♪ >> hello a wcome to nhk "nsle." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. japan is imposing stricer rovirus measesn response to a spike in cases, the government has declared a quasi-emergency in three prefectures where the virus is quickly spreading. tnslator: w have decided to apply this intensive measure to curb the spread o infection in hiroshi, yamaghi and observing in a way prefecture

>>esmonyill be ilace from january 9 9th to january 31st. >> the meareill allow goveorin the thr prefecreto impose rged measures iars of outbrk. 'so ensure tt dical systems e not overwhelmed. local officials will be able to ask bars and restaurants to take stricter precautions that could mean stopping alcohol sales, closing early or limiting the number of sters. okinawrerted more an,400 new cas friday, sti the recordorhe second y a row. the tally does not include more than 250 new infections reported by u.s. mita bases in e efture. officials in yamaguchiave liwise seen apike inon-base cases following risen ses in the citth hosts t. e yor has suesd the highly tnsssible variant is

spilling out of the u.s. bases. se are now ring sharply in the hirosmarefecture. across the country the country has confirmed more than 6,000 new infections for theirst me in over tee month 922 ofhem are in tokyo. the pil's dlyal h mp 12-fold i jtne week. health experts estimate that infections in tokyo, oaxaca and okinaw prefectes are dbling inesthanwo days. they attribute the rapid pace of increase to the spread of omicron. wheorld wilde infeconf e dve have now pp 300 million. the tally byoh hopkins iversity rch that lestone. e internatnal health authorities warn about the speed of the recent spread. the world health organization saidouries loggemo cases last weeth at any ti i the paem.

about 9.5 million new feions were poed in the seven-day period that ended sunday. that's 71% higher than the previous week. >> whilemion does aparo be less sereompared to delta, especially in those ccinated, ds not meant should be categorized as mild. just like previous variants, omrois hospitazi people and llg people. >> reporter: the w.h.o. director general pointed to vaccines as a kedefense. eyemain a hilyffective way in reducing the risk of hospitalizations and death. tedrosay fair disibion could end the pandemic. the goal is vaccinating 70% of people in every cnty ju, but athe cre pace he says

109 nations will miss that target. he united naon security cocil is pnng to hold a emgey meeting xteek to discuss north korea's latest missile launch. u.n. diplomatisoces said five cntes, including the united states, britain and france requested the meeting. the sources say arrangements are beg de to conve on monday north koantate media said the country test-fired a hypersonic missile. pan and t unitestes sd e wednesd lnch vlad a security council resolution by using ballistic missile technology. thsecuri cncil held ergency meinwhen north koa launched missiles in september and october last year. stnatns askedhe counl to ise statement condemnghe lnches, but cha d russia objected.

china and russia are calling for e lifti o saniogast north korea, highlighting the differences in their stances with western countries. observs y the secuty counl may again be able to present a united front against north korea. reign d fense chie fm japan and it states ha pledged to work together on pressing regional security issues. the online talks came at what all agedas a critil int as china and the north korea grow more assertive. >> our alliance has never been morerual to alina ar vision for a free and open indo-pacific. >> tralator: it's more important than ever for japan and the united states which shares strategic interes and iversal vaeso provide leadsh together. >> the group issued a joint

statement from the two plus two talks outlining shared challenges. these ilu china ireing maritime activities and maintaining peace and stability inheaiwan stras. e oup discusd rth korea's weapon's program, just days after the nation's latest missile test. japan pledged to consider all possible optnsor nationa defee,ncluding ws otect against missiles threats. japan and the.s.grd to al condu a joint alys on countengypersonic techlo. the japan side used the talks to touch on concerns over covid outbreaks on u.s. bases. it repeatea quest for the u.s. to step up anti-virus measures, including the reriions on visit by be rsonnel to surrounding communities. the u.s. said it will do everything it can. u.s.orces in jan say asf thsday neay 1,800eoe at bases across the country were in

isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus. the united nations is calling for peace and restraint kazakta id vle ashes beten polic and protesters that have reportedly left dozens dead. >> whaislear i tt all demonstratns need to be peaceful. people have a right tower, press their grievances. it needs to be don peacefuy decurity fce need to protect that right and show and act withrestin anti-govnmt protest erupte earlierhis mon in response to soaring fuel prices. security forcesn the lge city rponded wit ddly crackdn that left many injure they have detained more than

2,000 protesters. the authoriesave ao been rerictingntnet aess i rent days. the u.n. high commissioner for hun rhts h urghe governnt to immediately restore service saying it's crucial for the operation of health care svis amidhe pandemic. the eu's high representative for foreign affairs expressed concern on twitter,riting i that t license surity for civilians must be guaranteed and the eu is ready to support in addressing this crisis. aapesexpt on ctr asia says the protests show the level of public dissatisfaction wi t country'ormer presen whotiolds wide political clout. >> the slogan that has been emanatin fm the lipsf protesters the mostsldan out. that a degref frustration about the economy, but i think

what is sred by a vyide range ofeoe is a message llg for nazarbayev to stop having a polic fluence. >> h resigned a president in 2015 after nrl 30 years as kazakhstan's leader, but he's retained a significant influence. thecountry' curre presint has bltonumentsndam streets after him to show his loyalty. meanwhile, the expert alsay therest cou hav a mor pa on the country' neighbors. ncning.ks russia is the mt >> transto if protes topple theovnmentn a countr not in a small one but in a very large one, it gh likel that itill spado other countries. there are also voices in russia that oppose the vladimir putin administration which russian auories haveomow been able to hol down. ey are n worriedhe could gain a voice, and it could become a serious issue.

