♪ hello and thanks for tuning in to nhk "newsline." we begin with heavy shelling in mariupol. the city has been hit day after day by russian bombardment even as families with small children attempt to flee. worldwide condemnation grows. the united nations says at least 726 civilians have been killed.

but the true death toll is likely much higher and continues to rise. ukraine says the latest bombs hit a theater full of people seeking shelter from the air strikes. russia has denied it instead putting the blame on a far right ukrainian militia group. satellite shows the word children had been written in russia both behind and in front of the theater. a senior u.s. official says russian forces are still basically stalled near kyiv. naval activity near the northern black sea may suggest the russians are planning a new tactic on their assault on odesa. end ukraine suffering. >> the court is profoundly concerned about the use of force by the russian federation in ukraine which raises very serious issues of international law.

>> rulings at the international court of justice are binding, but it has no way to enforce them. consider the consent of both countries and russia wants nothing to do with it. still the ukrainian side has welcomed the result. >> the court told russia that they must immediately stop the military in ukraine which started on the 24th of february. this is a complete victory for us, ukraine. >> after three days of talks, negotiations seem to be progressing. the two sides are reportedly discussing a security framework independent of nato. the head of russia's delegation says ukraine is proposing to be a neutral state like austria or sweden, but they want an independent army and navy. ukraine's negotiators say they need a ukrainian solution with

outside nations guaranteeing its security. ukrainian president zelenskyy has pleaded with u.s. lawmakers to do more. he made an appeal to congress that was filled with emotion. >> translator: russia has attacked not just us and our cities, it went on a brutal offensive against our values. >> lawmakers gathered for zelenskyy's address in an auditorium under t capitol building. he asked for a no-fly zone. he acknowledged that may not be possible. he suggested combat aircraft and air defense systems would help ukrainians protect themselves. >> today the ukrainian people are defending not only ukraine

without fighting for the values of europe and the world in the name of the future. >> nato leaders have been reluctant to enforce a no-fly zone. they do not want to be drawn into the fight. the u.s. defense secretary is expected to discuss the potential transfer of slovakia antiaircraft missile systems to ukraine. lloyd austin is visiting slovakia on thursday. ukraine has been asking for s-300 surface to air missile systems to defend against russian air attacks designed to shoot down fighter jets and missiles and have a range of 400 kilometers. a media report quotes a slovak official says the country has no objection of providing the system to ukraine but their report says that slovakia wants a replacement to protect its own

air space. on wednesday, u.s. president joe biden said his administration would help provide ukraine with long-range anti-aircraft systems. media reports say the mayor of a ukrainian city abducted by russian forces has been freed. the mayor of melitopolo was detained last friday. on wednesday ukraine's presidential offic confirmed that ivan fedorov has been released. the country's defense ministry released video o president zelenskyy speaking with him on the phone after he was set free. zelenskyy told the mayor he was happy to hear his voice. fedorov expressed his gratitude for the president not abandoning him. the government handed over nine captured russia in order to

secure his release. more than 2,000 people rallied outside the russian occupied city hall last saturday to demand his freedom. people in molodova near the border with ukraine are trying to help parents who freed the country. they set up a tent close to where evacuees are waiting for buses to take them to their next destination. this mother fled from odesa. she was on her way to germany with her 7-year-old tauter. >> i'm grateful to the people at the nursery for their support. i pray that people in moldova never experience this misfortune. >> the united nations says more than 3 million ukrainians have left the country since the russian invasion.

most of them are women and children. the heads of parliament the group of seven have issued a joint statement condemning russia's invasion of ukraine and calling for withdrawal. the g-7 parliamentary speakers and presidents held an extraordinary meeting online. they were joined by the chairperson of the ukrainian president. japan's lower house speaker said unilateral change of status quo by force shakes the foundation of international order and is absolutely unacceptable. the declaration says the heads of parliament condemn russia's war of aggression against ukraine in the strongest possible terms. it says to work closely with their governments and it says they're determined to play their part in restoring peace in europe and ensuring that lasting stability through diplomacy.

south korean health officials reported more than 620,000 new coronavirus cases on wednesday. the figure is a record high for the country. the number is up more than 200,000 from the previous day. the officials reported that 429 people died from covid-19 on wednesday also a record high. local media have quoted experts as saying one reason for the spike is the inclusion this week of positive antigen test results in the daily tally which had been based only on pcr test results. the experts also cited the large gathering of peoples during recent presidential election campaigning as another cause for the surge. the government is due to announce on friday its plan to ease such restrictions as shorter business hours for restaurants and bars starting as early as next week.

