hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. we begin in japan where people across the country are preparing for potential disaster. friday marks 100 years since tokyo and its surrounding areas were devastated by the great kanto earthquake. the anniversary is now used as a chance to hold drills to prevent

tragedy. on september 1, 1923, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake tremor struck. more than 105,000 people were left dead or missing. in 1960 the government designated the anniversary as disaster prevention day. this year the government held exercises based on a scenario of a magnitude 7.3 quake hitting central tokyo causing heavy shaking in surrounding regions. officials setup an emergency disaster response headquarters for the drill to assess the extent of damage and response. prime minister kishida fumio then flew to neighboring kanagawa prefecture. he inspected a joint disaster drill conducted by four prefectures and five major cities. >> translator: it is very important to be well-prepared for emergencies on a regular

basis and to carry out practical disaster prevention drills. meanwhile, elementary school students in chiba prefecture learned how to protect themselves. soon after the siren echoed across the city of tatayama, a teacher instructed students to drop, cover, and hold on. >> translator: i want to be able to act appropriately. >> amid the many high rise buildings in tokyo about 1,000 people took part in the joint drills conducted by the tokyo metropolitan police and fire department and a real estate company. the great kanto earthquake presents us with a challenge how to create lessons learned from the disaster.

tsunami hit coastal areas near tokyo. experts have reproduced the tsunami as a computer graphic or cg using data from the great kanto quake. it offers an extraordinary look at the power of that seismic event. >> reporter: a tsunami expert created the cg tsunami generated by the earthquake a century ago. >> translator: records of a natural disaster that happened a hundred years ago are often sketchy. i hope the cg i created will help people in coastal communities realize they may face a greater than expected threat from tsunami. >> reporter: the red parts indicate areas hit more than 3 meters high, some parts recorded more than 12 meters high. he was surprised to find how soon after the earthquake the tsunami reached kamakura. sea levels started rising just six minutes after the earthquake, and five minutes

later a tsunami more than 4 meters high hit the area. other tsunamis followed. the death toll from it tsunami in kamakura is said to be over 100. >> translator: the reenactment shows the need to evacuate people much more quickly than previously thought. >> reporter: the number of tourists, including foreign visitors in kamakura city, makes it challenging to come up with an effective evacuation plan. >> translator: kamakura has a lot of tourists who may not be able to find their way to an evacuation center. >> reporter: narita, a post graduate student came up with the concept of a large balloon mounted on a tsunami evacuation center to help point the way to safety. >> translator: my idea is to put up the balloon as soon as an earthquake hits to let everyone know where they should evacuate to before a tsunami arrives.

>> translator: history shows that many people in kamakura died in the tsunami. we must come up with ways to help everyone evacuate to higher ground using new technologies to help. >> reporter: experts say there are lessons to be learned from the false rumors spread during the disaster. the great cannoty earthquake triggered groundless rumors such as some ethnic koreans had poisoned wells. a number of them in the area at the time were killed. fake information has also circulated during recent disasters. during a typhoon in september of last year images of flood damage in shizuoka prefecture were spread on social media, but in fact they were fake images made with a generative a.i. >> translator: it was the same 100 years ago as it is today. many people become worried when they face a major disaster. when people have a common state of mind, there are verbal gaps and confusion. if you can't make a decision,

you shouldn't tell others. >> reporter: the japanese government estimates there is a 70% possibility of a major earthquake as powerful as the great kanto earthquake striking the capitol within the next 30 years. fishing boats from fukushima prefecture set off for their first trawl of the season frfrid. they may have to rely on new customers after china halted imports of their products. it's a response to the release of treated and diluted water from the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant into the ocean. trawling season reopened after annual two-month ban to sustain japan's marine resources. the boats returned around noon hauling monk fish and ocps caught in waters after fukushima. >> translator: we've had good

and bad trawl fishing seasons. i'm hoping this will be a good one. >> the trawl comes after testing from japan's fishing ministry found tritium concentrations were below detectable levels in fish caught near the plant. the plant suffered a melt down in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. water used to cool molten fuel there has been mixing with ground and rainwater. water accumulating at the fukushima daiichi plant is treated to remove most radioactive substances but still contains tritium. before it's released into the ocean the water is diluted to reduce tritium levels to about one seventh of the world health organization's guidelines for drinking water. despite the data china has reacted strongly to the release. it's sus spended all imports of jan these seafood costing japan's fishing industry its biggest customer. japan's government is

working on a support package for the country's fishery businesses, and the industry minister has hinted that more assistance is likely on the way. nishimura says two funds have already been earmarked to deal with reputational damage and other impact from the water release. the total budget so far is $550 million. >> translator: the government are looking into whether those funds are sufficient to cover other necessary measures. we'll steadily work with the fishery agency to offer the needed support. >> he said the government has already received feedback and proposals related to the water release. he added that it'll speedily provide subsidies to affected businesses and is looking for ways to use the funds more flexibly. immigration officials say more and more people are coming to japan for work.

