i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. coming up next is "newsline biz" with ramin mellegard, so don't go away. ♪ ♪ >>> this is "newsline biz," i'm ramin mellegard. the bank of japan has decided to keep its current monetary-easing policy unchanged. it also decided to extend its program to support companies hit by the coronavirus pandemic. policymakers decided on friday that the central bank will maintain the negative short-term interest rate and buy unlimited amounts of government bonds. their program to support companies hit by the pandemic will be extended for six months from the current deadline of march 31st, 2021. policymakers will consider extending it further if needed. the boj is also setting sights on how to achieve its inflation target amid concerns about the impact of the current downturn. >> translator: economic activity and prices are projected to remain under downward pressure for a prolonged period due to the impact of the the pandemic, so i'll likely take some time to achieve the price stability target

tokyo's hospitals have 150 beds for serious cases. the metropolitan government is asking them to increase that to 200. officials say they want to prevent the spike in severe covid-19 cases from affecting treatment for other diseases. they're also asking medical institutions to allocate more beds to coronavirus cases that are not serious. authorities across japan have reported more than 156,000 cases since the pandemic began. over 202,000 people have died. >>> with the political scandal involving a former prime minister. nhk has learned prosecutors are seeking to question shinzo abe over annual parties held for his supporters. the prosecutors are thought to be investigating abe's secretary for violating the political funds control law. the secretary is believed to be accused of failing to report revenue for payments to hotels where parties were held on the eve of annual government funded gatherings for cherry blossom viewing. costs over the five years through 2019 totalled about $200,000. abe's office is thought to have paid at least a

he has been observing tokyo for decades, even before he lived in tokyo for six years in the 1990s. he is worried now. to him, it seems the young people in japan have lost passion for life and the future. >> i'm sure he has a number of thoughts and insights he wants to share with young people drawing on his own experiences. >> yes. there is a well known list of ten phrases among young artists that he has come up with. i will share two. one is, get off the computer and connect with real people and culture. life is visceral. the other one is, travel as much as you can. it's a humbling and inspiring experience to learn just how much you don't know. >> right. >> obviously, the pandemic has interrupted people traveling and meeting up with people. i think this is his way of saying to think outside the box, be curious and be creative. >> definitely adjusting not only for apparel industry but for the artists as well. >> i'm sure he will be closely watching how the youth culture evolves in this era of the covid. >> we will keep an eye on that. thank you, yuko. >> thank you. >> that's it for

i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. >>> we begin in the u.s. where a number of deaths in a single day from the coronavirus has reached a record high of over 3,100. data compiled by johns hopkins university show that covid-19 claimed the lives of 3,124 people in the country on wednesday. the daily death toll has passed 2,000 on most days so far this month, contributing to a total of over 290,000. a private sector research group says more than 106,000 people are currently hospitalized with the virus, with over 20,000 in intensive care. those tallies are also record highs. medical institutions across the country are reporting shortages of both staff and beds. experts say the number are high, as many people traveled across state borders for thanksgiving last month. they warned that the year-end holidays may lead to a further spread of the virus. anthony fauci, a key member of the coronavirus task force in the trump administration, called on people to refrain from dining in large groups and traveling. >> we don't listen to the public health measures

we spoke with marikama tomo at the university of tokyo. he's an expert on china's economy and industries. >> the law places restrictions on services and items deemed to have a harmful effect on china's national security and national interests. it is also seen as a form of retaliation against stricter export measures on chinese companies imposed by u.s. president donald trump. but marukawa says the u.s. won't feel much of a difference. >> this shouldn't be any impact on the united states because it is unlike that china is exportg weapons and nuclear-related items and dual use technology to the united states. >> he says a major objective of the law involves maintaining stability on the domestic front. >> it is possible that chinese authorities can put pressure on those organizations and countries that are supporting dissidents in china such as those who are advocating for the independence of the uighur nationality or the democratic movement in hong kong. >> reporter: for japan a big issue is rare earth. china is a major producer of these mat

