we mentioned suga's offer to help with the regional response earlier. what else is being discussed on that front? >> fighting the coronavirus is obviously high on the agenda and a number of projects are proposed, one is regarding needed medical supplies. there are plans to develop a center for health emergencies which is what suga intends to support. asian governments have pledged about $10 million for the initiative. limiting the economic impact is another major concern. the leaders are focussing on how to resume travel among asean a countries while minimizing the risk of infections. >> and what about the territorial disputes in the south china sea? you know, they've been a recurring theme at the semi-annual summit. any signs of progress there? >> well, officials are once again trying to address how to deal with china's increasingly assertive presence. beijing of course claims almost half of the south china sea and has been building up military facilities there. four asean states have competing claims in that body of water and has become the site of ri

whether prime minister suga can build a warm personal relationship, which actually means that he willay yes to everything to mr. trump. with biden, it's going to be government to government, so it will be in a way more manageable, but less personal. the key issue would be burden-sharing and trade relations, and if possible, environmental policy, which is high on the agenda of prime minister suga. >> thank you very much, professor fujiwara kichi from the university of tokyo. thank you very much for your time. >> thank you. thank you. >>> japan's prime minister suga yoshihide has ruled out new nuclear plans or reactors for its country as it aims to become carb carbon-neutral by 2050. suga responded to questions sunday on the outlook for nuclear power in japan from constitutional democratic party leader edano yukio in the lower committee. >> translator: many of the people who were forced to evacuate after the accident at the fukushima dai-ichi nuclear plan are still inable to go home. it is inconceivable to build a new nuclear plant. >> translator: i've declared that japan would become c

the two discussed security in the region, with biden assuring suga the u.s.s committed to a bilateral trading, which covers the senkaku islands in the east china sea. the talks cover the pact under which both countries are obligated to respond to an armed attack against their territories. >> translator: president-elect biden has told me that he's committed to the application of article v of the japan/u.s. security treaty to the senkaku islands. mr. biden also told me he looks forward to working together to strengthen the japan/u.s. alliance and also move towards peace and stability in the indo-pacific region. >> japan controls the islands. china and taiwan claim them. the japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of japan's territory in terms of history and international law. it says there's no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them. the pair also discussed plans to combat the coronavirus and the importance of tackling climate change. suga plans to visit washington as soon as possible to meet biden in person. now, as biden carries

suga spoke with the crown prince by phone on thursday.e congratulat him on the recent group of 20 summit, chaired by saudi arabia. the crown prince expressed gratitude for japan's cooperation. suga also said japan appreciates saudi efforts to stabilize the international crude oil market. president moon jae-in says close ties with china have helped in tackling the pandemic. he made that remark when he welcomed the chinese foreign minister wang yi. moon says he hopes their countries can develop their strategic partnership by boosting cultural exchanges. wang said they'll survive the difficulties posed by the coronavirus, and continue they marked the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2022. moon and wang agreed their countries will work toward a visit to south korea by president xi jinping. they also affirmed the need to work together to realize a nuclear-free korean peninsula. >>> china's customs authorities say the value of the trade with north korea plummeted in october. the border was closed during the month because of the pand

. >>> tning back to japan, where prime minister suga yoshihide's refusal to appoint six nominees to theountry's top academic body, the science council, is still causing controversy. more than 200 academic societies are now demanding a better explanation for the decision. they released a joint statement on friday. it was signed by the heads of several societies in the humanities and social sciences. >> translator: the government's refusal is suppressing critical discussions that ahe lifeline of the humanities and social sciences. it increases pressure to side with thegovernment's wishes. we cannot overlook the situation. >> another professor said the issue has implications for japanese society as a whole and may cause a chilling effect on freedom of thought, speech, and expression. suga made the decision on the appointments weeks ago, drawing criticism from opposition parties as well as academics. the six nominated scholars are from the humanities and social centses. all have been critical of government policy on matters including national security. >>> the japanese government is set to