they say the number of foreign residents with specified skills has doubled since last year. more than 173,000 foreign nationals with that status were employed in japan as of the end of june. the category includes people with a certain level of expertise and skills in a number of specified fields. vietnam accounts for more than half of the total number of foreign workers with specified skilled status in japan. the second largest group comes from indonesia followed by the philippines. the food and beverage industries are the biggest employers of skilled workers from other countries. they're followed by industry machinery, electronics and information technology manufacturers. nursing facilities employ the third highest number. the immigration services agency says the surge in skilled foreign workers is tied to japan's decision to lift covid-19-related entry

restrictions. when a parent dies it's often left to the children to carry on their legacy, but what happens when you find a family secret they wanted to hide? nhk world's ueno yamato has this story. >> reporter: yamamoto ise lost his father 18 years ago. during the pandemic he spent time sorting through his father's belongings. then this silk scarf caught his eye. >> translator: kamikaze unit second lieutenant yamamoto takuro. >> reporter: these scarves were worn by kamikaze pilots who were sent to fight using suicide attacks. but his father said he didn't

fight in the war. >> translator: he was almost 60 years old when he finally got his driver's license. i can't imagine him flying a plane. >> reporter: issei found his father's old work history. it said he was in the army's flight academy in 1943, but it didn't say anything about the war. why did his father hide his past? yamamoto needed to know the truth. he started looking online. he found out takuho was quickly trained to be a kamikaze pilot. after some digging he learned he

stayed at this temple for a month near the end of the war. pilots would wait here for their mission. records show 53 young men flew from the temple to the battlefield. the monks had kept this picture of his father. they also gave issei what was supposed to be takuro's suicide note. he wrote he would follow his comrades while believing in those who would come after him. takuro was just 23 years old at the time. >> translator: if i really

thought that because everyone else had done it, he could too, that was probably his mind-set. >> reporter: instead takuro survived. he got married and worked as a public servant after the war. issei's mother, yoko, died last april. she left behind a diary with hundreds of pages about her life. after reading it, issei discovered takuro watched a friend die during a flight training exercise. the war ended the very next day. she wrote that after takuro wandered through mountain and fields looking for a place to die. issei believes his father never talked about being a pilot because he felt guilty for being alive.

>> translator: but my father chose to survive. because of that i am here. when war breaks out people are often asked to give their lives for their country. i hope all of us alive today will try to keep that from happening again. >> reporter: now issei can remember his father not only as a kamikaze pilot but as a man who chose life. ueno yamato, nhk world.

now it's time for a check on the weather. typhoon season is in full swing in east asia. our meteorologist has the details about the storms in the western pacific. >> yes, we can now see many tropical disturbances in the pacific. we especially have to monitor three named systems over the weekend. powerful typhoon saola is now targeting southern china including hong kong and has already started to bring heavy downpours. an additional 500 millimeters of rainfall in just two days, and gusts up to 200 kilometers per hour are expected, so please be prepared for severe flooding and long lasting power cuts. another system is likely to move through southern okinawa saturday and then move through northern taiwan on sunday.

officials are asking people to stay in lower places as much as they can. we have to watch out for another system approaching ogasawara from sunday to monday. it will move through western japan as a tropical depression. on saturday thunder showers are possible in hong kong and taipei. tokyo will see sunny skies with a high of 35. finally in india, people in the north east are dealing with heavy downpours. we have some video. india's north eastern state was hit by continuous torrential rain. major rivers in the state have swallowed much agricultural land. local media reported 100 villages have been affected by the flood waters, forcing them to move to higher grounds. so southern india nou parts of

sri lanka will be affected by wet weather, too. that's all for me. stay safe. and 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. the owner of japanese department store chain sogo and seibu said it completed the sale of the investment fund on friday. seven & i holdings says it expects the final price to be around $580,000.

