face masks have long been a staple in japan. but their prominence has grown since the coronavirus outbreak. >> translator: i'm okay with using face masks. i've been wearing them a couple months. >> translator: i enjoy putting them o on when i think of it as part of my overall style. >> reporter: face masks are also an e essential partt of the strategy to curb the spread of the virurus. with politicians like abe shinzo popularizing them during his many public appearances. some experts say masks are one of the major reasons for japan's relatively low number of infections. the world health organization says masks are not a silvever bullet but can help. in the u.s. officials are now recommending their use after initially down playing their effectiveness. but many americans say they infringe on their rights and freedoms. others simply say they are uncomfortable. >> i do have a mask, but, you know, out here it's kind of hard to exercise with it. and i mean, as you can probably see there's not a lot of people wearing masks out here. >>

and japan tends to welcome a tougher u.s. position vis-a-vis china. >> nakayama adds he does not foresee any change to japan's relationship with the u.s. since abe shinzo has warm relations with both trump and obama. >>> it's now time for a check on the world weather with jonathan, oh. people in the middle east are dealing with a heat wave so what kind of precautions should they be taking? >> well, the temperatures are getting to 40 degrees celsius, you should stay under shade and keeping cool as much as possible, because, yeah, it has been dry. it's been hot across portions of the middle east and also into europe. in fact, here's a look at some video to give you an idea of how people are trying to deal with the heat as people in israel and surrounding arareas saw the hot temperatures searing through the weekend. with some of them seeing more than 40 degrees celsius. the beaches of the dead sea, people tried to cool off and some tried to cook an egg in the heat as well. the heat will continue through the end of the week forci

they shohouldn't stay in japan l year long. capture t them an brought them back to the zoo. >> kurechi realized getting the birds to migrate meant releasing them in their traditional breeding grounds in russia. the islands were once japanese territory, but russia took them over in 1945. it was basically impossible for japanese cititizens to conduct resesearch on n the islandnds, eveverything c changed with the collapapse of the soviet union 1991. the cold war was over this oemd the door to f further collllaboration betetween japap and russian reresearchers. >> we found one suitable island withouout foxes. the geese are very small and foxes are really dangerous predato predators. >> dozenens of geesese bred in captivity in japan and russia were taken by helicopter to an uninhabited volcanic island. the lack of predators means the geese can safely bring up their young. they learn how to migrate byy watching otherer s species of g that fly by. >> translator: in the end, it worked out in the best way possible. >> the efforts of kur

camps in japan were taken by occupation forces.he army had detained more than 32,000 foreign prisoners in 130 facilities around the country. the p.o.w.s stare out with lifeless eyes during a meal. they are all skinny from lack of food. this man was transported to a hospital ship. most of the prisoners were suffering from starvation. to learn more about what life was like in the camps, nhk spoke with the son of a p.o.w. jakomo is the owner of a long established italian restaurantt in tokyo. his father antonio served i in e italian navy and was taken prisoner by japan during the pacific war. >> my father enjoyed talking. but when the topic of war came up hee always fell silent. i often hear that people who've experienced war will scream at night as though they're having a nightmare. for example if someone phoned for him, when i tried to wake him up. he'd jump o out off bed. i think t that says a l lot abo the trauma he experienced durg the war. >> in september 1940 japan, italy and germany had formed an allian a again thehe alliedd f

, japan introduced a new resident status called the specified skilled worker.t strengthens the acceptance of workers in industries like nursing care, fisheries, construction and food service. in the first year of the program, up to 47,000 workers were expected to come. filipinos hold high hopes for the new system. but the results haven't been encouraging. in the years since the system was introduced not a single worker has obtained a single worker visa. this episode follows young filipinos seeking a better life in japan in the years since the introduction of the skilled special worker system. we visited the filipino capital of manila in april 2019 when the specified skilled worker system began. enrollment at japanese language schools has increased in the philippines with morore student from all overer the nation applying. students gathered for a seminar about the new resident status system. the specified skilled worker visa can beobtained by passing language and skills tests. expectations were high fofor th system, which gives foreign workers the same benefits

