hello. a very warm welcome to nhk "newsline." we begin here in japan which is preparing to welcome back tourists after two years of tight border restrictions. and a small number of foreigners are getting a taste of what travel here will look like. four travel agents from australia arrived at tokyo's hanada airport on friday. it is one of several government-sponsored groups taking part in guided tours through an organized and

approved travel agency. >> we're excited about japan reopening borders for tourists coming back into the country. >> japan's tourism agency says information gathered from the test groups will help the government finalize covid-19 guidelines for hotels and other tourism related businesses. japanese prime minister kishida fumio confirmed thursday his country will begin welcoming foreign tourists starting june 10th. people from nearly 100 countries and territories, including u.s. and china, will be able to travel through packaged tours, as long as they're escorted by a guide. japan's top spokesperson said the government will keep a close eye on the situation. >> translator: the government will make an appropriate decision for the management of the total number of those entering japan, taking into account the quarantine system

and prevention measures. also consider the covid-19 infection situation at home, as well as border control measures in other major countries. >> earlier this month, kishida said he would bring japan in line with other g-7 countries by opening its border to foreign visitors. japanese business leaders have been urging the government to loosen pandemic-related restrictions. they say japan's economy would benefit right now from more foreign travelers because of the weak japanese yen. savage workers in northern raised the boat on thursday. they towed it to shallow waters

and lifted it onto the barge, arriving at the port about 45 kilometers from where the boat was raised. the kazu 1 is scheduled to be taken off and determined why it sank late april with passengers and crew on board. on tuesday, the boat fell into the sea while being towed by a barge. it was confirmed to be lying on the seabed of a death after 182 meters. it sank off the peninsula with 26 people on board. 14 bodies have been confirmed dead. 12 people remain unaccounted for. japan is rolling out a fourth coronavirus vaccine. researchers hope it will help people who suffered from side effects. staff at this university hospital in tokyo started giving out the novavax shot on friday. they will be keeping an eye on how it performs. the vaccine is protein based, not developed using mrna. this means it could be used by people who had an allergic reaction to the pfizer and moderna shots. >> translator: what we are hoping is that the novavax vaccine will have few side effects, so we can safely administer it and give everyone some peace of mind. >> the hospital plans to give the shots to 500 people and

track their condition for four weeks. it's already been given out across japan with municipalities expected to receive 5 million doses by the end of july. the u.s. secretary of state

but, america's largest gun lobby could stand in the way. the national rifle association opposes stricter controls and is a major funder of the republican party. the group's three day annual meeting stars friday in houston, texas. former president donald trump is scheduled to speak. as details of the recent shooting comes to light, parents are questioning the sed of law enforcement response and the school's safety measures. the public department safety of the suspect was not con fronted

as he crossed the school bound and entered the building through an unlocked door. he was barricaded inside the classroom for an hour before a tactical team broke in and fatally shot him. >> it could have been prevented and prepared. they should have arrested him. videos posted online showing desperate parents outsidehe school during the attack, seen pleading with officers to storm the

ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy has urged the european union to overcome its divisions and agree on tough, new sanctions against russia. the pl comes as the russian military intensifi its push for full control of thluhansk region in eastern ukraine. >> translator: pressure on russia is literally matter of saving things. every day of procrastination, weakness, various sputes, or proposals pacify the aggressor at the expense of the victim means more ukrainians being killed. >> russia reives almost 1 billion ros a day from europe for its energy. he urged the banning of oil imports from the country. a pro-russian leader claims to have seized 95% of the luhansk region. the main target there is a stronghold. officials say 90% of the houses have been destroyed, and 13,000 people have taken refuge in shelters or underground. the ukrainian foreign minister is calling for more weapons. russian allies in neighboring belarus pose another

threat. president lukashenko has ordered the creation of a new military command along the border with ukraine. analysts say the presence of belarus troops would make it difficult for ukrainian troops to support their units in the east. nhk world has more. >> reporter: this is evacuated from afghanistan. she's been there for over ten years. she's been educating girls and

woma women. we are not using her real name. the taliban took control over the country. the taliban is continuing to abduct and kill such people. she says she also receives threatening letrs from the taliban. she now works at the organization that helps her evacuate. her employment contract will last only one year. it is suncertain of what will

happen after that. she wants to continue to work in japan. she wants to bring her family here. in order to take refuge in japan, supporting the african refugee asking for more help. >> i feel there should be more attention and light

personal guarant they can only maintain their support for a few months and eventually they reach their limits. the japanese government taken some exceptional measures. people from ukraine are allowed to enter with a passport and system of their living expenses are being covered. the private sector is also providing support. an expert urges that similar measures taken when dealing with other countries. >> ukraine's case demonstrated that the government and society

can provide practical support. this may be the precedent when we discuss futures refugee policies. >> there is no need for policy changes. nhk world, tokyo. ♪ shoppers in japan had been dealing with crisis of yens that are so high that may make you cry. this is japan's awaji island, unseasonable weather pushed the prices for the root vegetable. here, there are some relief. you will find an arcade style

playing game and the price is exactly what you expect. >> i came here to buy some onions but luckily i won a bag. it is helpful because prices are soaring. the island's onions harvest is about to reach its peak. it is time for world weather with our meteorologist sakaya mori. >> hello, torrential rain have been hitting japan on friday. record heavy rainfall reported in several places of the country. for tokyo, the total rainfall was about 60 millimeters. roads became flooded in some places in the tokyo area. weather is improving but this is the low which causes severe

weather in the eastern half of the country. the system had the cold air aloft. that's unstable weather of warm and humid air and this is cut-off from the jet stream so it is a very slow mover. heavy rain left most part of the country but hokkaido will remain on the stormy side into saturday. the frontal system has been bringing in heavy rainfall into the okinawa region. weather will improve during the weekend in tokyo. the high could be 33 on sunday. the hottest may day on record for the city of tokyo and it will be more like late july. our body is not used to the heat yet so be careful of heatstrokes. it is going to be sizzling hot for beijing, too. 36 for the highs on saturday. only 9 degrees in the forecast on saturday. morning lows can be below

freezing everyday as well as monday. it is be hot in bangkok with a chance of rain. we'll see rainfall in manila. before we go, i want to show you this video coming out of sidney, fog blanketed the city. big fog covering the building friday morning. the beautiful display also of the iconic landmark. the fog did cause disruption to fer ferry services but what a gorgeous scene. that's it for me, stay safe.

