hello, welcome to "nhk newsline". we begin in japan, where at least two people are unaccounted for after heavy rainfall triggered widespread flooding and landslides. residents are warned to stay vigilant. more precipitation is expected in areas through friday.

meanwhile, in the hard-hit areas, they revise the highest level emergency rain alert to a warning. over 500 millimeters of rain have fallen over the past 24 hours. there is reports of significant flooding and landslides. the weather officials have warned to shelter at home, or evacuate to a safer location. the residential areas have faced significant flooding. the rainfall pushed rain, mud, and debris down the mountains, near the city, destroying many homes. in one village, residents woke up to scenes of destruction just after sunrise. 150 millimeters of rain fell in just one hour early on thursday. >> [ speaking foreign language ] >> this area has been protected, to some extent. i never imagined the damage would be so severe.

>> rainfall has been blamed for infrastructure damage, including a crack in a railway bridge. witnesses say a car may have been swept away after an automobile bridge collapsed. the local authorities say a number of roads have been closed after being washed out by floods or damaged by landslides. they say the full extent of the damage mains unclear. torrential rain has been recorded further south and east. some parts of japan because he has much as 250 millimeters over the next 24 hours. tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes across the country. for more on the situation in the weather, let's go to our meteorologist. unprecedented heavy rain continues to pound the sea of japan. yesterday, the worst hit area was here.

today, it is this and surrounding areas. we are seeing moisture hitting the same locations. we are looking at heavy rainfall. heavy rain could continue into friday morning. these are the numbers as of thursday. we have 150 millimeters of rain in the space of only one hour. this is the all-time record. in three hours, over 300 millimeters of rain has fallen. over 24 hours, 560 millimeters fell in the same area. that is 2.7 times the monthly rainfall for august. the ground is well saturated. there is a critical risk for landslides and flooding in this region. we are looking at a lot of all- time records that were broken in many places of the country. heavy rain could continue into friday. ample moisture will continue to

flow in. the stationary front will cover many places of the country. this system will sag to the south. it will be in central japan, including tokyo. this could lead to flooding. dryer weather is in the forecast on friday. the rain could come back on sunday. china appears to have launched a series of provocations near taiwan. they began a series of live fire military drills. according to the defense ministry.

>>the military will carry out operations to resolutely safeguard territorial integrity. they did express concern over the exercises saying they risk unnecessary escalation. they called on china to resolve their differences by peaceful means. suspected drones flew close to remote islands that are effectively under its control. the military spokesperson says that flares were fired to warn off the drones. the ministry officials say their website was hit by a cyber attack late on wednesday, and was off-line temporarily. while nancy pelosi was there, she met with the taiwanese president. she is the highest ranking u.s. official to visit taiwan in 25

years. earlier, my colleague spoke with reporter and a professor for more insight. professor specializes in security issues. china's military exercises raise the possibility of open conflict between the u.s. and china. if that happens, how could this affect japan? >> if it becomes an armed conflict, jan will be affected, not only economically, but militarily. that u.s. airbase hosted and operated a lot of military aircraft to make sure that nancy pelosi could travel safely. if it was an actual war, the chinese military would have launched ballistic missiles against the airbase, and other u.s. bases in japan to prevent

military protection. in addition, there were cyber attacks against the taipei government and a spread of disinformation that the chinese fighter jets were approaching the taiwan airspace to cause panic ongst the taiwanese people. the thing could happen in japan. they make it the sinks happen, and how well is japan prepared? >> of the last decade, the japanese government has made efforts to strengthen the defense of japan, like the implement of ground troops and reinforcements of air forces. china has rapidly developed its military capabilities, particularly, they have missile forces targeting japan. we do believe that china deploys more than 1000 missiles. it is not realistic to intercept all incoming missiles

with the existing missile defense system. it is urgent to upgrade the current missile defense system, while introducing japan's own missiles for counterstrike purposes. >> how should the japanese public respond to that kind of situation? >> as russia's invasion of ukraine has shown, civilians become victims in modern hybrid warfare. they could be hit by missiles, or they could become a target to cause panic. i think we need to change our mindset about national security first, and raise awareness of what could happen to japan, in case of china's invasion to taiwan. we also need to improve our media policy, not to cause panic by disinformation or