i'm ramin mellegard in tokyo. >>> tokyo's governor asked people in the capital to spend the new year holidays at home. she made the plea as 944 new cases of the coronavirus infection were reported, the second highest number on record. >> translator: we're facing a third wave of infections, unprecedented in size. an expositive growth of the infection can happen at anytime. please do not hold parties with friends or getting together with groups of relatives. >> 85 patients in tokyo are in serious condition, and that's the most since the national state of emergency was lifted in may. experts joined the meeting with the tokyo government and warned the capital's medical system is under severe strain and is entering a critical stage. >> translator: tokyo's medical system is on the brink of exceeding the capacity. if the current situation continue the sysm could face serious disruption. >> there's concern the capital may soon out of beds for coronavirus patients. tokyo's government asked hospitals to secure an extra 4,000 beds. the experts say those beds may be full in two weeks at the curr

from our studio in tokyo, this is nhk "newsline". sources say tokyo prosecutors questioned former prime minister abe shinzo on a voluntary basis on monday over alleged political funding violations involving his support group. he's believed to have denied any involvement. one of abe's secretaries is said to be under investigation. the man also heads the support group. he's suspected of violating the political funds conol law by failing to report revenue and spending related to parties thrown for abe's supporters at tokyo wyo hotels. abe's side is believed to have covered some of the costs of the annual parties, but the support group did not mention paying for them in its political fund report. the parties took place on the eve of government-funded cherry blossom viewing events while abe was in office. more than $190,000 was spent on the parties in the five years in 2019. abe's side is thought to have paid at least $77,000 of that. abe has repeatedly told the diet that all the expenses were covered by the participants. sources in abe's

more than 48,000 cases have now been confirmed in tokyo, a city of 14 million. the latest upward trend has also seen a rise in severe cases with 69 people now in serious condition. tokyo opened a new facility dedicated to covid-19 patients on wednesday that will focus on non-serious cases. it specializes in treating patients who can't speak japanese and the elderly, a population that's recently seen a surge in cases. the facility has 100 beds. for now officials plan to ran at about a third capacity and bring in new staff as needed. officials across the country have been bracing for a further strain on the health care system, especially in the hard hit prefectures of hokkaido and osaka. >>> japanese prosecutors indicted a man over a deadly arson attack. he was arrested in may maine. sources say he told police he set the blaze because the studio stole his novel and thought he would kill many people by using gasoline. the prosecutors kept him for six months for mental evalindication. they determined he could be held criminally responsible because the crime was plan

i'm ramin mellegard in tokyo. >>> we start here in japan, where tokyo metropolitan government sources say 1,337 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the capital on thursday. it is the first time the daily tally has risen above 1,000. the previous high was 949, hit on saturday. tokyo governor koike yuriko is warning people not to drop their guard over the year end. she says the virus won't be taking a holiday for the new year. she says it could spread rapidly in cold, wintry conditions. she's urging people to stay home as much as possible. she's asking them to avoid the usual year-end countdown events. japan's minister in charge of the coronavirus says the government may consider declaring a state of emergency if the virus keeps spreading. he made the remark wednesday on twitter. he did not specify which areas of the country might be affected. >> translator: the government may think about declaring a state of emergency. infections must be stopped at any cost. >> he asked people going back to their hometowns from areas where the virus is spreading to be careful when meeting their

a record 822 cases were reported in tokyo on thursday. 66 are in serious condition. in light of that growing number, the tokyo government raised its alert for the health care system to the highest level for the first time. >> translator: it has become difficult to balance caring for coronavirus patients with regular medical work. we have exhausted all reserved resources. we must curb the number of new cases at any cost. >> officials asked hospitals in tokyo to increase the number of beds for seriously ill coronavirus patients from 200 to 250. the tokyo governor called on residents to be more careful ahead of the holiday season. >> translator: the virus won't heed the calendar. so i'm issuing a special alert for the year end and new year holiday in order to halt the spread of infection during that period. >> koike called for annual streetlighting display events to be canceled or have shorter hours. experts are concerned the virus may be spreading from metropolitan areas to major cities throughout japan. hiroshima prefecture saw 138 new cases on thursday. >> translator

