Today's Close-Up

Japan is currently experiencing a sharp spike in coronavirus infections, leading the government to declare a second state of emergency. Hospital beds are filling up and in one case, a patient was rejected by 24 emergency care facilities. At the same time, new strains from around the world present the threat of a further surge. We take a look at how experts are using the latest data and technology to avoid a worst-case scenario.

Japan is in the midst of a third wave of coronavirus infections, the worst yet. The collapse of the medical system could soon become reality. With beds in short supply, ambulances transporting patients are increasingly being turned away from hospitals. Many people have no choice but to recuperate at home, anxiously monitoring for a sudden deterioration in their conditions. We ask medical experts how Japan can bring the situation under control.

Japan's izakaya dining bars have always been places for people to enjoy a cozy drink and a bite to eat with friends. It's a dining culture that attracts overseas tourists too. But the coronavirus pandemic has the industry up against a wall. Some izakaya have transitioned into barbecue restaurants with robot servers, while others now specialize in take-out and delivery. A major worry is how to safeguard jobs in an industry where most of the workers are part-timers. NHK's cameras followed one major izakaya chain to document its efforts to survive.

Stock investment apps are becoming popular in Japan as share prices surge during the pandemic. Some even allow people to use reward points earned through everyday cashless payments to become shareholders. Such mobile investors could become a driving force in the market, as the case of Robinhood showed in the US. How will this new trend change our lives and the economy at a time when the world is trying to bounce back from the coronavirus?

The coronavirus pandemic has hit Japan's vulnerable teenagers especially hard. Some have been forced to take jobs to support their cash-strapped parents. Others have found themselves cooped up in stressful home environments as a result of stay-at-home requests. We spent time at a school attended by many struggling teens and documented the efforts of teachers and other staff to assist them as they make the transition beyond graduation into society.

On February 1st, Myanmar's military shocked the world by staging a coup. In the weeks since, civilian protests have continued to grow. Many countries have denounced the military's actions but China has maintained its policy of non-interference. Meanwhile, Japan is in a unique position, with strong ties to both the military and democratic leaders. How will the country respond to the situation? We talk to an expert about the growing impact of the protests.

The 2011 earthquake and tsunami transformed some Japanese townships in just minutes, taking thousands of lives, and leaving behind many grieving survivors. In one town, storytellers on a bus tour honor the legacy of both groups by sharing their experiences and passing on their memories to visitors. The program follows the same route with detailed visual simulations of the tsunami to show how people acted to save their lives and the lives of others.

On March 11, 2011, a huge earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan, taking thousands of lives. Ten years on, a father continues to dive in the sea, looking for his missing daughter. At night, his wife records her memories of their daughter on paper. She says "I try not to move on too quickly so the memories won't fade away." We report on a couple who lost their precious child so suddenly and how they have spent the past decade.

Live commerce, combining online shopping with live-streamed sales pitches, is rapidly expanding its reach around the world. Expensive items are selling like hot cakes despite the pandemic. The tide is rising fastest in China, which already has some 400-million live commerce shoppers. Retailers from major department stores to big home appliance shops are now getting in on the act. We take a look at the trend and the value the new shopping style provides to consumers.

It's been more than a year since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. An NHK survey has found that thousands of children in Japan have missed school due to virus-related health concerns. At the same time, major cities and municipalities have been slow to roll out online learning programs. As a result, many of these "voluntarily absent" students are falling behind their peers. We asked them to describe their experiences of the past year, and how they feel about spending so much time away from the classroom.

How is it possible that people who share homes with members of their own family can die lonely deaths and go undiscovered for days or even longer? To find out, NHK looked at a series of such tragic cases across Japan. We delved deeply into one, involving a man who initially failed to notice his father's death, then lived with the body for months. Our conversations with him uncovered a story of broken ties and work-related stress, which ended with the man and his father leading completely separate lives while sharing the same roof.

The variant with the N501Y mutation, first confirmed in the UK is now rampant in Japan. Unlike previous strains, younger people in their thirties to sixties have a higher risk of becoming gravely ill. In Osaka, one of Japan's largest cities, the medical system is overwhelmed and people are dying at home due to a lack of available beds. Meanwhile, the central government says vaccinating the elderly must be finished by the end of July, but will the municipalities responsible be able to meet the deadline? We take a look at the frontline in the battle with the changing coronavirus. Guest: Kutsuna Satoshi (National Center for Global Health and Medicine)

According to a UN report released two years ago, the fashion industry emits more carbon annually than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Many say sustainable fashion is the only way forward. Manufacturers are now producing clothes made with everything from old fishing nets to synthetic protein developed with the genetic information of spiders. In today's program, we look at how our wardrobe choices can help lead to a greener world. Guest: Miyata Hiroaki (Professor, Keio University)

This spring, young nurses in Japan started their careers amid unprecedented circumstances. They entered the workforce without the usual hands-on training due to the pandemic, but were nonetheless forced to contend with a surge in cases stemming from a fourth wave of coronavirus infection. We highlight how these novice nurses have overcome their anxieties and provided the best care possible.

