NHK WORLD PRIME

Matsubara Hidetoshi, one of Japan's last traditional falconers, resides in rural Tohoku with only the company of his birds. A sudden request by a young city-dweller may be key to retaining his legacy.

China enforced the One-Child Policy for 36 years from 1979 to 2015 in order to combat overpopulation. In it, any family having more than one child would be subject to harsh fines. Due to the status associated with male heirs, the policy led many families to give up their newborn daughters, ending up in international adoption. Now that over two decades have passed, those daughters have become adults, and many wish to be reunited with their biological parents. In this program, one such woman makes the journey to her homeland to meet her birth parents for the first time.

Two and a half years since Myanmar's coup d'état, its military maintains control of the government. Armed groups continue their long struggle for democracy, and amid tightening restrictions on journalism, some reporters are joining the front lines. Their cameras capture intense fighting that draws civilians into the struggle, and volunteer soldiers who continue to fight despite a lack of guns and ammunition. One independent media group has launched a top-secret project to develop information sources within Myanmar's borders. Meet the journalists risking their lives to report from the front lines, and the civilian volunteers battling to regain their stolen democracy.

In 1994, Ukraine's leaders gave up a formidable nuclear arsenal. But the country is now mired in war. We follow one young man who asks his fellow citizens if they'd have been better off keeping what is often dubbed the ultimate deterrent. His grandfather advocated disarmament as a government minister. So did William Perry, the US defense secretary tasked with overseeing the dismantlement process, who reflects on his work now that Russia threatens to use the most destructive weapon of all.

Japan's local elections in April featured a record number of female candidates. Ranked 116th out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index, Japan is now changing at the grass-roots level. We spent three months following two candidates: a woman in Ibaraki Prefecture busy raising children while campaigning on social media, and a single parent in Nagasaki Prefecture gathering local support. This documentary offers a rare glimpse of a local election system that has changed very little in decades, and what two women bring to that challenging reality. Will our two candidates win?

Issey Miyake, the world-renowned clothing designer, died in 2022 at the age of 84. As a child, he lived through the dropping of an atomic bomb on his hometown of Hiroshima. It was an experience he rarely spoke about, but those close to him say it was one of the reasons he decided to pursue a career in design.

Kateryna Novytska is a Ukrainian caught between two worlds. Russia's relentless attacks threaten the lives of her family and friends back home, as she carves out a television career from the relative safety of Japan. Now, she's turning the camera on herself. This is her personal struggle, as she works out how best to help her war-torn country, thousands of miles away in a foreign land.

Located just off the coast of China, the islands of Kinmen and Matsu are rich in history and culture. Long exposed to strong winds blowing from the mainland, the islanders have experienced the fluctuating modern Chinese history of tension and calm. In this travelogue documentary, we visit the islands in spring, and observe the people celebrating Chinese New Year with hopes for peace.

Steve Jobs was a titan of tech. He masterminded the iMac and iPhone, and changed the world. He had a deep love of Japanese culture, from woodblock prints to ceramics, and the inner workings of electronics giant Sony. Here, close friends, colleagues and design experts shed new light on how this came to be.

Fukashima is a small island in the southwest of Japan that had a prosperous fishing industry until the early 20th century. But the population declined from 200 to just 13, far outnumbered by their beloved cats. Most remaining islanders were very old, and it seemed that Fukashima had no future until one young family decided to reverse the trend. With the first children to be born here in many years, Abe Tatsuya and Azumi are raising a fresh generation to inherit the island's culture, history and rich nature.

Volodymyr Demchenko has been deeply involved in the defense of his Ukrainian homeland in the years since the street protests of the 2014 Maidan Revolution. He has recorded a great deal of his part in this effort to defend Ukraine and sent dispatches around the world. His video diary of more than 500 hours offers a raw, up-close account of a kind not seen elsewhere and provides a glimpse of a nation's harrowing experience of conflict.

The Communist Party of China rules the country's 1.4 billion people. At its 20th National Congress, held in October 2022, Xi Jinping was re-elected as General Secretary for an unprecedented third term. Why did so many Party members offer their support? We visit a regional Communist Party school to discover how training and guidance are used to reinforce loyalty to Xi and the Party.

Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo in November of 2022 assumed the name Ichikawa Danjuro XIII in an important milestone in his career. The names of performers are passed down for generations in the world of kabuki and actors may have several names over the course of their career. The first Ichikawa Danjuro established many well-known kabuki traditions 300 years ago and quickly rose to prominence. Those who have assumed the Danjuro name have created many popular works such as Sukeroku and Kanjincho, and the name has become one of the most venerable in kabuki. Ichikawa, who has become the 13th-generation Danjuro, is undoubtedly the world's most famous kabuki actor, having performed at the Palais Garnier in Paris and in the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Join us as we take a look at a special performance to mark the name change and some of the highlights of his repertoire in a program that will entertain and educate both kabuki novices and aficionados.