. >> tokyo reported 572 new cases on wednesday. that's the second highest record. 59 covid-19 patients in the capital are currently in serious condition. officials in osaka say 70% of hospital beds allocated for serious cases are occupied. they are calling on university hospitals to secure more beds for serious cases. authorities reported more than 2,700 new cases across japan on wednesday, a record daily tally. more than 170,000 people tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began. over 2,400 people is have died. the pandemic is also affecting access to key medical supplies as producers around the world struggle to meet demand. a shortfall one particular kind of protective gear is putting front line workers in heart's way. nhk world has more. >> reporter: workers at this clinic near tokyo rely on synthetic rubber gloves to keep them safe to assess clients for the deadly virus. but it's getting harder to keep them in stock. >> translator: i can't find them anywhere. >> reporter: demand has outstripped supply since the pand

i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. we begin in japan, where scientists have safely received a capsule likely containing samples from an ancient asteroid. the hayabusa2 space probe traveled 5 billion kilometers to pick up the precious cargo destined for research. japan's aerospace exploration agency believes the capsule contains sand from the ryugu asteroid. it was retrieved from an australian desert on sunday. about one hour ago it arrived at tokyo's haneda airport. from there it will go to jaxa's institute of space and astronautical science near the capital. the project team is due to hold a news conference after completing post-arrival work. it's expected to start analysis in june on samples it hopes will provide clues to the origin of life. >>> now to the pandemic. december 8 marks one year since the first human infection with the new coronavirus was that has now infected more than 67 million people. but the world is no closer to finding out exactly where and how the virus originated. five months ago the world healt

the gap from the first two down to tokyo has widened. shanghai was the only new name in the top ten. the assessment uses various indicators in six categories to rank 48 major cities. they look at the economy, research and development, cultural interaction, live ability, environment, and accessibili accessibility. in the economy and cultural categories, tokyo remained third. it kept its ranking for research and development, but in terms of live ability, it dropped one spot to 12th. japan's capital is near the bottom of the rankings when it comes to work style flexibility. it came 41st on that measure, which looks at how easy it is for people to do their jobs remotely. the institute says companies need to adopt a more open minded approach. it gives a shared tokyo office that has a child care facility as an example of a setup that makes life easier for working parents. ichikawa hiro is a professor emeritus emeritus says the pandemic has led to a big shift in priorities for employees. >> translator: starting now, each workplace should includ

it is going to be chilly for those in tokyo. over towards the southeastern pacific, two tropical cyclones. yasa will bring stormy and windy conditions. please be extra careful at all times. speaking of winter conditions, that's across the northeastern part of the united states. snow will pack up across pennsylvania and move into the northern part of the united states. expect 64 centimeters of snowfall. cold conditions will settle into new york as well. temperatures will be at just a single degree. that's all your weather. take care. >>> that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline." thank you very much for watching and hope you join us again. ♪ >>> welcome to "newsline in depth." i'm shibuya aki. the human animal bond, from working dogs to cats, the connection keeps evolving and deepening. research shows the companion can reduce stress, lower blood pressure and enhance well-being. it's not a one-way street. animals need guardians to meet more than their basic needs to ensure the relationships are mutually beneficial as we expl