that is much less partly because of outstanding debts. the flagship store reopened on friday after being closed on thursday due to a one day protest strike by the labor union. >> translator: if the shopping becomes easier, i'd like to keep coming in the future. >> translator: i think it's just natural to guarantee the jobs of the employees. i'd like the store to remain here because i've been living here for many years, and i'm quite familiar with it. >> the buyer of sogo and seibu is u.s. based fund fortress investment group. many are wondering how the company will rebuild its business and keep workers employed. seven & i decided last november to sell the store. seven & i held a board meeting the same day to finalize the

deal. fortress says it'll do its best to keep the business going and provide support to as many jobs as possible. partnering with the fortress owner of a chain of electronic stores. it plans to setup outlets in three of the department store's locations. there are ten sogo and seibu stores around the country. the fate of those and in rural areas is in question. the fate of chip maker rapidus has made a groundbreaking ceremony. it hopes to start production of advance chips in four years. the ceremony was attended by rapidus president, the industry minister and hokkaido governor suzuki. the company aims to manufacture chips that are 2 nanometers are smaller.

that's a size no auto maker in the world has commercialized. a prototype production line is scheduled to be completed by 2025. full-scale productions should start around 2027. the government has committed around 330 billion yen or about $2.3 billion to the project. rapidusu was jointly established last year by a japanese firm including toyota motor, sony group, and mtt. it aims to create semiconductors crucial for high-speed processing for big data in the fields of automated driving and artificial intelligence. japanese insurance companies that work with the used car chain big motor have submitted reports to the financial services agency. allegations against the car dealer have prompted a wider investigation. the agency is focusing on sommo japan which is a major general

insurance company. allegations that big motor was filing fraudulent insurance claims prompted insurers to cut ties, but only sompo japan resumed dealings, even encouraging its policyholders to use big motor repair shops. according to sources the president attended a board meeting in july last year when he was aware of possible fraud, but sources say he worried about worsening relations with big motor and recommended a return to the partnership. the agency will investigate whether decisions by shirakawa and the management were appropriate and will look into communications between the two companies. it'll also probe corporate governments sat sompo japan and its firm. a government survey founds capital investment for japanese companies rose for the third straight quarter in the april to june period. the increase was due to both

manufacturers and the nonmanufacturing sector. the finance ministry says capital investment by firms outside the financial and insurance sectors grew 4.5% in the latest quarter year on year. the total came to just over 11 trillion yen or about $76 billion. the quarterly survey covered more than 20,000 companies with equity capital of at least -- non-manufacturers also increased investments by 4.4% led by construction logistic facilities and retail outlets. ministry officials say the latest figures appear to indicate that the economy is moving toward recovery. next, nhk world's john ladue 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 32,710 on friday, september 1st. for the week the bench mark gained about 3.4% after rising for a fifth straight day. weak u.s. jobs data gave traders hope that the fed may pause rate hikes. that boosted stocks in both new york and tokyo. next, let's take a look at the week ahead. on tuesday the iaa mobility 2023 show will open in munich. here's a look at the event for our featured biz pick. one of the world's biggest motor events has transformed into a mobility show that also features alternative forms of transportation. electric vehicles, autonomous cars, e-bikes, and e-scooters

are all showcased at the event, and participants can test drive the vehicles in the heart of munich. the show happens every two years and is focusing on mobility for the second time. the theme coincides with the industry's global shift to electric vehicles. annalist at automotive market research firm had this to say about the show. >> translator: i think the show's key point is how it will present the image of future mobility systems aimed at achieving a zero carbon society through cooperation with consumers and municipalities. >> i.t. firms, software companies, and various startups are also set to participate in the event. miao says a major sense of crisis in the auto industry is behind the change. >> translator: first of all, the auto industry is undergoing once in a century changes represented

by so-called case connectivity, autonomous sharing and lecktrication. car makers are facing challenges that cannot be overcome with conventional organizational structures or efforts. secondary, the industry particularly in europe is under pressure to take extra efforts to stop global warming. criticism on lawmakers that don't make much efforts are becoming more severe. >> the eu has set a target that would effectively ban sales of new cars that emit carbon dioxide from 2035. during officials won exemption for certain types of autos that use synthetic fuels they say are carbon neutral. with all the changes in the auto industry, the visions for sustainable transportation presented at the iaa mobility are well worth watching. i'm john ladue, and that was this week's biz picks.

all right, let's have a look at the markets.

and from the "newsline biz" team in tokyo, i'm gene otani. thanks very much for being with us.

>> can an initiative by algeria and the crisis in niger? they are proposing a six-month transition period, while other countries are threatening to leaders with military intervention. how much leverage just algeria have to push this forward? this is "inside story". ♪ mohammed: welcome to the program. the political crisis in niger