♪ hello, and welcome to this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo with the latest at this hour. it's been years into the coronavirus pandemic with scientists battling a recurring issue, how to protect against an ever evolving disease, but u.s. health experts say updated boosters will make a difference against the predominant new strain. scientists at the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention studied the xbb related sub variants of omicron. they found boosters provided nearly 50% protection against

symptomatic infection among adults up to age 49. the number dipped slightly for those above 50. the cdc suggests the sub variant is now the most common strain spreading through the united states, and it encourages anyone eligible to get the latest booster. now health experts here in japan are voicing the need to maintain free covid-19 vaccinations even as government plans to downgrade the disease to the same class as seasonal flu. health authorities are considering recategorizing covid-19 from the second highest to the lowest tier for infectious diseases this sfring. a panel of exerts met on thursday, and many said the current vaccine policy should continue as uncertainty remains about possible virus mutations. as for the interval between shots, many experts said people should get vaccinated at least once a year to keep society

functioning. health ministry official says they plan to update the policy by the end of march. chinese health authorities say coronavirus cases and deaths have fallen drastically after peaking last month. they say almost 7 million people per day were infected in late december but some perts think the real figures could be much higher. the chinese center for disease control and prevention says new cases peaked on december 22nd and had fallen to 15,000 by this week. but officials have not released detailed data including the tol numbe of infections or the breakdown by province. cases soared across china after the government eased coronavirus measures in early december. last week, a prominent government scientist estimated 80% of china's population has already been infected. chinese health officials also say coronavirus related deaths in hospitals peaked at me than 4,000 in the first week of january. they reported about 900 deaths

this week. but experts say the figure does not includeeople who died at home. china has faced criticism from the wld health organization and u.s. officials over what they call a lack of transparency about the country's coronavirus situation. authorities in the north korean capital have tracked an increase in respiratory illnesses. they made no mention of the coronavirus. still they've ordered a lockdown in pyongyang through sunday. the russian embassy posted a notice on social media from the north korean foreign ministry. ministry officials have established what they call a special anti epidemic period. they're calling on diplomats to stay within embassy compounds or at home. the diplomats need to check their temperature four times a day and report the results to medical institutions. last may authorities started reporting what added up to millions of cases of what they

called fevers. then in august, leader kim jong un declared victory over the coronavirus. but official haves not reported any cases to the w.h.o., and they have not revealed details of any vaccination program. ♪ heavy snow has brought traffic nightmares to parts of japan. vehicles became stranded on many roadways. trains also got stuck with passengers on board prompting railway officials to review procedures. in western japan, more than a dozen trains stopped for hours. about 7,000 passengers were trapped inside overnight from tuesday. 16 people reported feeling unwell and were taken to hospitals. >> translator: i sincerely apologize for having forced our customers to endure severe conditions for such a long time. >> the president of west japan

railway says the company underestimated how much snow would fall and failed to activate a snow melting system on tracks. he pledged to make improvements. now, many trucks were stuck for nearly 24 hours on an expressway that links the western prefectures of miya and shee ga. the jam at one point stretched about 10 kilometers. the expressway operator says the section has now been cleared. warmer weather is forecast across japan toward the weekend. weather officials warn accumulated snow and icy roads may lead to more disruptions of public transport. they also urge people to be careful of snow falling from roofs and possible accidents during snow removal. officials are marking the opening of a base camp in gam whicwill soon be the base for about 4,000 marines now stationed in okinawa prefecture. u.s. marine corps command in

general david berger attended the ceremony which was postponed for two years because of the pandemic. it represents a step forward in efforts to ease the burden of american military bases in okinawa. it hosts about 70% of the ones in japan. now as part of the agreement to relocate marines, tokyo is contributing nearly $3 billion to construction costs. other troops will be sent to hawaii. in other news, nhk has learned police in tokyo have arrested seven people over a robbery that netted more than $270,000 in cash. investigators believe the group could be linked to a series of recent crimes organized outside japan. sources close to the investigation say the incident happened in e na gee city in tokyo last october. the group allegedly disguised themselves as delivery people and forced their way into a home. they bound a woman with tape and injured her. they left with a safe containing cash and some gold.