Over 90 years old, Fuzjko Hemming still takes to the world's stages as a "pianist of the soul." But her life has not been without obstacles, such as severe hearing loss and a period of statelessness. Her favorite composer, "poet of the piano" Chopin was also beset by obstacles. Taking a winter sojourn to the Spanish island of Mallorca for his health, he wrote several masterpieces despite being told by doctors that he would die there. We follow Fuzjko as she traces Chopin's precious time in Mallorca.

Near the 4,000 meter peaks of China's Qilian Mountains reside the Tu people. Blessed by rich nature, they live traditionally, herding white yaks and horses known as Chakouyi steeds. A recent archaeological discovery revealed that their lineage dates back to a kingdom that prospered in the era of the silk road. But now, the history they have cherished for 1,400 years is at risk of dying out due to regional prohibition of herding. In this program, we follow in the footsteps of a noble tradition.

Journey with Cannon Hersey as he explores parallels between battles over voting rights today and the historic struggles of the 1964 Freedom Summer in Mississippi. With his grandfather, famed writer John Hersey's groundbreaking "A Life for a Vote" as a roadmap, Cannon reveals how black farmers cultivated freedom by tending the earth, and are still striving to overcome a legacy of systemic oppression.

"Japan is a developed country. A good country." That's what many Vietnamese people believe when they come to Japan as technical intern trainees. For four years, NHK has followed 10 Vietnamese intern trainees who arrived with a dream, but were subjected to harsh conditions, long working hours, wage theft, and violence. The COVID-19 pandemic made their lives even more difficult. Then, six of them fled from their workplace. What became of them? Our investigation uncovered the dire situation that they and many others like them face, including illegal lenders, unwanted pregnancy and abortion, and the coronavirus itself. What can be done to change this harsh reality?

The Seto Inland Sea, with over 700 islands, historically prospered from fishing and farming. These island communities are now enjoying a revival thanks to visitors drawn from around the world by the Setouchi Triennale art festival. Our guide, Non, is an actor and artist with a deep interest in our connections to nature, a theme that runs through the festival's artworks. Non meets artists inspired by the islands' history and landscapes, and islanders whose lives have been changed by the festival.

Even in the depths of war, people maintain their daily routines – cooking, dressing up, even falling in love. NHK has been asking viewers to share their experiences and turning them into animations. Now, young people in Japan are interviewing World War II survivors to learn what life was like back then, hoping to pass their stories down to future generations. What can they learn from the war 77 years ago? What can they do to ensure it doesn't happen again?

Mr. Takehana is a popular teacher at a high school in Kyoto Prefecture. His classes are highly interactive, filled with laughter and respect. He listens attentively to his students and never scolds them without asking for their side of the story. Many of his students lack self-confidence and self-esteem. As a gay man, Takehana suffered from years of self-hatred before coming out. Takehana decides to tell his students how he came to accept himself in the hope that it will help them. By telling his story, he wants them to understand that they, too, will be fine just as they are.

Ukrainians know the value of freedom. In the past, they have staged revolutions and given up nuclear arms in the name of democracy. But now, Russia's invasion is exposing the fragility of their independence like never before. This crisis is more than 30 years in the making – the culmination of an increasingly tense period dating back to the end of the Cold War. Here, people on both sides discuss a tragedy that has displaced millions of civilians, and robbed many of their livelihoods and loved ones.

"What should be cherished? What should be passed on?" After the Fukushima nuclear accident, Matsumura Naoto stayed put in his hometown of Tomioka to look after abandoned animals. A decade later, Matsumura is now battling to revive a rice field in a decontaminated wasteland. As once-treasured farmland is lost to various new forms of development, Matsumura's solitary struggle to carve out a different path to the community's future casts the theme of post-disaster reconstruction in a new light.

Tezuma is a form of magic unique to Japan that uses tools and movements not seen in Western magic. Some of the captivating performances embody a Japanese outlook on life. Fujiyama Taijyu is one of the rare young successors of the art and has an impressive track record of becoming number 1 in Asia in an international magic competition. His wish is to show the entire world, the traditional Tezuma magic. In order to revive Tezuma, which took a backseat to Western magic after WWII, Fujiyama will be bringing back a long-lost performance. Come join us as we follow his challenge up the premiere.

