people in ukraine's capital have gone two weeks without attack on thursday but that changed on thursday when ukraine targeted the capital.

antonio guterres visited right after the time. >> today, right after our talks in kyiv, russian missis flew into our city. this says a lot about the efforts of the russian leadership to humiliate the u.n. and everything that the organization represent therefore, it requires a strong response. >> a u.n. official tells nhk that guterres and his team is safe. >> he's shocked and any human being would be but he's not afra afraid. >> they discussed a plan of corridor where civilians trapped in mariupol. a pledge of safe passage from vladimir putin.

>> mr. president and the people of ukraine, we'll not leave. as we keep on pushing, we keep on striving for radical steps to save lives and reduce human sufferings. >> guterres visited the town of bucha. hundreds of bodies found and many killed execution style. guterres urge for the international courts. russian troops are running against stiff resistance in ukraine. it is taking control of the area by the anniversary of the soviet's anniversary over nazi germany. t its defense ministry says on thursday that its forces carried

out missile atax on ukraini ukrainians. a russian news agency quoted a leader of pro-russian militants in donetsk as saying a parade to mark the may 9th victory won't be held on that day. the leader reportedly said it won't be held until the russian forces gain full control of the region. lead ers in the west have supported ukraine. now, joe biden is asking congress to kick in another $33 billion. >> the cost of this fight is not cheap but caving to aggression is more costly to allow it to

happen. biden says $20 billion would go to weapons and ammunition flowing out interruption. it would help support the government and scivilians in need. he signed a bill to provide $13 billion. he's also seeking legal authorities to go after the assets of russian oligarchs. he wants the proceeds to repay ukraine for the harm that russia had he made the comment on thursday in an interview with nhk in warsaw. a day earlier, russia's largest state back gas company suspended

deliveries to poland and bulgaria. poland had been preparing for hostile actions by russia for years. >> we are almost at the we got storages of gas inside our country. we can survive such russian embargo. poland had planned to stop gas import to russia next year. the gas promptas eende by the end of 2022. russia accounts 50% of poland's gas imports. jasina also says negotiations would not end the war in ukraine any time soon. >> this war could be winning

only on the battlefield, not on the peaceful negotiations table because russia only accepts the language only the arms. >> warsaw would provide whatever it could to ukraine including military equipment. the japanese red cross society has dispatched one of its members to ukraine to work at a new medical clinic. a pharmacist is the organization's first member to be sent to the region. russia's invasion of ukraine has displaced more than 7 million people. most are staying in western ukraine, putting the local medical system under strain. the temporary clinic is in the region city. it'd be staffed with members of the red cross. they will administer drugs and

medical equipment within ukraine and overseas. he says the flood of evacuees is creating more demand for medical care. he adds that the new clinic may seem insignificant but marks a big step forward. the pharmacist says he wanted to do something to help the local people. the japanese red cross society also faces a mental health challenge. he notes that the drawn-out fighting is putting a heavy psychological toll on evacuees. japanese prime minister kishida fumio began a trip in southeast asia and european countries on friday. he will try to shore up cooperation in dealing with the invasion. kishida spoke with reporters before his departure. >> translator: i hope to exchange candid opinions with the prime ministers of each

country on the situation in ukraine and confirm their cooperation. the same time, i would like to confirm and specify coopation to realize a free and open indo-pacific region. >> his first stop is indonesia, then he will go to vietnam, thailand, italy, and britain through may 6th. indonesia will chair the group of 20 summit in november. the members are divided over russia's participation. southeast asia's largest economy also hopes to quickly resume economic activities with japan in order to recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. japan says its investment in indonesia dropped by half of the pre-pandemic level of 2019 last year. the indonesian government is asking for assistance for upgrades of ports, railways, and

other infrastructure. it is also trying to lure tourists back to the island of bali and its other resorts. indonesia is also appealing for financial and technical support from japan and other nations to help it transition away from coal to other energy sources. minister -- the foreign japanese foreign minister is traveling to kazakhstan, uzbekistan,mongolia, fiji and palau through early may. hayashi is expected to discuss ukraine, china, and other topics on his trip. ♪ the japan coast guard has confirmed that the object found on the seabed off of the coast of hokkaido in northern japan is the missing tour boat. it's continuing its search for the over ten people still missing. at least 14 have been confirmed dead.