police suspect a person with the handle loofie who's believed to be in the philippines recruited and directed the suspects through social media. data from confiscated cell phones show some other code names. police are investigating possible links between the suspects and other robberies around japan. some of the cases involved violence. police in japan are concerned about online information on the making of guns and bombs. they'll soon be taking new steps to have it monitored and taken down. this comes after a home made gun was used last july in the fatal shooting of former prime minister abe shinzo. the suspects reportedly made the gun and gun powder with reference to videos and other information online. the national police agency will

designate posts and web sites about the making of guns and explosives as harmful information that could be a threat to human life. the agency has online information monitored by an organization called the internet hot line center. staff there already reports illegal harmful information about child pornolo nothing fi drug smuggling. they will be targeting information about the making of guns and bombs. they will tackle posts that appear to ask people to commit murder, robbery and human trafficking. next, japan's prime minister is facing harsh questions and criticism over a major security policy shift. lawmakers are back in the diet for the first week of the new session. and they're focused on kishida fumio's push to boost spending to enhance defense capabilities. the prime minister says neighboring countries are posing growing security challenges for japan. so last month his cabinet

approved increasing defense spending to more than $330 billion over five years. it also approved acquiring counter strike capabilities under the security policy. tax hikes would cover part of the increased spending. the largest opposition party is against paying for it that way. the constitutional democratic party is also criticizing kishida for making changes to the policy without first holding discussions in the diet. the party argues gaining counter strike capabilities and the spending increase contradicts japan's defense oriented policy. kishida disagrees, he says counter strike capabilities are limited and will only be exercised for self-defense. and for a closer look at some of those issues at play, we earlier spoke with a professor who specializes in japanese politics and foreign policy.

>> one of the challenges the kishida administration needs to overcome to get this all approved? >> yes, the challenges to explain conventionally to the public not just about the need to spend more on defense pu how to finance the bigger budget. prime minister kishida has stated in his address to the diet that it's our generation to future generations to bear the cost. at least some parts of the spending must be covered in the form of tax hikes. there's also the question of what to buy, as we were seeing in the film, there is also those who are opposed to the proposed acquisition of counter attack capabilities. explaining to the public why it mas japan more safe to acquire such capabilities will be another challenge for prime minister kishida. >> now nhk commissioned a public opinion poll this month on the

plan to increase spending. about 60% of responsibilities sa respondents said they are against raising taxes to pay for it. some of his party shares that view. they argue the funding should come from government bonds. how does that affect the prime minister's plan? >> yeah, so it is not just opposition party that kishida needs to answer to. the opposition is not pleased with the sequencing or the process of decision making that the government announced the three strategic documents and the plan to spend more on defense, and present that to the u.s. before deliberation in the diet and they're also as you say against diverting government revenue from other sources including bonds issued for recovery. some members agree with the budget increase but are opposed to raising taxes, suggesting instead of spending should be financed through government funds. the prime minister is facing two fronts with the backdrop not helping with the public tax increase. although it's not surprising that the public would not want a tax increase, i think that's pretty muc universal, japan's

government is now in debt 232% of gdp, services that debt alone requires more than 20% of the annual budget so i tend to be skeptical about issuing ponds instead of raising taxes, especially if the prime minister is serious about what he said about the responsibility of the current generation. >> so kishida has a lot of work ahead of him to get the public to accept his plan. what about public sentiment on his administration? >> right. so while kishida's approval rating is quite low, we're not expecting an immediate challenge from his own party or from the opposition. however, he would need to emphasize policies that will appeal to the public, and it seems like spending more to reduce birthrates to reverse the trend of population is one he would want to place emphasis on. whether or not the public will find that appealing and give him space to do what he hopes to do