Unable to properly bid farewell to deceased loved ones, especially during the COVID pandemic, many have sought solace at Mt. Osorezan, a Buddhist temple long viewed as a portal to the underworld. Minami Jikisai has been a monk there for 16 years. Fujita Ai cared for patients at their homes when hospitals were filled to capacity. Their deaths left her traumatized and searching for relief. How can we learn to accept death? This program will take you to a place where people go in search of answers.

Soon after Japan's defeat, Emperor Showa spoke at great length about the path to the Pacific War. This discussion was recorded in the Haietsuki (Records of Imperial Audiences). The emperor spoke of his remorse over the inability to restrain the Japanese military during a time of international upheaval. In addition, the journals of the emperor's grand chamberlain Hyakutake Saburo were made public in September 2021. In 1941, the emperor had high expectations for negotiations with the US. Japan's advance into southern French Indochina (now Vietnam) brought unforseen American economic sanctions. In the end, the emperor ordered Tojo Hideki to form a Cabinet, and went on to sanction the beginning of the war. The journals record his anguish in great detail. These newly available historical documents, coupled with dramatic recreations, are used to examine the decision-making of the emperor and his close aides in the period leading to the outbreak of the Pacific War. (Excerpt)

In 2020, the Communist Party of China celebrated its centenary, hailing its own legacy as a so-called "red gene." What does that "red gene" actually mean for ruling a country of 1.4 billion people under a one-party state? We spent 3 months embedded with Party branches in 2 rural communities to chronicle the disparities in development, prosperity and ideological indoctrination. As the Party gears up to mark its 100th year, the supreme leader of China, Xi Jinping, pushes a "back to the roots" strategy of indoctrination called "passing on the red gene." How is the Party's history being presented to the people of China today? How are local cadres dealing with social disparities driven by big-money capital flows? See the real face of today's China as we spend 3 months in frontline rural Party branches.

As the coronavirus affects people the world over, the newfound attention on viruses has brought historical events related to infectious disease and the Pacific War to light. During the war, Japanese soldiers engaged in a fierce land battle. While the fighting itself was intense, it is said that 60% of their forces were lost to starvation and disease. To combat infection, the Japanese military set up the Southern Army Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department. Japan's monopoly on the wonder drug quinine gave them an initial advantage over the United States in the fight against malaria, but they soon found themselves in a difficult situation. Other infectious diseases were becoming rampant. A vaccine was desperately needed, but Japan's harsh vaccine development process resulted in the deaths of many Indonesians. The grim reality of the Department's activities has been revealed via new documents and testimonies.

A diverse student body thrives at a middle school in western Japan known for its inclusive education. Some have disabilities, while others are coping with family issues. Guided by its eccentric, guitar-playing principal, the school empowers the students to be themselves. But how does this unique experience prepare them for high school? One student, Yuji, introduces us to his classmates and guides us through an eventful 6 months before graduation.

Kyoto Prefecture's entertainment districts, called Kagai, are famous for the young maiko girls who live and work there. The maiko serve guests and entertain with high-quality performances of Japanese traditional arts. Yamanaka Emiko, age 92, has been putting maiko's hair up in their unique styles for half a century. She is like a grandmother to the young maiko. In the hour or so they sit and get their hair tied up, the girls talk about what's on their minds and share their innermost feelings. As the coronavirus raged on in early 2021, the Kagai districts were forced into a predicament. This documentary features no narration, and the conversations between Yamanaka and the maiko acutely portray the struggles they face under the current situation.

A curious sight has emerged in the economically flourishing cities of China: Apartment buildings in which construction halts midway. Locals refer to them as "ghost castles." Residents of one such building in Wuhan live in rooms without water or electricity, struggling under the financial weight of repaying the mortgage for an unfinished home. This program examines the shadow behind real estate development through the turmoil faced by the residents who have become victims of a ghost castle.

There exists in rural Niigata Prefecture a collection of traditional Kominka homes that have been renovated to create what is known as the "Miracle Village." Join us as we spend the summer months with the couple behind the renewed vigor of this community, German architect Karl and his wife Tina. By renovating deteriorating vacant homes into beautiful habitations, they have attracted new people to the village, including families with young children. Both long-term residents and new transplants revel in the abundant nature of the village's environment. The charming interiors of the refurbished Kominka fuse Japanese and Western aesthetics, while the gardens that surround them flow with water from local springs. Tina's delicious dishes feature another area highlight: homegrown vegetables. This is summer in the Miracle Village.

Seek nothing, just sit. This is the zen practice pursued at Antaiji, a Soto school zen temple hidden deep in the mountains of northern Hyogo Prefecture. Residents, including several non-Japanese from abroad, engage in 1,800 hours of zazen sitting meditation per year and lead the self-sufficient lifestyle that is the zen ideal. Growing their own food, engaging in other hard physical labor, and sitting long hours in meditation to clear their minds of idle thoughts, they follow a rigorous practice focused on self-understanding. Among them are young men who question the meaning of life and experience deep distress. What answers will they find? This program follows daily temple practice over the course of a year.

