. hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. a controversial bill to revise japan's immigration system has become law. it was passed by a majority vote in the upper house on friday by japan's ruling coalition as well as several opposition parties. the legislation will allow authorities to deport

individuals who applied for refugee status more than two times unless they provide adequate reasons. ahead of the vote deliberations were held in the upper house. those opposing the bill say it could impact peoples lives. >> translator: if the bill is enacted, they will be sent back to their home countries where they will be persecuted, arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and slaughtered. >> under the current system people are protected from deportation while their refugee applications are being processed. the government says some people are using this to prolong their stay in the country. those in favor of the revision insist an overhaul of the system is needed. >> translator: it has been a challenge for immigration control to carry out deportation procedures more appropriately while ensuring protection for those who should be protected. the legislation to resolve the

issue was essential to realize a society in which japanese and foreigners can live together. >> the bill will also allow those facing deportation to stay out of detention facilities, and it'll setup a new system to protect people who fled conflict but do not meet the criteria for refugee status. japanese cabinet ministers approved changes friday that will give more qualified foreign workers a chance to stay in the country longer. the aim is to attract more talent from abroad amid a worsening labor shortage. right now there's no limit on how many times workers in the construction and ship building fields can apply to extend their stay. the changes will increase the number of fields to 11 including farming as well as food and drink manufacturing. those eligible will also be able to bring their spouses and

children. prime minister kishida fumio says revising the rules is important as global competition for skilled workers intensifies. >> translator: we have to make the system appealing to foreigners so that they consider coming to japan for work. >> some members of kishida's liberal democratic party voiced concern over whether the revision could lead to a spike in immigration, but the party approved the plan to help address the shrinking japanese labor force. skilled workers in the expanded fields say they're excited to prolong their stays in japan. some are ready to bring over their loved ones. he traveled from fiji earlier this year to work as a cargo handler at narita airport near tokyo. now that aviation industry workers are included in the

unlimited extension system, he's considering having his wife and 2-year-old son join him. >> we can bring our family and acquire more skills later, learn more about japanese culture, and we are able to live here forever in japan. >> experts say japanese companies in the affected fields need to rethink how they treat their foreign workforce. that includes expanding training and providing pathways to promotion. a committee in japan's lower house has passed a bill that ruling parties say will promote a better understanding of the lgbt community. the vote comes after weeks of wrangling over its language. the main ruling liberal democratic party and its coalition partner komeito presented the bill to it diet last month. they sparred over definitions

including how to identify those who identify as a different gender from the one they were assigned as birth. diet affairs chiefs presented some last minute revisions to get the bill approved on friday. they include settling on using the english lone words gender identity in the legal text rather than established japanese terminology around sex and gender. the bill also includes wording on how schools will teach gender diversity to kids calling for cooperation from homes, communities, and others. the bill was approved by the ruling bloc and multiple opposition parties. a full chamber vote could happen as early as next week with hopes the law will be enacted before the current diet session ends later this month. earlier kanako sachno spoke with nic world's koyama sakura

on the issues. >> how are concerned groups and support parties responding to the start of dlib rageliberatio the bill? >> the first reaction was relief that the process to start the legislation has finally started, but they're not happy in the change of the wording of the bill. the line discrimination is unacceptable has been switched to unfair discrimination should not be allowed. critics say that makes the definition of discrimination too vague. >> and japanese courts are divided on this. there's been a number of rulings in courts. what are japanese people saying about this issue? >> we have some data nhk conducted in april. as you can see 44% of the respondents think same-sex marriage should be legally recognized. the younger generation in particular supports legalizing

same-sex unions. and the overall number of people who support same-sex couples is also growing. let me give an example. they are a married couple who love visiting japan. two years ago they read about this temple near tokyo that held same-sex marriage ceremonies. they've been together for 30 years. they married in new york in 2014 when the pandemic were lifted they decided to hold another wedding here in japan. >> the thing we love the most in japanese culture is the respect for the privacy of the

individual. >> they don't have to move. they have to combine between progress and tradition and to stay unique. >> this is the first same-sex wedding held at the temple. the chief monk says all are welcome here. >> translator: they could have gone to various other countries. they had many other options. i am very happy that they came to japan and joined in our effort. >> so what are the challenges remaining on this issue especially politically in japan? >> there seems to be a gap between politics and public perception in japan. a professor i spoke with said that is a hurdle. >> translator: the overwhelming majority of young people are in favor of same-sex marriage or lgbtq, but elderly people go to

the polls to vote. politicians are turning their backs on the facts. they want to be elected. >> critics say japan is lagging behind other countries on lgbtq rights, but remember it took decades to establish legislation in many countries in europe as well as the united states. some observers expect japan will change quickly once it actually starts to move forward. and this is a turning point. as more and more people come to japan to live and work, there's growing demand for japanese language instructors. many communities try to provide classes free of charge or for a nominal fee, but the number of volunteer instructors is not keeping up with demand. nhk world's fuji misaki has

