NHK Documentaries

Stop-motion animation Junk Head has won global praise, but he's turned down offers from Hollywood. Now; he's made a new short just for NHK, and we're bringing you the world premiere!

As authorities worldwide announce ambitious new targets, the internal combustion engine, heart of the modern automobile, faces an uncertain future in the race to zero emissions. Dubbed the "EV shift," carmakers are scrambling to replace gasoline and diesel vehicles with battery-powered models, as they bet on the future of transport. Worldwide EV (Electric Vehicle) market share has seen Japan's automotive giants trailing in the wake of other global brands. Amid the greatest upheaval to the industry in over a century, we turn our lens on how Japan's automakers are riding the wave of change.

In 2001, a 15-year-old Mongolian knocked on the door of traditional sumo wrestling in Japan. After 20 years, 69th Yokozuna Hakuho held many of the biggest records in professional sumo, including 45 championships and 1,187 career wins. How did Hakuho overcome tough competition and climb to the top rank, with so many unprecedented achievements? We look back on highlights of the great grand champion's career and ask Hakuho himself about his deep love for sumo.

The Michinoku Coastal Trail reveals both the grand nature of Japan's Tohoku region and the struggles of people to recover from the 2011 earthquake. The 1,000 kilometer path connects 4 prefectures along the Pacific coast, between Aomori and Fukushima. Join Canadian actor Kyle Card on a trek across the trail as he meets residents and ponders what the future may hold for the region and the country.

In the waters off Hokkaido Prefecture, in Japan's far north, a number of mysterious natural phenomena have been observed in recent years. Echoing the secret truth of an ancient Ainu proverb, the winter sea is transformed into a white expanse overnight, covering several kilometers of coastline. Elsewhere, a large whirlpool suddenly appears in the sea, as if out of nowhere, hinting at a surprising spectacle in the depths; and in a bay off the Sea of Okhotsk, a vast battalion of shellfish appears to march across the seafloor. Employing cutting-edge underwater camera technology, our specialist crew set out to investigate these intriguing oceanographic events.

Sculptor Isamu Noguchi's Hiroshima cenotaph was never built. Looking at the life and thoughts of an artist who struggled to bridge the gap between his two homelands, Japan and America.

A beautiful highland village is without a doctor. A retiring medical professor moves there to care for the aging residents, becoming close to them as he records their lives and deaths in photographs.

Kawate Haruo knew that his father, Masao, a second-generation Japanese American, returned to Japan after World War II. That, however, was about all he knew of it. After Masao's death, Haruo found a letter to an American attorney, Wayne Collins, seeking restoration of his American citizenship. Haruo met with Collins' son and with a Japanese American whose father chose to stay in the U.S. He discovered that Masao had suffered especially harsh treatment during the war, leading him to renounce his American citizenship. Follow along as Haruo pieces together the facts of his father's life, 80 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Around 1,800 children in Japan are involved in sexual abuse through social media. How does this happen to ordinary teenagers? We worked with support groups and psychiatrists to investigate multiple examples. What lies behind teens' use of social media, and what drives abusers? How can we keep children safe from abuse? A documentary and drama that explores teenage perspectives through workshopping scenarios with young actors.

North of Tokyo, near Mt. Tsukuba. An old-fashioned farmhouse with a thatched roof still sits here, home to a young couple and their 2 children. Thatched roofs are eco-friendly, and a symbol of Japan's traditional farming communities. Under their roof, the Yamada family enjoy the slow life in harmony with nature. They've fostered a mutual aid network who gather for each season's farming milestones and celebrate their successes. The Yamadas' "thatched living" is at once familiar and new.

A Buddhist nun, Goto Mitsuei, lives in a temple located a 40-minute climb up a steep mountain path. In 2016, NHK began documenting her life, how she responded to the changing seasons, and carefully prepared vegetarian dishes for frequent visitors from near and far. But COVID-19 interrupted the flow of guests. In 2021, we visited Mitsuei and found her still engaged in her modest but rich daily life, once again welcoming people with wisdom and ingenuity, and celebrating the joys of mountain living.

From the Macintosh computer to the iPhone, Apple founder Steve Jobs masterminded a series of inventions that changed the world. He was also famously interested in Japanese culture, including Zen meditation and traditional cuisine. Less known was his love of Shin-hanga -- a modern take on ukiyo-e woodblock printing. Ahead of the 10th anniversary of Jobs' death, NHK WORLD-JAPAN was granted exclusive access to a list of works he bought in Tokyo. In this special program, experts and old friends look at how Jobs' beautiful collection may have informed his own aesthetic sensibility.

An American, Art Lee is a master of the taiko, a traditional Japanese drum. He formed the successful drumming group TOKARA, whose members include his wife, Yukari. In 2002, Art was diagnosed with an incurable liver disease. Eventually he received a partial liver transplant, but his treatment is ongoing. Art and Yukari maintain an optimistic outlook and advocate for diversity through music. We follow them as they plan a special concert in which drummers around the world will take part remotely.

A loook at pro baseball player Shohei Ohtani's ability to both pitch and bat at the highest level. Hearing from those who have supported him on and off the field and examining the importance of his father's training regime.