The January attack on the US Capitol shocked the world. In the crowd that day was retired teacher Jennifer Marler protesting that "Our voices are not being heard." In the midst of the pandemic, divisiveness has accelerated, rocking the foundation of democracy. What is at the root of people's discontent and anger? We interviewed a father and daughter who clash over immigration policy and the income gap, and a woman who spread QAnon conspiracy theories on the Internet. Social scientists weigh in on the question of where the world is headed.

After the massive earthquake of March 11, 2011 struck his hometown Minamisanriku, photographer Sato Shinichi quickly evacuated to high ground with nothing but his camera. A tsunami of unprecedented scale would soon claim the lives of many of his fellow residents. In its aftermath he created a photographic record of what followed. Some 300,000 images in all. 10 years later, we peer through his lens to discover the despair and regret as well as the hope and will to recover of his fellow survivors.

It's said that victims of war die a second time if their remains aren't returned to their families. This is the case for over one million Japanese nationals who were killed during World War II. And recent reporting has revealed serious flaws in the government's repatriation efforts. The award-winning 2019 program and related reporting by NHK triggered a change in government policy. The English version is edited to reflect this development.

Following the March 2011 accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, everyone within a 20km area was ordered to evacuate. Matsumura Naoto alone stayed put. For 10 years, he has taken care of animals abandoned by those who left. Only a few people have since returned, but the reconstruction is in full swing. Matsumura's home is changing beyond recognition. In Fukushima Monologue, we hear his story. It gives us a chance to reflect on resilience, and what is truly important.

The global commons - our forests, oceans, climate and biodiversity - belong to all who dwell on Earth. And they are facing a crisis. Without major changes over the next decade, their destruction will be irreversible, leading to more abnormal weather and deadlier pandemics. What must be done to ensure our planet remains livable? The Tokyo Forum 2020 brings together the world's foremost thinkers to explore green investment, new business opportunities, and the movement for change in Africa.

Dr. Oichiro Kobori (82) cares for dying patients at their homes. Many live with middle-aged and older children who are cut off from society. One man in his 50s, whose father has terminal cancer, hasn't worked since he was young and has psychological problems. Under Dr. Kobori's guidance, the son learns to care for his father and slowly becomes more engaged with the world around him. Follow the two-year journey as Dr. Kobori and his team help patients and families find comfort at the end of life.

After the mega-tsunami hit Japan in 2011, survivors who'd lost everything struggled to recover. Many people lost not only their homes, but loved ones and livelihoods as well. Beloved traditions were in danger of disappearing. Rumors of radioactive crops devastated farms and fisheries. And many residents feared that those who'd been forced to evacuate would never return. Follow their year-long effort to rebuild their communities with exclusive footage filmed at the center of the disaster.

A historic music pub reopened in Koza, Okinawa Prefecture, near Kadena Air Base, in 2019. The owner, rock musician Miyanaga Eiichi, performed for American soldiers who were en route to the front lines during the Vietnam War. Now he tells audiences about how the music expressed soldiers' desires for peace, and recounts the history of the base town. Others whose paths crossed in Koza include a resident whose family home was seized for the air base, a former worker at bars catering to US soldiers, and a US veteran who joined the antiwar movement while in Okinawa. The complex history of a base town is explored.

75 years ago, Japan and the US each developed chemical weapons and trained their troops to use them. Near the end of the Pacific War, the Imperial Japanese Army stockpiled vast amounts of poison gas for use as a last resort. The US military, meanwhile, drew up chemical weapons plans that would have devastated Japan. After the war, both the US and Japan concealed the truth concerning these weapons. But newly unearthed documents and personal accounts shed light on this dark legacy.

Using the latest AI technology, can we defeat our "invisible enemy," the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19? In Part 2, we hear from researchers on the pandemic battlefield frontline who are fighting against the explosion of infections with the help of AI. They include the solo data scientist whose predictions of COVID-19 deaths are the most accurate, the researcher who can detect viral infections from voices and researchers making full use of Fugaku, the world's fastest supercomputer.

"The 72 Pentads of Yamato" produced by NHK Nara has garnered more than 2 million views online from around the world. Each pentad, or five-day season, reflects on the Japanese ideal of living in harmony with nature in Yamato, the ancient name for Nara. The series is created by Nara videographer Hozan Koichi and Kawakami Mine, a pianist who has performed in Spain. Follow Kawakami in her preparations for their next project—the pinnacle of the series—a devotional offering at Kasuga Taisha Shrine.

