants to work with the two governors to reduce the number of people traveling to

and from the konsai region. >> translator: i would like to work with each to take effective measures. we will do everything we can to prevent infections in the region and to prevent the virus from spreading across the country. >> the governor of osaka prefecture says the public's cooperation is essential to stop another surge in cases. >> translator: as for refraining from non-essential outings, i personally think this should be done in areas where in place. more than 2,500 infections were reported across japan on thursday, including 475 in tokyo. given the situation, he and the mayor of the city of osaka say

the olympic torch relay should not go ahead there. >> translator: we have seen crowds gathering to watch the torch relay in other parts of the country. it is very sad but i think the relay should be canceled in the city. >> he also says an event to celebrate the arrival of the torch on april 14 should be held without spectators. the governor says he will discuss the matter with the municipality and tokyo organizing committee. he hopes that segments for other parts of the prefecture on april 13 and 14 will take place as planned. >> the coronavirus pandemic has dr dramatically changed the way we spend our money.

information from personal finance app and found people are spending less on transportation and eating out but other costs aren't dropping, they are just changing. >> reporter: the coronavirus has changed daily life for this mom of three. her kids still get regular tutorring but instead of going to one of japan's many cram schools, they log on from home. her kids each spend 30 minutes to an hour a day studying and she pays about $230 per month. while she initially chose online tutorring to keep her kids safe from the virus, she doesn't want to change this habit. >> i think it is good for children to be able to learn at their own pace. they finish up their studies in less time. >> the number of people logging tuition for online schooling in

a popular japanese bookkeeping app surged last spring. it has since gone down but remains two to three times higher than before the pandemic began. companies that produce online entertainment say they've also gotten a boost. this popular live streaming app allows people to watch content for free but many choose to tip performers by throwing them coins. this woman is a professional musician. since november, she's been performing with her husband for up to four hours per day online. some fans have given her as much as $1,000 for a single performance. >> translator: we have core fan who come to see us ever day.

now i think performing online isn't so bad. >> she's not the only one as covid-19 restrictions make in-person performances in common, more seem willing to tip the artists they watch from home. >> translator: with the coronavirus pandemic, people are eager to communicate with others and viewers are willing to support them. >> what happens when the pandemic ends remains to be seen. many are betting these online consumption habits will survive. ♪ we turn now to the frosty relations between japan and south korea. senior diplomats met the first time for the first talks in about five months. the aide of japan's asian and

ocean affairs bureau met the south korean counter part. on the agenda were wartime issues and issues known as comfort women. in january a south korean court ordered the japanese government to pay compensation to the women. the japanese government has said the ruling is contrary to international law. japan has been urging south korea to take appropriate measures. the south koreans maintained their stance. a south korean court is expected to rule on another lawsuit demanding damages later this month. the japanese government says any right to claims was settled completely and finally in 1965 when japan and south korea normalized ties. in 2015, the governments of japan and south korea reached an agreement that the issue had been resolved finally and irreversibly.

united nations security council says north korea is continuing to modernize the missile program. it says north korea unveiled a new short-range missile in a military parade in january and confirms north korea has confirmed capacity to deliver capacity and strategic weapons. they fired two missiles into the sea of japan. they were said to likely be the same type seen in the parade. north korea is cultivating partnerships abroad to upgrade ballistic missiles. it says u.n. member states should steadily increase sanctions on the north.

here in japan, april 1 is the start of the business this year, they were ploromptedo hold them down or online. greeting 115 new recruits at the entrance to the company's headquarters in tokyo. the firm set up officers in other companies. >> translator: i'm very grateful the company has welcomed in this kind of way. i want to take challenges through work with responsibility and pride. >> translator: this is once in a lifetime, so we are showing we

care. we want this to be a moment they remember. lots of japanese companies canceled their welcome ceremonies. this year, many held them online. ♪ bullying can traumatize victims and leave mental scars that last a lifetime. students in south korea a-- are targeting a situation.