in the defense policy realm i think is yet to be seen. switching gears to the weather, people across a wide area of japan had another cold morning this thursday which were below freezing temperatures. our meteorologist jonathan oh has the details in our world weather report. >> hello, we are seeing those cold temperatures once again as we went through the morning hours on thursday, and we saw temperatures freezing definitely in the northern areas of japan but also into western areas of the country. we saw temperatures in the negative teens and tokyo waking up to minus 3.4 degrees. that cold air still a big part of the story, and we are going to see some moisture that's going to be developing from the south and the west, which means we're looking at the possibility of seeing some snow in places like fukuoka, and can't rule out the possibility of snow and flurries in tokyo on friday. sapporo you're getting a break but still chilly. snow returns back on sunday.

so make sure you bundle up and be prepared as we continue to see the temperatures staying on the chilly side. not just japan, the korean peninsula seeing some really cold temperatures and the cold air also filtering into portions of china as well. here's a look at video coming out from there, and that's really interesting here. yeah, that's a bike covered in snow as we see a major cold front bringing record breaking low temperatures to parts of china, and we are also seeing railway workers working extra shifts to clear snow from train tracks and also off those platforms. authorities are saying the residents should still watch out for dangerously cold conditions going through the rest of the week. when it comes to precipitation, things are going to be on the dryer side across china but the cold air still a big part of the story as we go through the day on friday, facing a high of only 2. quick note over into madagascar, keeping an eye on the tropical system, continue to move to the south, bringing flooding rain

into the area with strong winds and we are looking at the possibility of seeing heavier rainfall with some locationis seeing 150 millimeters of rain as we go forward throughout the next few days. hope you have a safe day wherever you are. ♪ ♪

♪ before we wrap up, we take you to japan's ancient capital of nara where archaeologists say they may have unearthed a lost japanese trsure, a tube dating back to the fourth century was hiding a pair of artifacts that could be one of a kind. the bronze mirror and the iron sword were recoved from a tomb, the largest burial ground of its kind in the country. the mirror is shaped like a shield and the backside is decorated with images of god's and creatures, it's the first of that design ever found in japan.

the sword it was buried with is over 2 meters long. researchers say it's the largest of its kind in that time period ever discovered in east asia. >> translator: they are masterpieces of metal work from that era. the level o technical ability and design were unexpected. so far i think they're the only ones we know of. >> the items were likely made by a skilled craftsman during the yam ma toe sovereignty. it ruled much of japan between the 3rd and 7th centuries. the tomb's excavation site will be open to the public later this week. and that wraps up this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. coming up next is "newsline biz" with ramin mellegard. so don't go away. ♪

♪ this is "newsline biz," i'm ramin mellegard. now, japan's toyota motors says its president, toyoda akio will become chairman on april 1st. he will maintain the right to represent the country. the 66-year-old is the grandson of the auto maker's founder, toyoda kiichiro. he became president in 2009. it was the first time in 14 years that a person from the founding family took the top position. now, chief branding officer sa

toe koji will assume the presidency. he joined toyota in 1992. the 53-year-old is also the president of lexus internation in the toyota group. and u.s. electric vehicle maker tesla says it pulled in record revenue and profit in its latest quarterly earnings report as sales soared. the ev giant says it sold more than 400,000 vehicles in the three months through december 2022. that's up more than 30% from a year ago. revenue increased 37% to more than $24 billion. net profit rose almost 60% to nearly $3.7 billion. tesla's founder saying it was unclear how economic uncertainty and rising interest rates would impact the firm in the near term. the company said it is racing to reduce costs in preparation for a possible economic slow down.