Hanzawa Tsuruko is a master of "chaji," a tea ceremony that starts with an exquisitely prepared meal and finishes with matcha tea served from the heart. The purpose of this four-hour event is to treasure every encounter in life, knowing that it will never recur. Tsuruko has been traveling around Japan to encounter new people and share "chaji" with them. Last autumn, at the age of 76, she set off on a tea journey across Germany. The program chronicles her month-long odyssey.

The coronavirus crisis has pushed many to the brink of poverty. A lifeline has been provided by Article 25 of the Japanese Constitution—the "right to existence," a guarantee of a minimum livelihood, modeled after Germany's Weimar Constitution. Scholars have recently begun to reassess Suzuki Yoshio's key role, who studied the Weimar Constitution before World War II and encouraged Japan to adopt the right to existence early in the postwar era. In the 1930's, Suzuki became a lawyer and defended numerous intellectuals who were facing political repression. After the war, he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he worked to incorporate newly emerging ideas from around the world into Japan's postwar constitution—the right to existence of Article 25, the pacifist stance of Article 9 and other provisions. Interviews and dramatic recreations based on the archival record tell the untold story behind the birth of Japan's constitution. (Excerpt)

The assassination of US President John F. Kennedy is still shrouded in mystery. With the help of top experts, NHK takes a new look at the incident through reenactments and fresh theories on the case. Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who killed JFK, was once a US Marine stationed in Atsugi, Japan who later defected to the Soviet Union. While his own upbringing played a role in his decisions, there is also a possibility that a certain organization was manipulating him behind the scenes. The testimony of Oswald's wife, Marina, also reveals a failed assassination attempt by Oswald in the months leading up to Kennedy's death. We follow the little-known footprints left by this infamous assassin.

Nowadays, there is a movement called "Constructive Journalism" occurring worldwide, in which citizens and the media gather information to solve local issues and everyday problems. In the United States, the distrust caused by highly sensationalized and speed-focused news, as well as the weakening of local media outlets, has led to a series of regional media companies going bankrupt. American media companies have crossed boundaries to collaborate and provide investigation reports to verify national and state policies. In Denmark, a public radio station has broadcast their citizens' worries as well as their solutions, and has grown to the point where it has influenced national policies. Similarly, in Japan, local newspapers have cooperated with each other to thoroughly address their readers' questions and worries, and have succeeded in solving national issues from a regional perspective. This is a documentary on the frontlines focusing on "Democracy in the Age of the Internet." (Excerpt)

"Digital Detectives" explores how Open Source Investigations have sparked a revolution in journalism. In their quest for the truth, experts around the globe use an extraordinary range of techniques to analyze social media, satellite images and seemingly innocuous websites. Major international media outlets and think tanks are in a race to secure the most talented people, who have shed light on some of the biggest stories of our times - including the downing of a civilian airplane in Iran, and the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. We meet some of the top investigators at the frontlines of this emerging digital battlefield, including the groundbreaking team known as Bellingcat.

Following its historic debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, the Refugee Team is heading again to this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Record numbers of people have been forced to flee from their homelands in recent years—currently more than 70 million. Some of them are turning to sports and setting their sights on the world's biggest stage. We follow refugee athletes from Syria, South Sudan and Cameroon who are overcoming formidable challenges on their long road to Tokyo.

An American famous photographer, Richard Misrach, and a Mexican contemporary composer, Guillermo Galindo, have worked together to create pieces with the artifacts that have been sporadically left during the migration on the 2,000-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico. The border is also known as the edge of life and death where hundreds of human remains are discovered every year. Be ready to experience a unique collaboration, "Border Cantos," which expresses the harsh reality unknown.

Miyako Yoshida's precise and delicate performances earned critical acclaim at the Royal Ballet of England. She remained true to her Japanese sensibilities in becoming the company's first Asian female principal dancer. A year before her retirement, however, she faced injury, emergency hospitalization and separation from a loved one. The program follows Yoshida for 300 days, culminating in her memorable final appearance.

Castle design evolved in 17th century Japan with stone walls as a key feature. Sakamoto in Shiga Prefecture became famous for its mason's expert techniques for dry-stacking. They traveled across Japan to complete their commissions. But when feudalism ended 150 years ago, many castles were destroyed. While most of the masons lost their jobs, one family in Sakamoto survived by refurbishing old ruins. But the 15th-generation master Suminori Awata is worried about the future. One day he receives an unexpected request to build a castle-style wall in Texas. Awata's journey begins.

