smooth transfer of power. abc news projected that biden has secured victory in arizona, it has been red since 1952, excepting bill clinton in 1996. his total is now 290, well over the 270 threshold needed to secure the presidency. trump has won 217 electors. michael hayden sent a letter to the agency responsible for providing support for the transition team but has yet to do so for biden. the letter warns that a delay in the transfer of power could pose a serious risk to national security, particularly during the pandemic. meanwhile, trump has continued to claim that there was massive election fraud, without showing any evidence. officials from multiple government organizations issued a joint statement on thursday. it said they have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections and you should too. moving to japan where nearly 1700 new coronavirus cases have been reported so far on friday. surpassing the record set a day earlier. the prime minister's calling for renewed vigilance. the biggest hot spot remains the capital, tokyo. metropolitan government officials reported 374 new infections during the latest 24-hour period. the recent numbers suggest the capital is in the middle of an upward trend. earlier friday, prime minister yoshihide suga said new cases are surging in other major cities as well. >> translator: out of an abundance of caution, i instructed ministers to work closely wit local governments and take thorough measures in line with the level of infection in individual municipalities. >> but the prime minister says experts agree there's no need currently to declare another state of emergency or review the national tourism promotion campaign. suga urged people to take basic anti-infection measures, especially in risky situations. that includes group meals and having conversations without a face mask. over 116,000 total infections have been confirmed so far, and nearly 1900 people have died. japan's prime minister is also aiming to help boost the regional response to the pandemic. suga addressed the association of southeast asian nations thursday at the start of four days of virtual meetings. he promised funds for a new center the group is launching to prepare and respond to emerging health threats. >> translator: japan will offer all assistance possible to develop a center into an organization that will play a central role in protecting the people of the region from communicable diseases. >> suga also said he strongly supports the asean outlook on a free and open indo-pacific. this week's meeting is expected to address concerns about movements in disputed waters of the south china sea. more than a dozen nations, including japan, are also aiming to sign a massive trade deal this week. the regional comprehensive economic partnership or rcep. earlier, ai uchida spoke to a reporter in bangkok who's been following the latest developments. >> let's start with the pandemic. we mentioned suga's offer to help with the regional response earlier. what else is being discussed on that front? >> fighting the coronavirus is obviously high on the agenda and a number of projects are proposed, one is regarding needed medical supplies. there are plans to develop a center for health emergencies which is what suga intends to support. asian governments have pledged about $10 million for the initiative. limiting the economic impact is another major concern. the leaders are focussing on how to resume travel among asean a countries while minimizing the risk of infections. >> and what about the territorial disputes in the south china sea? you know, they've been a recurring theme at the semi-annual summit. any signs of progress there? >> well, officials are once again trying to address how to deal with china's increasingly assertive presence. beijing of course claims almost half of the south china sea and has been building up military facilities there. four asean states have competing claims in that body of water and has become the site of rising tensions between the u.s. and china in recent years. a prime minister alluded to the situation and said there have been higher risks in 2020 because of the unpredictable behavior of some states and rivalries between major powers. nhk has obtained a statement about the situation. it talks about the need to protect peace, stability and prosperity, but it's still unclear what the final declaration will look like. t >> as you know we've been discussing rcep. tell us how significant that step would be. >> asean members see it as an economy cornerstone for the whole asia pacific. it's finally set to be a reality more than it's years after the idea was floated. china is eager to make the initiative and japan is keen for india to join at some point. but even without new delhi, there are high hopes that the deal will be good for business across the region. one expert we spoke to said the agreement is coming together at a key time. >> so it would be a very important instrument for economic recovery in the regions, because the pandemic has really some sort of lowered the economic growth and disconnected a lot of supply chains. and with this kind of trade arrangement will help to economic recovery hutmuch faste. >> whether or not that comes to pass, asean governments think this shows they're taking positive steps during an unpredictable time. rescue efforts are under way for dozens of missing people in the philippines after a typhoon killed at least 39 people and caused extensive damage. typhoon vanko tore through luzon island bringing heavy rain and strong winds causing mudslides. tens of thousands of homes have flooded. they are rushing to rescue survivors and grassp the severiy of the damage. >> it's