japan is currently home to more than 1 million workers from overseas.e are receiving vocational training under a government-backed internship program. however, many are fleeing their jobs before the end of the five-year period. the reasons include miscommunication due to language barriers and harsh employment conditions. though authorities are trying to tackle the issue, one company has come up with an unconventional way to interact with its trainees, and it seems to be working. >> reporter: five vietnamese inters work at this metal processing plant north of tokyo. this individual arrived in may. >> translator: life in japan is kind of hard. japanese is difficult. i study every day. >> reporter: to support nguyen in settling into life in a foreign country, the company gave her what's known in japan as an exchange diary. every evening she writes in japanese about her day and any concerns she has about work. nguyen shares the diary with the company president, masanori tada. he responds with his own thoughts. he proposed the exchange system as a way to get

they shouldn't stay in japan all yearlong. we decided to capture themm and brought them back to the zoo. >> reporter: he realized that getting t the birds to migrate meant releasing them in their traditional breeding grounds in russia. the coral islands were once japanese territory but russia took them over in 1945. it was basically impossible for japanese scitizens to conduct research on the islands. bubut everythgg changeded with collapse of the soviet unionn i 1991. thee cold war was over. this opened the door to further collaboration between japanese and russian researchers. it also meant that releasing cackling geese w was now pososs. >>>> translator: we f found one suitabable island without foxox. the geese are very small and foxes are really d dangerous prededators. >> repororter: dozens of geese bred in captivity in j and russia were takaken by helicopt to an uninhabited volcanic island in the coral chain. the lack of predators means the geese can safely bring up their young. they learn how to migrate by watching other

in japan's case, civilians went into space from the beginning so for japan, space development is abouts rather than for national prestige. >> mori thinks that big international players need to get over theirir obsession wit the power gamee in space. >> i think concepts such as national prestige are already things of the past. >>>> japan m must think in spec terms of what it can do to such causes of sustainable development goals from the point of all human kind. for example, when i passed over china aboard the international space station in 2000, i saw many black dots on a snow-covereded plain that were caused by factories burning coal. pollution on the earth is clearly visible. >> i hope, china, too, is aware of the situation from a space viewpoint. i am sending this message not just to china, but to others, as well. that's my theme today, we're responsible for the entire earth. that's my message to young people. >>> u.s. president john f. kennedy once said when young men reach beyond this planet they should leave their national differences behind them. almost 60 years later two astron

and devastated parts of northeast japan. today we take a look at the persisting environmental damage, both on land and in the sea, as well as how those in the affected area are still struggling to deal with the situation. first, we go to the coast in iwate prefecture. the waves that struck this area were up to 40 meters high and caused immense instruction. this footage was shot in the bay about 18 months after the disaster. piles of debris littered the ocean floor, a mess that took cleanup crews years to clear. eight years later, things appear to have returned to normal. but what's happening below the surface? diving into the water here in the bay, nhk world decided to find out. >> reporter: i'm about ten meters under water, off the c t coast of the city. take a look over here. you can see massive concrete blocks. they are what's left of the sea wall. destroyed by the tsunami. some of them are five meters wide and weigh about 60 tons each. even though persistent efforts have been made to restore the marine environment, it's

. >>> a new way of life here in japan. that's the message from prime minister abe shinzo whose government plans to reopen social and economic activities in phases as the country recovers from the first w wave the coronavirus. on monday abe declared the state of emergency over in the reremaining 5 of f the country' prefectures. the final 5 were tokyo and three susurrounding prefectures as we as hokkaido in the north. the prime minister noted the risk of infection cannot be brought down to zero even after the lifting of the emergency. the government plans to relax restricts at approximately three-week intervals while evaluating the extent of infection and the risk of the disease spreading in each region. concerts and exhibitions will be allowed to take place with limits on the number of attendees that will be eased over time. karaoke parlors and gyms will be allowed to reopen june 1st but they need to put measures in place such as controlling the number of patrons. live music venues and nightlife spots such as hostess bars a