Since taking power in a coup last February, Myanmar's military has been suppressing civilian protest by force. Young protesters have taken up arms against the junta and the military has responded with indiscriminate attacks that have killed even unarmed civilians. The UN estimates that more than 730,000 people have been displaced so far. We take a look at how the situation in the country has developed into a conflict with no end in sight.

Young carers, children under the age of 18 who act as caregivers to family members, carry a tremendous burden, one that can profoundly impact their own health, education and life opportunities. Yet social ideals of self-responsibility, and a lack of outreach and support services from local authorities, all contribute to many never even seeking help. As we meet current and former young carers, we learn about the pressures faced both by child caregivers and family members, as well as the efforts being made to better support those who all too often end up bearing such hardships in silence.

In 2021, 76 years after the destructive power of the atom bomb was unleashed on the city of Nagasaki, NHK and the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum asked survivors to create pictures of their memories of the catastrophic event. With limited records existing of the bombing's immediate aftermath, the hope was that survivors' handcrafted depictions of what they witnessed would help ensure the horrors of nuclear war were not forgotten. For many though, it presented an opportunity to finally open up about the traumatic experiences they had been silently carrying all their lives.

In Japan's rapidly aging mountain villages, the animals are taking over. The remaining farmers feel defenseless against wild boars, monkeys and other creatures that eat crops and destroy fields. Many have turned to Masane, a nuisance-animal researcher and expert in wildlife control, whose methods focus on changing human behavior. In some villages, residents are revitalizing the community and strengthening bonds among neighbors by transforming a problem into a community asset.

As the world enters a phase of aggressive competition over untapped ocean floor resources, countries are scrambling to stake their claims. The vast economic potential on offer has made the seabed the ultimate frontier in a new Age of Exploration. China's research vessels in particular have been active in waters right across the globe. Through our exhaustive analysis of huge volumes of Chinese ship tracking data, from sand dredgers to survey vessels, we piece together a puzzle that reveals a new hidden power struggle over increasingly critical submarine resources.

Explores the current state of the culturally unique, biodiverse, and increasingly cosmopolitan Okinawa prefecture, a region in the far west of Japan that serves as the country's westernmost province.

How does life as a journalist change when your own country becomes a war zone? Even as Ukraine's capital Kyiv came under heavy shelling, the national public broadcaster Suspilne stayed on air, running operations out of a makeshift bunker studio. We follow Suspilne's reporters on the ground, working under pressure as they bear witness to the horrors of war and strive to keep the public informed. Yet how to maintain journalistic objectivity when the mindless death and destruction of war is right on your own doorstep?

Fungi have a mysterious ecology that science has yet to completely illuminate. Uncovering the wonders of these mysterious organisms with a visit to a forest in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture.

Japanese swords fascinate collectors around the world. A special kind of steel called tamahagane is required to make them. This miraculous material is strong, flexible, rust-resistant, and produced through the ancient process of "tatara" ironmaking which takes place over three days and nights. Due to the COVID pandemic, there was only one production run in 2022, which was hit by a series of problems. Did the team meet the challenge? This documentary captures the essence of Japanese craftsmanship.

On August 6, 1945, the first-ever nuclear bomb deployed in war was dropped on the city of Hiroshima Prefecture, leaving an estimated 140,000 dead in its wake by the end of that year. Among the victims, one particular age group stands out for the sheer number of fatalities sustained: 12 and 13 year-olds, children of first year junior high school age. We investigate the tragedy of this lost generation, piecing together surviving records and speaking with survivors, for whom the memories of children robbed of their futures that day are still burned deep in their memories, nearly eight decades on.

Every day at the COVID-19 ward of St. Marianna University Hospital is a desperate struggle for life. With no established treatment plan for this unfamiliar virus, the staff are essentially fighting in the dark. But they have faith in their patients' will to survive. The doctors say some have made recoveries that are nothing short of miraculous. An NHK crew spent two-and-a-half years following the staff and patients of the COVID ward. This is the chronicle of one hospital's long battle against the coronavirus.

Thirty years since its debut, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon continues to reach passionate fans worldwide. We talk to the people behind the creative process to learn the secrets of the legendary series.

Brazilian President Bolsonaro seeks reelection in the October vote. He advocates putting the economy first, leading to increasing deforestation in the Amazon. Standing against this destruction are the Amazon's indigenous people, who use smartphones or drones to expose illegal logging and mining operations. They are led by Sonia Guajajara, who aims for election as federal deputy. She gains support from social media, as the indigenous people who were once scattered now unite in protest, waging a digital war for their homeland.

A remarkable painting was created toward the end of World War II: a 3-meter-wide canvas covered with images of working women. The painting was the work of an all-female team of painters formed in 1944: the Women Artists Service Corps. The painting shows women on the home front as shipbuilders, postal workers, tram drivers—roles traditionally performed by men. The vibrant colors of the piece are in direct contrast to the somber war paintings made by male artists. The burden on men during the war gave women a chance to take on new roles outside of the home. To the prominent female artists involved, it was a perfect chance to showcase their skill. What did the war mean to these women? Photographer Oishi Yoshino zooms in on these artists, delving into a largely untold story of women painting war. (Narrator: Hannah Grace)