Plastic pollution litters the world's oceans. The move away from the use of plastic is currently gaining steam around the globe. In part 2 of this series, we look at business trends leading us away from a world of plastic and towards circular economies. One example is a Japanese startup hoping to sell its proprietary recycling technology abroad. And also we look at disposable plastics regulation strategies in France and New York City. Can we find ways to leave our plastic civilization behind?

It's over a century since Brazil opened its doors to immigrants from Japan, and Japanese Brazilians have built a solid foothold for themselves in Brazilian society. However, during World War II, an eviction of Japanese immigrants occurred. Several thousands of Japanese immigrants were forced to leave their homes. 70 years later, the facts of the eviction still remain largely unknown. A list of the names of those evicted was found 3 years ago that has attracted public attention. This list revealed who had been evicted and what exactly happened. To ensure that something like this never happens again, Japanese Brazilians are seeking an apology from the Brazilian Government.

In China, many ordinary members of the public have successfully become internet celebrities known as "wanghong." There are 3.5 million people active on social media trying to achieve celebrity status. With content focused on youth culture, including music and fashion, they have amassed a total online following of 600 million people. Some companies are now trying to harness the influence of "wanghong" to make money in the world's largest e-commerce market in China. Some "wanghong" use stealth marketing to promote traffic to e-commerce websites. Others run their own online shops. The most successful pockets an incredible $14 million a year. One reason behind the growing influence of "wanghong" is the Chinese government restrictions on Internet content, which makes it difficult for people to access overseas information. Our program follows a company pioneering the business strategically employing "wanghong" and their young hopefuls searching for online success. (Excerpt)

After WWII, more than 40,000 Japanese "war brides" married American soldiers and moved to the U.S., risking everything on a future with their former enemies. In the second part, we explore the adversity they faced in the U.S., adapting to survive in an entirely foreign nation while shielding their children from prejudice.

In the late 60's and early 70's, anti-establishment political movements led by young people spread throughout the world, and Japan likewise entered an era of intense political activity. From the caldron of this activism, one group in particular—the United Red Army—emerged, calling for armed struggle to overthrow the government and establish an idealized society. However, the group increasingly lost sight of its goals, ultimately killing a dozen of its own members in lynching incidents and taking a common citizen hostage during an armed standoff with the police. 47 years after these incidents took place, surviving members of the group were interviewed. While aiming for an ideal society, these activists made profound mistakes that took the lives of numerous people. As their troubled journey continues, they wrestle with the implications of the actions they took.

Since ancient times, mountain people known as "matagi" have supported themselves in the snow country of Japan by hunting bears. One of the last "matagi" communities that continues the traditional ways is located in the foothills of Mt. Chokai, a famous peak in the northern Tohoku mountains. There, bears are worshipped as messengers of the mountain gods, and bears that are shot are considered divine blessings that provide crucial sustenance. Today the "matagi" have nearly vanished because of depopulation and environmental changes that make it difficult to sustain their lifestyle. Yet, some continue to pursue the traditional way of life while seeking a harmonious relationship with nature.

A third-generation Japanese-American, Satsuki Ina, was born in 1944, Tule Lake internment camp during World War II. Her experiences there shaped her career as a trauma therapist. Her extensive clinical records reflect the Japanese Americans' postwar history. These days, she finds that migrant children in detention centers in the US are experiencing the same sort of distress that she did. Tune in to learn how her decades of research and outreach help ease the suffering of people and community.

24-year-old Takamasa Kobayashi has been trying to find his true gender since childhood. Born as a girl, he was one of the first students in Japan to persuade a junior high school to accept a female as a boy. At 20, he underwent surgeries so that he could legally become a man, the youngest case in Japan. But this was just the beginning. Takamasa then discovered that he is not a man either and is now searching beyond binary genders. We followed Takamasa for 9 years on his journey through genders.

On March 11th, 2011, a huge earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan. Three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant soon went into meltdown, spreading radioactive materials throughout the region. Doctors from across the country were sent to the site to treat evacuating residents, and the Self-Defense Force members, firefighters, and others trying to handle the emergency. The thousands of photos and videos these doctors took reveal the dire situation they faced.

In 1855, a schooner departed from the Izu Peninsula, and set sail towards Russia. Newly-discovered documents tell an untold story of friendship between Russia and Japan. The events occurred when Russia's Admiral Putyatin travelled to Japan to negotiate a peace treaty. While he was approaching to the peninsula, disaster struck. An earthquake and tsunami sunk Putyatin's ship, putting his delegation of 500 in grave danger. However, local residents not only saved their lives, but helped them build a brand-new ship. Japan had spent over 200 years in isolation, and for a settlement of 3,000 people, the arrival of 500 foreigners was unprecedented. Local shipwrights worked closely with the Russians, via trial and error. The techniques they learned became the cornerstone of modern Japanese shipbuilding. The schooner was named Heda, after the village where it was built. It symbolizes a tale of international exchange in the closing days of Japan's shogunate age.

