Kono says modifications are needed to ensure rocket boosters fall inside the launch site and not on the surrounding area. The ministry had previously said that would not be a problem. Kono added japan has spent about 1 billion over 12 years to develop missiles for the system. Aeaegis ashore was designed by u. U. S. Defense f firms to inter ballllistic missiles outside th atmospherere. The japanese government had planned to deploy it in akita and yamaguchi prefectures in response to north koreas Ballistic Missile test l lnches. The plan had triggered safety concerns among local people including in akita where opposition grew last year after faulty survey data was used to rule out other areas in the northeast. The governor of yamaguchi welclcomed the change of plan. Translator the local government must ensure the safety o of the community. From t that point of view, the mininistrys decision is what w have been asking for, and we consider it appropriate. Kono says japan will continue to rely y on selfdefense force vessels equippeded with the aeg syststem for the time being. Officials in tokyo are working on preventative measures to prepare for another possible surge of coronavirus infections. Theyve set up a team of experts amid a recent daily spike in confirmed cases. Monday saw 48 new cases in the capital, including 23 linked to downtown nightclub districts. Its the second day in a row with more than 40 positive results. The increase comes after the tokyo government on friday canceled most of its requests for businesses to restrict operating hours. The team of experts is looking at how to enhance testing and medical systems as well as how to monitor infections to prepare for another surge in infections. At a meeting on monday, they reportedly discussed the merits of evaluating specific areas rather than the entire prefecture in light of the fact that a significant number of recent cases are nightclub employees in central tokyo. The experts plan to decide by the end of this month what new criteria the metropolitan government will use when issuing alerts urging people to exercise more caution. Now, the Central Government plans to lift more restrictions on social and Economic Activities on friday. They include Movement Across prefectural borders as well as concerts and sporting events. Translator we dont intend to make any chchanges to our p at this poinint. We will contininue to closely monitor the situation every day, taking expert views into account. Acrcross japan more than 17,0 people h have tested positive f the coronavirus, and about 9303 have died. Turning to china now the World Health Organization says it is concerned about new cases of the coronavirus among people who visited the major food market in beijing. Last week china reported a new set of cases in beijing. After more than 50 days without a case in that city. More than a hundred cases have now been confirmed. The head of the w. H. O. s Health Emergencies program says new clusters are always a concern especially when the origin is unknown. Beijing is a large city and a very dynamic and connected city so there is always a concern. We have offered further assistance and support as it is needed. He says epidemiologists at the w. H. s china officee are workingg on the new cases. European Union Nations have started to ease travel restrictions within the bloc after three months of border closures due to the coronavirus. With infections on the declilin countries are aimingng to shorep their Tourism Industries ahead of the summer season. France began to allow entrance from almost all eu nations on monday. At Charles De Gaulle airport, passenger planes were arriving from and departing for other european nations. A woman from berlin says she came to see her boyfriend. Since corona, we didnt see each other for two mononths. So, yeyeah, it was different. Im happy to travel again. Waiters and waitresses along the champselysees boulevard in paris were preparing for more customers. Translator tourists are important customers and i cant wait for them to return. And i hope things will gradually improve. Tourism accounts for about 10 of the European Unions gdp. Belgium also eased travel restrictions on monday. Germany and some other nations will follow suit on tuesday. The eu is proposing that members open their borders in phases to countries outside the bloc starting on july 1st, but it remains uncertain whether tourism will return to its previous levels amid concerns over another possible spike in coronavirus infections. Nonessential retail outlets have resumed operation in england after three months of lockdown. Shoppers formed a long line in front of a major London Department store. Employees applauded to celebrate the reopening as customers streamed in. Shops are required to observe some guidelines to minimize the risk of infection. These include making hand sanititizer available and maintaining social distance. No matter. Getting out of the house. Its nice. Nice to be back. Were just so delighted to be able to reopen the stores, our four stores after nearly three months of being closed. I think certainly the next couple of weeks will be quite telling but we do anticipate this will take a while for them to return to the levelels we sa precoronavirus. Some consumers were so eager to shop they forgot social distancing. The uk government is expected to allow restaurants and beauty parlors to reopen as early as next month. Meanwhile, in bangkok many restaurants were packed with people monday night as they have been allowed to serve alcohol. Thailand has seen no new cases of infection except people returning from overseas in the last three weeks but the government is still not allowing night clubs and bars to reopen, citing infection risk. The John Hopkins University in the u. S. Says the number of confirmed infections worldwide has surpassed 7. 