>> hehisho ccerns hav le rsi to sd troops to kazakhstan. he says it's unlikely the protesters will topple the government a it wl also b difficul for the administrio to regn the public's trust. he will be watching to see if the rpoe will stabilize kakhan or leato ctatorship two journalists, one from thilippines,ne from rsi n the nobel peace pri f their fight for freedom of expression. community members say they prent alljourlisho stand up in theacef increasingly adverse conditions. many of their peers are well aware of the perils of their work. nhk worlhathis repor >> he honored the member of the

journalists fromhe mediterrannnd islannaon. >> we'ot going ywre until justice isul turned. the world is closely watching what unfolds here in malta. >>n 27 a woman was killed in a car bomb that elod in a car in whh e was ridi. anhe wasaring outhe bo attack a the sissman with close ties was also inte afr an investigaon wit hig ranking government officials ey have prod t ilicati of the then prime minister. >> they did not know who ordered the killing. it's an edge know to help

safeguard the fedomf e prsnd proct the rightf journalists. it has expressed this kind of imp. >> transto the assassinaon in malta w wake-up call for the entire european union that investigative journalists are i potentialanrn europea soil. thatsomething tte rll had not >> reporter: we met with a journalist nowiving i germany. heas fled his >> this is last night so this is from 1:00 a.m. to 20.m tl 00 a.m. this morning and this is coming from a number from

iceland, and here's the mesge st writing. stopow >> reporter: concerned aboutis n safety - the organizationrodes hoin for germa wret risk o aac toate they ve spoed more than 3 reporters from their risks. it also teajonalists h useencrti for their messaging so they can continue the investigation more safely. >> tsaneanrous f eir life or for their work so it's very important to protect al t srces thathe work withnd the informati that they gather together.

>> reporter: the committ f journ jonasts -- th oanationepts at least 24jonalists weilled in 2021 bause of their work. around the world a growing numb of -- increasingly reporters are facing a threat to their freedo sety ave their life. >> it's time for a check on the weather wh o metrogi seik mor te a heavy snow fell in tokyo on thursday, friday morning was a bit ofess for cmuters. look now on how it's looking. >> roads are still slippery ouide thetudio. saw tenentimeters of snow that fell on the ground which is the heaviest in four years. a look at satellitemary.

ese are snowlouds but actual clouds with you but this white cover is actual snow,nd ashe dayen onhenoradually melted. this me,too' morning low dropped to minus 3.5 degrees celsius min it the lesn 55ears f early january, and because of cold temperatur, sl a fl iidts ourn tokyo. take a lk ahi footage. over 200 people were taken to hospitals after falling inokyo ter falli in tokyo with a tota o 5 in the greater tokyo area. several car accidents have been report,ncluding a slick spot ic crashed n a house. 0arsere strande onhe metropit highw and hundreds of travelers were stranded at handa airport.

be careful for icyoads for the next ser daysecse teerures will rain frzi into the morning hours until monday at least, and there's a chance for snow once again on monday. it cou b sleet orra, but ere is chae of snowfal on nday so be careful. meanwhile, there is a dangerously developed low pressure ste near grela d alsoland. th is very intense and in the south we have a strong high pressure syste threure gdient is reay gh with winds blowing over western europe. winds 140 kilometers per hrn partsfrae. wind wl ma ptty son and als bau of strg winds and a heavy snowfall some blowing snow could occur in parts of otnd, mbe up t 15 ctiters ofnow i likely. that ifor me. have aicday.

>> and tt's all f ts edition of nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara inok. anks for tching, a d stay with ufomore. xxxx

xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xx ♪ ♪ >> this is "newsline" biz. i'm gene ohtani. pas atomicnergyney and manufaurg giant mitsubishi heavy industries are set to provide technical cooperation for.s nuclear rct prect. the japaneartners wl assist venture firm terra power and the u.s. energy department. they aim to start providing energy fm so-calledast reactor i028. terra power was co-founded by bill gates. the japan atomic energygency

hasee conductg reseah tities on a reactor domestically. sources say the agency in mitsubishi heavy will sign a meraum of unrstanding. theyreorovide a desn tand data for the pje ile aiming to acquire knowledge from the venture. science and technology pic nister sd t pject offer du oortunitiesorapan. >> translator: japan's rtipation in devopnt projects overseas is impornt but f international cooperation and opportunities to trai ouman resoce >> kobayhiays aanced chlogies an personnel training will be crucial for japan'sconomy. execuve at some japanese firms arereacti to the pandemic by adopting more flexible working arrangements. those atanasonic s ty lo eloes who want to work less to put in a four-dayee

nanic presint says theim toupport more diversity in work styles. he says some employees might have side jocks,ndths may nt to psue studi. ss he'll disss t chang th the firm's labor unions. he says panasonic will encourage more sffo wkemotely. he ss he' alsoiv them a oice or whether to accept transfers that require moving to different cities without their fali. e governme h said itan companso ado an optional four-day working week. it incorporated the idea on licy and fca magement a reform. executives at one of the biggest private rail operators in the tokyo area are seeking governnt perssnoaise theirar. e ky railways officials say the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic has left them who choice. thexecutivesil an application with the transport ministry on friday. they want to increase fares on multiple lines by an ara o