a maritime south defense showed images of what appears to be the boat at about 100 meters. the object was the same blue color as the tour boat and letters spelling out its name were visible on the side. the 19-ton "kazu 1" went missing off the peninsula on saturday. it was carrying 24 passengers and 2 crew members. the boat set sail despite high wave advisories. on thursday, three males were found in the sea on the other side of the peninsula from where the boat was lost. they were confirmed dead. five sightseeing boats from a coastal town in the area have joined the search for the missing. coast guard officials are investigating whether the decision to set sail despite a high wave advisory was justified. researchers at moderna says

their covid-19 vaccine is safe for young children. they asked the food and drug administration to authorize anyone from the age of six months to six years. the vaccine is effective and safe for such children. the participants were given two doses of the vaccine with each containing a quarter of the amount given to adults. moderna says this produced a similar antibody response to the children to those seen in young adult adults. the study analyzes cases collected during the omicron wave. t 37% in those aged two years to six years of efficacy. health effects on the participants were consistent of those observed in older children

than adults. no new safety concerns were identified. the food and drug administration had approved the use of moderna vaccine for people aged 18 or older. it is also examining whether to authorize emergency use for the vaccine in other age brackets. okinawa prefecture in southern japan will mark the 50th anniversary of its return from u.s. rule following the end of world war ii next month. bonfires were lit thursday night on beaches in okinawa in a re-enactment of a past practice to pray for okinawa's return. thursday marked the 70th anniversary of the implementation of the san francisco peace treaty that restored sovereignty to japan from the american-led occupation of allied forces. but okinawa was left under u.s.

rule at the time. on thursday, bonfires were lit on the northern tip of okinawa's main island and the southern tip of kagoshima prefecture. the beaches face each other across the sea. >> translator: i think everyone shares the desire to make okinawa a truly peaceful place. i want to create a happy world for my children and grandchildren. >> this participant added that he hopes to hand down knowledge of their struggle under the u.s. rule to future generations. those were the main stories

for this hour. ♪ ♪

that's all the time that we have, thank you for staying with us. welcome to newsline "in-depth." i am yanaka marie in the metaverse, sony and disney had been announcing they entered

the feel. facebook have changed their name to show commitment. why the metaverse have such an infinite potential. one start up in japan founded four years ago is ahead of the c curve. it holds a world's famous market in virtual reality. the latest event attracted over 1 million members. this event taken place in the metaverse is called visual market. during its two-week period, companies promote and sell their products in ways not possible in the real world. it is run by a japanese start-up and gets aund a million visitors from around the world. visitors only have to put on a headset to jump into this world.

shibuya is one of tokyo's most exciting neighborhood. f it is now in the metaverse. the weather even matches that in the real world right down to the rain drop. it has big name retailers and service providers and entertaining companies signing up for virtual market. this roller coaster is part of a promotion by a japanese company. it lets riders ex experienperie volatility of the stock market. there is the global financial crisis, oh, that was a deep dive. visitors can interact with the firm's staff who appears as aven avata avatars. >> we want to make finance ins

vestment relatable. >> visitors can buy avatars in the brand outfit as well as the real world items its organizer says the business opportunities are tremendous. >> some boost in virtual markets have seen sales over a million dollars over a two-week period. the start-up is confident they can hold its own against the tech giant getting into the field. it focuses on user experience such as shining on so-called self-app. >> this is something all platform operators need to keep in mind. he warns the metaverse could be used to manipulate people.