he's the first foreign leader to visit tokyo since suga took office.y stressed the need for peace and stability in the indo-pacific region. they say it is becoming more portant to cooperate on defense. >> translator: tonight, japan and australia have reached an agreement on a reciprocal access pact that both countries have been negotiating to bring security and defense cooperation to the next level. >> so today our special strategic partnership became even stronger. in particular, because today we have taken a significant step forward in japan and australia reaching in principle agreement. >> morrison said it's proof of their mutual trust. itomes on the heels of the signing of a massive trade deal, the regional comprehensive economic partnership. both say their countries will play key roles in making the influential economic alliance a success. >>> former u.s. president barack obama released his memoir on tuesday, in which he gave a harsh assessment of japan's political situation when he visited the country after assuming office in 2009. in his account

biden and suga spoke on thursday for about ten minutes. the talks covered the pact under which both countries are obligated to respond to an armed attack against either of them in the territories under the administration of japan. >> translator: president-elect biden has told me that he is committed to the application of article v of the japan/u.s. security treaty to the senkaku islands. mr. biden also told me he looks forward to working together to strengthen the japan/u.s. alliance and also move towards peace and stability in the indo-pacific region. >> japan controls the islands. china and taiwan claim them. the japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of japan's territory in terms of history and international law. it says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them. biden has spoken with a number of leaders since his victory was announced, adding both south korean president moon jae-in and australian prime minister scott morrison to the list on the same day. the president-elect's team says biden and

suga yoshihide is calling for efforts to maintain an economic recovery while preventing the spread ofonavirus. suga told a cabinet meeting on tuesday that the budget should cover additional economic measures based on three major pillars. the first is to prevent a further spread of coronavirus infections. the second is to achieve a virtuous cycle, by shifting the economic structure toward digital reforms and a greener society. and the third is to make japan stronger against disasters. japan's finance minister was more specific about details. >> translator: looking at the current situation, demand is picking up, n only for automobiles but in many other industries, as well. i think the government needs to take this into account and ensure a recovery is led by private demand. >> meanwhile, aso did not mention the expected scale of the budget. >>> a city in brazil is trying to keep economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic to a minimum. it's expanding government subsidies that work with a currency, which can only be used locally. nhk world's rafael nogara has more. >> reporter: this ci

he made tt very clear in his telephone conversation yesterday with prime minister suga. i think he'll make an effort with beijing, as well. although that's not going to be easy. whether there can be diplomacy with north korea, you know, that really depends on kim jong-un. biden indicated he's willing to negotiate, but he's a very experienced leader. biden has been around, and he's not going to get manipulated or fooled the way that his predecessor was in singapore. >> lots to consider here, mr. russell. thank you for being with us. >> my pleasure. >> we'll be keeping an eye on these developments and others in the transition over the coming days and weeks. >>> the united nations says more than 7,000 ethiopians fled the fighting in the northern region to neighboring sudan. the ethiopian prime minister ordered a military offensive against the ethnic forces after they allegedly attacked a government base on november 4th. at least 500 are believed to have died. the international community has been urging abi, a nobel peace prize laureate, to settle the conflict through dialog

the two discussed security in the region, with biden assuring suga the u.s.ted to a bilateral trading, which covers the seu

australia's prime minister, scott morrison, will have talks in tokyo with his japanese counterpart sugaoshihide on tuesday on the first day of a two-day visit. the australian government says morrison plans to discuss their nations' responses to the coronavirus pandemic. they're also expected to conifer on easing travel restrictions between the two countries. the leaders are also likely to discuss how japan's self-defense forces and the australian military can cooperate in joint exercises. australia wants to strengthen economic and security ties with japan amid increasingly strained relations with china, its biggest trading partner. in april morrison suggested that an independent inquiry was needed to identify the origin of the coronavirus. beijing reacted sharply and imposed restrictions on imports of australian meat products. an expert on international relations says the security partnership between australia and japan is becoming very close due to heightening security concerns about china. >> i think they'll be wanting to talk a lot about the current security environment in the indo-p

