this office is one of about 1,700 public facilities in saitama. the older ones are especially expensive to maintain and the city is not planning to build any new ones in the near future. >> translator: more than half of the buildings are at least 30 years old. no matter what we do with them, we need to reduce the overall number of public facilities. >> reporter: nationwide, a government survey shows more than 12,000 public facilities targeted for demolition. most are public housing and schools. tearing them down will cost nearly $3.5 billion. the national government allows communities to issue municipal bonds to pay for the work. in that way, they can raise 75% of the money from financial institutions. some local governments, though, are hesitant to use bonds. reparations are shrinking. the city of ritto is one such place. it already has cut back administrative services. it decreased the subsidy for buses and stopped providing lunches for junior high students. even so, the cost of dismantling public facilities far exceeds the savings from those bu

the first stop was a bonsai museum in saitama prefecture north of tokyo. the museum features 70 trees crafted in the traditional style. this is the first time they have seen so many high-end bonsai. this pine tree is thought to be about 500 years old. this great bonsai is one of the largest in this museum's collection. >> yeah very very amazing. i'm quite overwhelmed. >> reporter: the highlight of the tour is an opportunity to meet a world-famous craftsman. this is one of his masterpiece called "dancing dragon." kimura developed special machines to shape the winding trunk with intricate curves. last year alone, visitors from 30 countries took part in the tour. it's contributing to a growing interest in bonsai and a boost in exports. >> do you have one favorite tree? too hard? [ speaking foreign language ]. >> very very beautiful and, yeah, it's something you can only dream about having a collection like this. definitely recommend it to other people. >> translator: when people who take the tour get back home they talk about the charms of bonsai. that helps

last year this company in saitama shipped 8,000 trees to 11 countries and territories including europe, china and south korea. some of the bonsai sold for more than $20,000. company officials are looking to reach even more markets by offering plants suited to various climates. olive trees are native to the mediterranean. this one stands just 40 centimeters tall, but its trunk is thick and stout. this tropical plant is called buganbilia. the company hopes to sell it in the growing markets of southeast asia and africa. >> translator: i want to start exporting to those markets. we're planning to cultivate more trees of foreign origin for that purpose. >> reporter: creating bonsai requires much time and patience. in the same way, increasing the number of bonsai fans around the world will be a long-term effort. >> that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets. >>> people in japan have seen more and more drones take to the air and land in some surprising places. now, japanese politicians are moving to ban the unmanned aircraft over key facilities. members of a panel created by