>> the providers can put simulated people into this world that can engage you in conversational advtising that's intended to promote a particular product or particular political idea. the biggest danger is when consumers can't tell the difference between what's real and what's >> rosenberg says companies can imitate our behavior. governments and industry bodies need to be focusing on it now so the problems don't get built into the infrastructure and get to the place that's really hard to undo. >> the metaverse may offer us other worldly experiences and companies' infinite opportunities. whether they use their moral

compasses now they determine the metaverse can fill an important social role. >> whether people can trust their experience in the metaverse will be key. rosenberg told me it is not the metaver metaverse itself he's opposed to but how technology is utilized. he hopes to expand the human experience. speaking of creativity, let's get back to the metaverse i explore. virtual market is win of the world's largest vr event. i covered this event in 2018. since then attendance have increased nearly tenfold. it is symbolic at the potential of the metaverse. the organizers grasp the business potential of the metaverse years ahead of many u.s. tech firms. it started when the firm met

someone famous in the space, japan. when he's in an avatar fan, he's ornizing events.g frien and behind the bubbly avatar though, he suffers from depression and can't communicate with anyone other than his family. before meeting him, he was in no state to work and seeking a way to make a live ing in the metaverse. he did have a big idea which was the blueprint for the virtual market. he came up with real world money to use within the virtual world market. with convictions that some people can be more capable the metaverse, the firm actively

recruits those who have withdrawn from society. they account half for hiki staff. the company's name is derived from the word. let's see how the firm operates. >> the start up is taking the office to a vr space. >> staff hold meetings virtually where most employees can participate using their avatars. 90% of its employees use it to work remotely from across japan and abroad. they can use an avatar of any age or gender they like even if it is far different from their physical self. this is used by a man in his 20s. >> this woman on the left is

used by a pregnant staff member. >> unlike in real life, it does not matter whatever conditions i am in. i n always look good and am always ready to go. >> not only do they not have to show their real appearance, some also change their voices. staff use avatars when meeng with client shiku is an engeerhat lives i westernjapan. he worith aut 100 sffs t vyew ofhem he seen him i real life. he designs this striking avatar for himself, a girl with a shaft sticking out of her head. he suffers from panic disorder

since he was a college student. he still needs to see a doctor regularly and take medicatiomed. he sometimes has to be hospitalized when communicated. he finds it hard to be in a crowd as experience nausea and headaches. >> i feel bad on the impact of my co-workers, i felt frustration and shame. i was wried about my fute wo.ae of neing abl t >> shajikuays hisnxie has decread since he joins this company. >> even when i am not feeling well, i am not looking at my best, i don't need to try to look normal. with an avatar i can be myself and do a lot of

things in an upbeat mood. >> other staff works -- the ceo sees this flex tibility as a wa to help people grow. >> providing diverse work environments will allow us to tap into the extraordinary talents erywhere >> a few months ago, we found shajiku works in traffic event that attracted millions of

members. over 6 million members participated. shajiku has been preparing the event for about six months. he was working with his colleagues, checking the vr venues toee everything working properly. we need to do something with the wall. this is for an apparel company. we have to fix this. they discovered a sign board was covering the t-shirtmongther problems. >> we can't see the "r." shajiku tackles each problem one by one and asks the staff in char to fem. was dow to shajik wheth thout a proble.n on time

>> thepening ceremy it 30 andhe ven opens a 10:00 a.m.righ >> shajiku takes all the correcte datand one by one gives ch spacehe finisng touch. he completedheaskbout an hour beforehe ents stard. people will be abl to find a place to work and use their skills. >> by making communications thugh avatars a normal thing, people who have a hard time interacting in person will be able to tk to others if we can make it happen,eople have more freedom to choose how they live and work. >> many people in japan are withdrawn from society, but that

does not mean they can't contribute to it. it will be exciting to see how the metaverse provides more opportunities for various people, especially with its best social and business potential. that's all for this futuristic edition of "newsline in-depth." thank you for tuning in and mo7k .

♪ host: now for a chick -- a quick check of the headlines. russia has taxed bulgaria over refusal to pay in rubles. the eu says the kremlin is using energy to blackmail countries supporting ukraine. vladimir putin has claimed ukraine was pushed to class with russia and moscow's reaction was just and fair. speaking to politicians in st. petersburg, he warned any country that enter years with russia's military campaign in ukraine will face immediate consequences. -- any country tha