NHK Documentaries

14 years ago, Hasegawa Kazuo was diagnosed with lung cancer. He recounts his battle with stage four cancer, and his mission to change how patients receive care.

We revisit the highland village where their doctor not only provides care for its aging residents but is also reinvigorating the community, helping revitalize the area with his energy and fresh ideas.

An increasing number of Nepali youths are traveling to Japan to study, hoping to repay their migration debts and make lives for themselves, but they face the harsh realities of Japanese society.

This shrine in Kumamoto Pref. was razed in the 2016 earthquake. The seven-year restoration fused traditional craftsmanship with the latest technology.

The herders of Thoe Village uphold a long tradition of grazing their sheep at the distant Island of God, but the trek there requires them to guide 2,000 of the animals across a vast frozen lake.

Thirteen years since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, the government's plan to decommission the plant is at a crossroads. We take a close look at the efforts to secure Fukushima's future.

Our topic is the Gaza Crisis. Is there a path to a lasting solution? We seek fresh insights from two experts: A scholar in the US with roots in Israel and a Palestinian scholar in Canada.

In Japan, many people with dementia leave their homes, wander off, and are never seen again. Now, communities are developing measures to locate the missing and reunite them with their loved ones.

Wengding Village in Yunnan Province, home of the Wa people, is known as "China's last traditional village." After a fire in 2021, it was rebuilt and is now managed by a tourism developer. Local residents were relocated to a new village 1.5km away and now work as day laborers in their old village, where their sacred ceremony has been repurposed into a major attraction. Some villagers hope this will improve their lives, but others fear their traditional culture will be lost among tourism.

Russian athletes competing internationally have been accused of doping. We look at the life of one young skater, Kamila Valieva, and the effect that such allegations have had on her career.

Pianist Fuzjko Hemming passed away this year, at 92, after a rich but tumultuous life. We follow the artist's final five years, where she tirelessly pursues her art even as she faces her demise.

In Japan, there are almost daily reports of voyeurism and sexual abuse targeting children. This two-part series turns a spotlight on a disturbing threat looming at the edges of society.

The sale of sexual videos and photographs of minors is a lucrative international industry. Part two of our series examines this burgeoning trade and what can be done to stop it.