The damage. The bridge on the kuma river was washed away. The road on the riverbank collapsed. Mud and parts of uprooted trees have made it inside buildings, some up to the second floor. This man says his 67yearold father was found said at his house that was flooded. Tla translator i have regrets about fighting with my father a lot. I wish i had my kids visit him more often. Flooding has turned fields and greenhouses into swamps. One farmer says his 60 greenhouses were affected and that the timing could not have been worse. Translator it was just before the harvest. The whole area around here was completely destroyed. The amount of damage may be around 93,000. Aside from the economic damage, the extreme rain is presenting a new threat in the age of the coronavirirus. People in evacuation shelters are taking precautions to keep the virus at bay. The destruction also hit areas outside kyushu. In kyoto, a mud slide plowed into three cars near an interchange. Two drivers suffffed minor injuries. More than 100 houses were inundated when the river flooded. Mud and rocks hit train tracks, roads and houses. Residents are struggling to clean up on their own since heavy machinery cannot be brought into some areas. Translator i dont know where to begin. More than 4,700 houses were flooded across 22 prefectures, but Officials Say the full extent of the damage is still not clear. The japanese government is going ahead with plans to ease restrictions onn a attendance a large scale events. Thats despite a surge in coronavirus cases in tokyo and other parts of the country. Starting on friday, authorities are raising the maximum attendance at spectator events from 1,000 to 5,000. Daily new cases continued to climb in tokyo. The capital recorded on thursday 224 infections, the highest daily y figure s since the star the pandemic. But the government has decided to stick with its plan, saying the surge is not at a level requiring another state of emergency. Prime minister abe shinzo said hes watching the situation closely. He maintains the surge is not as serious as in april. Translator the nouumber of patients in serious condition is much lower. Most newly infected people are in their 20s and 30s and the Health Care System is not being overwhelmed. Organizers of japans professional baseball and soccer leagues will allow up to 5,000 spectators into stadiums. Games have been held behind closed doors since june. Organizers are calling on spectators to observe social distancing. Other measures include Wearing Masks and temperature checks at the entrance to stadiums. Over 20,000 people have contracted the virus across japan. The death toll stands at more than 980. A japanese consumer goods manufacturer has begun Domestic Production of face masks at its plant in the northeast of the country. He iris has been making m masks at its facilities in china. Company Officials Say the plant is largely automated and can make 1. 5 Million Masks at a day. Theyey say most of the masks produced there are suitable for the summer. The fibers in the filter are designed to allow more air in preventing the face from getting too hot. The Company Expects to turn out 150 Million Masks a month by the end o of august after adding mo production lines. Translator cases of infection have been growing again in tokyo and the surroundnding area. We expect demand f for masks to remain strong. Were planning to boost production further if necessary. Iris says its been receiving orders from firms it never did business with before and from schools and airports. U. S. President donald trump is pressuring states to reopen schools at the end of summer. Hes threatened to cut off funding if he doesnt get his way, but he may not have a s sa in the matter. Nhk worlds Catherine Kobayashi explained. Reporter the hallways havee gone quiet andeats are empmpty. No one know when is t theyight be filled. Educators know that s school are the pillar of the community. And if a school gets sick, our Community Gets sick. Reporter the centers for Disease Control recommend schools stagger schedules to limit contact between students, disinfect surfaces daily, and keep desks at least six feet apart. President donald trump disagrees, suggesting the guidelines are tough and would be expensisive to follow. Were vy much going tout essure o govnorsnd everybodody ee to open t the schools. Reporter the white house announced the cdc would issue more guidance in the coming days, and the president tretenenned to cut off funding schools dont open. But Public Health officials in los angeles are signanaling studentsts will again be learni from home. And those in new york may only be at school part time. School reopenings are safe decisi are a state decision, period. That is the law and that is the way were going to proceed. Its not up to the president of the united states. Reporter cuomo says the president pressured states to reopen their economies too, and he says, look where the nation is now. Catherine kobayashi, nhk world, new york. The mayor of south Koreas Capital seoul has been found dead. Police say they found nothing to indicate foul play. Major park wonsoon did not go to his office on thursday, reportedly saying he wasnt feeling well. But it later became apparent he had left his official residence that morning. Police and firefighters began searching for park after his daughter said she could not contact him. His body was discovered in a wooded area of northern seoul shortly after midnight. South korean Media Outlets say a woman who once worked as parks secretary had filed d a Sexual Harassment claim against him. Police have confirmed the complaint butut refuse to give any retails. Park worked as a human rights lawyer before being elected in 2011. His name had been floated as a possible candidate for the 2022 president ial election. Now in most parts of the world, running is one of the most affordable sports around. But in one part of the east africa, even the best of the up and coming young runners