>> reporter: these pupils are in a club and have bullying in their sights. reciting anti-bullying slogans as children arrive some mornings. >> translator: we want students to remember that anyone can be a victim of bullying. our goal is to make sure all students feel happy coming to our school. >> reporter: the issue has been under the spotlight in south korea recently. that's after some celebrities were accused of being bullied when they were younger. the allegations prompted a flood of online posts recounting painful memories as victims of bullying. >> she suffered seven years of bullying when she was at school. now she gives talks on the

problem and offers counseling. >> translator: just yet, i had a nightmare where i felt like i was being bullied. it was really horrible. it is vital to prevent bullying. it is also important for bullies to realize what they are doing is actually bullying. sometimes they think they are just joking with victims. even though they are causing real suffering. >> members go on patrol once a week. they are joined by police officers specialized in dealing with bullies in schools. >> translator: we feel at ease as we are with the police and the officers can quickly settle the kinds of problems that can't be resolved just with students. >> the police gave lectures on the issue and to look out for victims. they also do things like speaking with pupils or visiting

children who have been offer school. each officer handles about 10 schools. they plan to visit more often as the fight against bullying ramps up. >> bullying inflicts serious pain. i want to make sure students know they should never bully others for the sake of everybody's future. >> officers and students are working together to try to stamp out bullying and to make it a thing of the past. nhk world. a hong kong court has found seven prominent prodemocracy activists guilty of charges stemming from a huge protest in 2019. they include former legislative council member martin lee known as the father of democracy in

the territory. media tycoon jimmy lai was also convicted. the apple daily newspaper is known to be critical of beijing. all found to be guilty of taking part when massive crowds of anti-government protesters marched through the city. they are expected to be sentenced on april 16. supporters gathered shouting protesting is not a crime. >> no matter what lies in the future. we believe in people of hong kong and brothers and sisters. the victory is ours. >> many leading pro-democracy activists in hong kong have already been detained or marginalized as beijing

continues its crackdown. ahead of the court decision, the u.s. state department issued a report criticizing beijing. the secretary of state antony blinken said over the past year, china has continued to chip away at hong kong's political autonomy. he said he would work with allies to stand with hong kongers against what he calls china's egregious policies and actions. he said the ear ocean does not warrant spishl trade agreements. that nullifies a decision by the previous administration. moving a vetting system to ensure they are loyal to beijing. it is time for a check on world weather with our

meteorologist jonathan oh. heat is cranking up across india. how are those there coping with the hot weather? >> hello, we are months away from the southwest monsoon. looking at the satellite, there is no cloud cover, which means we are just getting full onli sunshine. i want to take you to india wherefo where forest officials have set up artificial water source for these lions in the animal park and sanctuary. temperatures have risen. new delhi experiencing 40.1 degrees. the hottest march day in 76 years. a deadly heat wave is likely to become more prominent.

several people dayed in a heat wave across pakistan. really not expecting anything in terms of relief. no rain or clouds in place. so please, keep that in mind, take it easy. we are looking at highs near 40. high of 38, 39. anywhere from the mid to upper 30s expected for friday. once it starts getting hot, it is usually not going to cool down. here in japan, nothing like that. still much warmer than we typically see. look at these highs. 27.3 to 27.4. osaka looking at 27.1. in okinawa, we have clouds and rain. we are expecting heavy rain from the stationary front that rolls through. you could be dealing with issues of visibility with that much rain.