misinformation during a crisis. lastly, we should work with the government, and local authorities to train for evacuation in preparation for an emergency. people will gather in hiroshima together the 77th anniversary of the atomic bombing. one high-profile attendee at the peace memorial ceremony will be the un secretary general. he does plan to urge the world to work toward nuclear disarmament. they may go to say, the use of nuclear weapons is something totally unacceptable. the world needs to learn the lesson of the horrible tragedy, the horrendous tragedy of nagasaki and hiroshima. they make he says he is

frustrated that the enormous progress in nuclear disarmament at the end of the 20th century is now being reversed. he says we are now seeing you invest it in nuclear weapons, and their modernization. a review conference for parties to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty is underway in new york. he says he hopes it will reaffirm the principle of the nonuse of nuclear weapons. he says from a moral and historical point of view, japan is in the best position to tell those that have nuclear weapons that using them is unacceptable. he will be the first incumbent un chief to attend the peace memorial ceremony in 12 years. earlier, my colleague introduced us to an issue plaguing the anti-nuclear campaign and spoke with the japanese university student who is trying to make a difference.

now, survivors of the world's first atomic bombing will gather and hiroshima this weekend to remember all of those who have been lost. they have spent a decade working toward the future free of nuclear weapons. as we report, a new generation is now taking up that fight. >> i am 22 years old, and i am the third-generation survivor of nagasaki. >> she is giving a voice to the voiceless. when nations gathered in vienna, to discuss progress on the un treaty, banning nuclear weapons, a young activist house make sure they know the history behind the struggle. >> even after such a long time has passed, the scars of the atomic bombing remain.>> reporter: she is not the only young person demanding change. many were touched by the

tireless efforts of the aging people that demand a better world. it is becoming harder and harder for them to travel. younger folks organize online events where the survivors can share their stories. >> there were people fumbling around, their hair caked with blood. you cannot tell whether they were men or women.>> reporter: they do hope to ensure that even more people will hear stories like this, and feel inspired to join their fight. >> i want more people across the world to know the stories of the survivors, and hear how japanese people view nuclear weapons.>> reporter: we have a spokeswoman here with us. >> it is very nice to have you

with us. what is it that spired you to become part of this movement? >> i was shocked when i learned about hiroshima. the survivor said it was like . he al said that he knows that the nuclear weaps exist so this tragedy could happen at any time. i always thought i wanted to be involved in the movement. >> it is always heartbreaking to hear such stories. we just saw how note nukes tokyo has been connecting online. what has that experience in like? >> i think it is very important to remember what happened in hiroshima and nagasaki, especially now. people are starting to forget the horrors. i inrviewed survivor of

nagasaki. she talked about the invasion of ukraine. she was in shock and she fears that nuclear weapons will be used again. she also says there is no winner in nuclear war. they have dedicated their lives to avoid the tragedy again. that you tell people to speak up, and make sure they never fade away.>> reporter: what is the next step in your work? >> it is a big challenge. young people are feeling less attached to the issue. i wonder whether we have any impact at all. we tell them, and it is very eye-opening. i connect with people with

other countries. they are very moved. [ indiscernible ] discuss the issue more inclusively. we can expand our activity until people realize it is up to us looking into the future. now to the coronavirus situation in japan. cases are surging at unprecedented levels. the nationwide tally for thursday came in at more than 230,000. that comes after a record number on wednesday.

more than 500 covid-19 patients across the country are in serious condition. officials in tokyo reported more than 35,000 new cases, and 15 deaths. the public health experts say the situation in tokyo remains very serious. an unprecedented explosion of infections is ongoing. anyone could get infected anywhere at any time. people need to do everything they can to protect themselves. >> the surging cases and close contacts is causing a shortage of workers. essential services, such as hospitals and public transport are struggling to keep going. here is your three day world weather forecast.

that is all for this edition of "nhk newsline" in

tokyo. thank you for watching. please stay with us for more. this is "newsline biz". the russian government says it will establish a new company to take over the oil and liquefied natural gas project in the country's far east. the announcement adds uncertainty for the japanese companies with stakes in the project. the kremlin said on wednesday, the new company will be based

in [ indiscernible ], the main city. if the project is currently operated by an investment company. the shareholders are russia's state house firm, and mitch vichy corporation. shell has a 27.5% stake, mitsubishi holds 12.5%. russian president vladimir putin signed an order on june 30 to establish a new company. they would obtain the energy assets. the government said the necessary registration process should be carried out within three days. vladimir putin's order requires foreign companies to notify russia within a month from the launch of the new firm on whether they wish to continue investing in the project. almost all the natural gas japan uses comes from overseas.

