welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm morishita rika in tokyo. the death toll continues to rise more than a week after wildfires ravaged the hawaiian island of maui. the state's governor says four more people have been confirmed dead, hundreds still remain missing. >> 110 individuals have been confirmed deceased. we'll get some details about

this from our distinguished leaders and police and fire. 38% of the territory has been covered. >> the flames has destroyed 8.8 million square meters in the resort town of lahaina. authorities have allowed residents to return to some areas, but they kept down town off-limits. >> i've always called this home no matter how far i've been away from this place. it always draws me back to it. >> the authorities are still trying to determine what caused the fires to ignite and to spread so quickly. some point to types of grass grown on the island to feed cattle. >> they've been introduced over the past 100 years or so to other places and they're highly with fire and easily ignitable. and when they do burn, they burn incredibly fast, incredibly hot.

>> president joe biden has promised the government's full support in recovery efforts. he'll travel to maui on monday to meet with survivors and first responders. prosecutors in the u.s. state of georgia are seeking a march 4th trial date in the election interference case against former president donald trump. georgia prosecutors are also proposing that arraignments for the defendants take place the week of september 5th. on monday a grand jury indicted trump and 18 others including his former attorney rudy giuliani for allegedly trying to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election result. the trial start date requested by prosecutors is one day before super tuesday. it's a key day in the u.s. presidential primaries when many states hold their primaries or

caucuses. trump is running in the 2024 race. the former u.s. president has now been indicted four times. he has called the charges against him election interference and political persecution. the timing of the trial will be decided by the judge overseeing the case. the world trade organization has ruled against china's duties on u.s. imports. the international body says that beijing acted inconsistently with wto abigations. the wto's dispute panel announced its findings in a report on wednesday. it addressed beijing's additional tariffs on american imports, which were in response to washington'suties on steel and aluminum. china's commerce ministry said in a statement that it is

studying the report. the ministry also justified the chinese measures and criticized the u.s. demanding that it immediately lift the tariffs. things administration of former u.s. president donald trump imposed a 25% duty on steel imports and a 10% duty on aluminum imports from china in 2018. china then imposed duties on a wide range of imports from the u.s. including pork, fruits, and scrap metal. the wto ruled last december that the u.s. move had violated wto rules, but the administration of president joe biden has kept the metal tariffs in place. the office of the u.s. trade representative welcomed the latest wto report. it said that the united states is pleased with the outcome. it added that issues of national

security cannot be reviewed in wto dispute settlement. a popular south korean dj who performed in japan last weekend says she was sexually harassed. she said some people at the event touched her breasts. dj soda performed sunday at the music festival in the western city of osaka. the next day she said on social media that the incident had happened when she approaches fans. she said she had pretended to be okay at the time, but that she was still so scared, her hands were shaking. the event organizers issued a statement describing what had happened and sexual violence is

a despicable crime. they say they plan to identify the people responsible and take legal action both civil and criminal. some people on social media suggested dj soda had been to blame for wearing skimpy clothes. south korean media describe those comments as secondary damage to the victim. dj soda later posted that no matter what she wears, there's no justification for sexual harassment and assault. she said she's free to wear what she likes and that her body is her own. the united nation's information center in tokyo also took to social media on the day dj soda posted her message about what had happened. they urged people to stop blaming victims of sexual assault and said it doesn't matter what they were wearing. the post also said victims should not be subjected to secondary damage.

a team of u.s. doctors says a genetically modified pig kidne ki kidney transplanted into a brain dead man has worked normally for more than a month. >> it immediately started making urine which is an extraordinary thing. >> the team led by surgeons at new york university released the findings on wednesday. they said it marks the longest time that a gene edited pig kidney has functioned in a human. the surgeons transplanted the organ into the 57-year-old recipient in july with the consent of his family. the organ was genetically engineered to prevent rejection after transplantation. it is the third time that the team has transplanted a gene edited pig kidney into a human. the team says it will continue to monitor the kidney's

performance. last year doctors in the united states carried out the world's first transplant of a genetically modified pig heart into a man with cardiac disease. he survived for about two months. japan has agreed to fund a u.n. project to build facilities to recycle rubble from the devastating earthquakes that struck turkey in february. the japanese ambassador to turkey and the united nations development programs turkey resident representative signed the agreement on wednesday. japanese embassy officials said tokyo will provide 700 million yen or about $4.8 million in grant aid for the project in the coming year. they'll build two facilities to

remove asbestos from the rubble and recycle it into construction materials. the quake claimed the lives of almost 51,000 people and destroyed more than 300,000 buildings in southern turkey. workers are still demolishing and clearing away damaged buildings. >> it's japan that has been through this experience recently and has come up with a success story of 81% recycled in the earthquake and tsunami. >> translator: i aim to make full use of japan's experience and help reduce the damage caused by the disaster as much as possible. >> the u.n. dp estimated the disaster generated more than 200 million tons of debris. that is more than six times the amount caused by the earthquake and tsunami that struck eastern japan in 2011.