i'm yoshi in tokyo. thanks for watching and we'll have more for you at the top of the hour. hi, i am shaula vogue, welcome to a special edition of "biz stream," we feature businesses coming out ojapan. our commentator is joseph kraft, always good to see you joe >> good to see you, too. >> let's take a look at today's feature report. >> reporter: a major japanese electronic maker released a cutting edge ultra-violet disinfecting lamp. it is the first to kill pathogenwhile being safe for humans. elsewhere a traditional paper and wood craft company has learned ancient treatment for protecting art work can be adapted to protect people during the age of the pandemic. >> translator: it is totally safe and can be used on any surface materials. >> reporter: today's today we'll show you a new technology and traditional treatments are making public spaces cleaner and safer. >> a new technology that's making public space cleaner and safer, that's what we need right now. not only are we battling a pandemic, flu season is upon us. how have you been dealing with covid-19 here? >> standard

i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. >>> we start this hour in canada, where health authorities have approved the covid-19 vaccine developed by pfizer of the united states and germany's biontech. >> at last, we have a reason to feel optimistic and excited about returning to the lives we led precovid. the latest agreement is bringing vaccines to canadians earlier than we hoped. >> health canada said on wednesday it authorized the vaccine after screening, based on provisional standards for drugs and vaccines for the coronavirus. it said the vaccine meets stringent safety requirements, describing the review process as rigorous. canadian media say the country expects to receive up to a quarter million doses this month, with the first batch set to arrive as soon as next week. meanwhile, inoculation of the vaccine began tuesday in britain. medical authorities issued an advisory after two people injected with the new vaccine showed sharp allergic reactions. the national health rvice says the nhs workers developed symptoms of an

i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. coming up next is "newsline biz" with gene otani, so don't go away. ♪ >>> this is "newsline biz." i'm gene otani. south korea's president says his country will consider joining the transpacific partnership free trade pact. moon jae-in was speaking in seoul on tuesday in an annual trade day ceremony. >> translator: as the global economy recovers from coronavirus, countries will compete with each other to seize market share. we'll continue to consider joining the tpp. >> south korean media say this is the first time the president has spoken in a positive way about participating in the 11-country free trade deal. the asian nation is among the members that signed the regional comprehensive economic partnership last month. the deal includes 15 countries on the western side of the pacific, including japan and china. seoul is apparently taking another look at international free trade frameworks in an effort to reduce side effects resulting from the trade confli between the united states an

i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. coming up next is "newsline biz" with gene otani, so please do stay with us. >>> this is "newsline biz." i'm gene otani. lawmakers from japan's ruling parties have backed a number of tax reforms designed to kick start the economy and get businesses to become more environmentally friendly. they say the measures can offset the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and help japan hit its long-term goal of carbon neutrality. the liberal democratic party and coalition partner komeito have adopted a package for fiscal 2021 starting in april. it includes a freeze for tax hikes on land, including residential and commercial plots. it also extends tax breaks for eco-friendly vehicles for two years. the package includes a range of incentives for firms to work toward targets set by the administration of prime minister suga yoshihide. and cut japan's greenhouse gas emissions net zero by 2050. firms will be rewarded for embracing innovative and eco-friendly technology in production lines, and compa

it is tuesday, december 29th, i'm ai uchida, in tokyo. let's start, right here, in japan, where it has been a bullish day for financial markets. tokyo's benchmark stock index surged to a 30-year closing high, boosted by hopes for a long-awaited u.s. pandemic-relief package. the nikkei 225 ended, tuesday, at 27,568. that's up more than 700 points, or around 2.7%, from monday's close. it's the highest-finishing level, since august, 1990. investors snapped up a wide range of shares, after key indices in new york hit new peaks. >>> now, to the latest on the pandemic. the tokyo metropolitan government reported 856 new coronavirus cases in the japanese capital, on tuesday. that daily tally is the highest for a tuesday, since the pandemic began. the tuesday figure is usually lower, as many medical institutions are closed on weekends. the total number of people who have tested positive for the virus in tokyo now stands at 57,896. >>> the economic impact of the virus is becoming clearer, in japan. a government survey has found nearly 80,000 people