Today we bring together Dr. Katalin Kariko, the Hungarian biochemist whose research paved the way for mRNA vaccines, and Professor Yamanaka Shinya, the Japanese Nobel Prize winner whose breakthrough on iPS cells indirectly helped to shine the spotlight on Dr. Kariko's work. The two discuss whether mRNA vaccines could be the game changer that brings an end to the coronavirus pandemic, and look at how the vaccines might cope with new strains of the virus. Guests: Dr. Katalin Kariko Prof. Yamanaka Shinya (Director, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University)

The spread of coronavirus variants in Japan is putting younger people at risk of serious illness. Despite this, many parts of the country are still focusing their vaccine rollouts on the elderly. With cluster infections breaking out at schools and daycare centers, calls are growing to open up vaccinations to younger people and those who work in high-risk settings. Meanwhile, experts warn of the risks of unique variants emerging in the country and are urging for the development of domestically produced vaccines. Guest: Hasegawa Hideki (Director, Center for Influenza and Respiratory Virus Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases)

A growing number of Japanese people are abandoning the job-for-life model and embracing a different approach to work. For some younger employees, the aim is to achieve financial independence from companies. For others, the goal is to secure the freedom they need to seek out new opportunities in middle-age and beyond. We speak with the author of a best-selling book about how longer life-spans are forcing a rethink to traditional ideas about work. Guest: Lynda Gratton (Professor, London Business School)

In 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic spread around the world, governments and central banks ramped up their monetary easing policies to protect their economies and prop up businesses. The sudden flood of extra money into markets drove stock prices to dizzy highs and allowed family offices to take big risks to grow their already vast fortunes, even as the real economy was suffering. Now, as the world grows more hopeful about an end to the pandemic, investors are wary. With financial authorities discussing a scale-down of their easy money programs, many people are wondering what's in store for the markets -- can they achieve a soft landing, or will the party end with a crash? Guest: Numata Yuko (Professor, Meiji University)

Health authorities have watched with alarm as a succession of more transmissible coronavirus variants have emerged in different countries and spread rapidly across the world. Experts have used big data to gain a clearer understanding of how the variants moved between countries before arriving in Japan. Others studying cluster cases have gained new insights into the way the virus moves through the air, travelling further than previously thought. These lessons could prove vital in the effort to halt new and more dangerous variants lurking in our future. Guests: Miyata Hiroaki (Professor, Keio University) Wada Koji (Professor, International University of Health and Welfare) Hayashi Motoya (Professor, Hokkaido University)

Japan is seeking to eliminate the gender gap at home and at work. The key is to get rid of "unconscious biases." In this edition, we conduct "position change experiments," involving a husband and wife, and a male company president and his female employee. By trying to put on the other's shoes, what did they learn about the separate roles? We're joined by Brady Mikako, who recently wrote a book on empathy, and explore ways to create a society that respects different points of view. Guest: Brady Mikako (Writer/Columnist)

Around 2.9 million foreigners now live in Japan. Many came to the country for work during the bubble economy of the late 1980s. Now, they and their families are facing a serious issue: they can't find a final resting place. Cultural differences are one of the main reasons, as 99.9 percent of the Japanese are cremated. We take a look at efforts to create a society where everyone can be assured of a proper burial. Guests: Sahel Rosa (Actor) Ishii Kota (Writer)

In Japan, same sex couples and single mothers cannot find sperm donors through hospitals. Instead, they are forced to turn to social media, which some medical experts say is risky. Meanwhile, children born from sperm donation are calling for the right to know the identities of their biological fathers. In this report, we take a look at everyone involved in the process: the donors, the parents, and the children themselves. Guest: Kawakami Mieko (Author)

More people in Japan are opting for simple funerals. At the same time, a survey suggests many feel they couldn't do enough to properly mourn a loved one. These days, some people are choosing entirely different ways to say goodbye. One man kept his mother's body at home for seven days to mourn her with his family. Others are choosing to hold funerals and other rituals all over again. We take a look at the increasingly diverse ways people are sending off their loved ones. Guest: Ukai Hidenori (Monk/Journalist)

Every year, over 40,000 students across Japan leave high school before graduating. Many of them are living with problems such as abuse at home or poverty. Now, one dedicated principal at a Tokyo metropolitan high school is working to reduce the number of early leavers. Under his motto of "No More Dropouts," he has introduced flexible requirements to cater to each student and succeeded in seeing more kids through to graduation. We take a look at how teachers and students are finding their own solutions to a serious issue. Guests: Isomura Motonobu (Principal, Tokyo Metropolitan Hachioji Takushin High School) Ishii Kota (Writer)