more. >> reporter: a language class just outside tokyo. the students are mostly from china and southeast asia and arrived recently in japan. in this class they learn about japanese culture and customs as well as the language. the instructors are local volunteers. the number of participants began to increase sharply from last summer. before, the instructors taught students one-on-one. but now they have two or more at a time. >> almost every day we receive phone calls from people wanting to join our classes, but we rely on volunteers, and we've reached our limit. he left his family behind in indonesia and came to japan to work as an engineer at

an auto maker. when he arrived here two years ago he wanted today learn japanese, but the town hall told him it had no language classes available. >> translator: when i have a problem, there's no one i can ask. i just have to put up with it. >> reporter: in particular he found it hard to go shopping for groceries. as a follower of islam, he doesn't eat pork, but he was unable to read the ingredients listed on food labels. >> translator: i tried to check and see if it contains pork, and if it does, i won't buy it. but i can't read kanji characters, so it's hard for me to tell. >> reporter: solek was also concerned about an official letter he received from the local government. it was about assistance with hospital costs after he caught covid, but he couldn't

understand it at all. then last september some volunteers setup a japanese language class in the town where solek lives. >> translator: i'm happy that i can finally understand the language and culture here. i intend to work really hard at it. >>ranslato foreigners living in an unfamiliar country face many difficulties. we hope this language class will create a community where we can all work together and help each other. >> reporter: as japan develops into a more multicultural society, classes like this are essential. the need for volunteer instructors continues to grow. nhk world.

ukraine's president has stepped up his condemnation of russia following the collapse of a dam in southern ukraine. volodymyr zelenskyy says russian forces are shelling areaing that have been flooded. the hydroelectric dam collapsed on tuesday releasing a massive amount of water. many communities down stream have been uninidated. kyiv and moscow have blamed each other for the dam breach. >> translator: russian troops are now shelling areas. evacuations are now under way. >> the ukrainian, u.s., and other ambassadors to the united nations held an emergency news conference. they say people evacuating came under shelling in kherson on thursday and that at least nine were injured. >> we strongly condemn shellings of evacuation areas and call on the russian federation to cease such attacks.

>> japanese prime minister kishida fumio talked with zelenskyy over the television. kishida says any act of causing damage to the facilities cannot be justified. he says japan will swiftly provide over $500 million in emergency humanitarian aid for people affected by the flooding. meanwhile ukraine appears to be ens tensifying attacks against russian forces. a u.s. think tank, the u.s. institute for the study of war says they've conducted at least three counter offensive areas. kyiv has sent german made tanks into battle launching the first heavily armored assaults of the counter offensive. back-to-back storms have produced torrential rain for those living in western and eastern japan. our meteorologist yoko kumigata

tells us what we should expect for the weekend. >> hello. we had an active rainy season front stretching across the japan that had already produced hoar than 200 millimeters of rainfall in parts of shizuoka prefecture and nearly 150 millimeters of rainfall in hokone in the past 24 hours. we're seeing a bit of break this evening however more heavy rain is on its way to japan as a rainy season front pushes back to the north. at the same time a typhoon to the north. rain season will increase yet again from kyushu to the kanto region through the weekend. up to 150 millimeters possible saturday and more rain will arrive on sunday. so you should watch out for further flooding. shizuoka and kagoshima should watch out for heavy rain for the

next couple of days. tokyo will also have showers on sunday. another system will create unstable weather conditions in sapporo with a risk of damaging winds and even large hail. for the winds in asia the same system will produce downpours across southern parts of china and taiwan. you may see up 220 millimeters of rainfall so flooding and land slides will be the biggest concern. hong kong and taipei should watch out for showers. temperatures in seoul will drop with a chance of severe thunderstorms. in europe a couple of low pressure systems will create unstable weather systems across western europe. vienna and madrid should watch out for severe thunderstorms. temperatures should be in the lower 20s. meanwhile severe weather is

expected in paris and berlin. temperatures will be about 10 degrees below usual for this time of year. that's all for now. have a nice weekend. that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo.

notwithstandings for watching and do stay with us for more. ♪ this is "newsline biz." i'm gene otani. the operator of a major japanese conveyer belt sushi chain is suing a customer for damages after he posted a prank video on social media. the osaka-based company claims the video hurt its business and share price. they fileed the lawsuit with the osaka district court. it's seeking more than 67

million yen or about $480,000 in damages. the video shows a customer licking a soy sauce bottle in the chain's gifu city restaurant in central japan in january. they said the video led to a significant drop in customers nationwide and a sharp decline in the share price of its parent company. it says it suffered a loss about $150 million as a result. the company says the prank offended many of its customers and damaged their trust in its hygienic controls. the prankster's representative submitted a written submission to the court asking them to dismiss the complaint. the phenomenon is considered a social problem. the japanese government has hammered out its latest strategy on protecting intellectual property. for the first time it takes on generative a.i. as a major topic. new strategies are worked out