the tokyo metropolitan department reported 738 new cases in the japanese capital wednesday. the figure is the second highest after last thursday's record of 821. the last time the daily tally surpassed 700 was saturday when 736 infections were confirmed. the total number of cases confirmed in tokyo since the start of the pandemic now stands at 53,130. concern about the spread of a new variant of the virus is causing major disruptions in the united kingdom as some countries have banned passenger flights from britain. japan's government says it will refuse new entries from the uk for the time being. >> translator: the government will continue to protect people's health. our top priority is ensuring everyone is safe and secure over the year-end holidays. we will implement border controls to prevent new coronavirus infections. >> chief cabinet secretary kato katsunoba said japan's stepped-up measures will take effect from thursday. he said japanese and nonjapanese residents who take short business trips to the uk will be asked to self-quarantine up to 14 days upon return. kato s

he works at an office in central tokyo. he's been using the new monthly rental service since the middle of august. >> translator: i could have bought my own bicycle but i really need it for work. on top of that there is a possibility that i may have to move in the near future. this rental service just seems like a convenient option for me. >> reporter: an increase in demand for food delivery and influx of new delivery staff. many were prepared for the up front cost of purchasing a bicycle. since the beginning of the new month rental service in april, the company saw profits recovered but surged. compares to last year, sales were up 140% meaning they did better than they were prepandemic. >> i see demand for food delivery remaining strong and think a lot of people discovered that riding a bike to work can be better than using public transport, hopefully we can continue to appeal both groups and grow our business even more. >> they quickly adapted their business. this is why they have been successful, right? >> this is a clas

and in this month, the number of people out in tokyo has not declined so significantly, so that is it inevitable even that we cannot control that infection so from tomorrow to the year end, a new year, i would like to appease you to cooperate with the government to control the infection. we want to make sure that people quietly spend the holidays. i believe you may have opportunities to gather together with friends and family but we must ask you to refrain from gathering in large numbers. we need to contain the virus during this year end and new year holiday, so i would like to ask you all for your cooperation. during the holidays, of course, the medical system, medical services will be reduced and we do not want to heighten the burden on medical services, and for that we need the cooperation of each and every one of you. doctors and nurses will be receiving subsidies, 15,000 for doctors and also for nurses, and 27 million yen has been budgeted as support for the medical services. people at the front line, we want to support them. and 20,000 beds, for each bed we will be providing 15

tokyo will have a high of 10 degrees on tuesday. morning lows will be well below freezing in beijing and seoul for the next couple of days. in the tropics we have a tropical cyclone over the south pacific. it will be a category 5 storm as it moves toward fiji by friday morning local time. downpours and storm surges may trigger coastal floods. widespread power outages may be possible. people in these areas have had severe droughts and bush fires for the last couple of months. conditions have improved in some areas during to the recent rainfall. at the same time sudden bursts of downpours could cse flash flooding and falling debris. that's it for now. stay safe. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> that's all for this hour. thank you for watching nhk "newsline." hope you'll join us again. ♪ >>> welcome to "newsline in depth." this year opened with a crippling worldwide pandemic, and it comes to a close without any resolution of a long-standing international human rights issue. in november for the 16th year in a row the u.n. general assembly adopted

i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. coming up next is "newsline biz" with ramin mellegard, so don't go away. ♪ ♪ >>> one of japan's best-known confection treats is being promoted online to chinese buyers in a bid to recover lost sales. chocolate-filed cookies are a must-buy among tourists in the northern prefecture of hokkaido. the distinctive boxes are popular among chinese visitors. with foreign tourism on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, sapporo-based manufacturer ishia has turned to e-commerce. it's aiming to boost chinese sales to 50 tim more than the figure a year earlier. theylan to expand sales in taiwan, south korea, and southeast asia. this is "newsline biz." i'm ramin mellegard. >>> mitsubishi motors has launched a new plug-in hybrid suv, turning attention to electric vehicles amid rising demand. the automaker rolled out a new version of the eclipse cross friday. it has a new battery and onboard motor. other manufacturers are offering fuel cell models. japan's auto industry is accelerating toward a g