but some experts oppose any easing of the restrictions. a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off japan's central coast has left at least three people dead and 200 injured. its impact on transportation and the lives of locals continues. the nighttime quake jolted people awake across most of eastern japan. it registered a 6 plus on japan's seismic scale of 0 to 7. waves of up to 30 centimeters were reported at the port in myogi prefecture. hundreds of people evacuated to shelters. the quake triggered blackouts that affected more than 2 million households and disrupted train services. it also caused fires and structural damage, including cracks in a famous statue of a samurai leader in central myogi.

east japan railway says it caused a bullet train to derail between fukushima and the station. none of the 75 passengers and three crew members were injured. maintenance workers checked the tracks on thursday and confirmed distorti distortions. many train services in the region are still suspended leaving passengers stranded. >> we were wondering if there is any way we will get back to tokyo today. >> i am worried about getting home. >> the tokyo electric power company reported no major problems or abnormalities at the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. at the fukushima daini plant, the utility says water pumps in spent fuel storage pools temporarily stopped working, but there was no change in radiation levels.

♪ the present day. many chefs find the century old techniques far from enticing. we'll meet people with the drive and patience to preserve what is known as court cuisine for the next generation. >> the kingdom exited in present day okinawa until the end of the 19th century when entertaining foreign guests serving dishes of local ingredients. this restaurant has been carrying on the tradition for six decades.

noriko has been working there since her 20s. she became the fourth generation head chef. >> translator: i tried to cook with the utmost care and serve high-quality dishes. >> noriko's relative opened the restaurant in 1958 when okinawa was still under american occupation. the restaurant has continued using time-tested cooking methods based on her hand-written recipe. it requires more time and effort than most people can dedicate at home. one of the best-known dishes is called minudaru. it's pork covered with black sesame paste and steamed. cooks grind sesame seeds for an hour and a half or more. the manual grinding maximizes the fragrance. the restaurant's special has

been worn down by years of use. the pork sits in the sesame paste for several days in the refrigerator then it is steamed. the time and effort put into preparation are essential elements of the tradition. >> translator: the process of making traditional okinawan cuisine can be arduous. if you don't cut corners you come up with a taste and texture that are noticeably better. >> reporter: the method is labor intensive. so the number of chefs specializing in the cuisine has been diminishing. >> translator: if i'm the only person who knows how to prepare these dishes, the restaurant can't survive. someone has to carry on. >> reporter: that someone is a foundation dedicated to preserving the okinawan culture and environment. it's taking over management of

the establishment. >> translator: our food culture will change and might even disappear if we don't make an effort to save it. i think we can preserve the tradition for generations to come by taking a robust academic approach. >> hirakawa koji is head chef. she taught him the traditional flavors that she served up for decades. >> translator: our most important mission is serving authentic okinawan dishes that guests will enjoy. >> translator: i hope young people in particular will try our food. they may never have experienced a traditional okinawan feast. >> she's counting on them to develop a taste for okinawan

culinary history. it's time for a check on the weather with sayaka mori. cherry blossom issues are popping up. sayaka has more. >> one of the most beautiful seasons has arrived in japan. cherry blossoms began blooming today making it five days earlier than normal, thanks to the recent warm weather and this is the forecast. the cherry blossom season will spread towards the east into may. for tokyo the season will likely arrive on march 20th. that's next sunday. if the forecast is right, it will be five days earlier than average. but wintry weather will affect many places of japan on friday into saturday because an approaching low pressure system and a couple of fronts. the system will likely affect western japan first and then spread towards eastern japan including tokyo on friday. winds are going to be strong and

then as you can see, northern japan could see some sleet on friday and possibly into saturday. these areas include fukushima where a strong earthquake hit last night. the ground has loosened, so rain could lead to landslides. it is going to be 6 with high in fukushima and tokyo 10 degrees and nearly ten degrees cooler compared to what we saw on thursday. it's going to be quite hot in taipei, manila 34 degrees but the rainy season has finally ended in the philippines. meanwhile, the sahara covered part. take a look at this video. a storm brought up dust from the sahara with a sea of brown and orange tuesday. one snowboarded recorded his

time exposing the snow below and leaving a trail of white before. air quality dropped significantly from spain over to the swiss alps because of the particles. te that's it for me. have a nice day. 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. the benchmark index at the tokyo stock exchange saw strong gains on thursday following an overnight rally in new york. the surge was driven by relief among investors about the outlook for the american economy. the result comes after the u.s. central bank implemented a widely expected interest rate rise. policymakers at the federal

reserve lifted the key rate by the 25 percentage point to tackle inflation. fed chair jerome powell said the probability of a recession in the next year is not very high. the nikkei average ended the day at 26,652, up 890 points or nearly 3.5% from wednesday's close. investors placed buy orders almost across the board. the result has extended the nikkei 225's winning streak to four days. analysts say traders are also more positive at the prospects for cease-fire talks between russia and ukraine as well as china's effort to shore up its economy. japan's private sector machining orders have fallen for the first time in months. it's a key figure of capital spending in japan. the cabinet office says orders from manufacturing and nonmanufacturing sectors were down by a total of 2% in january from the previous month in yen terms. the figure came in at $7.6 billion.