. >> suga spoke on the sec day of the event, which is being hosted remotely by malaysia. he said japan will work to establish rules on digital trade, including e-commerce. the prime minister said japan will also foster free trade in the region by pushing to expand an agreement between 11 countries from the transpacific partnership. >>> here in japan, a captain is under arrest for allegedly causing a ship to go down while it was bearing sixth graders on a school trip. the japan coast guard received a call for help on thursday after a ship in waters off kagawa prefecture began taking on water. 20 minutes later, it went down, setting 60 people, including children and teachers, adrift. this man used his personal boat to help with the rescue. >> translator: there were people in the sea holding on to flotation devices and waiting to be rescued. >> all passengers and crew were rescued. two students and one other person were taken to hospital with symptoms of hypothermia. japan's transport safety board is looking further into what may have caused the accident. officials suspect t

suga said it is a top priority for his government.t with families weeks after assuming the country's top job. >>> in other news, a unesco panel has recommended japan's traditional architectural techniques will added to the intangible unesco heritage list. japanese traditional building craftsmanship consists of 17 techniques, repairing temples and shrines and weaving. such skills help make structures resistant to earthquakes and typhoon, despite using wood, grasses, and soil. >> translator: the registration is expected to increase awareness of japan's diverse cultural heritage. it's also expected to boost the vitality of local communities. >> unesco's intergovernmental committee will officially decide whether to include japanese a architectural techniques on december 14th at a meeting. >>> shifting to the weather with our meteorologist jonathan oh. we had, once again, another warm day in tokyo. will this be lasting as we head through the rest of the week? >> hello. listen, we're going to be dealing with temperatures in the 20s for the

thomas, the international olympic committee president meeting new japanese prime minister yoshida suga for the 1st time. but is now confident that fans will be able to attend the tokyo games next july. but they could be a catch visit as it may have to get backs, need it in order to protect the japanese people. and i would offer thanks for the japanese people. the i.o.c. will undertake a great effort so that this many as possible off for the olympics, but these events and visitors will arrive here a regulated if by then away clean. every little later backtracked on some of his comments. he said a vaccine is not a requirement, but that he encourages visitors to get one in order to protect the locals. not everyone was pleased to see the president in tokyo. how bad did it? how did these protesters leaving back and no doubt about their feelings towards you, and then takes part in the rising costs of hosting what you want to be call yourself for. i was with me. i think it's only a recent poll show that a majority of japan's public prefer another postponement, or even the complete cancellatio

thomas, the international olympic committee president, meeting new japanese prime minister yoshida suga for the 1st time. but has now confident that fans will be able to attend the tokyo games next july. but they could be a catch visit as it may have to get back. some need it in order to protect the trip . a nice of people and i would offer a spec for the japanese people or the i.o.c. will undertake a great effort so that there's so many as possible off for the olympics. but these events and visitors will arrive vaccinated if by then the way clean is every look back later backtracked on some of his comments. he said a vaccine is not a requirement, but that he encourages visitors to get money in order to protect the locals. not everyone was pleased to see the president in tokyo. i mean these protesters leaving back in no doubt about their feelings towards the end, then pigs, and the rising costs of hosting this world. what you want to speak for yourself for i was with me. i think we're a bit recent poll show that a majority of japan's public prefer another postponement, or even the compl

the international in big committee president meeting new japanese prime minister yoshida suga for the 1st time. but has now confident that fans will be able to attend the tokyo games next july. but they could be a catch visit, as it may have to get back sneed it in order to protect the trip. a nice of people and out of respect for the japanese people or the i.o.c. will undertake a great effort so that there's so many as possible off for the olympics. but these events and visitors will arrive vaccinated if by then a way clean is every look back. later backtracked on some of his comments. he said a vaccine is not a requirement, but that he encourages visitors to get one in order to protect the locals. not everyone was pleased to see the president in tokyo. how bad i mean. these protesters leaving back in no doubt about their feelings towards me, and then takes part in the rising costs of hosting this world. what are your, what is the call yourself for all of this me? i think i speak for a recent poll show that a majority of japan's public prefer another postponement, or even the complet