they hit the market in japan in march. sales have been beyond expectations with more than 2 million packets flying off the shelf so far. >> translator: it's just like ordinary rice. it's so real. >> translator: it's a rice bowl. >> rice grains can be seen in the liquid. the maker says it tries to maintain the texture of rice while turning other ingredients such as seaweed and pickled plums into jelly form. the firm originally developed the drinkable rice bowls for busy business people. it wanted them to have a quick way to eat in their offices or while commuting. but people have gone beyond that and have been taking the meals into the outdoors and on hiking trips. there's been a flood of positive comments online. >> translator: people say they enjoy the taste and texture. they say it's just like real rice bowls. >> another company has made a drink out of a dish that people usually sit down to eat as a full meal. it's drinkable curry made by a mail order company. last year they put aboutut 4,4, cans on the market as a trial

in japan.e defining moment. the ensemble sets a world record. >> takaouchi and his wife join us now in the studio. thank you for joining us today. so this is the instrument you invented in japan. the function of theremin is incorporated in this. would you please put your hand close to it? . so the dis tance matters. when the hand gets closer, the pitch gets higher. a mysterious sound. but the world famous bands like beach boys and led zeppelin also used this instrument. so we must have heard it somewhere. it's like taking us to the world of science fiction. there's no guidance, no keys or finger board positions for theremin. so pitch control is challenging. and it sounds like a ghost. i think that's why alfred hitchcock used it for his movies. >> it's not a major musical instrument, even in russia. so it must have been hard for you to popularize it in japan. >> about 30 years ago no one knew theremin in japan. so i started performing in concerts in lobbies. i wanted people to know its beautiful

a sparkling sake from northern japan.s delicious element draws out the best flavors in the meat. >> it inintroduces a whole new element of how sake can be consumed. >> they use a lot of seafoods and they use soy sauce so this actually goes with umani and i hope that some day it will be as popular. >> reporter: meanwhile others are trying to discover new ways to ensure the japanese beverage. sake lovers throw parties almost every week. they explore which sake best suits each chinese dish being served. >> it's beautiful. >> reporter: ta rich flavor premium sake is recommended for the main dish. a milder for ria rice dish. >> all asians are exposed to rice, obviously it's in our dna. i think sake is a natural. >> reporter: japanese sake is being rediscovered and taking root in singapore. and it has a promising future. nhk world, singapore. >>> exports of sake will be given a further boost this year, as the japanese government has plans to back promotional efforts to expand its global market. >>> in the past, japanese cuisine

is it part of the reason people in japan live so long? >> yes.n told that the onsen has the power of restoration. >> in a country with thousands of onsen, the waters are known for their special healing properties. the locals here claim that the springs can cure all ailments except one -- heartbreak. >> i don't know what i just bought. okay. you want to try this? you try it. >> nice. >> okay. >> once a year the town comes together for this stunning celebration. enchanted by the onsen goddess, thousands gather to give thanks and pray the springs won't run dry. but the hot springs here aren't only about relaxation. onsen therapy has been used for centuries to treat illnesses from arthritis to diabetes to skin disease, and here there is one extreme treatment that is not for tourists. [ speaking foreign language ] >> it looks hot. >> yes. >> it just looks hot. >> looks hot. >> this is something called timed bathing, and it has been practiced here for over 300 years, a three-minute soak in scorching sulfuric water. [ speaking foreign language ] >> it s

next we focus on japan from sake to shochu. japan's iconic beverages are finding an appreciation around the world. but inside japan there's another drink in hot demand these days, gin. one key factor has been the popularity of craft gin made by small scale distillers incorporating unusual herbs and natural flavors. new cocktails are being created that complement japanese cuisine. producers are responding to this trend by developing their own unique gin products. >> at a cocktail fair in tokyo gin-based drinks are especially popular. a distillery is flavoring its products with sea salt and ginger. more makers in japan are turning to botanical gins. >> i'm fascinated by a use of unusual ingredients. >> it's the country's largest maker of gins. it's looking to market more product by adding japanese ingredients. >> where is this pepper from? >> it's from wakayama prefecture. >> six ingredients including cherry leaves, green tea, citrus and sancho to create totally different new flavors. they created original gin with harmonious bal