they produced 10 million tons of lng per year in japanese imports. the japanese government considers this crucial in the country's energy security. did you expect the project to provide natural gas at relatively low cost over a long time scale. the russian far east is geographically closer to japan and the middle east and other gases suppliers. it takes about three days for lng to reach them. the other advantage is there are no conflict ars and route from the area. the two japanese trading houses involved in the project say they are assessing the situation. mitsubishi officials say they are aware of russia's decision. they said they will coordinate with the japanese government and its partners to come up with their response. they are examining the effects of the russian decision for the company. officials say they will continue to consult with the

job he's government, and other stakeholders to respond properly. japan's economy minister said the government has not yet decided on a course of action. >> currently, we are scrutinizing what rushes about the project. we will not be commenting at this point. we have been preparing for all kinds of contingencies, together with the companies. so far, there is no change in the basic stance on this matter. it is crucial for japan's stable energy supply. we remain committed to keeping a stake in the project. >> they will closely examine any investment conditions, set out by the russian side to be able to retain an interest. japan has imposed economic sanctions against russia over its invasion of ukraine, together with the other g7 nations. the question is, how can tokyo protect its interests, while maintaining a tough stance on

russia over the invasion? [ indiscernible ] posted record group sales for the april to june period, due to a weaker yen. that higher cost for raw materials. the japanese auto giant says quarterly group sales came to %8.5 trillion, or $63 billion. that is up 7% from one year ago. one other factor was robust sales in southeast asia. the net income came to about $5 billion. that is down 18%. it was dragged down by the soaring costs of iron and precious metals. toyota revise upward, it's full- year sales forecast to %34.5 trillion, or $257 billion. the automaker upgraded its net profit outlook for the current fiscal year to %2.36 trillion

or $17.6 billion. a government affiliated development bank says japanese firms will need to invest %260 trillion, or $2 trillion, the country is to achieve a carbon free society by 2050. [ speaking foreign langge ] >> first and foremost, there needs to be financial support. one company alone is not enough to make progress. there needs to be cooperation between many companies to create a market. there also needs to be collaboration outside of industry. the development bank survey 200 businesses worth $7.5 million under their decarbonization efforts. they plan to invest more than $22 billion this fiscal year, including spending on equipment and construction of plants, as

well as research and development efforts. the companies are investing in projects ranging from hydrogen production to electric vehicle development. the bank says the firms want to increase this figure to around $75 billion, annually, until 2050, if japan is to become carbon free. this includes spending, not only on new technology, but to maintain existing facilities. the u.s. central bank is in raising interest rates sharply since march to curb inflation. stngthenagainst hedollar to rrenciesesciallythose in emging ecomies. the chilean peso and the indian rupee fell to record lows in july. developing peso sink to the lowest in 17 years. now, there appears that the u.s. policy could send these, and other countries like thailand and brazil, into a

downturn. the type art has fallen. imports are more expensive, pushing up consumer prices. in june, they went to their highest level in almost 14 years. the people are certainly feeling the pinch. including here at this typically wallet friendly restaurant. the most affordable dish has been selling for about $.70. it went up by 8% in june to deal with the ratcheting prices of gas and plastic products. the manager says there is no choice but to increase prices across the board. this is the first time she has done that in nearly 20 years. >> the price hike is inevitable. i want to keep it to a minimum for customers. >> the price of everything is going up. i have to save what i can to get through the situation.

in brazil, policymakers try to protect currency by raising interest rates. it has not been an unfettered success. the country raised interest rates 11 times since march of last year. the key interest rate has gone from 2% to more than 13%. it has had a devastating effect on businesses and households. >> the ceo of a company that arranges rental accommodations that says demand has slumped. at the slash fees by 10%. he says he may need to review the entire business structure. >> high interest rates have slowed down the country's economic activities. is becoming difficult to borrow money. businesses are beginning to reduce investments in new technologies and factories. and economist at the institute of research says higher u.s. rates could derail

the recovery in emerging economies with global repercussions. >> if the economy slows, or domestic demand is unrcut, it could exacbate any political problems in these countries. that could magnify risks worldwide. is the u.s. federal reserve ramps up the inflation battle, many fear the persistent inflation, and the rising rates could inflict damage on the global economy, leaving the most vulnerable economies on shakier ground. let's have a look at the markets.

and from the "newsline biz", thank you for being with ñ