in japan festivals have returned after the coronavirus pandemic. this includes the samba festival, a celebration of the brazilian art form taking place in kobe city. we're brought the story of a dancer. >> reporter: kobe is a sister city to rio dejaneiro. she's a dancer. as a member of a renowned samba

team -- >> translator: kobe feels like my city. today's a really special day for me. >> reporter: santiago grew up in a favela as rio shantytowns are known. she debuted as a professional dancer at the age of 18 aiming to buy her parents a house. at 23 she arrived in kobe seeking a better income from samba. >> translator: kobe and rightrio de janeiro are similar. >> a year after arriving in kobe santiago experienced a tremor larger than anything she'd felt before. after the quake her fellow dancers returned to brazil one by one, but santiago decided to

stay in kobe. >> translator: i felt the world was ending because i had never experienced an earthquake in brazil. i couldn't leave kobe in its time of need. i wanted to do what i could to help. >> reporter: santiago wanted to use samba to make kobe residents smile again. to give the parade a boost, she began teaching authentic samba moves at the western bar she runs. over the years her dance work grew to over 100 people. but when the pandemic hit, the festival was canceled. as soon as she heard the festival would be held in kobe for the first time in four years, santiago launched into her preparation for the parade. she also threw herself into bringing up the level of her dance group's performance. >> translator: everyone suffers

so much these past four years, so i want to make it the best kobe festival ever. >> reporter: santiago is wearing a special outfit on the day of the parade. >> translator: i'm wearing a rainbow colored outfit because i'm happy and my feelings are sparkling. >> translator: the parade cheered me up. >> translator: i'm glad the festival finally returned. >> translator: we released all the energy built-up over four years. i'll continue dancing for the next 10, 20, 30 years.

>> reporter: with her team's high energy dancing, santiago has got the residents of kobe smiling again. nhk world, kobe. those were the main stories for this hour.

that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm morishita rika in tokyo. thanks for watching on nhk world japan. ♪ hi. i'm shaula vogue. on this special edition of "biz stream," we'll be featuring some of the most interesting businesses we've covered in our signature "on-site" reports. our commentator today is media consultant jonathan soble, formerly a financial consultant with "the new york times" and financial times. all right, let's take a look at today's stories. >> equipped with incredible strength and protective armor,

this massive robot can take on tasks that would be challenging or dangerous for humans. and this little box shaped robot can handle the mutoninous yet important job of securing rebar with wire. today's on site report shows how robots are being used to increase efficiency and safety at work sites across japan. >> so today we're talking about robots and how they're starting to have a positive impact on work sites across japan. so, as you take a look at this graph behind me, the number of construction workers in japan has been on the decline since 2001. you can see here it's dropped significantly from 6.3 million to below 5 million in 2020. so jonathan, what do you make of this? >> the workforce in japan is shrinking and it's also aging. so even the workers that companies can find to do these jobs aren't as young as they were in earlier eras, so they

need the help with the robots, so it's really changing not just construction work but farming, elder care, all kinds of manual labor. >> definitely. well, the first work site we visited is using a robot to take on a tedious yet important task, tying rebar. >> this tiny, automated robot works its way across a construction site. it's mastered the mundane task of securing rebar with wire. half of the work in installing rebar the involves securing the bars by tying them together. usually this task is done by skilled workers requiring them to bend down and apply each wire by hand. this ensures structural integrity by holding rebar in place when the concrete is poured. the robot was developed by -- having done lots of rebar

installation work himself, he felt there had to be a way to increase efficiency and eliminate six-day workweeks. >> i hated tying rebar more than anything. i thought it was ridiculous that highly skilled workers had to do something so monotonous. i have two children, and i was hardly able to attend any of their school events. even now most construction workers usually only have sundays off, so i really wanted to try and change that. >> in 2017 he partnered with an electronics manufacturer and began the research and development process. the initial design had four-wheels that ran across two rows of rebar. however, the weight of the 60 kilogram robot caused the rebar to flex and often led to derailments. the solution, add another set of wheels that allow the robot to distribute its weight over three rows of rebar as well as

improving its balance. for applying the wire ties, they selected a commercially available power tool. by attaching one to both sides of the robot, they were able to drastically increase efficiency. the robot uses a magnetic sensor wheel attached to its undercarriage to identify points. when it's forced upwards the robot knows it's in the right position to apply the wire ties. the robot is 30% faster than an experienced construction worker and can complete 10,000 ties in just eight hours. it was made available for sale in 2020 at a price of about $20,000. including rentals, currently 100 units are in use at construction sites across japan.

