NHK World Special Programs

Faced with a shrinking population, Japan is admitting a record number of foreign workers. In April 2019, the government initiated a new residence status called "specified skilled worker." Many companies and communities are opening their arms to foreign workers. But some Japanese are concerned about crime and problems with assimilation. Should Japan become more welcoming? Or is homogeneity more important than growth? We look at the growing awareness of these issues and the steps being taken to address them.

The terror of devastating infernos. From Australia to America and Europe, "megafires" are threatening life across the world. Reducing homes and belongings to ash, they also leave a death toll. This series, an international co-production with France, will focus on "megafires." The key driver of frequent "megafires" is the increasing pace of climate change. How do we respond to this state of emergency? In the first part of the program, we will explore the mechanism of these "megafires." We will also report Japan, with its many wooden buildings, is no stranger to "megafires." The threat of an earthquake fire could strike its cities at any time. Is there any way to stop "megafires"?

This series, an international co-production with France, will focus on "megafires." In the second part of the program we will show how "megafires" are affecting the environment. They are accelerating the speed of global warming, and threatening the future of our planet. We will cover "megafires" around the world from Siberia to Brazil. "Megafires" in the Amazon and other rainforests produce huge quantities of carbon dioxide. Peat forests in Indonesia are also burning. Global demand for palm oil has destroyed the pristine forests, and turned them into massive farmland of oil palms. These palm oil farms are contributing to wild fire in Indonesia, and warming the atmosphere. In the program, we will explore strategies to stop "megafires."

In the remote regions of southwest China's Guizhou province reside the Miao, an ethnic minority. Villagers brave the unforgiving mountains to tend rice fields, and shamans sing esoteric songs of their past. Some scale hundred-meter cliffs without a lifeline. Research has identified their roots in the ancient Yelang kingdom, which flourished some 2 millennia ago. After making enemies of the Han empire, the Yelang were forced to flee into these distant mountains. Their history is a record of a community bearing the harsh elements, united as one in the preservation of their unique tradition.

"Despite not knowing what it is, it's amazing." There are artists devoted to creating works that are not influenced by existing art or trends, nor by education, works that can't be imitated. Works like an elaborate drawing done by a 27-year-old woman who draws herself with a single ballpoint pen, or an oil painting by an artist with cerebral palsy who struggles to control his hand as he applies layers of paint. This program enters into and brings their artistic world to life with high-resolution images, and provides a glimpse of the artists' life through these original works. Witnessing them work brings up questions about what it means to be alive.

Vietnam's economy is revving up thanks largely to foreign investors who favor its young workforce and relatively low labor costs. It has also managed to avoid the worst effects of the US-China trade war that is slowing economies worldwide. At the same time, there's innovation driven by IT start-ups and the first Vietnamese car brand. Yuko Fukushima from our business desk investigates what's behind this robust growth and the challenges that lie ahead.

In November of 2019, Pope Francis visited Japan. It was only the second time a pope had visited the country, but the correspondence between Japan and the Vatican stretches back centuries, to a time when believers faced persecution. "Hidden Christians" in Nagasaki Prefecture and elsewhere dreamed of a day when their leader would come to guide them. For their descendants, that long-awaited day has come.

Almost immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake 9 years ago, people in the Tohoku region started talking about encounters with ghosts. The region's culture and history may account for the reports. The area has experienced countless disasters and famines, claiming the lives of tens of thousands of people. Over the years, residents started to see the deceased as "beings that live together with the living" and offer encouragement. Host Peter Barakan looks into how Tohoku citizens view the loss of loved ones and incorporate that loss in their own future.

One technique called mindfulness that rooted in Buddhist meditation is spreading across the world. But what is Buddhist meditation? Why people enthusiastic about it in this advanced information society? The most innovative two Zen teachers are proving the answers to our dilemma right here.

"Paprika," the " Song to cheer up everyone's challenge for the year 2020 and beyond," has become a big hit in Japan. Related videos have reached more than 300 million views on the video-sharing platform! It is loved by people young and old as a song that can be enjoyed together through singing and dancing. The wave of support delivered by "Paprika" is spreading not only in Japan but throughout the world. The program features a part of the music video's global version of "Paprika." It also shares an interview with singer-songwriter Yonezu Kenshi who created the song. Find out the thoughts he breathed into this song! The program also airs the dance music video of "Paprika," performed by Foorin team E who sing the song in English. They will support the dreams of everyone in the world through this song!