. >> translator: clustered infections have appeared across japan. the nation must be united to dress th issue. >> the central government is set to decide on thursday whether it will lift the state of emergency for tokyo, osaka, and six other prefectures. last week the government canceled the nationwide declaration for the other 39 prefectures. it's likely to be lifted for osaka and its neighbors kyoto and hyogo. that's because the infection rate has fallen there in the past week. a benchmark set by the government for the emergency declaration to be lifted. officials plan to whether to lift the deck ra ration for tokyo. the rates for tokyo and kanagawa currently do not meet the criteria. officials will also take into account the state of their medical systems. hokkaido also does not meet the criteria. in total more than 16,400 people have tested positive for the coronavirus here in japan. over 780 have died. >>> now more major sports events are canceled due to the pandemic. japan's annual summer high school baseball tournament dates back more than a

. >> about 30 years ago no one knew theremin in japan.started performing in concerts in lobbies. i wanted people to know its beautiful sounds rather than its ststrange sounds, and somehow ty came to love it and i gradually won more fans. >> did the invention contribute a lot to boosting the popularity? >> maybe. the theremin is big and hard to move. you control the pitch with the right hand and volume with the left hand. so it's hard to play. but this is small and pretty. and the doll isade off linden tree, so it resonates very well. but right after inventing it, people told me they would only buy it if it is sold at 1,000 yen on the cash desk at diners. but now we play in a group at many places. >> ms. haum gucci, you have been playing the ips trumt for many years with mr. talk eachy. what do you think is the most attractive thing about this instrument? >> the changing sounds. when you turn on the power, you hear the sound like a buzzer which then will turn into beautiful, rich founds. when i play it wholeheartedly, it will result in goo

let's get back to japan.ing to talk to easy meet duvalier a short time ago -- izumi duvalier. we wanted to know if this figure portends to worse data than the second and third quarters in .our view ok.aad: i think we are having serious problems trying to get a hold of izumi devalier. let's have a look at what else is happening. we've got oil moving to the upside. wti above $30 a barrel. we've got the third straight weekly gain last week. all of them at varying optimism that the worst may be over. opec-plus seeing growing signs of recovery and demand as major producers move too quickly cut productions. someone from opec tells us what he things the outlook is getting brighter. focused onwe are now the full and timely implementation of the 9.7 that was signed off by participating countries, but also, importantly, to take note that some countries like the kingdom of saudi arabia and the united arab emirates have come forward with an additional voluntary the about in the region of 1.2 million barrels a day. of the

food waste is a serious problem in japan.ot only for restaurants and retailers but also for farmers. much of their produce has to be discarded before it reaches market. often fruit and vegetables are because they don't measure up visually but a japanese start up has a message for picky consumers and it seems to be catching on. >> thank you so much. oranges. and they have a few marks and blemishes. >> is it good? >> they look a little misshapen but i don't mind. >> the family won the oranges through a website. the products are displayed on the website. all the costs are covered by adds on the site. the add revenue comes to as much as $9,000 a month or more it can make profits even though it gives the products away for free. she runs the site. he started it after seeing great mounds of cabbage being crushed by a tractor. the farmer had no choice. oversupply caused prices to drop. that made it unprofitable. he realilized how tough farming is. >> it may not be accurate to say it's almost unimaginable but what a waste i thought. t

about the phone numbers out of japan.employment, following on retail sales and weaker industrial production inflicting the damage coronavirus is causing. japan's economy, bloomberg economics policy editor kathleen is here with the latest. where do you want to start? kathleen: i think we have to start on the really bad numbers. yes we know there is coronavirus that caused the lockdown and have caused bad numbers as they have around the world. when you go into a deep pool, how deep is it and what will it take to get out of it? leaders in the two that department, industrial production and retail sales. they were weak in march, got weaker in april. retail fail in japan, down 13.7% year-over-year. the biggest drop in 22 years. that is nothing to sneeze at. to put it in perspective, if you shut things down, make it harder for people to go out, ask them to stay home, you will see less sales. industrial production already weak. 5.2% in march was the decline. that was already pretty bad. now 14.4%. those are year on your numbers i