China's education system is undergoing enormous change. Many are unhappy with a decades-long focus on rote learning designed to help students pass university entrance exams. New approaches emphasize self-expression, classical literature, or even martial arts. What will China's educators learn from this transformation? And how will it affect the future of today's students?

The Trans Japan Alps Race is an intense run through the massive mountain ranges that cut across Japan's main island. This 415km ultramarathon, which starts at the Sea of Japan and ends at the Pacific Ocean, is known as the most grueling race in Japan. Competitors must traverse trails across 3 ranges with peaks exceeding 3,000 meters in height, all while carrying packs stuffed with food, clothes, and tents on their backs. In August, 30 runners who passed the stringent selection process competed in a fierce 8-day battle for the goal. Along the way they were plagued by severe weather, extreme fatigue, and even hallucinations. And they receive no awards or prize money for finishing. So what keeps them going? We followed these superhuman athletes who test their mental and physical limits as they competed for glory with the majestic Japan Alps beneath their feet.

Aeham Ahmad was born and raised in Syria. Even during the civil war, he never stopped playing the piano and singing. Sharing his musical gifts brought cheer to children surrounded by the conflict. After fleeing to Germany, he continued to rely on his voice and his piano. In April, he held a concert in Hiroshima, Japan—where he came across a piano exposed to radiation when the city was destroyed by an atomic bomb in 1945. He felt an immediate connection with the instrument; after all, they both shared the experience of making music despite enduring the suffering of war. This encounter was a turning point for him; he now teaches music to refugee children from Syria. In the program, we look at his efforts to use music to help these children at a time when xenophobic sentiment is on the rise in Germany.

Beijing is staging the largest-ever relocation policy by moving entire remote villages to suburbs near cities to solve poverty. Many villagers are ethnic minorities. Beijing is investing $120 billion over 5 years to move 10 million villagers into the market economy and boost the flat economy. Media regulation had made details unclear, so we followed villagers from Banzigou, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, for a year. Part 2 shows the unexpectedly harsh reality of people stuck between traditional life and modernization.

Behind the big city glamour of Shen Zhen, China, lie its back alleys, stretching out from the job allocation office of the San He Labor Market. Here, cheap internet cafes and flophouses are squeezed. Young people from the countryside arrive in droves in search of a better life, but many descend into a cycle of gambling, debt, sleeping on the streets and round-the-clock online gaming. From the depths of China's Silicon Valley, the program focuses on the realities of Shen Zhen's day laborers.

American writer Susan Southard's Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear War has garnered wide acclaim. The book project developed from the author's encounter with "red back" Sumiteru Taniguchi, a hibakusha (atomic-bomb survivor) who is famous from photographs of his severe burns, caused by thermal radiation. 5 hibakusha and their troubled lives in the aftermath of the Bomb are vividly depicted, in a history of Nagasaki that continues to move many Americans. The program follows the story to a college in the Midwest, where students are using the book as a text. In a region where it is widely believed that "dropping the Bomb was unavoidable", what lessons do young Americans discover in Southard's book?

Nearly 70 years ago, an American named Floyd Schmoe arrived in the atomic-bombed city of Hiroshima on a mission of peace. Over 5 years, Schmoe, a Quaker and lifelong pacifist, led a diverse group of volunteers from the US and Japan in a project to build houses. In all, "Houses for Hiroshima" created 21 homes for atomic bomb survivors and their families. New information about Schmoe's efforts came to light in Hiroshima this year. Through historical documents and interviews with people who knew and worked with Schmoe, we trace the legacy of a grassroots peace builder.

"Shoe Dog", the memoir by Nike founder Phil Knight, has been an unexpected hit in Japan. It candidly talks about how more than 40 years ago, Knight's fledgling running shoe business was in danger of going under – until a Japanese company came to the rescue. Just how did this happen? Interviews with people involved at the time reveal a group of businessmen taking on continuous risk during Japan's era of high economic growth. In this program, we chase after the hidden story behind a global company's beginnings and the spirit of the Japanese trading company employees who supported him.

August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was devastated by an atomic bombing. Yet some trees survived, brought back life and gave people hope. NY Artist, Cannon Hersey has visited Hiroshima many times, where he has been creating art about survivor tree, called Hibaku Jumoku. Cannon takes a journey from Hiroshima to New York, from Ground Zero to Ground Zero, to reveal the untold stories of the trees. What are they telling us? This is a story of the people and the trees that survived.