Creative designer Kashiwa Sato is famous for countless memorable icons and designs, for reinvigorating companies and shaping new values. Since 2018 he's been providing special classes to design students at Arita technical high school in Saga Prefecture. Under his tutelage students consider the role design plays in the local area, and how to prioritize it. Explore Sato's interactions with the students, and his personal thoughts on design and its potential.

The JAPAN PRIZE is an international contest for education media which was established by NHK in 1965. "LIFE" is a 2018 best proposal that was pitched and produced by a producer, Elke Franke who lives in Mexico. Elke got to know that there are increasing number of suicide in Larrainzar, -- one of the poorest indigenous municipalities in southern Mexico. Then she started investigation and completed a 40-minute documentary. It follows youngsters who have organized a hip-hop festival in effort to stop their peers from taking their lives in the face of poverty and discrimination. The show aims to get society in general to think about these impoverished youngsters putting their heart and soul into rapping and dancing.

NHK has teamed up with Thai Public Broadcasting Service to create a film adaptation of Shiga Naoya's short story Moki-Fuboku -- The Blind Turtle and the Driftwood. A novelist travels to a quiet village by the sea with his beloved dog. But then his dog goes missing... A classic Japanese story is brought to life in present-day Thailand!

Gion Kobu is the largest geisha district in Kyoto. Gion, with its history of about 400 years, has over 60 teahouses in a narrow alley of only 1 kilometer square. In the neighborhood, there are shops of various artisans supporting and sustaining the district.

Kyoto University's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) celebrates their 10th anniversary in April 2020. Professor Shinya Yamanaka, who developed the method to produce iPS cells, serves as the director for the center. How much progress have they made in the past 10 years toward clinical application? What vision does the director have for CiRA for the next decade? The program looks at how Yamanaka runs the organization as well as the past and future challenges of CiRA.

The stark Atomic Bomb Dome and the sublime Itsukushima Shrine and its thousand-year-old history. Both these World Heritage Sites are in Hiroshima Prefecture but there's also a lot more off the beaten track. NHK and Hiroshima TV, 2 local stations, suggest different overnight itineraries for visitors. Come and explore Hiroshima.

A young boy carries on his back the lifeless body of his younger brother, in the devastated city of Nagasaki after the atomic bomb. An American military photographer, Joe O'Donnell, took a picture of him standing stoically near a cremation pit. No one knows the boy's name, but the photo has become an iconic image of the human tragedy of nuclear war. This program follows the continuing efforts to deepen understanding of the photograph, while exploring the fate of thousands of "atomic-bomb orphans" and their struggles to survive the aftermath of World War II.

The International Association for the Visually Impaired (IAVI) is a Japan-based group that supports blind exchange students who visit from developing nations, helping them acquire trade skills such as massage and acupuncture. 3 years ago, the group struggled with the termination of the funding that the Japanese government had once offered. Now with the spread of the coronavirus, exchange students face even more unexpected challenges as this program follows 1 year of their experiences.

October 31, 2019, Shuri Castle had been destroyed by fire. The symbol of half a millennium of history gone in one night. Okinawans grieve as one of their most precious treasures burns. Now Shuri Castle is about to rise again in the digital realm. The goal is to resurrect the castle in 3D graphics, using thousands of photographs from all over the world. This episode follows people's efforts to rebuild Shuri Castle byte by byte, with images carrying the thoughts of all those who love this Okinawa's treasure.

Tokyo was undergoing massive changes as it prepared to welcome the world to the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games until the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything an abrupt halt. Peter Barakan meets with people from a wide range of countries that have settled in Tokyo to get their perspectives on the current situation and what the future holds moving forward.

The Himeyuri Peace Museum tells the story of the Himeyuri Student Corps, a group of young schoolgirls who were forced onto the battlefield at the prime of their youth to treat wounded soldiers in the Battle of Okinawa during WWII. In recent years, the museum had been facing a serious problem: the exhibits were not getting through to the young people of today. To bring change to this situation, the museum boldly decided to renovate its exhibits to make the theme of war and peace more relatable for the younger generations. But as the museum staff, all of whom have never experienced war, set out on the arduous path to do just that, they are met with even more challenges. The museum staff dedicate themselves to find ways to revive the lost voices of the Himeyuri girls, which have the power to remind future generations of the horrors of war and the invaluableness of peace.