i'm yoshi ogasawara.e begin here in japan where health authorities are reporting a record number of new coronavirus cases. more than 4,800 infections have been confirmed across japan on tuesday. the increase comes as the central government considers declaring another state of emergency for tokyo and three neighboring prefectures. kanagawa, saitama, and chiba. the area now accounts for half of the country's daily infections. prime minister suga yoshihide says the government will make a final decision about the state of emergency on thursday. the measure is likely to remain in place for around a month. the declaration will give prefectural governors the legal authority to urge residents to cooperate with prevention efforts. >> translator: a state of emergency declaration will lead to stepped up measures. i hope they will be more effective. >> the four governors will ask people to refrain from non-essential outings after 8:00 p.m. they'll also request that bars and restaurants close by that time. but a state

i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo.hanks for watching, and do stay with us for more. >>> this is "newsline biz." i'm gene otani. japan's labor ministry says that over 80,000 jobs have been lost as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. the ministry says that from the end of january last year through wednesday this week, around 80,100 became unemployed or were about to lose their job. the actual figure is believed to be even higher. the ministry's data only covers cases known to labor authorities and public job placement centers. as of december 25th, 17,000 have lost their jobs in manufacturing. another 11,000 were out of work in the restaurant industry. trade unions are warning of more job losses to come with a state of emergency in tokyo and the surrounding prefectures. the ministry is urging companies to apply for the latest government subsidies to save jobs. other data show that the pandemic is squeezing people's incomes. wages in november fell for the eighth straight month. the ministry says average monthly pay was a

i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo.hanks for watching, and do stay with us for more. >>> this is "newsline biz." i'm gene otani. japan's largest business group is pledging to encourage more telework as a new state of emergency is declared for tokyo and its nearby prefectures. the minister in charge of the coronavirus response asked companies in a meeting with business groups on friday to allow more remote working. nishimura toshi said staff should be reduced by 70%. keidanren conducted a survey to see if companies are doing enough to achieve the target. >> translator: i believe it's important to work to prevent the spread of infection while allowing some social activities to continue. >> hitachi has been quick to respond to calls to get more people working from home. only a few employees were seen at its office in central tokyo on friday. about 30% of its workers currently go to an office. but the company targets further reducing that to 15% or less. >> translator: we are putting remote working into full force to protec