>> well, rosemary, thomas bach earlier spoke with yoshihide suga and said he's becoming very confident spectators at the olympics next year. ocording to organizers they're going to make a decision on the upper limit of spectators by next spring depending on the covid situation in skpout of japan. here in japan the country is dealing with a third wave of covid cases with infections surpassing 1,000 cases for more than -- for seven consecutive days. now, despite that, the country is moving ahead with preparations. in fact, earlier this month, japan held an international gymnastics event, which is a very critical test for just how ready the country is to hold the olympics next summer. take a listen here. >> japan wants to show the world that it can host the olympics in the middle of a pandemic. 32 gymnasts from japan, the u.s., russia and china plus 2,000 socially distanced fans gathered at the national gymnasium earlier this month in tokyo for one of the first international sporting competitions since the covid-19 pandemic began. it's a glimpse of what tokyo may do for the olympic games

now, prime minister suga has, however, said that japan is on quote maximum alert. said, quote, experts pointed out the risk of infection through group dining. the advice to wear masks in conversation even at dining, please dine quietly be a mask on too starting today. the balancing economic growth with suppression of covid infections and if you compare japan to other countries in east asia, japan has taken a relatively relaxed approach to covid-19. despite that, japan has managed to avoid the explosion of cases we have seen in other parts of the world like the u.s. and western europe. at the same time, hospitals here in japan have not yet been pushed to capacity. total deaths are under 2,000, reported deaths, as well as confirmed infections are just over 120,000. i have spoken to infectious disease experts here who are very critical as what they see as the prioritization of boosting the economy, juicing domestic tourism with the subsidies to encourage people to travel within the country. some experts blame this domestic tourism campaign, partially blame it for the

japan's new prime minister yoshihide suga said japan has set a goal to become carbon -neutral by 2050. japan is the world's fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases. the pledge follows a similar one from china's xi jinping last month, who vowed to go carbon -neutral by 2060. greenpeace japan welcomed the announcement but said that doing away with nuclear energy needs to be part of any comprehensive climate plan. back in the united states, in new york city, five climate activists were arrested monday after they shut down work on the north brooklyn pipeline, chaining themselves to the construction site. construction site. national grid-owned pipeline carries fracked gas through mostly black and brown neighborhoods in brooklyn, construction site. national grid-owned pipeline carries fracked gas through mostly black and brown neighborhoods in brooklyn, despite bans on fracking and new fossil fuel infrastructure in new york, as well as significant community opposition. this is one of the activists who was arrested at monday's action. >> we won't stand for new fossil fuel infrastructure be

asian allies, including south korean president moon jae-in, and japan's new prime minister, yoshihide suga. >> ( translated ): he said that he looks forward to strengthening the u.s.-japan alliance and working together on achieving peace and stability in the indo-pacific region. >> schifrin: that phrase, the indo-pacific, was coined by japan but expanded by the trump administration to counter china. the administration, with bipartisan support, increased operations in the pacific, and accelerated regional cooperation, including with australia,hose prime minister scott morrison also talked with biden. >> we agreed that there was no more critical time for both this alliance, between ourselves and the united states, but, more broadly, the working together especially of like-minded countries. >> schifrin: less like-minded, middle east leaders. the trump administration facilitated accords between israel and three sunni arab countries. it pulled out of the iran nuclear deal to press confrontation with iran. on saturday after the u.s. media declared biden president elect, saudi leaders tweeted con

south korea's agency has raised the issue with -- in a meeting with japanese prime minister yoshihide sugalude north korea's nuclear program and wartime forced labor. entered a legal battle against the extradition of two u.s. men to japan. a former green beret and his son are trying to avoid being sent to japan. court filings say the pair could face what he calls human rights abuses in japan. the declaration is carlos ghosn's first intervention, though he has hinted he might help the tailors -- the taylors. global news, 24 hours a day, on air and at quicktake by bloomberg, powered by more than 2700 journalists and analysts in more than 120 countries. this is bloomberg. >> here is how markets across asia are trading right now. we are seeing another rally for asian stocks with the nikkei continuing to gain ground. we are now at the highest level since october of 1991, a sudden succession of gains despite the fact we have a slightly stronger japanese yen. 1 -- 2018at a 20 and hi and we are seeing the one gaining ground against the u.s. dollar. the asx 200 led higher by real estate. kiwi stock