9 million and the death toll is more than 334,000. The death toll is more than 434,000. Monday marked the historic occasion for the two koreas. It was the 20th anniversary of the june 15th joint declaration adopted at a summit between their late leaders. But recently north korea has been putting out antisouth korea rhetoric. Seoul has responded by calling on pyongyang for dialogue. Translator north korea should not sever communication and createte tensions which wil take both of us back to the days of confrontation. I i hope we wiwill solve the difficult problems in front of us with communication and cooperatioion. Moon also said he and north Korean Leader kim jongun cannot backcktrack on promimises of pe they made to the people of the peninsula. It was moons First Official response to a series of threats from pyongyang. The north has been angered by y defectors to the sth who he e sent a antiregee leaflets back across the border. It says it wildedemolish the interkorean Liaison Office and is threatening to take military action against the south. The two koreas have held joint ceremonies to commemorate the anniversary in the past, but this year the south did so alone. Senior officials at the ceremony expressed deep regret about the current situation. More touough rhetoric from the north korean army tutuesday mornining. It said it will study action plans including advancing into areas which are demilitarized under an agreement with the south. The army added it will transform its border area into a fortress. The comment comes days after leader kim jong uns younger sister announced the commanders of the army will think of the next step against the south. Turning to the philippines where one of the countrys most wellknown journalists have been found guilty of libel and facings up to six years of prison. Maria ressa, chief executive editor of online news site rappler has been critical of president duterte. She was named one of time magazines persons of the year in 2018. Ressa was charged with cyber libel over a 2012 article about a businessman and his alleged ties to the chief justice of the Supreme Court at the time. The attorney has argued the law in question was enacted after the story was published, but she is facing up to six years in jail on the grounds the new site updated the story in 2014 to fix a typo. Freedom of the press is the foundation of every single right you have as a filipino citizen. Were at the precipice. If we fall over, we are no longer a democracy, and in many ways that could be easier for all of us. Ressa has been released on bail and says she is considering an appeal. Mondays Court Decision has drawn criticism from International Press freedom groups. They say it is designed to put pressure on Media Outlets that criticize duterte. Moving on to World Weather many parts of japan experienced scorching temperatures on monday causing heat stroke. Our meteorologist tells us how long the hot weather will remain in the country. We are expecting hot weather at least for the next couple days. Daytime highs will be as hot as yesterday. On monday tokyo marked 32. 6 degrees. That is about 10 degrees warmer than usual for this time of the year. The heat conditions have led to health problems. Central japan was hit by hot weather on monday. Cities like tokyo reported the highest temperatures so far this season. Almost 30 people were taken to hospitals with heat related complications. A High Pressure system will continue to create hot and dry weather across a large portion of western and eastern japan for the next couple of days. We will continue too havave wel above average temperatures on tuesday and into wednesday. A cooling trend will arrive in the latter part of the week with highs back to seasonal. The heat conditions will also persist in northeastern china and the Korean Peninsula as the High Pressure system creates sunny conditions. Highs may reach the upper 30s in the beijing area on tuesday. South of that a rainy season front will continue to produce heavy rainfall in southern and eastern china. Nearly 200 millimeters of rain fell in parts of the province on monday and another 200 millimeters is possible in the same location through the next 24 hours, so flooding and lalandslides will be the bigges concerns. Showers will become heavier at times in shanghai with a high of 26 degrees. In the u. S. , people in the Northern Rockies had a late season snowfall on monday. Another wave of cold air will bring more snow showers on tuesday with up to 45 centimeters possible. In the meantime, a heat wave will remain in place across the southwest. The high in las vegas may reach 38 degrees on tuesday, 42 degrees in phoenix. In addition, dry air will create a risk of forest fires. Thats all for now. Stay safe. Have a nice day. That is all for thisis editn of nhk newsliline. Welcomome to newsline in depth. Im yanaka marie. The coronavirus pandemic that has swept the world is changing the way we live. As countries resume Economic Activity and people venture out again we are adapting to a way of life that prevents infection. For many, this means navigating life in uncharted territories. Today we bring you three stories about how Asian Countries are living the new normal, donning masks, and maintaining social distancing, all the while working and even celebrating life events. We begin in thailand. Though the government extended the state of emergency through the end of june, restrictions have partially been eased. Its economy is in the early stages of reopening, with many restaurants, shops, and barbers resuming operations. Our report looks at how innovative ideas are bringing unprecedented changes to every day lifife. Reporter daily prayer is a common ritual for most thais but chanting it behind protective barriers is something new to get used to. Bangkok is slowly coming back to life after several months at a standstill but with several changes. Commercial venues have been reopening, but shopping isnt the same. Customers are required to keep a safe distance from each other and do what this robot says. Please wear masks. Customers have to check in by scanning a qr code. The system allows the venues to count heads and if they find an infection on site the authorities can alert people right consumers can see new items for sale. This Wedding Dress designer created something to reflect the times. Elegant face masks have been released to match t the bridal wear. Wearing masks on a wedding day can be memorable so as a designer i need to create something that complements the overall look. The newlyweds know all about incorporating such adjustments to their big day. They planned a grand wedding in a hall but wound up getting married at a family home as their venue was ordered to shut. First they had to get permission from local authorities to hold a wedding. They were told everyone had to undergo Health Checkups before the ceremony. And the guest list had to be reduced from 500 to translator this is not exactly what we planned but we just have to embrace it. Life goes on. Reporter hospitals are also aiming to reduce the number of people gathering at their facilities. This one has come up with a telemedicine app to help limit person to person contact. From the safety of their home patients can see doctors and pharmacists via online video calls. Medicines are later mailed to their door steps. The app is particularly popular among the elderly. It is good t to be able to s doctors likike this so i i won have to worry too much about getting