the biggest hot spot is tokyo. more than a quarter of cases nationwide have been confirmed in the capital. officials reported over 370 cases on tuesday in the city of 14 million. metropolitan government officials want hospitals to increase the number of beds for seriously ill patients from 150 to 200 to meet the growing demand. authorities across the country reported over 2,000 new cases on tuesday, bringing the overall tally to more than 150,000. nearly 2,200 people have died. >>> now, many foreigners in japan cannot return home due to the pandemic. japanese immigration authorities have temporarily allowed them to work part time, as some are struggling financially. the immigration services agency put the measure into effect on tuesday. the latest step is aimed at about 21,000 non-japanese, including those who came to japan for short-term stays or aztec aa as technical aitrnees. many find themselves stranded, often by the tightened entry restrictions in their country. they'll need to apply to work part time. >>> th

stands at nearly 65% in tokyo, nearly 75% in osaka. prime minister suga yoshihide is asking people to stick to the basics. >> translator: i would ask people to take thorough measures, such as shing their hands, gargling and so on. and i also would like everyone to observe a quiet year end and new year period. >> the government's task force held a meeting monday to discuss the latest development. officials are also taking action to prevent the transmission of new strains of the virus, suspended the entry of nonresident foreign nationals for one month, the measure takes effect monday and will continue through january 31st. similar restriction is in effect for travelers from the united kingdom and south africa, all travelers returning to or entering japan from parts of the world where the variants have been confirmed need to submit a negative test certificate. travellers need to take a test been 72 hours before departure, and another upon arrival in japan. the government says it will continue to allow people to travel for business to and

of the summer olympics in tokyo say the games will go ahead in 2021 month with a pandemic still raging some question whether they should happen it'll. be good to have you with us germany has set up more than $400.00 centers for its nationwide vaccination drive against kobe at 19 it's a huge undertaking health officials say an immunization rate of 60 to 70 percent of the population will be needed to bring a virus under control our reporters went to the biggest facility in berlin for the start of the roll out. normally a venue for concerts in exhibitions on sunday the queues outside covered 19 vaccines it's the 1st of 6 vaccination centers in the german capital to open its doors. to full my head of germany's civil relief agency was cold out of retirement to lead the pro. ject been ordered so it's a free i'm satisfied today i'm happy to vaccinations are getting on the way but i'll only be truly satisfied when 2 thirds of people in europe are vaccinated so there's a long way to go but today is the 1st it has. at full capacity the center will be able to deliver $5000.00 injections per day o

the tokyo tribute all began on major 3rd 1946. by this time churchill had already delivered his sinews of peace speech that heralded the cold war. the tokyo tribunals became an arena room veiled confrontation between the u.s. great britain and the u.s.s.r. u.s. representatives refused to review the topic of unit 73100 detachments despite servia demands from the whereabouts of the unit 731 leaders are unknown to us there are no grounds for charging the unit with war crimes. cold war and there was a strain of documents and data by unit 731 that went to 2 military bases in the united states to fort dugway in utah into fort dietrich in maryland which to this day remains the headquarters for the us. by a large of all weapons command. there were biologists doctors medical students adolescents who had nothing to do with medicine employed at unit 731 about 3600 people in total including maintenance staff. but only 12 men face trial and how about of. herschel to you others. you need to go to work the dog is. the sole looking kunal say. jun

the limp it brings up back in tokyo a sign of hope that the 2020 games will likely take place despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. we want everyone to feel that the tour through and picks will happen next year. the excitement leading up to the games was our last when the pandemic hit breaking news the 2020 olympic games will be postponed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic diodon percent speel a fun talk your battle ensues yachts wattles and unsponsored. a decision that was long overdue and many athletes had already said they wouldn't attend but the international olympic committee and its president seemed to lack that clear response at times they came across as clueless. we don't have a blueprint we have no experts to refer to. the athletes initially remained pragmatic they trained in scifi living rooms 3 years without any competition pushed them to the limit both financially and mentally. the organizers remained confident i.o.c. president thomas fox claimed to have a set of covert 1000 countermeasures at his disposal he send a message of hope to the athletes directly