Japan's elderly population faces a second threat from the coronavirus. In many cases, isolation is weakening their physical and cognitive functions, raising the risk of frailty and depression. Doctors are trying to tackle this scourge with an approach called social prescribing. The aim is not merely to use medicines, but to treat the underlying problems by helping patients reconnect with the world around them. We ask some experts how they are using social prescribing to break down barriers and build communities. Guests: Nitta Kunio (Chair, Japan Home Health Care Alliance)

Celebrated manga artist Saito Takao died aged 84 in September. His "Golgo 13" series runs to more than 200 volumes; a Guinness World Record. He established the "gekiga" style of realistic manga that appeals to adult readers. "Golgo 13" storylines featured forward-looking subjects, such as a nuclear plant accident and a deadly virus outbreak, long before they became reality. We take a look at what Saito wanted to express in his work as well as the secret that enables the series to keep going even after his death. Guest: Nagasaki Takashi (Former editor of "Golgo 13")

Solitary deaths at home and suicides are increasing in Japan amid the pandemic. The locations of these incidents are known as "stigmatized properties." It's a label that can drastically lower the real estate value, as well as making it very difficult to find a new tenant or owner. Moreover, due to the perceived risk, elderly people living alone may find themselves rejected when trying to rent an apartment. We interviewed realtors specializing in such properties, and the operator of a well-known search site for stigmatized properties to shine some light on a dark side of Japanese society. Guest: Tamaoki Myoyu (Buddhist monk/nurse)

Japan's first Lower House election in four years was held at the end of October. The main ruling Liberal Democratic Party secured an absolute stable majority, while the largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party suffered resounding losses, despite unifying its candidates with other opposition parties. What led to this result? We followed candidates from both sides to find out. Guest: Murohashi Yuki (Representative Director, Japan Youth Conference)

Social tipping has grown in popularity amid the pandemic, as more and more users buy virtual coins to give to their favorite livestreamers. The market in Japan is estimated to have grown to be worth over 430 million dollars. While benefitting artists who lost income due to coronavirus restrictions, social tipping has created addicted fans, some of whom spend huge chunks of their income. It fascinates children too, with some secretly running up huge bills on parents' credit cards. We explore this growing problem and look at ways to keep it fun and safe for all users. Guest: Takahashi Akiko (IT journalist / Visiting Professor, Seikei University)

Atomic bomb survivor Tsuboi Sunao was one of the leading voices calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. He died in October at the age of 96. On the day of the bombing of Hiroshima, he was just 1.2 kilometers from the epicenter and barely survived. He dedicated the rest of his life to the fight against nuclear weapons. And in 2016, he met then US President Barack Obama, the leader of the country that dropped the bomb on his hometown. We look back on his life and hear from people who knew him about the message he wanted to convey to future generations.

A British scientist diagnosed with a debilitating disease was given two years to live. Rather than submitting to the prognosis, he turned to technology to fight it. In the process, Peter Scott-Morgan became Peter 2.0, the first full cyborg. We spent time with Peter to see how his continuing evolution is shaping his day-to-day life. We also spoke with experts to see how technology is increasingly unlocking the hidden potential of the human body, and allowing people to perform functions previously thought impossible. Guests: Peter Scott-Morgan (Scientist/Author) Inami Masahiko (Professor, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo)

The humble egg, indispensable in the kitchen, is undergoing a major transformation. Global restaurant chains are shifting to cage-free eggs and the European Union has declared a ban on conventional battery cages for laying hens. The concept of animal welfare is to reduce pain and stress in animals through the creation of a better environment for livestock. It is also an important part of achieving the SDGs set out by the United Nations. Meeting animal welfare requirements, however, imposes additional costs and Japanese farmers are struggling to make it happen while investors put more emphasis on sustainability. We take a look at the frontline of the animal welfare movement in farming. Guests: Shimmura Tsuyoshi (Professor, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology) Kawaguchi Mariko (Specially Appointed Professor, Rikkyo University)

The 90-year-old star of the Star Trek TV series, a childhood cancer survivor, and a Japanese entrepreneur. They are among the 29 civilians who have traveled into space in 2021. Some are calling the year the advent of the new age of space travel. Private companies are behind this sudden boom, with the global space business on course to become a trillion-dollar industry within the next few decades. We take a look at the latest in civilian space travel and talk to an astronaut about what changes the "new space age" will bring to society. Guests: Maezawa Yusaku (Entrepreneur/Founder of ZOZO Inc.) Yamazaki Naoko (Astronaut)