infected. Translator in the future telemedicine could assist out patitients and d doctors from o hospitals in rural areas. If its widely successful, i think telemedicine will become a new norm for seeing doctors. Reporter the pandemic has radically transformed the lives of thai people. Its legacy in part could be the creative way society is adapting to the new normal. Interesting. The traditional arts, too, are adapting to the post pandemic world. For the iconic dancers of bangkok theyre now performing in face shields. One troupe member says she is grateful to be able to resume work, since this is her main source of income. But the road ahead to recovery may not be smooth. A thailand think tank estimates that itll take the country three years to recover from the economic fallout from the coronavirus. Speaking of economic damage, our next story turns to china, which fell into recession due to the epidemic. The country is used to seeing 6 gdp growth but the figure shrank to minus 6. L in the latest quarter, the First Time Ever in negative territory since such data began being released. Many experts dont expect businesses to get back on track any time soon. Our report looks at how retailers which were hit especially hard are pivoting to stay afloat. Its been a grim few months for this long established beijing shoe store. After being forced to shut down in january, its only recently bebeen able to restart operatio. Instead of waiting for customers to come to them the company took a proactive approach and began Live Streaming to generate saleles. They say online sales in march helped bring sales to about half of what they were last year. The number of people who come to o our shop is limited, but there is a lot of potential in attracting customers online. Reporter Online Platforms are also allowing the traditional retailer to attract a new generation of shoppers. 70 of people who shop via live stream are 35 5 or younunger. Live s streaming has fast bececa life l line for many retailers. The recent report by ecommerce giant alibaba says there was an eight fold increase in february from a month earlier. Among the businesses capitalizing on the trend is this clothing manufacturer, which built a specialized studio in february. It has since become the driving forcrce behind the i initiative. Partrt of shins strategy is n just show casing the clolothes t also acting as atylist for potential customers. If you want to be more stylish you can wear the clothes like this and if you wear it over a tshirt it will look totally different. Shin says she once sold more than 170,000 worth of merchandise in a single broadcast. Some fans are waiting for me every day. Its hard work, but this is what keeps me going. The Company Plans to increase the number of casters to 20 and provide additional training to sales and also staff. Translator our company wouldnt have been ablee to survive if we didnt start Live Streaming. It would also help us expand our business. Reporter in a matter of months, the coronavirus pandemic has up ended the Retail Industry as more people shop online. And while some stores are falling victim to the crisis, others are finding success by adapting to what has quickly become the new normal. You know, Live Streaming is gaining so much traction in china that not only businesses but local governments are also jumping on the band wagon. As lockdown was lifted in the hardest hit province of hubei officials there participated in sessions to promote local products. And the government plans to train 10,000 Live Streaming casters over the next three years. It is even going as far as establishing a think tank for various online services. Now for our last report we look at japan, where new Business Practices are being explored. According to a survey, 9 8 of the countrys major businesses have introduced teleworking in light of thehe coronavirus. However, one traradition is makg working from home a challenge. Official japanese documents typicallyy required seals of authentication, a custom that is proving difficult to stamp out. Reporter a stamp and a signature. The use of this stamp is a long standing custom in japan dating back more than 1200 years, and it is still very much a part of every day life, used for everything from receiving parcels to opening bank accounts. This is also an essential business tool to authenticate contracts and other documents. Some people say these stamps are making it harder for them to work from home. Im going to the office to do paperwork including procedures that require stamps. In such cases i always have to be there in person. A recent survey suggested nearly twothirds of Business People in japan still have to go to the office while telecommuting to apply stamps or review physical documents. Companies that are already using the stamps also face challenges. They s say the physical stampsse still needed for some clients. Customers say they want the original, stamped copopies of documents. I have that kind of business today, too. Reporter changing that mindset is proving to be a major hurdle as the bususiness world adapts to the pandemic and not just in japan. Small Companies Found 3 4 of respondents continue with handwritten signatures for contracts. The japanese government recently coconducted its own survey to fd out what administrative procedures in the business sector are getting in the way. Its hoping more companies will embrace electronic stamps to help reduce persontoperson contact. Industry leaders also say that Business Practices need to move into the digital world. W we have no time to deal wi stamps or paper documents anymore. Japan and many other countries are pushing to resume Economic Activity while still fighting to contain the virus. But c changing traditional waysf doing business is proving to be no small feat. Though challenges remain, covid19 is forcing Many Companies in japan to seriously contemplate introducing digital stamps. Several developers of such online tools are even offering free trials during this time. As we saw, the pandemic has already led to many Socio Economic changes. Keeping an open mind will be the key to living in this age of fluctuation. The age of the coronavirus. And thats all for this edition of newsline in depth. Thanks for tuning in and make the new cluster of cases in beijing trigger a warningng f a a possible sececond wave of covid19. But it is a different picture in europe where border patrols are being eased and cafes and restaurants have further lili fully reopened in france. Hello, you are watching al jazeera live from london. Also coming up. Of rayshard brooks, the latest black man killed by police in the u. S. Call for justice and for calm