welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ramin mellegard in tokyo. we start with the latest on the situation in ukraine. the russian military is stepping up its offensive against mariupol and other eastern regions ahead of the former soviet union's victory day over nazi germany on may 9th. police in donetsk releas this video on wednesday saying one of eupe'sargest coal plants in the city of astivka has been attacked.

the governor of donetsk said the atta and at least ten people the were killed and 15 injured. a senior u.s. defense department official said that the russian military has been moving very slowly in the face of fierce resistance from ukraine. but russian defense minister sergei shoigu stressed on his country is expanding territory in the eastern provinces of luhansk and donetsk. he claimed that the russian side had already taken control of mariupol. in mariupol hundreds of civilians are believed to be still trapped in a steel plant the commander of ukraine's azov battalion indicated fierce exchanges of fire have been under way. he said it's already the second day that the enemy broke into the plant and that there are heavy, bloody battle ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy said that the second stage of an evacuation operation in mariupol s completed on wednesday. he said that 344 people were

rescued from the city and the outskirts and left for zaporizhzhia. but he said women and children remain in mariupol and the steel plant. he revealed that negotiations for the rescue operation are continuing. it is believed that russian president vladimir putin wants to showcase the achievements of the military invasion in the run-up to victory day. the united states and european countries continue to impose additional sanctions on russia. u.s. president joe biden said that his country is always open to additional sanctions. he said he will discuss further sanctions with g7 leaders this week. russian authorities had already banned u.s. president joe biden and british prime minister boris johnson from entering the country. now they're adding japanese prime minister kishida fumio and dozens of others on their list. foreign ministry officials pointed to japanese sanctions. they say the kishida administration has launched a campaign against russia that is unprecedented. their list includes kishida,

foreign minister hayashi yoshimasa, and 61 other japanese officials, journalists, and professors. kishida is on a tour of europe. he says the russians are responsible for driving ties to where they are now. >> translator: russia's announcement on the entry ban is absolutely unacceptable. we would like to respond appropriately on further sanctions while cooperating with the group of seven nations and others in the international community. >> japanese leaders had already imposed sanctions on russian president vladimir putin, hundreds of other individuals, and on russian companies. last month they expelled eight russian officials from tokyo. japan's industry minister has agreed with u.s. government officials in strengthen security

and semiconductor supply chains. hagiuda koichi held talks with u.s. energy secretary jennifer granholm, gina raimondo and katherine tai in separate talks on wednesday. they discussed energy security, which has become a major issue since the russia invasion of ukraine. the joint statement expressed the importance of liquefied natural gas. it also mentioned the launch of new talks to strengthen energy security and promote cooperation on decarbonization technologies. in meeting, hagiuda agreed to launch the u.s.-led indo-pacific economic framework and confirmed stronger economic ties, apparently with the aim of countering china's growing influence. >> translator: it has become more important to coordinate with partner countries amid the instability of russia's invasion of ukraine.

i believe the talks mark a big step forward in advancing japan-u.s. economic relations. >> regarding the european union's ban of imports, he told reporters he was not aware of the details of the announcement. he added that japan will phase out russian coal imports and reduce its reliance on russian natural gas and oil. u.s. exports to russia have plummeted. figures for march show a drop of nearly 80% from the same month last year, mainly due to economic sanctions. a report out of the u.s. commerce department on wednesday shows march exports to russia totaled $101 million. now, that's a drop of 78.8% from march last year. the main reason is the biden administration's ban of exports on high-tech defense and aviation products to russia following the invasion of ukraine. also in march, u.s. imports from russia grew 7.5%. the rate of growthlowed from

february. it's expected to slow again, as the effect of a ban on russian crude oil and diamonds kicks in. the overall u.s. trade deficit in u.s. goods and services was an all-time high of $109.8 billion. that's an increase of 22.3% from february. secretary anti any bliony b lincoln will work from home

while he isolates himself. he was due to give a speech on thursday at the university in washington. his speech had been postponed. president biden had not seen blinken for several days and is not considered close contact. other members of the biden administration had also had covid-19, defense secretary lloyd austin tested positive in january and vice president harris tested positive last week. ukrainians have been pushed here. they find the community of those

who share their culture their histo history. many students of ukrainian descent attend this private high school in manhattan. those who fled the fighting can attend free of charge. they study alongside with others who can only hope to understand. some knew little english when they got here. they're doing what they can to learn learn. diana left her home in lviv, western ukraine along with her family. her sister helped bring them to new york in december before russian troops crossed the

border. >> i feel worried and scared. >> she's not sure hwhere her parents will choose to live. now she tries to get use to life here. >> of course, i will be back because it is my country and i really love ukraine. now, i need to study. >> reporter: the school's principal tries to maintain a sense of normalcy despite the challenges. >> i would not be surprise if a all of a sudden i pick up hundreds of students for september. i ordered new lockers. i have already ordered more textbooks. i am preparing for this and i am willing to do the best.

i am grateful of the owner and the building for their support of that. >> reporter: some have stayed in ukraine. he welcomes those who chose to leave and does his part however small. >> i can do good work for ukraine here. i think i can do more good by taking care of refugee students. >> reporter: in march, many in the school community joined a protest in washington against the invasion. everyo even students with roots in russia wanted to show their support. in class, they are anxious when they think of what's happening back home. some break down. special plans to bring in counsello

counsellors, he wants students to concentrate on what their classmates can do on study. i tell them what their relatives want from them is for them to do their best here and be prepared in english and your academics or return to health or whatever. do your best. that's sort of keyieping your es on what's important. >> reporter: especially students can contribute to the coast. now they're trying to find a way in a new school and home and far from nato. sato naiko, nhk world, new york.