are struggling to afford the shoes they need. Nhk world caught up with a man whos working to help barefoot athletes. Reporter a room filled with running shoes. They have been collected by this man. Translator i get to help athletes who are not economically blessed. These shoes are waiting to be sent to tanzania. Reporter r this man began collecting sweaters to send to people in need. In 1994, he was in japan for a marathon. Thats when he met a town official in charge of the race. The two became friends and have kept in touch. He called o on hisapanese friends to help with a Major Program in tanzania. There are athletes in tanzania who are not able to buy shoes. Reporter the womens Athletic Competition started just three years ago with a third of the athletes running barefoot. Many are still unable to afford properer shoeses. They put outut a calll to help tanznzias talented athletetes. He took to social media in february to help out his good friend and with a shared passion for athletics. Responses poured in from all over japan. Translator we brought two pairs. They havent been worn much. Translator theyre like new, great. Reporter soon, people around japan had donated around 250 pairs, more than double the target. You hope the donated shoes will be really useful and the athletes can grab the chance. I hope they can all get shoes. Reporter with huhureds of kn shoes already donated, shipping is set to begin once the coronavirus pandemic subsides. Nhk world. As weve been reporting, the search for the missing continues after a devastating series of rainstorms ripped through japan. But more rain is expected in the inundated areas this weekend. Lets go to our meteorologist yoko couple komagata for more on this. Whats the latest . People living in japan need to watch out for flooding and landslides. We saw Copious Amounts of rainfall, especially in western japan. Total rainfall has reached one meter in parts in just a week. Thats about half the annual rainfall for those areas. Heavy rain will continue along the seasonal front that stretches across japan. Expect 300 to 400 millimeters of rainfall in the south western parts of the country and the tokai region can see up to 350 millimeters through the next 48 hours. So, rainfall and more rainfall could easily trigger further flooding and landslides. We are still seeing the high risk of landslides in northern parts of kyushu, parts of shikoku, and central japan on saturday. The wet season will persist at least through early next week in the south western japan. Rain will become heavier once again in fukuoka and kagoshima as we go into the weekend. Rainfall has also fallen in eastern china. The same frontal system along the basin has c caused deadly flooding. Heavy rains caused severe flooding and major landslides in Hubei Province china this weeee. Some partsts of wuhan city received nearly 700 millimeters of rainfall. Rescue teams carried hand bags to rescue areas and rescued people t trapped i in floods. Local reports say eight found were dead and one was rescued. Heavy rain will be seen in the north in places like shandong province where up to 150 millimeters is possible. Heavy rain has also been poundi pounding chongqing. Thats all for now. Stay safe. And that is all for this edition of nhk newsline. Im Yamamoto Miki in tokyo. Thank you for staying with us on nhk world japan. Welcome to newsline indepth. Im shibuya aki. Whats big bright and goes boom in summer . Fireworks here in japan, fireworks are a highlight of the hotter months. They draw huge crowds of people, all of them gazing up into the night sky as the action unfolds. But this year, things are different. The coronavirus is casting a shadow over many events we usually take for granted. That includes fireworks festivals and other big gatherings. Its also causing pain for the wider Tourism Industry. Today, well take a look at how a handful of businesses are adapting to an uncertain new world. First up, a report on japans legendary fireworks makers. They face an increasingly insecure future. Many have big stock piles that are going to waste, but now more than ever, their dazzling displays are the tonic that many people n need. In a sign of the times, fireworks craftsmen are meeting online to find out how to successfully launch across the country. Theyre encouraging people struggling with the pandemic. This man is s one of the organizers and t the successor a 100yearold fireworks maker in tokyo. Translator the goal of the project is to pray for the end of the pandemic. People say the earliest fireworks festivals were started in order to chase away evil spirits that cause epidemics. So that prayer is important for many of the fireworks craftsmen who have lost work due to this pandemic. Among the events forced to cancel is the best known festival at the river. He has about 20,000 unused fireworks stored in his factory. If the situation does not change, he will be forced to destroy some of them. He and his team needed to find a way to hold the traditional event without attracting large crowds, so they kept the location of the launches secret and set a fiveminute limit for each show. Finally, at 8 00 p. M. On june 1st they launched a brilliant display with a prayer for the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Translator it was nice to see so many fireworks. Translator it gave me a real boost of e encouragement to gete through this hard time. More than 160 fireworks compananies participated in n t project, launching fireworks i everery prefecture on the same night. Translator we wont let the coronavirus kill off the fireworks industry. I think hanabi can continue to evolve and do more amazing things. He and his colleagues hope to create even m more w ways to he people enjoy the tradititional form of entertainment. It was interesting to hear that in the early days, fireworks were intended to fend off evil spirits and diseases. So, in a sense, these nighttime spectacles are still serving their original