Hokkaido residents are also urged to avoid traveling to or from sapporo, where new infections have surpassed 100 in recent days. Officials have confirmed cluster infections outside the city. The surge in cases is hurting the local tourism industry. One hotel in a hot spring resort is suffering an exodus of customers. Translator we are suffering cancellati cancellations, not gradually, but all at once. We dont know if or when this will end. Its like being in a maze without an exit. Now, new cases also remain high elsewhere. Tokyo reported nearly 300 on tuesday. In total, there have now been more than 35,000 in the capital. As of tuesday evening, more than 1,600 new cases had been confirmed nationwide. Over 122,000 people have been infected since the outbreak began. The death toll exceeds 1,900. Nhk world nochi haruka spoke to an expert as more people stay indoors. Translator i think we can y we are in the third wave. Reporter rapidly increasing cases were confirmed throughout japan this past week. Experts say the virus can spread in a less humid environment. People are likely also to close windows as temperatures drop. They grow more complacent with cautious nare measures as the pandemic continues. Doctors warn if the increase continues hospitals wont have enough beds to treat patients. Already a problem for hospitals in some areas. The northern most prefecture of hokkaido has the largest number of cases per capita according to nhk research. With multiple clusters detected in a nightlife district of sapporo, hospitals and nursing homes. In tokyo, people are rethinking their lifestyle. Translator i usually go out to eat and drink, and i dont think anything will change if i stop doing that. But i will take thorough measures to prevent infection. Translator ive been eager to go somewhere, but ive been holding back. I dont know what to do if this situation lasts any longer. Reporter what makes this trend different from the summer says this expert is that while people in their 20s and 30s are the dominant group of patients, more elderly people are also being infected and becoming seriously ill. That can add a heavier burden to medical workers. The patients who are at high risk are becoming severe, now affected by covid19. The priority is we have to increase the number of the beds to be ready to accommodate the patients with covid19. We can do that, however, it just takes time, like one week, two weeks, so we have to be in a hurry. Reporter he says a major challenge is differentiating between a common cold, influenza, and the coronavirus, which can have similar symptoms. Runny nose or just mild throat pain. But, usually, in the case of the common cold, it just gets better after three or four days after the onset of the symptoms. However, in the case of covid19 it lasts three or four days. A patient who is elderly and a patient who has existing condition, like Heart Disease or respiratory diseases, they also have to go to the hospital as soon as possible once they develop the symptom of the common cold because it might be covid19. Reporter japans promotional travel campaign and a Campaign Offering savings at restaurants to encourage dining out have been pivotal arms of the governments strategy in fighting the Economic Impact of the virus. But now with cases confirmed through eating out, the government is asking governors to consider limiting the number of people in a group who can take advantage of the restaurant campaign. Omagari says being smart at home is just as crucial as in public, especially in the winter when people close windows to keep in heat. Because closed spaces and chatting without a mask is a risk, and it happens in the inside of the house. You might want to open a little bit the window, by like 5 centimeters or 10 centimeters. Even by dog that you can have good air ventilation. So keeping good humidity is gerally good. Reporter with travel expected to hit highs during the upcoming threeday weekend, hes urging people to stay cautious and not drop their guard against the virus. Nochi haruka, nhk world, tokyo. Over in the United States, officials are grappling with the resurgence in the number of Coronavirus Infections with the Holiday Travel season just around the corner. Several states are strengthening antivirus measures, as the daily number of new cases in the country has exceeded 100,000 over the past two weeks. Californias governor announced on monday his state is pulling the emergency brake on efforts to reopen the economy. Daily infections there have topped 9,000. The state is urging people to work from home and will only allow restaurants and gyms to operate outdoors. Daily cases though in the state of california have doubled just in the last ten days. This is simply the fastest increase california has seen. News said it is time for californians to flatten the curve, as theyve done before. Conditions in the state had improved from august to october. Johns Hopkins University said new cases in the United States surpassed 130,000 on sunday. The daily tally is especially high in the western and midwestern regions. On monday, the city of chicago began asking people to refrain from going out for nonessential reasons. The state of michigan decided to ban inperson classes at high schools and colleges starting on wednesday. Health officials are concerned the numbers could grow even higher, as americans get set to celebrate thanksgiving on november 26th. Now, United Airlines is trying out a new scheme to ease concerns over the safety of air travel. Beginning with one international route, the American Carrier is testing all passengers and crew before they take to the skies. Every passenger over the age of 2 was tested free of charge before a flight monday from an airport near new york to london heathrow. Predeparture testing is really a great way to start to open up International Travel again in a safe and responsible way. The airline says the measure could help ease rules requiring travelers to selfquarantine at their destination. I definitely feel better having a negative test. I havent been anywhere for ten months. This is literally my first outing, soy didn i didnt think going to be positive. But i dont know, you never know. The quarantine requirement is a major limitation for wouldbe travelers. International flights to and from the United States are still down 90 over last years level. United plans to continue predeparture testing for select newark, london, flights until december. Itll report the numbers in the trial to u. S. And british authorities. Moving next to south korea, where authorities are tightening social distancing rules in the region amid a surge of cases. 