tokyo has some of the highest density offices. people are closer and on top of each other including singapore and hong kong. those are high density places. we talk about covid and wanting space from our colleagues. that is a factor working against to locate.ing where manus: i am very safe. there is nobody else here. thank you very much. doha.inancial center in one area on shaky ground, groupa's interest in the is lower today. interbank tells the group to return to its roots. usersves half a billion in china. you see the contagion effect around the rest of the tech space there. jd.com down 2.2 7%, but alibaba coming in with a buyback of $6 billion. not enough to save the day. we pursue these stories on daybreak middle east. ♪ >> the following is a paid program. the opinions and views expressed do not reflect those of bloomberg lp, its affiliates, or its employees. >> the following is a paid presentation brought to you by rare collectibles tv. ♪ announcer: the u.s. mint has been dedicated to producing the finest numismatic coins

the amusement part outside tokyo rents office space with ultimate stunning views. free wifi but water cooler not included. says lots of users told us the time flew by. $18 buys you lounge chair poolside and one hour in rotation, up to 500 feet in the air. among the 150 takers so far, the online events manager boarded cabin for first gravity-defined conference call. coworkers said it looked like he was on vacation, jealous he said. dozens of rides but few suited to desk work. not laptop friendly, the spokesman said, advise customers to ride these as break from work. meanwhile japan has thousands of cheap, rent by the hour karaoke rooms being repurposed. a big echo in downtown tokyo, demand growing from white-collar workers meeting in super ventilated karaoke room is instead of a coffee shop, says there's just one drawback. when file reports, will look likelike we were not work. lucy kraft, tokyo. >> and that's the overnight news for tuesday, for some, news continues. follow us online at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm catherine herridge. >>> it

here limp it brings up back in tokyo a sign of hope that the 2020 games will likely take place despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. we want everyone to feel that the tour you are going picks will happen next year. the excitement leading up to the games was our last when the pandemic hit breaking news the 2020 olympic games will be postponed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic the olympics and speed of fun talk your battle ensues yachts white house and i don't sponsor. a decision that was long overdue and many athletes had already said they wouldn't attend but the international olympic committee and its president seemed to lack that clear response at times they came across as clueless. we don't have a blueprint we have no experts to refer to. the athletes initially remained pragmatic they trained in the living rooms but a year without any competition pushed them to the limit both financially and mentally if. the organizers remained confident i.o.c. president thomas patton claimed to have a set of covert 1000 countermeasures at his disposal he send a message of hope to th

but the station is also home for some of tokyo's homeless population. it's these people who are the focus of the book. >> this year's national book award for translated literature goes to "tokyo reno station. " reporter: he was inspired to write a novel by the personal exchanges with people in fukushima which was devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011. in her speech she said she wanted to capture the sense of having nowhere to call home. >> the main character of the book is a man from a city. i would like to share the joy with the people of the city who earthqua.of hardship after the >> reporter: the main character arrive at ren statihe yr fo tokyo hted thelympic needs to rk to pport hi family. d becomes homeless.orker the story depicts his hardships and the inequalities in japanese society as the country experiences an era of rapid growth. w child the book was inclufluencey the disaster of 2011, the ndemic makes the moment more relevant. >> translator: the moment i heard the expression stay at home, i thought about the homeless people

year ban from all major sporting events for doping is reduced to two years — they'll still miss the tokyo games and the next world cup. also coming up on the programme... the action from adelaide — as india's captain virat kohli's run out after a mix up on the opening day of the first test against australia. and you'll also hear later from marcus rashford's mum — on why tackling food poverty means so much to her son. welcome to the programme, thanks forjoining us. today more former rugby union players have come forward to sue the game's authorities for alleged negligence. it means there are now nine players taking action against the rfu, wales rugby union and world rugby, saying they've suffered brain damage — though the law firm representing them says more than 100 players are affected. a letter of claim was delivered to the sport's governing bodies today. chris mclaughlin reports. concussion in rugby, the story that's dominating sports, and that's because some who used to play the game say that what they did on the field has left them with permanent brain damage. today, pre—lega

