hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. friday marks 78 years since the end of the battle of okinawa. the battle took place during the final stages of world war ii between the japanese military and u.s. forces. residents of the islands are

paying tribute to those who lost their lives. a ceremony was held at the peace memorial park in the city of itoman, the site of the final battle. hundreds of people attended the ceremony and observed a moment of silence. the okinawa governor expressed his commitment to peace. >> we have always known in our souls that it is life itself that is more important than any treasure. we are united as a people with a longing for peace. we sincerely believe that it is our noble mission to bear witness to the painful lessons from the countless war experiences and to pass on these messages to future generations. >> translator: the peace and

prosperity we enjoy today is built on the sacrifice of our war victims and the pain the people of okinawa experienced. 78 years on, those facts are etched on our hearts and we bow to the victims in serenity with a strong determination never to repeat the horror of war. >> the islands continue to host u.s. military bases decades mister kisda has pdged to do alle can toeduce th mo than 20000 peop lost inuding rohly one-urth of okina's resident okinawa recognizesune 23rd 1945, the fin day of organized combat between the now defunct imperial japanese military and u.s.-led forces.

earlier kanako sachno spoke with -- who was in the park. >> you first arrived there in the morning. tell us what you've been seeing. >> reporter: people have been visiting here all day, and there seems to be more this year now the coronavirus recommendations have been dropped. many are going to the cenotaph over here to pray, including for their relatives. it contains the names of the people who died in the battle. >> so it seems making sure their names live on isn't too difficult, but preserving the memories of the battle is another story. why is that becoming more challenging? >> reporter: it is because the number of survivors is dropping. a survey by a local think tank shows less than 10% of the people in the prefecture

actually experienced the war. this woman was a student when it happened. she told others sorry but she was reluctant to speak about it. motomura said she strongly regretted she could not escape the battlefield with her injured classmates together. she died in april at the age of 97. nakayama kiku devoted herself to sharing her stories. she said people entered the war without knowing its true cost. she died in january at the age of 94. the imperial japanese army mobilized more than 2,000 teenagers in okinawa prefecture.

although there are fewer survivors around to tell others what happened, people find it best to keep those stories alive. these students at the local high school are telling their classmates about the young people forced to participate in the war. the students were trained by the staff at the peace museum this year. >> translator: this was a valuable experience, because we were able to deepen our understanding of the battles together. >> reporter: decades after the war, security is becoming another topic around here again. the japanese government is advancing plans to strengthen defense capabilities in its southwestern islands. it's deploying multiple missile units in the area. some survivors are pushing back, calling for the peace and loving spirit of okinawa to be respected. and residents hope the lessons learned here resonate across the world.

representatives from the governments of japan and ukraine and businesses from both countries met on the side lines of the ukraine recovery conference in london on thursday. they discussed ways to work together to rebuild ukraine. >> now i think it's also time to look deeply at the economic possibilities ukraine can provide you even during the wartime. we need japanese technology, japanese knowledge and people on the ground to be involved in reconstruction of our country. >> government officials and representatives from over 70 companies attended the meeting. ukrainian companies say construction materials are in short supply as many buildings have been damaged by russia's invasion. they're calling for new investments to rebuild energy facilities and to develop

reusable energy sources. one japanese firm says it can provide medical services online to regions that lack medical facilities and doctors. a company which develops machines that produce ammonia says it's currently involved in building a new heating system in ukraine. >> translator: i think the needs of the ukrainian people will change. the japanese companies will be able to meet the demands flexibly. as a result, new businesses which we can't imagine now, may be created. >> the trial of former president jair bolsanaro began before the court on thursday. he's charged with abusing his presidential power by casting doubt over the country's voting system. if convicted bolsanaro would be barred from public office for eight years. he narrowly lost brazil's

presidential election last october. before the vote he repeatedly denounced the country's electronic voting system saying it wasn't reliable. the trial will focus on one particular address he made to foreign diplomats in the presidential palace last year. he repeated the unfounded claims about the voting machines. bolsanaro's defense argues his remarks were part of diplomatic activities and not part of his election campaigning. bolsanaro says the case against him is politically motivated. >> translator: i'm still alive. i still intend to work with my country one way or another. you don't have to be in politics to be involved. >> bolsanaro currently holds a ceremonial leadership role in the country's largest opposition party. he still has significant support from his core base particularly conservatives. police are investigating after the body of a 6-year-old

boy was found in kobe western japan. officials are looking into whether the child's family was involved in the death. sources say the body was found thursday in a suitcase near the home. the boy's mother, uncle, and two aunts were already being questioned by investigators. they were arrested on suspicion of assaulting the boy's grandmother and confining her in her house. she reportedly escaped and was found late tuesday night. information from the boy's mother reportedly led to the discovery of the suitcase. investigators say an autopsy will determine the cause of death. rescue crews searching for a submersible that disappeared in the north atlantic have made what appears to be a grim discovery. they've found a field of debris in the area where the sub went missing. the u.s. coast guard says all five people onboard are presumed

dead. search teams have been looking for the submersible since it went missing on sunday. the sub had setout on a tour of the ruins of the titanic. u.s. coast guard officials say a canadian remotely operated vehicle found the debris on the ocean floor, and they spotted five major pieces they believe are from the sub. >> the debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. upon this determination we immediately notified the families. >> he says the sub suffered an implosion and the banging noises heard by the search teams tuesday and wednesday were unrelated. he says the crews will continue their operations, and he says experts are still working to come up with a more complete time line of the event.