purpose. With so many fireworks events being cancelled, people are looking for other ways to support the industry. One Group Launched an online competition thats linking craftsmen directly with fireworks fans. They invited ogasu and others. Over 100 pieces were submitted and the displays were posted on social media for people to vote. Next, im not much of a game play er player, but i have to admit this looks like fun. It was developed by a japanese game company, and it became a worldwide hit as lockdowns were going into effect. Now with struggling tourist site in singapore is hoping to build on the success of the game to revive its own fortunes. Sentntosa is just 15 minutes away. The island is rimmed on one side by white sandy beaches and full of attractions. Neararly 20 Million People visi each year. But these days, its empty. In preparation for the time when borders reopen, the island has turned to its bestselling game. In animal crossing, players can build houses, plant greenery, and decorate a Deserted Island to create their own personal paradise. They can also visit each other. Sentosas Development Idea came up with creating a virtual replica of the island for the game. The firm invited players for a virtual experience. The idea is to entice them back for the real thing after the restrictions end. The design team faithfully recreated the hotel where the u. S. North korea summit was held two years ago. The beaches and popular Tourist Spots are also featured. It captured the smallest details like logos and signs. The virtual experience ran from may 9th to june 1st. 15,000 applications flooded in. About 450 were selected. When i i walked in, i felte wow, they really set this up. It looks luke a wonderful place, like something i would like to visit one day. One couple even walked down the aisle together. The current restrictions had forced them to cancel their wedding plans. But with the Development Companys help, they were able to invite friends to their virtuall wedding on t the date y had originally planned. When we realized we were the only one, the lucky one given this opportunity, it was really something exciting in our life. I dont think well ever forget it. They and other players posted their experiences on sociall media. And moree people around the word got to know sentosa. I think that was a very pleasant surprise foror us, actually receiving requests to play from the global tier. As the world prepares for a new normal, people are exploring various platforms of communication. Video games just might hold a key to bringing life back to the Tourism Industry. Nhk world, singapore. Wow, you can really see how people get drawn into these elaborate virtual worlds. Here in japan too, people in the Tourism Industry are trying to think outside the box. A case in point, if the area around the grand shrine in wewestern japan prefecture. This area is said to be sacred. Legend has it that all of japans shinto godss gather her once a year. Its also a popular destination for tourists. Local businesses traditionally welcome visitors by serving up regional specialties such as sake and noodles. These days they have to do things a little differently to keep the money rolling in. A sake brewery. The staff are about to start an online tour that shows the sake brewing process. About 50 participants from around the country are taking part. Broadcasting from her smartphone, the brewer enters a room dedicated to cultivating yeast, a key ingredient in sake brewing. She reenacts the production process. But as this step take place in the winter, the participants are shown a video of it. The participants are ahead of time. As the tour wraps up, its time for a toast. Translator learning how much care goes into thee making the sake has given me a deeper appreciate for it. It definitely tastes different from sake from the supermarket. During the 3 1 2 hour tour, the participants get to see five facilities that produce local specialties. The tour is free of charge, but they are asked to purchase the manufactures merchandise. The project was created by the government and the start up in tokyo. Translator we hope the initiative wilill help shops an restaurants that have been struggling amid the huge drop in tourism. At this old restaurant, a chef demonstrates how to make soba noodles, a specialty of the city of izumo. Participants receive uncooked noodles from the restaurant before the tour. Bon appetit. Participants are now encouraged to dig in. Translator the food tastes different because i can see the person who made it. Online tours have become a new way to travel amid the covid19 pandemic. They offer huge potential for both travellers and the Tourism Industry. Recently overcame her shyness in front of the camera and started making online videos about her sake. Each clip focuses on one sake and comes with a detailed expla [ inaudible question ] of its characteristics and origin story. She says its not just to help her own business. She also wants to help the Liquor Stores and restaurants that have supported her over the years. Weve seen how the Tourism Industry is starting to think beyond physical limitations and embraced the Limitless Possibilities of the imagination. The result is a whole range of unique experiences. And thats all for this edition of newsline in depth. We would like to close todays program by showing you some scenes from one of japans biggest fireworks displays. This years event has been cancelled, but with any luck, the fireworks will be in full bloom again next year. Thank you for watching. And see you soon. Anchor the Supreme Court r rulg thatat has clear the way for the u. S. President s s tax return ad other financial records to be passed to new york prosecutors. Anchor hello, im barbara ferry. You are watching al jazeera on london. Wheree the libyan prison, lebanese were tortured. Calls grow for the u. N. To investigate. The government appointment that sparked angry protests in the democratic republic of congo. And