. >>> the pandemic is affecting tokyo games next summer and not just in the capital. hundreds of communities across japan have been gearing up to host athletes from around the globe, but as nhk world reports, local officials are worried about how to do so safely fpz >> reporter: messages of support from residents in the northern city to olympians in a far away country. these videos were posted online s in july after the games were postponed by a year. the city has hosted three visits from bulgaria's rhythmic gymnastics team since 2017. local officials see it as a chance to revitalize the economy. like many other communities in japan, the population is aging. now covid-19 is posing a challenge to the project. >> translator: we had planned to visit bulgaria in april during the rhythmic gymnastics world cup to meet with officials, but we were forced to cancel that trip. >> the central government has been encouraging cities and towns nationwide to host training camps for teams from around the world. one aim is to boost the spirit of international solidarity embodied by th

i'm ramin mellegard in tokyo. >>> tokyo's governor asked people in the capital to spend the new year holidays at home. she made the plea as 944 new cases of the coronavirus infection were reported, the second highest number on record. >> translator: we're facing a third wave of infections, unprecedented in size.

i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. we begin in the u.s. where the president-elect is making a case for his pick to delead the defee department. joe biden is set to nominate retired general lloyd austin. he served in the army as recently as 2014, leading some to speculate he will blur the line between civil service and the military. if confirmed he will be the first black american to lead the pentagon. getting there will require a special congressional waiver since he hasn't been out of active service for the requisite seven years. some are hesitant to sign off. biden wrote an article in the "atlantic" explaining his choice and urging a swift confirmation. austin led the u.s. central command under president barack obama when biden said he pved he could react well under pressure. biden wrote his many strengths and knowledge in the department of defense and our government are uniquely matched to the challenges and crises we face. he is the person we need in this moment. the required congressional waiver has been granted o

so when percy actually is admitted to tokyo by the way, he did not have free reign. because he was accompanying that he was always being monitored by staff which is the macarthur operation there behind, he's on the ground and theynotified the fbi . they're surveying him but at the same time you don't want to read too much into it . a survey everybody. they knew what you eat, what you thought, how many cigarettes you smoke everyday but they gave percy clearance to go to hiroshima for two weeks which might sound pretty substantial and includes travel and that would have been 24 to 36 hours of travel at that time. and when he gets there, he has to help a german priest who had been living there and had returned and spoke english and through this german priest, and one other japanese minister who had been educated at emory university and therefore spoke english these are only gave percy her own testimonies but an introduction among the survivors who had been returning to hiroshima to try to rebuild their lives among the ashes you later on didn't remember how many he had i

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. >> the coronavirus costing big bucks for the tokyo olympics. the games' postponement due to the virus is expected to add at least an extra $2.4 billion to the already huge budget. the massive costs making it harder to build public support in japan. >> even before they were delayed eight months ago, the tokyo olympics were set to be the most expensive summer games on record. now costs are rising again to the tune of over 2 billion euros. >> i think our biggest challenge is the additional costs. we need to continue to cut costs as much as possible while working together to host a safe and secure olympic games. >> the additional spending increases the budget that was set last year at over 10 billion euros. the extra costs will cover covid-19 countermeasures and operational spending, including transport, salaries, and rebooking of venues. >> the japanese government is responsible for covid-19 related measures. theokyo metropolitan government and tokyo 2020 organizing committee are responsible for the costs of it being postponed. >> organizers have