400 infections reported for four straight days. Translator it will be somewhat inconvenient, but please cooperate and understand that this is a necessary measure to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further and causing more damage. The government has announced a shift to the second notch of a fivelevel system. As of thursday, sporting events in seoul and surrounding areas will be capped at 30 capacity. Concerts and festivals for 100 people or more are banned. Now, these are only the latest preventive measures. South korea introduced a mask mandate on friday last week. Anyone who fails to wear one in public faces a fine of about 90. Members of the worlds first privately developed space vessel are shuttling into the International Space station, which will be their home and workplace for the next six months. [ applause ] and there they are. First across the match, mike hopkins. The four members of the crew dragon met the team on the space station. Japan nogui soichi and the rest of e crew say there ready to get to work. Were very humbled and happy to be here. This is the first operation of the crew dragon, and it took 27 hours. We enjoyed every moment. Astronauts aboard the iss carry out an array of experiments, including one inlving ips stem lls. It cld help pave the way for humans to reow body parts. Noguchi is expected to appear in live broadcasts from a studio inside the japandeveloped lab, hope. They named the shuttle to give hope to people fighting the pandemic. It is a new chapter for the commercial space industry. Noguchi said astronauts will become le pilots with passgers. Ew dragon was designed by spac. It i designe foromfort with a sleeknterior to appl to space travelers. It was lined with instruments only trained astronauts would understand. The crew dragon has simple touchscreen controls. Spacex wants the general public to be part of the excitement. It shared a video feed from inside the cabin during liftoff, something never available before. Plans are in the works for crew dragon to fly paying passengers. Hollywood star tom cruise reportedly wants to make a movie in space. U. S. Aircraft giant boeing is developing manned commercial spacecraft. More cpetition could reduce costs and promote space travel in the not so distant futu. An International Body tasked with ensuring the worlds waters are correctly charted has a proposal to maintain the name for the sea of japan. Japanese government Officials Say the International HydrographicOrganization Made the approval monday in an online assembly. The iho also tentatively agreed on new guidelines for using numbers instead of specific names to identify areas of the ocean. South and north korea say sea of japan is a name that stems from japans colonial past. Both have protested its use. They want the global guidelines for nautical maps revised so the body of water is referred to as the east sea, or both names. The japanese government says the sea of japan is the only internationally established name with no basis for having it changed. Officials here in tokyo are trying to send a message of hope to japanese abductees in north korea. The governments top spokesperson has recorded a statement that will be beamed into the reclusive country over short wave radio later this month. The message was delivered by chief cabinet secretary kato, the minister in charge of the abduction issue. He asked abductees to keep the faith and take care of themselves until they can return home. He also said the japanese government is determined to build trust with the north and normalize relations. Officials in tokyo say north korean agents abducted at least 17 japanese citizens in the 1970s and 80s. Five were repatriated after a bilateral summit in 2002 in pyongyang, but the rest are unaccounted for. Suga said it is a top priority for his government. He met with families weeks after assuming the countrys top job. In other news, a unesco panel has recommended japans traditional architectural techniques will added to the intangible unesco heritage list. Japanese traditional building craftsmanship consists of 17 techniques, repairing temples and shrines and weaving. Such skills help make structures resistant to earthquakes and typhoon, despite using wood, grasses, and soil. Translator the registration is expected to increase awareness of japans diverse cultural heritage. Its also expected to boost the vitality of local communities. Unescos Intergovernmental Committee will officially decide whether to include japanese a architectural techniques on december 14th at a meeting. Shifting to the weather with our meteorologist jonathan oh. We had, once again, another warm day in tokyo. Will this be lasting as we head through the rest of the week . Hello. Listen, were going to be dealing with temperatures in the 20s for the rest of the week. It was a warm day in tokyo. In fact, it was a warm day in many parts of japan. We had temperatures even over into the western portions of japan getting above 20 degrees. The latest theyve seen in terms of the calendar year. Were in november. Felt more like october in many locations. Thats because of High Pressure thats continuing to dominate the pattern. We have a southerly flow helping to bring in some of the warmer air. We are looking at, however, a little change in the weather pattern from dry to a little of a wetter variety. Were already seeing some rain into eastern areas of china. Another frontal boundary up toward the north. As we go through wednesday, were going to see some rain picking up into northern portions of japan. By thursday and friday, the rest of the moisture will be moving in from the west and pushing toward the east. That is going to mean youll need your umbrellas. Sapporo looking at rain for the rest of the week. Tokyo, 21 on wednesday but up to 25 on friday. Yeah, were going the opposite direction of what were supposed to be. Supposed to be cooler this time of year. Showers increasing in fukuoka thursday, osaka on friday. Have the umbrellas nearby. Different story in Central America when it comes to stormy weather. Iota, which became a category 5 storm, made landfall as we went through monday night local time. Weakening to a category 4 system when it made landfall, but it brought destructive force. To give you an idea, the house is just blown open because winds were topping off at 250 kilometers an hour. That was sustained