that excludes highly volatile orders from ships and from electric utilities. orders from manufacturers were down 4.8%. the decline followed large numbers for vessels and nuclear power plant equipment in december. weak orders for construction machinery and communications equipment contributed to the decrease in the nonmanufacturing sector. the cabinet office maintains its view that japan orders are recovering but it adds that downside risks are emerging. that includes the crisis in ukraine surging resources. prices of everyday goods are falling as they continue to drive down the value of the rubble. russia's strategic agency says inflation was over% hier in february from the same month last year. this is reportedly the biggest mp in seven yes. led to soaring prices for a wide range of goods including an 11% spike in food costs.

>> translator: it's a critical situation. i want to buy bread, but they're out of stock. milk used to be 90 rubbles and now 120. >> inflation rates in russia are expected to climb even higher as foreign companies continue to close operation in the country. over 100 companies and organizations have taken part in a trade fair in tokyo showcasing the latest efforts to reduce carbon emissions. major trading firm for factories and offices and gut inputs by putting them into a special website. the program even uses records of business trips to calculate emissions from travel.

>> translator: visualization of co2 emission is an important first step towards decarbonization. we hope it will make a strong contribution to this effort. >> another firm presented a plan to lease solar panels to smaller businesses. rental agreements would last about 20 years with them covering the cost of installation. the people at starbucks coffee japan are continuing to shift away from single-use plastic. they're set to make more changes in april in time for a new law to encourage waste reduction and plastic recycling. starbucks officials say their outlets will start serving cold drinks for eat-in customers without plastic lids. they'll test the change at about 100 stores april 18th before extending it to shops in the summer. the company switched to plastic from paper in 2020.

coffee chain has been phasing out plastic in the lead up to the new law. switched to paper cups for cold drinks to go and japan is planning similar steps. japanese confectionary makers have been aiming to boost sales. a local entrepreneur sees this as an opportunity. she launched a monthly subscription service that is starting to gain traction. nhk world's nakagawa saori has thstory. >> it's really good. it's got a really nice, soft texture. >> reporter: she lives in the u.s. state of arizona.

she says she waits in anticipation for her monthly delivery of wagashi. ayumi provides the confections by way of a subscription service to customers worldwide. to help her, she has a team of 20 employees. >> translator: i've hired as many foreigners as possible so as to be able to provide services from the perspective of overseas customers. they're in charge of web design, marketing, and customer support. people who come into direct contact with our clientele. >> reporter: each box contains a selection of wagashi from various makers. the theme for spring is cherry blossoms. the staff answers explanations about the wagashi on social media. on this occasion, they are featuring kuzomochi, made from starch of the kuza plant encased in sticky rice.

>> what i want to do is kind of show the -- highlight the best parts about japanese wagashi. wagashi is really cool. it's not just traditional items but a lot of, like, cool infusions of flavor. >> reporter: about ten years ago, shikamoto noticed foreign tourists in japan were showing a growing interest in japanese confections. in 2015, she started a subscription business offering popular japanese chocolates and snacks called tokyo treat. it proved a success, and orders began pouring in. in february last year, shikamoto launched another subscription service that offers the choice of wagashi from 50 makers across the country. >> translator: it can't be helped that foreign tourists can't come to japan during the pandemic, but i realized we can keep promoting japan even at such a time. >> reporter: this wagashi maker,

like many others, have found it difficult to export its products. it is pinning its hopes on the subscription service. biningo has been in the wagashi business for more than 150 years. shikamoto's business has allowed it to expand to foreign markets for the first time. wagashi have a short sell-by date. by cutting out the trading houses and local retailers confections can reach consumers in three days at the earliest. >> translator: i think the best thing about the subscription service is that our wagashi can reach customers quickly. >> reporter: shikamoto's two subscription services have reached customers in 180 countries. its sales last year rose seven-fold from fiscal 2016.

>> translator: i hope japan's confectionery culture will become truly familiar among people everywhere. and i'll do my best to keep promoting it. >> reporter: with their dainty appearance, featuring a particular season, and their distinctive flavor, these uniquely japanese wagashi are winning the hearts of more people around the world. let's have a look at the markets.

from the "newsline biz" team in tokyo, i'm gene otani. thanks very much for being with us. íñíñ

♪ >> l's get to at the top stories. the prime ministers of poland, slovenia and the czech republic are in kyiv to show solidarity is russian shelling continues to hit the capital. they are the first leaders to visit ukraine since russia's invasion began. ukraine's leader says their visit sends a strong message to russia. >> they are not concerned about themselves. they are concerned about us. they are here to support us and this is a necessary friendly step. i'm sure wit