a fashion show with a difference recently unfolded in japan featuring children with disabilities as runway models. the special event held in a region north of tokyo gave participants an opportunity to shine bright and follow their dreams. nhk world's suji satoshi reports. >> reporter: this fashion show recently took place in guma prefecture, and the models were children with disabilities. it was organized by model -- she was born with a disease that makes it difficult for her to walk. >> translator: i used to be embarrassed about my disability. i hated people even looking at

me. >> reporter: however, after encouragement from her family, she made a brave move and posted a social media video showing her whole body. it was an instant hit as were photos and videos she went onto post. >> translator: it has helped me accept that the way i walk reflects my individuality. >> reporter: she now has over 100,000 instagram followers. >> translator: as you can expect, having a disability sometimes means you limit yourself, so i want to say that you can remove those limitations and dream bigger. >> reporter: among those called

for models for the fashion show is a middle school student who loves fashion, but it's often hard to wear clothing she likes. >> translator: if there's a nice picture on the front, it's often hidden by the belt of my wheelchair. images on the back are also hard to see. i want to wear my favorite fashion styles. i'm looking forward to seeing how i look. >> reporter: before the event, she was anxious about doing something wrong. there were many people in the audience, but she appeared with style and confidence. the show ended with huge

applause. >> translator: i was worried i would make a mistake, but it was fun. >> reporter: the experience was deeply inspiring for her and now dreams of becoming an influencer. >> translator: i realize i can do many things while sitting in a wheelchair. now i want to dress up even more. >> translator: i'm very happy this fashion show helped wake up the models dreams. ultimately i want to end the stereotypical idea that people with disabilities are unfashionable. >> reporter: she's positive about shifting society's perses so that fashion can be enjoyed by everyone. nhk world. it's time now for a check on world weather with our meteorologist jonathan oh.

some people in colorado were hit with severe storms while being outdoors. jonathan has the details. >> hello. over the past few days we've been monitoring these continued waves of strong thunderstorms developing over the rockies and into the center and upper plains. and as these storms develop, some of them became severe. in one part of colorado you see those clouds popping up, ending up leading to some hail in the middle of a concert. take a look at this video coming out of colorado. concert goers at the red rock's amphitheater in morrison were pelted by large hail wednesday as severe storms rolled through the area. in the midst of lightening and thunder as performers were without any protection from the elements, several people were transported to the hospitals with nonlife threatening injuries with more than 80 people treated on the scene. here's the thing, though, there have been warnings all throughout the day about the possibility of seeing tennis ball sized hail in the area, and so definitely it was something

that was to be expected. and we are looking at more of these strong potentially severe thunderstorms as we go into friday. and so we have this cold front that's going to be rolling on through, and so be on the lookout especially those located to the dakotas, nebraska, colorado, and wyoming as we go throughout the day friday as we will see more of these storms try to pop up into the area. east coast looking at thunderstorms and down to new york, atlanta, and miami as we go throughout the cay on friday. meanwhile in europe we had some strong thunderstorms in germany as a cold front pushed on through, and we're still looking at thunderstorms for places like berlin with a high of 21, warsaw at 27. 33 for madrid and lisbon. across japan a bit of a cooler day. tokyo only making it up into what we would typically see in the month of may. but we are going to see temperatures moving on up as we see warmer air pushing on in. tokyo looking at highs into the upper 20s as you go through the

weekend, and as you see rains pushing back in, western areas looking at rain by sunday and monday. hope you have a good day wherever you are.