as we went through part of the daymond. Local residents say theyd never seen such a powerful storm in the past. Nicaragua was pounded by hurricane eta two weeks ago. Sadly, 230 people have been killed from that particular system due to landslides and floods in Central America. Heres the situation when it comes to hurricane iota. It is a category 2 storm, so it has weakened a little bit, but it is moving through the same area with that force and will continue to bring concerns of serious rainfall as we go through the day. With the winds moving through, some rainfall amounts can be from 200 to 300 mill mitimeters rain. Itll be a concern. Warm air moving into the central and southern plains, but rain will be a part of the story for the west coast as we go through tuesday. Hope you have a good day wherever you are. Inside that concludes this edition of nhk newsline. Im raja pradhan in tokyo. Coming up next is newsline biz with ramin mellegard. Please stay tuned. This is newsline biz. Im ramin mellegard. Japans ana group plans to slash hiring for a second year, as the coronavirus spreads turbulence through the Global Airline industry. The group has more than 30 member firms, including International Carrier nippon airways. They had been taking on around 3,000 new graduates annually over the past five years, but theyve only offered jobs to about 700 people for fiscal 2021, freezing hiring except for pilots and some other positions. Now, theyre planning to cut new hires to around 200 the following year. The pandemic has badly hurt the groups business. Over 80 of its planned International Flights remain grounded, although passenger numbers are gradually recovering on domestic routes. Budget carrier Airasia Japan has filed for bankruptcy due to headwinds from the coronavirus. The airline began operating in 2017 as a joint venture between Airasia Group and japanese partners. The move comes after the carrier said last month that it was ending all operations as passenger demand plunged. It faces debts of about 207 million and is already suspe suspending all flights. The airline ran three domestic routes from an airport in central japan, as well as flights to taipei in taiwan. Countries around asia pacific pledged to Work Together to boost the regions economy in the face of the coronavirus. Ministers from the 21 members of the Asia Pacific Economic cooperation forum, or apec, held a teleconference on monday. They issued a statement afterwards. They said the pandemic has hit the region hard. They stress the importance of free and fair trade to drive economic recovery at such a challenging time. The joint statement is the first in three years. Ministers failed to agree on one at their last meeting in 2018 after a dispute between the u. S. And china over wording on free trade. Mondays meeting came a day after 15 asia pacific nations agreed to create a huge trading block, covering about 30 of the worlds population. Huawei says its selling its budget brand smartphone business. The decision by the Chinese Telecom giant comes as tighter u. S. Sanctions restricted its supply of semiconductors. Huawei says it is selling all shares of its honor brand to a consortium of around 30 firms, including honor dealers in china. The sale price has not yet been disclosed. That way established the brand in 2013. Smartphones are priced as low as about 150 each. Among 70 million honor concepts are shipped annually. Huawei says it will not be involved in running the business once the sale is complete. The company says in a statement its consumer business has been under tremendous pressure. It cites a persistent unavailability of parts for its mobile phones. Huawei adds that the sale is intended to ensure the survival of honor sellers and suppliers. Japans doityourself market is enjoying a pick up in business, as people spend more time at home amid the pandemic. Companies are learning that by reworking their business models, its easier than ever to encourage homeowners to pick up a hammer or brush. Nhk world has more. Reporter at this Home Improvement store, there is a workshop class. For many of those taking part, its the first time theyve made their own furniture. Translator i started diy because i really wanted a hobby to fill my time due to the coronavirus restrictions. Translator diy is super popular on youtube these days. Watching videos inspired me to try it myself. Reporter its not always as easy as it looks on a video. For that reason, some diy products aim to help beginners. This, for example, is designed to operate with gentle pressure. Most drills wont work unless the user presses down hard. Painting is easier, too, with this rollon dispenser, and you dont get your hands dirty. The store says sales of beginner products have climbed 50 this summer. Diy stores are not the only ones tweaking their business models. So is the real estate market. Nishimura runs an English School at her home. When she bought her house, the interior design was an important feature. Nishimura has some unique ideas on how to finish the floors and walls. Most of all, she wanted to do it herself. She spent a week working on her project with her students and frien friends, which was a satisfying experience. Translator can you see here . We didnt paint within the lines here, but i love it. Because it reminds me that we worked so hard together. Reporter this is the firm that sold nishimura her home. The Company President said he has noticed a jump in diy since the coronavirus outbreak. To meet the needs, his Company Started selling homes with bare walls and floors. The owners can fix them up any way they want. It is hard to find in japan. The diy houses are selling quickly. Reporter diy interior design has yet to catch on in a big way in japan. I see this as a great business opportunity. I within the to spread the word that it is easy to create a unique home using diy. Reporter the pandemic is forcing people to redesign their lives and their home. Companies that could help them get to work have an opportunity to reach a new base of customers. Nhk world. Lets get a check on the markets. And thats it for newsline biz. From our tokyo studios, im ramin mellegard. Thank you so much for joining us. Xxxxxxdnoooooooooooooo. This is al jazeera, these are the top stories. U. S. Pharmaceutical Company Moderna shows the results say its vaccine is 94. 5 effective at renting the virus. Pfizer said its vaccine was 90 effective. It was warned that lives are at risk if donald trump continues to resist cooperating with the