In August 2007, 31-year-old Rie Isogai was brutally killed by 3 men who met online, in a case called the Underground Website Murder. After Rie's death, her mother, Fumiko, met and befriended her daughter's boyfriend. He shared stories about Rie and stayed by Fumiko's side, helping her find the strength to go on. We look at how Fumiko has lived with the unrelenting pain of losing her beloved daughter.

Going quicker, farther, and striving for more. Since when have we been living in this kind of world? We can't do without it. We can't stop it. The more we have, the more we desire. This is the "capitalism of desire". Here is the first part of the 2018 continuation of our unconventional look at capitalism. How do frontrunners in the world economy think that capitalism should be controlled in the midst of these uncertain times? Young Japanese economist Yosuke Yasuda (Osaka University associate professor) travels to Paris to speak with French economist Daniel Cohen about the future of capitalism. Additionally, genius Czech economist Tomas Sedlacek has a spirited discussion with philosopher Markus Gabriel (University of Bonn professor) in Bonn, Germany. How effective are the visions left behind by leading economists such as Keynes, Marx and Schumpeter today? We'll try and come to terms with the recurring cycle of creation and destruction that forms the basis of capitalism.

Setsuko Thurlow was 13 when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Horrific scenes of pain and destruction were burned into her memory. She moved to the US and Canada and began to tell the world what had happened in Hiroshima. Her work with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) overcame resistance from nuclear powers and resulted in the adoption of a UN treaty to ban nuclear weapons. Their efforts earned the group the Nobel Peace Prize. This gripping documentary follows Setsuko's journey from a childhood wracked by war to international recognition.

72 years after the end of World War II, a group of about a dozen people visited Japan. They were born and raised in Vietnam yet consider Japan their homeland in some sense. Their fathers were Japanese soldiers who remained in Vietnam after the war, to fight for the country's independence from France. About 70 of these soldiers had families in Vietnam but suddenly went back to Japan without saying a word. The group from Vietnam arrived in Japan in October of 2017, chasing their fathers' shadows.

The United States dominates the world in airpower. Behind the birth of the US Air Force is a little-known story about the deadly firebombing campaign against Japan at the end of World War II. NHK combed through audiotaped interviews with 246 senior Air Force officials, including the leader of the air assault on Japan, Gen.Curtis LeMay. The interviews reveal how an "ideal" strategy designed to cause minimal civilian casualties ultimately went awry, and gave way to attacks with incendiary bombs that claimed some 400,000 Japanese lives.

Photographer Yoshikazu Shirakawa traveled the untouched corners of the world as part of a lifelong quest to rediscover the planet. At 82 his final global trip has the theme of Creation. He hopes the vast, untouched landscapes seen by the first humans will restore our humanity and teach us humility at a time when we are bloated with greed. He begins in the Colorado plains, shooting in extreme conditions. Photographer Yoshikazu Shirakawa puts his life on the line in pursuit of Creation.

It all began with an unusual request: "Could you film everything about me until I die?" Masahiro Tanaka was a palliative care doctor and Buddhist priest who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was an end-of-life specialist who helped thousands of patients die peacefully. Now he had to face his own impending death. The film crew set out to document an "ideal death", but what they witnessed was quite different. This program offers an unflinchingly honest look at human nature at its most vulnerable.

In ancient times, Japan was once covered with trees. Traces of this primordial forest still remain in the deep, untouched woods of Yakushima Island, Japan's first World Heritage Site. A prime example is the Jomon Sugi, a large Japanese cedar that is more than 2,000 years old. However, according to legend, an undiscovered "giant cedar tree" exists on the island. Using cutting-edge technology, NHK began the search for this legendary tree. See what they discover on their quest to find and understand these spectacular cedars.

Japanese artist Manabu Ikeda makes ultra-detailed drawings with the fine tip of a single pen. As a resident artist at a museum in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, he toiled for 3 years on one large drawing, painstakingly completing a small area measuring only several centimeters square each day. NHK documented his slow, daily progress in the final weeks leading up to the drawing's completion. Ikeda was spurred to make his drawing by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Starting in a state of psychic pain, he drew nothing but debris at first, but eventually went on to depict a great tree with branches in full bloom. The finished work has elicited a deep emotional response in large numbers of viewers.

The "To-Kon Painters" add color to the lives of people who are short on cash. They're volunteers who will travel anywhere for a good cause, painting buildings and playground equipment free of charge. Most are former social dropouts who once belonged to biker gangs or quit school. We follow them to Lithuania, where they repaint a memorial honoring Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who helped 6,000 Jews flee the Holocaust during World War II. The painters must overcome cultural and linguistic challenges to get the job done.