suga, his advisor., saying their airline should be bailed out, revamped jal tolling for ana and become one. ana holdings -- this news is just breaking. on suga'sst serving growth counsel saying these airlines need more support and they should become one, seeking out loans or reducing costs, japan airlines raising $1.75 billion. looking over the sea to south korea, two airlines planning to merge. who would be the senior party? we have a capitalization for ana $86 billion yen. you flip it around, 35,000 employees for jal. 33,004 ana. differentse two, airline alliances, which one with a join? as these headlines across the bloomberg terminal. new industrial revitalization operation. -- corporation. juliette: these boosts on the nikkei 225, holding it may 1991 highs. that was closed yesterday for the holiday. a huge move with japan airlines. we are counting down to the opening, less than 10 minutes away. stay with us. this is bloomberg. ♪ berg. ♪ rishaad: agriculture has been that has been hit by the coronav

chinese foreign minister -- will lateroshihide suga wednesday as beijing seeks to recalibrate ties aheadn's inauguration next year. the two sides remain far apart over disputed islands in the east china sea. global news, 24 hours a day, on air and on bloomberg quicktake, powered by more than 2700 journalists and analysts in more than 120 countries. i am karina mitchell. this is bloomberg. shery. shery: still ahead, bloomberg's new covid resilience ranking will tell you the best and worst places to be during the coronavirus era. up next, we will look at the challenges facing carrie lam as hong kong's chief executive prepares to deliver her delayed annual policy address. this is bloomberg. ♪ haidi: carrie lam delivers her delayed annual policy address in just a few hours time. there is no shortage of challenges facing the city. our chief north asia correspondent, stephen engle, is in the ledge co. building in hong kong. from the pandemic, the politics, to the relationship to beijing, what are we expecting from her speech today? stephen: i am curious to know what her tone is going to be. sh

he and yoshihide suga signed a new defense will following the so-called talks in tokyo last month.s it is the legal framework for each country to collaborate on military exercises and humanitarian work. the nomination of judy shelton to the fed's board has been blocked in the senate, and mitch mcconnell -- after covid-19 exposure for -- force two into quarantine. short the votes needed. mcconnell switched his vote to know when that became apparent. -- no when that became apparent. the u.s. is seeking to drop charges against former mexican defense minister, salvador. should insteadhe be investigated and if appropriate, be charged in his own country. he was arrested in los angeles last month and on thursday, he pleaded not guilty to charges that he helped you notorious mexican drug cartel while he was head of the military. thestrongest storm of atlantic hurricane season continues to batter central america, hurting a region reeling from a deadly system two weeks ago. it is the most powerful storm in a record year and came ashore in nicaragua with winds of 250 kilometers per hour. it c

mr bach was speaking after meeting with japanese prime minister yoshihide suga in tokyo.oned earlier this year because of the covid i9 pandemic. despite his optimism the mood of the japanese public remains sceptical, especially about the prospect ofjapan opening its borders to hundreds of thousands of olympic tourists. we are living in a dark tunnel and the olympic games, nextjuly, and the paralympic games, next august, they can be the light at the end of this tunnel and we have good reasons to say this. but we have to understand that people who are feeling uncertain about their lives tomorrow, about their lives in one month from now, when they do not know which restrictions they may have to accept and what it will mean for them, that they also may feel some uncertainty about an event taking place in nine months from now. four astronauts are heading towards the international space station this morning, after a successful rocket launch from cape canaveral in florida. it's nasa's first fully—fledged mission using a privately—owned craft. the spacex capsule will act as a tax

suga is missing. he's under the weather with a shoulder issue. good to see you all this morning. doing our best. just had our virtual concert. studios, making music, that's all we could do. >> yeah. >> how did being quarantined together and the pandemic -- what kind of impact did that have on your music? did it even inspire some of the music you made? >> so, this album "beat" and the single "dynamite" wouldn't be here without the pandemic. if there's no pandemic, we would be on tour going to stadiums, met life, chicago, everywhere. >> it was a challenge. >> we want to deliver a message of hope to the world, but in a different manner with "dynamite." >> it's the emotion and we're in the moment. >> tell me one last thing before we see the performance. how difficult is it to not be out there with your fans? you can't see them and touch them. you can make music, but it's tough not to be performing in front of people. >> so sad. >> so sad, but doing our best though. >> yeah. >> can't wait to meet you guys again. >> we miss you all so much. >> we connect with them, but we want to meet