every year. this one comes as artificial intelligence is making rapid progress. the meeting addressed the increasing risk of copyright violations as a.i. technology allows the creation of text or images closely resembling original works. the government plans to work on a clearer definition of what constitutes copyright violations and measures to protect the rights of creators, but the government also wants to consider how the technology can best be developed as it can improve efficiency across a range of creative fields. the strategy also says with the events of digitalization, animation, and music industries will enjoy high growth. there are plans for meetings to bring together public and private sectors from these industries in order to improve japan's global competitiveness. japan's government is making some changes to the way it distributes foreign aid. the revised policy for official development assistance aims to strengthen ties with developing

countries in a more strategic way. it comes as the oda budget for this fiscal year is about half of its peak level back in the 1990s. cabinet ministers approved the first change to the development cooperation charter in eight years. it says japan's oda is evolving as the international community grapples with climate change and faces new challenges like the russian invasion of ukraine and calls for japan to tackle issues like supply chain management and digitalization as an equal partner with developing countries. greater consideration is also to be given to assessing the ability of a recipient country to repay loan. this is seen as a contrast to china's approach that can saddle poorer nations with massive debts they can't pay back. japan's oda budget for this fiscal year amounts to around 570 billion yen or about $4.1

billion. more workers in japan are feeling upbeat as the relaxation of covid-19 measures encouraged them to dine out and attend after hours events. that's the findings of a government survey that tracks their mood. the cabinet office's economy watchers survey says workers sentiment in may rose 0.4% points from the previous month to 55. it was the fourth straight month of increase. about 2,000 people in various industries were asked to compare current economic conditions with those from three months earlier. the cabinet office attributed the rise in sentiment and business at eateries and other service industries. workers at upscale restaurants said more tourists and local residents are holding parties there, but some uncertainty remains. the index for the outlook two to three months ahead fell for the first time in six months. it now stands at 54.4.

that's down 1.3 points from the previous month. foreign investors have bought more japanese stocks than they sold on the nation's exchanges for the tenth week. that's the longest streak in almost 9.5 years. tokyo's bench marb average ended last week at a three decade high as the easing of u.s. debt default fears spurred optimism. overseas investors extended their net buying in exchanges for the period may 29th through june 2nd. tokyo stock exchange officials say about 35 billion yen or roughly $3.8 billion last week. the trend began at the end of march and the first time since 2013 that net buying has continued for ten consecutive weeks. the nikkei 225 closed last friday at the highest since july 1990. investors placed buy orders after a deal was reached to suspend the u.s. government's debt limit and avert a default. market analysts say japanese

stocks continue to attract investors from abroad as the nation's central bank maintains its policy of massive monetary easing. now nhk world's yanaka marie is here with biz picks. >> every friday we bring you the latest in business with biz picks. let's kick things off with a look at how tokyo stocks performed this week. the nikkei average closed at 32,265 on friday. sentiment got a boost from reports that the japanese government might push child care reforms and on speculation that the u.s. federal reserve will pause rate hikes. the bench mark index gained 2.4% this week. it continued its rally to mark fresh 33-year highs on both monday and tuesday. investors were a little bit more cautious in the latter half of the week ahead of key monetary

policy decisions. next week central banks in the united states, the euro zone, and japan will hold meetings. all eyes are on whether the fed will continue with rate hikes or finally pause. also next week the u.s. consumer price index for may is due out on tuesday. the inflation figure is a key factor in forecasting future monetary policy. and on friday a harry potter theme park opens in tokyo. we jump into this magical world to discover the business potential of movie themed parks. warner brothers studio the making of harry potter offers visitors a behind the scenes glimpse into the popular film series. from the great hall to the ministry of magic, the iconic sets have been faithfully reproduced by the film makers. visitors can enjoy them without

too much of a crowd by reserving date specific tickets in advance. the operator says the studio tour in london is so popular that it's hard to book a ticket even after more than a decade and hopes the tokyo version will also draw fans from abroad. the harry potter world aims to leave visitors feeling like witches and wizards. this type of immersive experience seems to be a trend in the industry these days. jibly park based on films by studio jibly has been hit with fans since it opened last year even without special rides. realistic sets in a nature filled park make visitors feel as though they've actually wandered into a world of anime. an expert on theme parks says immersive s immersive experiences are popular as peoples values have changed since the pandemic.

>> translator: people are placing more weight on enjoying an experience at their own leisure. so operators are shifting towards offering satisfaction and increasing effort spending for customer rather than competing for number of visitors. >> he points out that going forward attractions that stimulate not just sight but other senses including smell and touch will be key. harry potter fans around the world are no doubt looking forward to the magic that will be unveiled at the new studio tour tokyo. i i'm yanaka marie and that was this week's biz picks. all right, let's have a look at the markets.

from the "newsline biz" team in tokyo, i'm gene otani. thanks very much for j

>> once a firm allies, now fragile partners, a visit by the united it's top diplomat to saudi arabia is more challenging than in the past. it is putting strains on american influence in the middle east, can antony blinken mend its fraying ties? ♪ >> welcome to the program, top level diplomacy often