and labor officials at a japanese auto giant are set to demand their highest wage hike in decades during the annual spring labor negotiations. they say record levels of inflation are making it difficult for workers to make ends meet. honda moer honda motors union will ask for a monthly increase of 19,000 yen or $147. this includes a base pay hike and variables. it represents a 5% raise, the largest demand in 30 years. the union is asking for an increase in base pay for a second year in a row. this year's demand is more than four times greater than last year's. the union also plans to demand a bonus worth 6.4 months of salary, up .4 months from the current total. wage hikes are crucial for protecting livelihoods amid price inflation, and securing a work force capable of meeting the demands of a global shift to

electric vehicles. now, the tokyo stock exchange has started the count down. four companies that don't meet its new criteria for the market's top section. it says firms will have a year from march 2025 to revise their businesses or risk delisting. the toc restructured its market segments into three parts last april in a bid to attract more global investors. the top tier prime segment is geared toward companies that are competitive on the international stage. it has higher standards of corporate governance, and requires a greater commitment to sustainable growth. the tse adopted tougher listing rules for the top section but it allowed firms already in the primary segment that don't meet the new requirements to remain for an unspecified period and make changes. critics said without a time frame the rules were meaningless. observers say the tse wants to

show with the new deadline that it means business. and the bank of japan policy makers believe current economic conditions call for keeping their ultra easy monetary ram in place. that's according to a summary of their most recent meeting. the officials cited developments in economic activity and prices as the reason for maintaining monetary easing last week. the meeting was the focus of much attention because the bank had surprised the market by widening the trading ban for ten-year bond yields in december. this led to specution of a further shift in policy. but the officials said they would need to examine the risks of higher interest rates and whether market players were prepared for the effects before deciding on additional changes. now, the bank also raises inflation forecasts for the fiscal year to 3% at the meeting. but the policy makers expect the rate of increase in the consumer price index to fall below 2% in

fiscal 2023 and say at this point, there's still a long way to go to achieve the price stability target. ♪ fnow, japanese green tea ha been gaining popularity around the world. in thailand, young consumers are seeking taste experiences that also use local ingredients as well as ones steeped in tradition. >> this contemporary tea bar draws customers from around bangkok. its name was taken from ma cha, the japanese word for powdered green tea. they import high quality ingredients directly from japan to make over 500 cups a day. they are also creating their own

unique beverages. >> we would like to keep developi developing. even now we try to make the new recipe or new brand. >> they incorporate thailand's tropical produce by making drinks with coconut water or sweet lel momon soda. >> we actually managed to pick a few blends, which turned out to be things that suit my taste. >> thai residents have not needed a visa to japan. there have been a number of trends. the green tea trend is long lastingith imports increing 250% in the last decade. >> to experience the japanese culture, so if the product is green tea from japan or macha

from japan, they would treat i as a more authentic product, and they are willing to experience it. >> another cafe prepares its drinks in a more traditional manner. kota tea space was opened by danita and her japanese partner. she first encountered japanese tea in kyoto five years ago while on an internship in japan. she began visiting regions of japan that grow tea. her aim in opening her shop was to introduce authentic japanese tea in bangkok. >> more like curated store where we accumulate tea from many places. >> the signature allows customers to sample a number of different brews. the first cup is tea that people drink in the new year to welcome good health. it is known as orbicata can

comes from kyoto. kelp is added to add a complex flavor. the second is the most popular tea at the moment in japan, where it is grown in the south of the country. said to have no shortcomings with a beautiful green color, elegant aroma and a deep, sweet flavor. the final cup is matcha, leaves grown in kyoto are ground into a powder using a stone, it is a method used only for this type of tea. >> this is at a different level than any japanese tea i've ever had before. >> the course including handmade japanese style sweets isn't cheap but $40, but there is no end to the customers who want to savor something while also learning. >> customers here, they love to learn about like where is the tea cultivated. we want to have more people enjoying their tea style, the

tea way. >> more people in thailand are now making green tea at home, and experts are watching how this will affect the trend. >> okay. let's get a check on the markets. ♪ ♪

that's it for "newsline biz" from tokyo. i'm ramin mellegard. thank you very much for watching.

a reminder of our top stories -- ukraine looks set to receive advanced battle tanks from the u.s. and germany to boost its defenses against russian forces. sources have told al jazeera washington will approve the delivery of m1 abrams tanks as soon as wednesday. ukraine's prime minister is promising greater anticorruption efforts following a wave of high-profile resignations. for deputy ministers and five regional governors left their post