president-elect yoon suk-yeol of south korea is apparently planning to appoint a japanese expert as the next ambassador to tokyo. south korean media identified yun duk-min as a strong candidate. he was likely to be appointed.

yun is a former head of the korean national diplomatic academy, a foreign policy think tank and proficient in japanese. after studying in the united states, he received a degree from japan's keio university. an expert on security affairs, he's known for his knowledge of relations between japan and south korea. he served as an adviser during yoon's presidential campaign. he met the prime minister in april as a delegation member of the new administration. he highlighted the importance of bilateral ties in an interview with nhk on wednesday. >> translator: in recent years, the impact of relations has been significant. we need to normalize relations. south korea and japan have to work closely to resolve these issues. bilateral ties should not be unattended. >> south korea's new

administration will officially commence after yoon's inauguration next tuesday. nooeext are the three day outlook of weather for selected cities around the globe. ♪ ♪

that's a wrap for this edition of nhk "newsline." i am raja padran in tokyo. thanks for welcome to newsline "in-depth," i am yan aka marie. traditional crafts are symbolic of japan's high level of craftsmanship. sales for these products have dropped softly.

we'll showcase three initiatives helping to find new customers outside the country. first, we look at a technique primarily used for kimono. kyo-yuzen, a textile. sadly many events where kimonos typically worn were canceled during the pandemic. they have been adapting their skills and also recognize for its long history and dazzling beauty. >> these models are dressed in indian style but with a different. their gorgeous sori were produced in japan, used from a traditional dye known as

kyo-yuzen. >> we can find sori like this in india with such adorable design. >> he's the head of the tokyo dying company involved and produciing the sori. he says the aim is to reverse of the use of kyo-yuzen. production in physicfiscal of 2s just 2% at its peak level. >> kyo-yuzen, each brings together so many skills, that's why it must be kept alive. the project rocked together more than artisans. they find differences in each

step of the process. the most notable difference is the size. also, traditional kimono design is the too small. to stand out the motif needs to be made three times larger. one was meant to add extra shadesf color within each pattern. >> the scale of the design is so much larger than what we are used to. but if this i think arbrings in, it will be a big help for us. in january, the the team were keen to hear their feedback

an exhibition in kyoto to promote the initiative showcasing 24 saris. >> they're more innovative than i expected. it is wonderful these designs can be shared outside of japan. >> we have great confidence in our skills. this project focused on indian saris but our aim is to promote the beauty of kyo-yuzen around the world. he's looking to spread the appeal of tokyo's traditional artisanship. >> this is certainly a high-end market. the kyo-yuzen and sari sells for

about 8,000. thousand they continue on saris for special occasions. time for a costume change. this is a traditional apron commonly worn by workers in sake and rice shop. coronavirus arrives and sales tumbled. enters james bonn. it is worn by the character q. double 7 fans around the world took notice. here is what happened next. >> kashamura made what's used in the film. >> from the next day, a lot of orders started coming in from around the world.

that's when i finally realized this was a big deal. his factory is located in aiichi prefecture. about 100 makers based in the city producing around 2.5 million. however, demand has waved. now there are only ten factories. even so this apron is so popular at markets. you can rest the box here when you are carrying it with your arms. this could prevent you from getting back pain. he decided to get into the business to help keep the tradition alive. instead of the factory in

toyohashi. >> i thought it would be ideal for the industry. >> he got most of his weaving machines from the factory that went out of business. his in experienced employees frequently visited a veteran artisan to learn from him. in addition to offering the tradition traditiona traditional, his firm incorporates a range and patterns of custom deseen. >> for trendy restaurants, a special design with a unique shape. >> we want a modern look so he took and decided to use two

layers of the about frolfabric. >> our customers saying it looked stylist. >> currently he had business dealings in 30 country. a restaurant in the u.s. incorporated the ape puritaron their service. >> the current trend would have been unimaginable. we are the new starting line to popularize this. >> he hopes to bring idea to the industry and promote their stylish stylish apron around the world. >> it is made out of tough, thick fabric. it protects our lower back when wrapped around your waist properly. his company has instructions in

english so people can wear it correctly. never say die. that certainly holds true for bizen ware. it is made from local clay in okiyama prefecture. recently a young dealer has been interesting this art farm to a new audience in china. up close and live. >> streaming live from the s ceramics workshop, the man behind this smartphone is shaoling yu. most are watching from china. many chinese used to visit japan in person but that was before

the pandemic closed borders. shang started live streaming last year. one regular stop is visiting city until okinawa. today he's visiting workshop who's carrying on a family tradition. his grandfather was a living national treasure. the live stream lasted 2 hours. >> shang was interacting between 30 or 40 hours. he does it all. customers can ask questions and request a closer look, they can't touch the merchandise but

shang does his best on their behalf. he focuses on highlighting the skills and personality of each crafts person. he here he is explaining the pr process of making clay. the hard work pays off. by the time they log off, they sold 19 works for a total of $2,000. >> translator: this is awin-win situation for all of us. for customers can see my work without visiting my workshop. for me, i don't have to go through the trouble of holding an exhibition. it is hard to imagine an easier way to do this. shang's work is not quite done. he's also responsible for wrapping and shipping and

looking after return items. >> translator: i have several regular customers. i love the textures of bizen ware. it will become more popular in china. business is picking up, shang is not along. others are working local workshops and firing up their smartphones and customers. >> shang is taking his smartphone to a traditional pottery across japan. business seemed to be taking off. he said it was japan's culture brought him to this country. the live streaming dealer is happy to share his passion with the people of his home lan. we see how japanese traditional craps are evolving.

that's something i hope will continue when international travels resume. more people celebrating the diversi diversity of the arts and craft. that's all for this edition of ó q