reached our first floor, almost the second floor. all the houses here were submerged in mud and water. >> president rod refwrigo duter said the government would provide relief. another typhoon caused extensive damage just last month. turning to hong kong where opposition politicians fear that there may be an end to the pro-democracy movement. there has been a crackdown that dampens their voice in the legislature and on the streets. a district council member was disqualified for running in september's legislative council election which the government said it had to postpone because of the coronavirus. >> translator: the fight of the legislati legislative council is over. rallies have been sluggish a well. we want to find a way to continue protesting. >> his comments refer to beijing give hong kong authority to disqualify legislators deemed a threat to national security. four opposition politicians were subsequently removed from the territory's legislative council. to protest the move, 15 pro-democracy lawmakers tendered their resignation. the democratic party chair person says that all power now rests with carrie lam, who was appointed by beijing. japanese nobel prize laureate in physicalic died on thursday at a tokyo hospital. he was 94. he won in 2002 for his ground-breaking study in particles that had long frustrated and fascinated scientists. they'd been considered too small to observe until he constructed a massive underground detector. it allowed him to observe neutrinos coming from the direction of the sun. he used his prize money to establish a foundation in japan to promote research in basic sciences. among his students was one who went on to win the nobel prize in physics himself in 2015, also in neutrino studies. his achievement laid the framework in japan for the extensive study of elementary particles. the coronavirus pandemic is threatening to silence the shamisen, typically used to kabuki performances. nhk brings us a look into one shamisen maker whose business is on the brink of crisis. >> translator: things couldn't be worse. if it were anything other than the coronavirus we might have been able to endure all this or seek other options to survive. ♪ >> reporter: the shamisen is a sound track and soul of japanese traditional culture. he helms a company that may not be known to people unfamiliar with the shamisen. but for fans, is carries fierce clout. the largest shamisen manufacturer enjoys more than a 50% share of the domestic market. because of the pandemic, the company didn't receive a single order in april and may. prompti prompting him to tell his employees the company would have to close. the shamisen industry was already on the decline, because performers and fans are agi. yoger fan of t itrumen haveecidedo harss the wer o socia media to try t savehe company. a popul group of perrmers raised mey throu a concert andnline dations the cpany's pght also attracd atttion fm abroad. ♪ a global community of shamisen fans. >> i love shamisen. the craftsmanship is amazing. >> reporter: abbott's post about its struggles led to more than 20 people ordering instruments. >> nobody who can make that high-quality shamisena at a reasonable price. it is important for tokyo and the global community. >> reporter: performances are gradually being staged again. orders are coming in from people and retailers who heard about the plight. but without support, seeing a brighter horizon. >> translator: i'm deeply convinced very a mission to pass on japan's shamisen's culture. i want to make sure the business goes on by finding a successor within three or four years. >> reporter: shamisen's distinctive sound has captivated audiences both at home and abroad for centuries, a anand o taki and fans around the world. residents of much of japan are expecting gorgeous weather during the weekend. our meteorologist sayaka mori joins us now with the details. >> on sunday there will be a ceremony in japan where asians go to shrine and wear kimono. and lots of sunny weather for many places on sunday. for sapporo, the temperature will be about five degrees higher than normal. tokyo will see sunny weather with a high of 19 degrees. now tokyo will see clear conditions on saturday. the humidity will be the lowest of the season so be careful when you use fire. meanwhile, across the south we have a typhoon, after making landfall in the philippines, it has re-intensified over the south china sea and is a typhoon once again. it is expected to head to the indo-china peninsula and projected to hit north or central places over vietnam on sunday local time. this area has been experiencing copious amounts of heavy rainfall since october. one area has seen 3,000 millimeters of rain already. more rain is expected over the weekend. meanwhile, manila is experiencing flooding because of the typhoon dropping heavy rainfall in the area. they have seen the worst floods in years. you'll see a nice break in the weather on saturday, but some rain will return on sunday. meanwhile, there's a line of severe thunderstorms rolling through new south wales. rain and hail was reported there. but sunny weather should return on saturday and temperatures will be much higher than normal on none in sydney. paris will see a high of 40 degrees. be careful of heatstroke. now florida was battered by very heavy rainfall due to hurricane eta, and it also caused heavy rainfall to the carolinas. take a look at this footage. floods in north carolina have caused disruptions for many commuters as water blocked roads. about 140 people were rescued by firefighters in charlotte. the city had 117 millimeters of rain on thursday, setting a new daily record for the spot. now eta has become a low pressure