such as at this location where one was being used on a civil engineering project. by adding just one robot, the project required seven workers instead of nine. despite the reduction in man power, the ability to focus their attention on other work, allowed the crew to have two days off every week. >> i think innovative changes like the introduction of this robot are going to play a key role as we try to create an industry where construction workers can have eight days off a month. >> construction is the ultimate form of manufacturing. it requires precise calculations and highly skilled workers. looking forward, we hope to have robots do all of the hard work, so hopefully that will encourage more people to join our

industry. >> and definitely a cute little robot, but i had no idea that tying rebar was such a tedious task, not to mention these are highly skilled workers having to do this repetitive task over and over again. >> yeah, you know, there's a lot of debate about automation of all kinds across all kinds of industries, and it generally boils down to our robots stealing our jobs or they're complementing them. and i think it's a complex debate, and i think depending on the task and industry the answer might be different, but it seems like one of those areas where the complement side makes a lot of sense, right? it means it's freeing up workers with a lot of skills and a lot of time in a way being wasted on repetitive tasks so they can do other things that requires a more human touch. >> we saw the owner of the company say he wanted to spend more time with his family. do you think with more of these robots coming into the workforce that that's actually going to happen? >> in thetheory, sure.

the time we spend at work depends on our office culture, our job culture, on who's reaping the benefits of automation, right, so it's not just a technological question. it's a political question. it's a social question. it's a legal question. but, you know, certainly potential. i would hope for their sake. >> i hope so, too. construction isn't the only field with dangerous or manual labor. the next robot was designed to put armor plated on the line in place of humans. >> clad in armor this massive humanoid robot cuts an imposing figure, even more so when you realize when in use its body is attached to the end of a crane. but not to worry the robot is controlled by a skilled operator who uses it to complete difficult tasks in hard to reach locations.

the powerful bot was designed and built by this robotics expert. he felt compelled to create human helping robots after the great tsunami and earthquake in 2011. >> i realized i hadn't contributed anything. initially robots weren't of any use of dealing with the situation in fukushima. as a researcher i felt extremely frustrated and embarrassed. that's when i decided to start my own private company instead of working at a university so i could create robots that would actually be of use to people in the real world. >> dr. kanaoka decided rather than focusing on a robot designed specifically for disaster response, it would be better to focus on versatility and setout to create a robot that could be used for performing a wide range of

tasks. he felt that if the robot became commercially successful, broad adoption would make him easily deployable for assistance in times of emergency. a combination of motion based controls that are hard wired directly to the robot's head and arms allow for precise and intuitive movement. the operator uses pressure sensitive triggers to apply grip force, which allows the robot to gently pick up an egg without cracking its shell or deliver a powerful vice-like grip that far exceeds the power any human is capable of. >> if we succeed in building robots that can be used easily by almost anyone, then humans won't have to do dangerous manual labor anymore. >> one of japan's major railway companies recognized the potential in dr. kanaoka's

research and partnered with him in development of the robot. repair work in the railroad industry can be extremely hazardous averaging over 200 accidents per year. >> this type of work often requires going up to high places and working on or near high-voltage power lines, putting our staff at risk of electrocution and dangerous falls. >> they hope the robot would be able to perform tasks in these dangerous environments that up until now could only be done by human employees. during tests conducted in 2022 a 20 kilogram component designed for supporting high-voltage power lines was lifted to a height of 9 meters and successfully brought into position for insulation. the rail company begins to hope using the robot for a variety of actual tasks in the spring of 2024 including applying fresh paint to aging parts and components. >> improving safety is the biggest and most pressing issue for the railroad industry, so i think adding some robot tech will really help us to change

its image. >> the manufacturer is now testing the robot for traffic light installation and other types of challenging infrastructure maintenance such as checking the walls and ceilings of tunnels to ensure structural integrity. >> broad adoption of technology like this that allows us to do work with speed and strength far beyond what ordinary humans are capable of will not only allow us to better respond to disasters and other emergencies, it will also lead to drastically reducing the amount of heavy labor we have to do. >> well, compared to the first robot definitely more terminator-like, but very cool looking. i can imagine a lot of young people lining up to become robot operators looking at something like this. >> you think they'll be disappointed when they learn the job isn't fighting alien monsters like anime. >> well, you never know in the

future. >> i think the doctor made a good point when he said fukushima was a wake up call. japan has automated manufacturing. when it came to unpredictable environments and multi-use applications of robots, it really highlights how far the industry had to go, so maybe this shows a bit they are making steps now in that direction. >> right. and, you know, today we looked at two totally different types of robots, and i think a lot of people when they think of japan, they think there's going to be robots all over the streets, but that's not really the case. they are still a little bit uncommon. what kind of role do you think robots are going to play in the future in japan? >> again, in places you don't nomally see, factories the world is automated. i think when it comes to practical applications, that's where we we've seen things move so far, but now i think it's finally starting to expand beyond the factory to places that are more visible i think to

the public, job sites, that kind of thing. so i think that's in a way the next frontier for robotics in japan and elsewhere as well. >> yeah, i'll be interested today see what happens. jonathan, thank you for joining us. i'm shaula vogue, and this is "biz stream. boats unfit

to sail such a long journey. adrian: more trouble for donald trump, charged under georgia's racketeering laws for trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat to joe biden. trump says the latest indictment is rigged. how serious is this for him and his presidential campaign? this is "inside story." ♪ hello. welcome to the program. i'm adrian finighan. he has had three communal indictment