12.9%,nd the he to make t change from march next year. transport ministry officials say excluding consumponax ineas, this is time in8 ars tt a pvaperator has sought approval to jack up ic. todyu rlw officia s the number of pple using commuter passes a has dropped by about 30% from pre-pandemic levels. th d'txpect dan t rern th also wantoaise reven to pay for ren nations that will make their stations veryfrd. 'snother private rai operator to raise fairs because of the pandemic. they runs networksn ctr and weste jan. pending byap's hoeholds fell for the fourth straight month in november. people continue to hold back on dining out despite downward trdor conirus infections. a survey by the internal atears ministry shows that households thwo oror pple spen

averagf just ove 277,000 yen or about de la are de la 2,400 in a moh,ow3% a yeago adjusted for inflation. spending on clothes and shoes increased by 8.9% as people ventur o more, buthe spdi on culra activities, including travel, fell 3.7%. a similar decline was seen in the fd cator th includes din outnd inking. spendi otiliti wasow 7.1% as people spent less time at home. > japes wkers onverage to home wages in november that were roughly the same as a year earlier. bor ministr oicials s sharnings sod little er 280,000 yen or over $2,400. that includes basic sar and erme p. chxtra pay aounted for an average of $160. that's up 2.7% in yener. the amoun f wke in

nsuction ros 8.nd 8.3% for those in manufacturing. the motel and restaurant employeesarned 9.5% less in overti a other typ o exa pay. > ts week we have been bringing you a series focusing on key economic issues for 2022. fo ourininalent, we t a n perspective on the global social economic system. peoplerod t world a crsingly queiong the directnf society as the planet warms and economic divides wen abt 15ears a germa think karl marx warned of where unfettered capitalism could lead. no a book tt sheds new lht h ideasor a solution has become a best-seller in japan. we interviewed the author of the

book apal" and he's advocating the new economy in the post-coronavirus era. >> this economic thinker is getting attention in japan and ternationay as an upnd comi solf karma etheory. he's focused on marx's philoshyn lht and life und in unpublishe notebk. sesearch h made him the youngest research of a memorial prize n.18 one of the most prestiou awards for marx scla. translato w live in te which thempts of hum acvities are so great they have affected the entire earth. this means we have come to the point of destroyinghelanet itself. >> saito says under global capitalism environmental destruction has worsene and econom dpaties have gro

re ser he sshe coravus pandemic has laid bare the many distoron including inadequateedal systend av toll on pplliving in povey. >> translator: capitalism not onlyasally exploit ppl bu i also renessly plunders nature in pursuitf endless economic growth. 'v now rea the pointhe we nd topply a emergcy brakef sorts and make drastic revisions to capitalism itself. >> reporte saitoatn changeeeded a founded in marx's vision as defeat communism which difference from pilism o siet style cialism. key t it is what saito calls common rerringo plic good tosocty. previouslyreurs suc a forests, farmland and water were managed together as commo. saito thinks tthe public

golo with social frtructu le utilities and medicine should now be shared and managed byitens ratherhan lt to the market. ays mxlso viewed the entire earth as common. he wanted toinn economi syem thatncourageseoe to managehe platn aay that's more sustainable. >> translator: marx placed gat importcen sia equality and sustaabity in his studies. >> reporter: the world's richest 10% are sd to be rponsible forheulfarn emiio while the poorest 50% produce only a small fraction. ito saysneay t curb ime changes through highe xe on thewethy. he believes this should be combined with other measures to reduce the inequalities tha come with economic spity. >> transto what i aoce the most is cutting back long working hours. spite itsig levels o

producveower and technogy the curre capitalis society does not allow people to access even minimum needs if the d't veoney s ty must kp workgnd worng this consumes energy and resources which destroys the earth's environme. bieve we iteadeed t create aocietyhereeople ca live and enjoy quality time even without working because th he acceso publi good itou be the bt wo break free from our current system of capitalism. >> reporter: the pandecas omed peopleo take ather lookt tor ahere wee headed. saito says he hopes the new year will be a starting pointor tion thatea to aew soet for a po-conavirus era. >> let's have a look at the markets.

>> and that's a look at business news. ■ú ggccccc''''''l functions

of society and our economy. ♪ >> i'm here at the headlines here on al jazeera. novak djokovic is facing deportation from australia after his entry visa was canceled. he is appealing the decision. djokovic says he had earlier gotten an exemption to play in the us trillion open after he refused to give proof of covid-19 vaccination. australia's prime minister insists no exemption was in place. >> rules are