system and it's now moving over the waters. but more rain is possible for portions of the carolinas. that's it for me. stay safe. that's all for this edition of nhk "newsline." thanks for watching, and do stay with us for more. this is "newsline" biz, i'm gene otani. the u.s. government says it is putting a hold on its plan to impose a ban on the chinese-owned video sharing app tiktok. the deparent of commerce released a statement on thursday, the day the ban was set to take effect. it cited a temporary injunctions issued by a pennsylvania court last month as the reason for the move. the trump administration has claimed that the app collects data that could be misused by the chinese government. the department of justice has appealed the injunction. washington has also ordered the operator of the app bytedance to sell its u.s. business. bytedance has reached a deal with oracle to launch a new company operating the app in the u.s. but the chinese firm says it needs more time to finalize the deal. meanwhile, president trump has banned americans from investing in firms he says are linked to china's military. trump signed an executive order on thursday blocking investors from buying shares in around 30 chinese companies. they include china mobile communications group huawei and state-run firms involved in the country's space program. the order kicks in on january 11. trump says beijing has been forcing chinese civilian companies to support the military. he says that directly threatens u.s. armed forces. american media say trump could ramp up pressure on china as the clock ticks down to his departure from the white house. officials at japan's main international gateway are preparing to take delivery of some eagerly awaited cargo. the staff at narita airport are working on the logistics of receiving and distributing covid-19 vaccines. japan has reached a deal with pfizer to buy enough vaccine for 60 million people. the challenge is to ensure the medication remains frozen between minus 60 and 80 degrees celsius. narita officials are working with nine logistics firms to build a transport system to handle vast kwaunts. the organization applies the strictist standards anywhere in the world. narita officials say the other firms are also aiming to acquire the certificate. many around the world have tried teleworking in the face of the pandemic. now people in tokyo with disabilities have been getting tips on finding jobs they can do from home. about 20 people and five companies joined an online event arranged by a tokyo-based firm that supports employment for the disabled. the organizer says people with disabilities are often offered general clerical work that can be unsuitable for teleworking. it's important to learn skills such as website production to try and change that. >> translator: nowadays, i see more people with developmental disorders like me can telework. >> translator: we hope to connect skilled workers to companies and find new jobs for them. >> the organizer saiys the survy last march found those with disabilities wanted employers to prioritize the teleworking. pets are growing in china. companies are coming up with new ideas that go beyond the essentials. nhk world reports. >> reporter: this is a special fitness class for pets. many of them have gained weight staying at home more amidst the pandemic. the instructor has a medical back ground. she teaches pet owners how to train their pets at home. a 60-day course of mainly online classes costs about $480. more than 100 people have signed up. >> translator: keeping a pet is the same as raising a child. i don't care how much i have to pay to improve the quality of my pet's life. >> translator: this course is aimed at enhancing relations between owners and pets by showing them how to better interact with their pets at home. >> reporter: a recent report showed the number of pet dogs and cats is nearly 100 million in urban areas alone across china. the market for pet-related goods and services in 2019 was aut $30 billion. up more than 18% from the previous year. this pet shop chain has grown rapidly. they developed smart products for pets, such as toilets that can be automatically disinfected and deodorized, simply by smartphones. the company said the number of shops has increased by more than 700 nationwide this year. >> translator: mostly young pet owners are buying novel products we offer, one after another. >> reporter: genetic tests for pets are also getting popular. owners can check their pet's risk for diseases. there are even ways of checking. samples can be obtained by swabbing the pet's mouth. test results will be sent out by mail within seven to ten days. the tests start at $60. the firm says it has conducted 100,000 tests so far this year. a ten-fold increase compared to last year. >> translator: pets are one of the most-loved parts of the family now, which boosts interest in pet-related products and services. >> reporter: as pets and their owners keep getting closer, china's pet business is likely to continue venturing into a new array of services for higher level pet care. nhk world. >> all right, let's have a look at the markets. from the "newsline" biz team in tokyo, i'm gene otani. thanks very much for joining us. ♪ ♪ >> you're watching al jazeera. a reminder of our top news stories. police in lima have blocked protesters from reaching government headquarters. they are marching against the impeachment of the former president. he will serve as interim president until july. more from lima. >> people are angry. they say that a mafia has taken over the government, especially congress, that was able to impeach with 105 votes.

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