before we go, one of japan's elite coast guard divers made it into the guinness book world

record after setting the mark for the most pull-ups. he broke the record in march by completing 651 pull-ups in one hour and 27 minutes. this was recognized by the guinness earlier this month. the 34 years old was able to do 12 pull-ups. but, he started a talent for the exercise when he started training to be a diver. he began preparing to set the world record in earnest last september. during the two months leading up to his attempt, he completed 370 pull-ups every other day. >> translator: i wanted to be a good role model for my teammates so i am happy if the record gives a greater motivation to exercise. >> that's all for this edition

for nhk "newsline," thank you very much for watching. ♪ ♪ this is newsline biz, i am geno otani. japan's foreign asset at record high due to a weaker yen. the finance ministry says net external asset came to 410 trillion yen at year end. that's about $3.2 trillion.

the current rate of exchange is up in the previous year by nearly 16%. the figure is calculated by subtracting the value of domestic asset, held by foreign entities. germany had the second largest figure at around $2.5 trillion. hong kaong came in third and followed by china. the united states was the biggest overseas debt holder with over $16 trillion. japan's annual white paper on agriculture says efforts are needed to achieve a stable supply of farm products amid the invasion of ukraine. it noted that food prices are rising on the global as the war in ukraine continues.

poor harvest in canada is another factor. documents point out that japan is highly relied on certain countries for imported agriculture items like wheat, corn and beef. an effort to be made in supply sources while maintaining good relations with current exporters. there needs to be increase of domestic agriculture production. one of japan's key indication of inflater is up nearly 9%. the internal affairs ministry released preliminary data showing the consumer price index in tokyo rising 1.9% from a year earlier. that figure excludes fresh foods whic fluctuate widely according to the weather. the soaring cost of crude

and liquefied. the price hikes is steeper for fresh food. vegetable prices jumped 15%. onion prices more than double after unstable weather hit some of the growing regions. the biggest increase in 13 years if we don't have a tax hike. the bank of japan ended the last fiscal year with more assets than ever. that's after buying up long-term government bonds as part of the massive monetary easing policy. the boj says its holding of $5.8 trillion on march 341st. that's up 3% from the yen term from a year earlier. the bank has been facilitating the financing of firms hit by

the coronavirus pandemic. the level of assets is expected to balloon further. the bank last month announced it would buy unlimited number of japanese government bonds at a fixed rate, that's designed from long-term interest rates from rising. the governor of the bank of japan says it would be possible to transition out of the long running monetary easing policy in order to achieve its inflation target. >> translator: the boj will combine various policy measures, the bank is able to ensure stable and bonds and making a smooth exit for monetary easing. kuroda says there are two key questions how to raise interest rates and how to scale back the bank's balance sheet. kuroda stresses for the time being, the bank will stay on its

course of monetary easing. inflation is expected to stabilize around 1.9% in the current fiscal year. then it is slow to 1% the next o one. avex is making a full-scale entry into the saudi arabia market. the company is looking to expand abroad as their live shows luggish at home due to the pandemic. visitors could experience the world of animation such as "attack on titan" and "demon slayer." it is expected to be an

intermediary between japanese firms. saudi arabia has traditional place of limitations on entertainment let's take a look at what's happening in the week ahead. the release of key figures will shed light on how economies around the world are performing and could affect interest rate policies. there is also important meeting that'll weigh on future energy prices. japan factory out. this was largely due to strong demand for semiconductor as a result of the global chip shortage.

sluggish automobile to weigh on the figure. the measure have for some companies to shut factory lines. chinese officials release the company's purchasing managers index on may for both indices remained well below the 50 mark threshold indicating a contraction in activity. shanghai will take further steps to lift restrictions starting in june which will ease the strain on the economy. many experts will be difficult to overcome the effect of the lockdown. they expect china to fall short of the government's target of 5.5%. investors will keep a close eye on the euro inflation numbers.

these are set to be released on tuesday as well. the region saw consumer prices ris rise by 7.4%. european central bank signalled earlier this week the bank will start raising rates to tank historical crisis. members will have a meeting on thursday to discuss their plans for july. supply worries stemming from efforts by western countries to cut independence for russian oils pushing up prices. these concerns are worse. the country is the world's largest importer of crude. saudi arabia reportedly indicated they would standby russia as an ally of the group.

it has been widely interpreted that there is a sign of no plan to accelerate output. the u.s. will release its jobs report on friday. employment situation could prompt the central bank to implement larger rate hikes. all right, let's have a look at the markets.

and from the newsline biz team in tokyo, i am geno ñcñcñcñc

anchor: this is al jazeera, these are the top stories. vigils are taking grace across texas -- place across texas. it is still unclear what the 18-year-old gunman's motivations were, the teenager opened fire killing 19 children at a school on tuesday. joe biden has said he is sick and tired of gun carnage