thank you for staying with us on nhk world japan.. ♪ >>> welcome to newsline "in depth," today we look at the primitive weapon that's able to kill and maim long after its initial deployment. and that is the land mine. anti-personnel m mines l lie bu arouound the w world despite efs to ban and clear them. the conflicts that led to their use may even be forgotten. land mines cause more than physical harm. they prevent farmers from using their fields and children from going to school. today's program follows the announcement this month by the u.s. trump administration that it will lift restrictions on land mine use outside of the korean peninsula. the decision prompted dismay from those who are struggling to eliminate the weapons. part of asia with uncleared mines are especially concentrated in cambodia and thailand. we visited those countries to look at some recent de-mining activities. first we visit cambodia, where a man who was forced to lay land mines from the 1970s has for the past 25 years been turning his efforts to undoing the

japan has over 16,000 confirmed cased. more than 680 people have died. a professional susue mmo wrestl one of the virus's youngest japanese victims. he was in the sports fourth highest division. he died on wednesday at the age of 28. a japanese government survey shows that sentiment among workers has plummeted to the lowest ever amid the coronavirus crisis. the view of the economy developed to 7.9 on the index in april. that extends a record low set in march. it covers more than 2,000 workers including shop clerks and taxi drivers. the mood among workers at restaurants and bars was particularly gloomy as many establishments have been forced to temporarily close. the government urges people to stay home. another survey also indicates the severe impact that covid-19 is having on businesses in japan. private research firm says 142 firms have failed because of the pandemic. they have started bankruptcy procedures. many of them are hotels, restaurants and retailers. the research firm says some restaurants and service providers that are now temporarily closed

from here, fresh catches are delivered all over japan.rmen spend days or even months at sea, one of their biggest pleasures is soaking in a hot bath when they come ashore. but it's only recently that this public bath returned to this port town. >>>> and r right n next dodoor, healthy breakfast is offered for less than $10. the bath and diner opened last july thanks to donations and crowd funding. this womanan was key to making this all happen. originally from tokyo, she moved here after graduating university. >> emma first visited the town as a high school volunteer months after march 11th. she wanted to see the reality for herself and what she could do to help.. the town lost more than 1,000 residents t to the tsunami and over 9,500 families were affected by the disaster. ships were broken, houses swept away. but amid the devastation, emma was struck by the resilience of the local people, especially this fisherman of 50 years. >> so, emma decided she would live here. she's since become like a daughter to he and his wife. he eventually sh

in japan, signs like this are often seen in parks.n fact, many local municipalities banned playing baseball and soccer in parks. in many cities, children just don't have enough space where they can play freely. recently, so elementary school children in tokyo took matters into their own hands. >> after school every day. >> but last february, he and his friends suddenly lost their practice space. they had been using the grounds for a closed down school. then construction of a facility began on the site. their area was reduced by half and both sports were banned. the kids had no choice but to play in the park that was 1/6th the side. signs warn against hitting the fence with balls so they could only practice passing. [ speaking foreign language ] >>> he and his friends are moved to take action. after visiting their office, they are told that they can write to the mayor. they expressed their disappointment in not being able to play soccer anymore and ask for a new park. the mayor suggests they should check out other local parks or just c

he's also looking at e europe a other universities in japan. now, it's often said that necessity is the mother of invention. that has certatainly beeeen the experience of one small japanese company that specializes in making springs. it's long supplied them for automobile parts, b but demandds beenen falling.g. to make up for the drop, it's stretching out in a new direction. >> kosuke ayaga works making spspngs. for 60 years t the company has mostly produced coils for car engines. now it faces a serious threat. >> translator: electric vehicles require far fewer springs, so the growth of the ev sector is expected to lead to intense competition. >> ayawa and his staff decided to take somome risks. they dreamed up a range of new products. including a pen stand, a vase, even fashion accessories. the products are proven popular with both shops and museums. unlike garden variety springs, they value form m just as much functition. >> translator: it would be good if we could carve out a niche of our own. springss have always playeyed a supporting role,