eventually spreading north and east, places may be dealing with rain coming up on sunday. tokyo highs near 20 degrees. you are going from the midteens to single digits on sunday. you may need a coat there if it is ousthe chilly side. going to europe, we are seeing a slight cooling trend coming up. seeing a cold front moving to the south. we go from the 20s on thursday to the midteens in europe as we go through friday. that's a look at your forecast. hope you have a good day wherever you are. ♪

that's all for this he had de edition of nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara. stay with us for more soon. ♪ this is "newsline biz" i'm gene otani. a closely watched sentiment shows japan's manufacturers have recovered to pre-pandemic

levels. but will take longer to return for several hotels and restaurants. improvement from the previous report released in december has come on the back of growing exports and marked the third straight growing rise. the gauge the same as in september 2019. the results paint a different picture for many non-manufactures. still negative and minus one. tourism agents fell sharply. shortened business hours at bars and restaurants. the outlook sees a one-point retreat. sentiment at non-manufacturers is not expected to change. covering the difference between percentage of firms saying business is good and those

saying it is bad. one of the take aways from the survey is the grim outlook from the world famous dining industry. forcing restaurant operators to make big changes to survive. especially damaging for the establishments that sit half way between restaurants and bars. these are popular with big and roudy crowds. the operator of one chain is tackling the problem by embarking on a remodelling project. >> reporter: hungry diners deep packing into this barbecue restaurant in tokyo. customers place orders on touch panel and get food delivered on a conveyor belt.

there is no contact with the staff. smoke extractors also help with air flow. >> translator: it is well-ventilated so maybe it is a good option at a time like this. >> the restaurant used to be run but in 2020, the chain operator realized it had to make drastic changes. over the course of the year, izakaya saw a slump year 50%. the other dipped by just 10. the converted restaurant is attracting a new crowd of diners who are delivering a healthy boost to the bottom line. >> the kinds of customers with he get are very different now. we have more family groups. the chain believes the business will never p fully recover from the pandemic. it plans to convert a third of outlets into restaurants within

the next year. >> translator: we think we can aim to have 1,000 restaurants in japan. that will be the core of our business. >> family restaurant operator sky lark holdings is another food business in the process of a major transformation. the company is placing its hopes in stores like this one which opened in febary. the outlet does takeout and delivery only. >> sky lark says demand from people who want to eat at home is surging. so the firm plans to have 10 of these small branches up and running by the end of the year. >> it is no longer possible to make customer demand with eating services alone. we need to become an integrated food services company that can cover several bases. ready to eat out, even home

cooking. >> the dining industry has been plunged into its greatest crisis but difficult times have a way of firing the imagination and aspiring businesses to adapt in order to thrive once again. u.s. president joe biden has unveiled plans to spend over $2 trillion to create jobs through steps like boosting the nation's infrastructure. he says it is a once in a generation investment. >> we'll create millions of jobs, good paying jobs, we'll grow the economy, make us more competitive around the world, promote national security and put us in position to win the global competition with china. >> the plan includes setting up charging stations and repairing aging roads and bridges and efforts to promote artificial intelligence and strength edge

supply chains for manufacturers. that comes amid trade tensions with beijing. >> the w.t.o. expects global trade to rebound but sluggish vaccine roll outs will cast a shadow. the w.t.o. forecasts volumes goods shipped nationally will boost over 8% but predicts the pace will drop to 4% in 2022 due to slow vaccination rates in underdeveloped countries. >> a rapid global and equitiable vaccine roll out is the best stimulus plan we have for a strong and sustained economic recovery we all need. >> a warning that growth could fall short of forecast if large

numbers of people don't get equal access to jabs. the new head of softbank's group mobil unit is investing 20 billion yen or about $180 million in company shares. he said he wants to show his commitment to growth at the japanese telecom giant. he took the reigns as president and ceo on thursday. the mobil firm says it will lend money to help buy the stock. he is expected to own .3 of a percent of the company. let's have a look at the markets. ♪

from the "newsline biz" team in tokyo, i'm gene otani. thank you veryr

al jazeera, bristol. ♪ >> time for a quick check of the headlines. a u.s. court has been shown some of the last moments of george floyd's life in the perspective of the police officer that arrested him. he could be heard begging him not to shoot him. >> please, don't shoot me, man. >> okay, okay. >> please, man. i didn't knome