Japan in Focus

Morohashi Yoshitomo is a criminal defense lawyer based in downtown Tokyo. But he was once a yakuza. He believes second chances start in the space between black and white, between right and wrong.

Artist and style icon Jane Birkin was devoted to empowering the survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Even after her passing in 2023, her legacy lives on in their hearts.

In Japan, preschools are diversifying with more kids from international backgrounds or with complex needs, yet most daycare emphasizes the group over the individual. We see a space that is changing all that.

What if this was the final lesson you would ever teach? Atomic bomb survivor and former teacher Kajiya Fumiaki, age 85, prepares one last lesson for the children of an Osaka elementary school.

A Tokyo shutter manufacturer employs the elderly, which make up 30% of its staff. We take a closer look at this workplace where seniors thrive.

Kintsugi mends broken pottery with gold. An artist is restoring earthenware damaged by the Noto earthquake, helping residents put the pieces of their lives back together too.

In recent years, night high schools in Japan are admitting more students with international roots. We look at a school in Tokyo and a teacher dedicated to guiding his students toward a better future.

Many elderly Japanese have difficulty chewing or swallowing, and must follow soft, nutritional "dysphagia diets." Kawabata Eri is teaching caregivers how to make appetizing dysphagia-friendly dishes.

Small factories in Tokyo are combining their expertise to build a new bobsled, with the goal of it featuring in the Olympics. We examine how the project is changing small-scale Japanese manufacturing.

Hard-earned experience has made nonprofit organizations invaluable partners in disaster recovery. Japan's government is now moving toward formalizing their role.