japan-made goods have a reputation for high quality and fetch high prices. this sofa was auctioned for about $330. the company in kanazawa ships items to the philippines about 30 times a year. a great increase over just a few years ago. of this new time off cross-bordr business keeps growing, we can expect to see less leftover belongings find a new life overseas. nhk world. >>> another wray to reduce our planet's growing amount of trash is to stop growing it. one man can't handle the waste of food. it is a problem for restaurants and retailers and farmers. much of their produce has to be discarded before it reaches market. often fruit and vegetables are thrown out simply because they don't measure up visually. but the japanese startup has a message for picky consumers, and it seems to be catching on. >> translator: thank you so much. oranges. a box of japanese oranges or mikan is delivered to this family which won them in a lottery. but the mikan have a few marark and blemishes. the family has a taste. >> translator: is it good? >> translator: thehey look a

two consecutive quarters of a falling gdp, japan is now in a falling gdp, japan is now in a recessionlly as bad as some economists had feared but there are worries that because the state of emergency only kicked in in april, the following quarter's gdp would be falling even sharper and thatis be falling even sharper and that is why we are seeing some reaction in japan's that is why we are seeing some reaction injapan‘s stock market as well. let's look a bit further forward, market as well. let's look a bit furtherforward, then. market as well. let's look a bit further forward, then. how long could it take forjapan specifically of course, but other countries in the region, to start an upward curve and try and claw themselves out of this? that is the big question but if you look at the data closely, something that has been affected the most is private consumption. basically people are not spending money and especially after the state of emergency was declared, because people were forced to stay—at—home so they won't spending as much money either. in the labour market, we are seeing some

in japan more than 16,000 people tested positive for the coronavirus. nearly a third of those cases have been reported in tokyo. as part of a government bid to speed up testing, new test kits for the coronavirus began arriving in hospitals on friday. the results of the antigen tests will be available in 30 minutes. the new test kits were approved by the health ministry on wednesday. they are used at 1,300 medical institutions in the country. the national center for global health and medicine in tokyo is one of them. it does not require conventional skills but the c conventional p tests. a samplee will be applieded to kit.t. if a linine appears, that means person is infected. medicacal experts say this will speed up testingng and treatmen. however t the tests are less accurate and people whose results are negativee will bebe askeked too take a pcr tetest. >> the directors of the department of infectious diseases saiaid he had been waiting for the new method. >> there were strong calls to do something about the situation. as more equal treatment might be

japan gave the island her language and introduced it to her more advance culture. okinawans, always an easy-going, friendly people, took part in celebrations featuring the highly stylized oriental dance. (music) however, the japanese looked upon the island primarily as a source of agricultural supply. and so life in okinawa changed very little over the years, until the outbreak of world war ii. vital to the japanese defense, okinawa had to be taken before our main attack on japan could succeed. [explosions] after the most tremendous naval and air pounding of the pacific war, american troops landed on okinawa. it was easter sunday, 1945. it was also april fools'day. it marks the beginning of the most bitter are the battle in modern history. the japanese defense turned out to be desperate. this was their last outpost, their last chance to blunt the american blow on japan itself. they fought with fanatical fury. the island gave its rugged support. deep caves, jagged ridges, and steep cliffs aided the enemy. it was a slow, difficult, dangerous process, an individual op

to hit japan with twice the monthly tonnage. the question was, how much longer would a beaten japan hold out? while great land, sea, and air forces gathered, the b-29 struck 2 atomic bombs. which hastened the surrender of japan and saved untold thousands of american lives. (music) the mission of our air forces, which began nearly 40 years ago, was accomplished. (music)

besides they are practical they can help replace caregivers in japan's a rapidly aging society. and i think that we're trying to train more stuff but there aren't enough we need robots and we need more foreign personnel i think those are necessary. that explains why the 1st test runs with robots are so interesting for elderly and other patient care. tepper entertains and coaches the residents of a nursing home. because 30 centimeters tall coworker apollo does too humanoid robots help the human staff and sometimes even fill in for them the scene you see here have been responding well sometimes the people cannot cross the people in or with on the. very end of their feeding the pressure. from normal people by the. you don't hear the new pressure from the robot so nobody can be a good part composition or part of forest preserve are there there is. this robot baby seal reaction to touch with childlike noises. seniors who suffer from dementia pat them and enjoy how they respond. social robots are being tested in other medical areas as well some researchers are hoping to use them to im