that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. thanks for watching and do stay with us for more. this is "newsline biz." i'm gene otani. consumer prices continue to rise in japan in may, but the pace of increase slowed as some people saw lower electricity and gas bills. the amternal affairs ministry

said the index including fresh food rose 2% from a year earlier. the figure was down slightly from the previous month. it's the first time that has happened in three months. this came after electricity rates dropped due to government subsidies and overall energy costs stabilized. electricity prices fell 17.1%. meanwhile most food prices rose. the figure excluding fresh items increased by over 9% from a year earlier. that's the biggest jump in about 47 years. cooked items gained by over 9%, and the cost of dining out was up more than 6%. egg prices soared by more than a third, and chocolate lovers should take note, the cost was up by more than 14%. it seems more companies in japan are feeling confident enough to pass on higher running costs to their customer. a restaurant chain operates more

than 90 outlets in and around tokyo. it raised some menu prices by 10 to 30% in may to deal with the surging costs of ingredients, energy, and transportation. it's also trying to set aside funds to increase wages. there was already a price hike last september. >> translator: i think higher sushi prices are unavoidable because food is getting more expensive overall. >> translator: customers notice increases in menu price. they feel our items cost more. in response, it is important for us to offer good quality sushi that people feel is worth what they are paying. >> the operator says the impact of last month's increase was limited. it says the number of customers visiting its restaurants was almost a same as a year earlier, and average spending per customer grew year on year.

the company hopes offering high quality products and service will be enough to convince customers to accept the price hikes. japanese auto maker honda motor says it's raising prices further amid surging material costs. the company said friday its six main models in the domestic market will be marked up by 2% to 4% starting on july 27th. honda previously increased prices for three models including a minivan in april. the company has cited rising steel and logistics expenses. japanese car makers historically have coped with higher costs by pushing up prices for new models. more recently they are boosting prices for vehicles already in the market. three japanese book sellers say they're forming a joint company to raise efficiency amid a continued decline in the number of shops.

they plan to jointly purchase and distribute products through a new entity beginning this autumn. the book sellers will share sales data and use an order system based on a.i. generated demand projections under the new company. the three combined have almost 1,000 bookstores around the country. a think tank of publications says the number of physical bookstores in japan has halved over the past 20 years. the companies say they want to use the benefits they get from managerial streamlining and make more attractive bookstores. next, nhk world's yanaka marie is here with biz picks. >> every friday we bring you the latest in business with biz picks. first, a wrap of the markets this week. the nikkei average closed at

32,781 on friday. for the week, the bench mark lost 2.7%, ending its 10-week winning streak, which was the longest in a decade. profit taking weighed on tokyo stocks throughout the week. prospects for further rate hikes by major central banks overseas further pulled down shares on friday. this also made the yen hit its weakest in seven months against the dollar during tokyo trading hours. next, a look at the week ahead. on wednesday central bank governors from the u.k., europe, the u.s., and the japan meet in portugal. markets are closely watching how they view the current situation as their policies are becoming increasingly divergent with the ecb and the doe implementing rate hikes, the fed pausing on raising rates, and the boj maintaining its ultra-loose

policy. on thursday japan and south korea resume financial dialogue in tokyo for the first time in about seven years. and on friday chinese officials are set to release their gauge for manufacturing and nonmanufacturing activities, which have deteriorated in recent months. so our featured biz pick this week is the outlook for china's economy. an increasing amount of data points to china's sluggish recovery from the pandemic. in a sign that officials are ill at ease with the economy, the nation's central bank on tuesday cut its key policy rate for the first time in ten months. saito naoto at diwa institute says consumption is equally worrisome for china. >> translator: with the country making a u-turn for a zero-covid

policy, hopes were high for spending but this has fallen short of expectations. even the restaurant sector which was doing well in april is running out of steam with a recent wave of coronavirus cases. >> saito notes that young people are cut back on spending as so many of them don't have a job. the unemployment rate among urban youth hit a record high last month. so how should china address the situation? saito says the government has long given preferential treatment to state owned enterprises but that beijing will now need to shore up businesses in the private sector, too. >> translator: in china private enterprises play a big role in employment. over 80 per% of the entire mark. robust support for this sector is vital. if the government comes through, the economy will start to fully recover. but if it doesn't, hopes of

recovery will wither away. >> saito expects the government to soon announce its stimulus plan in addition to the latest interest rate cut. he says how strongly beijing supports the private sector will be key to determining its effectiveness. i'm yanaka marie, and that was this week's biz picks. the northern japanese apple orchard is looking to draw international tourists based in part on rising overseas demand for the fruit. the farm in aomori prefecture is offering tours that lets visitors take part in harvesting the fruit. it began promoting such events to foreigners through tourism websites in april. a family from singapore came to

the farm to experience the work of thinning apples on trees. they learned how removing some of them improves the size and quality of the remaining fruit. >> it was quite good to like touch the leaves and the process just to have one single apple throughout the year. >> japan exported more than 38,000 tons of apples between september last year and april this year. that's the largest since the data was first reported in 1988. the total value came to about 19 billion yen or over $130 million, which is also a record. let's have a look at the markets.

and from the

>> on al jazeera. tom: zimbabweans will have their say in a general election in august. their economy is in bad shape, millions are struggling to survive. so what are the promises being made by the two main candidates, and will they deliver? this is "inside story." ♪ hello. welcome to the program. i'm tom mcrae. unemployment, poverty, and a stagnant economy are a few of the core issues facing zimbabweanen