right here we are closer to japan than that.e 320 miles from their home office. >> you heard him. that is what the old man said. >> that is closer than new york. i always felt safe in st. louis -- (music) >> it is awfully close. mighty close. >> yes, mighty close, especially for a modern bomber with a job to do. one hour away from any number of airfields. here we were, closer than any fleet in history. at midway, in the coral sea, the marianas, distance had been against the japanese air force, but now against the inner islands, the range was easy for any plane that could fly. there were those who said no fleet could risk it, but the stakes were high. with okinawa in our hands, we could control the china coast, send swarms of planes to smother japan. we were reaching for the throat of an empire. the risk must be taken. on the island of okinawa, 5000 miles from san francisco, the earth shook from a fearful pounding from our ships and planes. [explosion] [explosion] >> to the south, british allies were throwing there might, raking

in japan a pledge to work more closely in restarting cross border trade in goods and services . japan has had some of the world's most relaxed locked down measures it was not until the 7th of april that japan declared a state of emergency the government didn't even enforce a general lockdown citizens were only asked to stay at home this week shops opened again even for many japanese japan is moving too quickly. first by any was. able i think lifting emergency measures came a bit early but many won't survive if companies and shops don't reopen fast. enough. that. you the abbaye government is in a hurry although the coronavirus pandemic in japan has been relatively mild with only $850.00 deaths it has caused the world's 3rd largest economy to slide into a recession in the 1st quarter it will be. looking at the g.d.p. days or from january to march we think the coronavirus measures such as social distancing how an impact on the public. in the 2nd quarter the damage from the code crisis. will worsen experts expect an economic slump of 20 to 30 percent this year to get the country bac

japan's economy slips into recession as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. darren jordan this is our desire live from doha also coming up india extends its virus lock down for a 4th time bringing more misery for jobless migrant workers heading to their home states. the brazilian president rallies his supporters who back his call to lift the lockdown despite surging coronavirus case it's. a deal in israel as prime minister benjamin netanyahu takes the lead in a unity government to end the long running political crisis. now the world's 3rd largest economy is in trouble as the coronavirus pandemic hits business industry hard japan's economy has shrunk by 3.4 percent when projected across the whole year the prime minister shinzo had announced a massive relief package last month to help keep the economy on track japan has recorded over 16000 cases and close to 750 deaths due to the virus well rob a bride joins us live now from the south korean capital seoul rob so this is the 1st time japan has fallen into recession since 2015 clearly the coronavirus is not a hug

more than 16,300 people have tested positive for the coronavirus here in japan. over 770 have died. >>> the united states is slamming the world health organization over itsts handlin of the coronavirus pandemic. in an annual assembly being held online. the two-day world health assembly opened on monday with government leaders and other representatives appearing via video conference. the u.s. health and human seservicees secrcretary arguede andnd thehe w.h..o. failed to pe the ininformatation the worlld needded. >> in aan apparent aattem to o concceal thehe outbbreak one me state mmade a mockery out of f their obliligations with tremendous c cost for tthe enti world. we saw thahat w.h.o. failed at s corere mission of infoformation sharing and transparency when member states do not act in good faith. >> u.s. prosecute donald trump also criticized the w.h.o. and renewed a threat to cut off funding. >> they're a puppet of china. they're china centric. >> trump revealed he sent a letter to the w.h.o. urging the organization to demonstrate independence from china. he w

japan encountered the same problem. one of the lessons learned is that residents in recovery efforts tend to be most successful in forming a consensus. in one city, proposals that came from the res tents were able to get a more than80% approval rate. jica has been working with local governments and agencies affected by the disaster to collect their experiences and share them with people in seouea way see. we live in a world where natural disasters are rising. learning lessons from past tragedies mean we can possibly mitigate and decrease the impact of future disasters. and that's all for today's "newsline in depth." thank you for watching. >> french prime minister outlines the full details of the government's exist or to g just four days before the nation is to begin easing lockdown restrictions. also the bank of england warns the pandemic will push the u.k. economy toward its deepest recession on record. it says the economy is on course to shrink by 14% this year. university -- ununiversities and schools closed, we e m

japan slips into recession the world's 3rd largest economy is on course for its deepest slung since world war 2. comrade matheson this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up india extends its coronavirus lock down for a 4th time bringing more misery from migrant workers trying to head home. the brazilian president rallies his supporters there backing his call to lift restrictions despite an increasing number of cases. and a deal in israel as prime minister benjamin netanyahu takes the lead in a unity government to end a long running from the tickle crisis. the world's 3rd largest economy has slipped into recession japan has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic its economy shrank for the 2nd consecutive quarter by just under one percent in the 1st 3 months of this year but i'm as he had announced a massive relief program last month to keep the economy on track japan has recorded more than 16000 cases of the virus and close to 750 deaths michael pan is the president of the shin gets a news agency he's joining us from tokyo as always thank you very much for joining us on the al-jaz

japan now has about 16,000 confirmed cases. the death toll stands at more than 650. >>> in a sign the japanese economy is restarting, clothing chain uniqlo has reopened its flagship store in tokyo's ginza district. it was shut down for a month due to the outbreak. the operator of the chain, fast retailing, welcomed customers to the store on monday, saying it's employed anti-infection know-how at its shops at home and abroad. at the ginza store, customers are required to wear masks and use hand sanitizer at the entrance. they will also have their temperatures checked and will be refused entry if they're found to have a fever of 37.5 degrees celsius or higher. clear plastic sheets are installed at the cashier counters to help prevent possible transmission of the virus. all floors will be disinfected every two hours and staff will limit the number of customers if the store gets too crowded. fast retailing closed 311 or nearly 40% of the uniqlo outlets in japan when the state of emergency was declared in early april. >> translator:

the question was, how much longer would a beaten japan hold out?st that was never applied to germany. forces gathered for the last invasion. our b-29s dropped two atomic bombs. which hastened the surrender of japan and saved untold thousands of american lives. ♪ so the mission of our air forces, which began nearly four years ago, was accomplished. ♪ >>> you're watching a special edition of american history tv. airing weekdays. tonight, beginning at 8:00 p.m., programs on the anniversary of v.e. or victory in europe day. 75 years ago on may 8th, 1945, the allies accepted germany's surrender, bringing an end to hostility and world war ii's european theater. american history tv and washington journal marked the anniversary with a look at the lead-up to the surrender and its meaning for europe and the rest of the world. american history tv, now and over the weekend, on c-span 3. >>> lectures in history. >> why do you know who lizzie borden is? >> the deepest cause, where we'll find the true meaning of the revolution, we find the transformation that too

right here we're closer to japan than that.ust 325 miles from their home office. >> you heard him. that's what the old man said. >> 325 miles. it's closer than milwaukee to st. louis. >> i felt safe in st. louis. >> it's awfully close. mighty close. >> yes, mighty close. especially for a modern bomber with a job to do. about an hour's run from any number of jap air fields. here we were, closer than any fleet in history to a major land-based air power. at midway, in the sea, distance had been against the japanese air force. but now as our fleet sailed against the enemy, the range was easy for any jap plane that could fly. there were those who said no fleet could risk it. but the stakes were high. with okinawa in our hands, we could control the china coast, send planes to smother japan. we were reaching for the throat of an empire. the risk must be taken. on the island of okinawa, 5,000 miles from san francisco, the earth shook from a fearful pounding by our ships and planes. to the south, our british allies were hurling their na

has seen japan's --st drop in operating since the bottom line has collapsed as japan things into a recessione worst result in asia. the indian government says the r.b.i. will boost support for the nation's troubled shadow lenders. record repayments come due next month. it says the r.b.i. will put up to $4 billion into a stress asset fund to buy debt from shadow banks. they will be investment-grade securities that mature within three months. india's biggest storm has cut power to millions in the northeastern city of calcutta. it is weakening into a tropical depression. millions of people have been moved amid concern that coronavirus cases could surge in storm shelters. shery: coming up, vietnam says growth could slow to 5% this year as a virus hits its export dependent economy. our interview with the prime minister is ahead. plus, alibaba's fourth-quarter earnings are due later with analysts looking for signs of recovery from china's virus lockdown. this is bloomberg. ♪ >> the chinese communist party is focused on getting its domestic house in order. >> looking from the outside. internally, g