In-depth News Features | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

Dangerous heatwaves are a mainstay of the Japanese summer. It used to be the case that workers were simply expected to endure the sweltering conditions, but now, employee wellbeing is a growing consideration.

Syrian author Yassin al-Haj Saleh has been a tireless advocate for freedom and democracy in his native country. On a trip to Japan to promote a translation of one of his best-known books, he spoke to NHK World about the current situation in Syria and why he keeps fighting.

"I just want to have another child without any concerns," says the mother of a young girl in Tokyo. She's one of many parents in the capital struggling to buy or rent a home with enough space. Japan's fertility rate has been on the decline for eight years straight, and experts say the hot property market could make the problem even worse.

Kazuo Ishiguro is one of Britain's most decorated contemporary novelists. He has won both the Nobel and Booker prizes, among countless other awards, and was knighted for his services to literature in 2018. But even for him, an Oscar would have been a first. Earlier this year, Ishiguro was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on Living, a remake of Kurosawa Akira's 1952 masterpiece Ikiru.

Iryna and her husband Oles, from just outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, had been eager to start a family. But Russia's invasion had intervened, and then the 29-year-old couple got the news that in January, Oles would be deployed to Ukraine's eastern front. That was when they made a choice: Oles would join the growing list of soldiers who freeze their sperm to ensure they can become fathers ― no matter what happens.

Twenty years have passed since United States-led coalition forces invaded Iraq, starting a war that would eventually topple Saddam Hussein's 24-year-long dictatorship. Since then, Baghdad has changed a great deal with reconstruction projects contributing to a renewed sense of vibrancy.

Iraq's Ambassador to Japan, Abdul Kareem Kaab, sat down with NHK World to explain where his country is heading and how it plans to get there.

Every spring, more than a million people visit Washington DC to marvel at the canopy of pink and white cherry blossoms framing the city skyline. The Potomac cherry trees are in the limelight again, as Japan prepares to send 250 new saplings to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Many people might be aware that the original trees were a gift given more than a century ago, but few likely know that the idea originated with a pioneering female journalist.

Japan's Noto Peninsula was a vital economic hub centuries ago. Residents of the Kuroshima district are now drawing upon its rich history and legacy of resilience as they try to rebuild from the massive earthquake that struck on New Year's Day. 

Six months after the disaster, NEWSROOM TOKYO anchor Yoshioka Takuma visited Wajima City's Kuroshima in central Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture.

Myanmar's junta is facing increased resistance from pro-democracy forces and ethnic armed groups in a shift that has coincided with the introduction of conscription. Since February, the military began a lottery system to sign up men aged 18 and older.

According to the Burma Affairs and Conflict Study (BACS) watchdog, almost 6,000 people have been recruited, many of them forcibly, during that period. The move has Myanmar youths facing a quandary: give in to the junta, flee, or fight back?

Russia's initial attacks on Ukraine reduced many cities to smoldering ruins. One year on, NHK World visited two of the hardest hit towns and spoke with locals who are trying to rebuild their communities, despite not knowing when or how the conflict will end.

In the aftermath of the 2011 accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the 16,000 residents of nearby Tomioka Town were ordered to evacuate. Most have never returned. But one former resident is back with a new product he hopes will help revive his disaster-hit hometown.

At last year's men's soccer World Cup, one player stood out: French forward Kylian Mbappe. His team may have lost in the final to Argentina, but the wearer of the number 10 jersey was honored with the Golden Boot award for scoring the most goals at the tournament.

When disaster strikes, spreading information in multiple languages is vital. But sometimes people lack confidence in their proficiency. An associate professor at a Japanese university is now training volunteers about how to effectively communicate in English during emergencies. She says beyond language competency, speaking from the heart is most important when it comes to helping others.

With Russia's invasion of Ukraine entering its third year, a more detailed picture has emerged of the devastation and suffering in one occupied city.

Two years after Russia launched its ground invasion into Ukraine from the Belarus border in the north, NHK World visited the area to document the effort to prevent another incursion.

Sarah Brayer arrived in Japan in 1979, thinking it was just a stop on an international backpacking trip. But the country became her home where she’d become an acclaimed visual artist, whose work with washi paper is celebrated around the world. Her most recent project offered an opportunity to examine the role her art can play in supporting and reinvigorating cultural institutions in her adopted home.

The National Ballet of Ukraine has enchanted audiences in Japan with its first full-scale overseas performances since the Russian invasion. Though the conflict has presented the 120-year-old dance company with its greatest crisis to date, the dancers and orchestra have pulled together under the leadership of newly appointed artistic director Terada Nobuhiro.

The Ainu, an indigenous people predominantly living in northern Japan, have a distinct language and rich cultural traditions. Although Hokkaido has the largest Ainu population, thousands also live in or around Tokyo, where they face discrimination and lack of awareness. One woman of Ainu heritage, Shimada Akemi (pictured), is working to change this.

A growing number of Ukrainian soldiers want to ensure that even if they don't return from battle, they can still build a family. Many are choosing to freeze their sperm before they head to the front. A new law is making the process easier.

Relics from World War Two are being returned to the families of soldiers who died in foreign lands. The individuals behind these gestures of goodwill provide the recipients with a precious keepsake, and the closure they've been missing for decades.

For many of the 17,000 foreign residents in Ishikawa Prefecture, January's Noto Peninsula earthquake has highlighted difficulties that are causing isolation and unease.

A critically acclaimed film about a woman's illegal abortion has hit screens in Japan. 'Happening' is based on an autobiographical novel of the same name by Annie Ernaux, last year's winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. The director of the film, Audrey Diwan, and the writer explain why the story, set in 1960s France, is still relevant today.

A star Ukrainian para athlete who is unable to fight against Russian invaders on the battlefield has found other ways to help his country. Yevhenii Bohodaiko has sacrificed both his livelihood and one of his most treasured possessions to support the leagues of young people going off to war.

Child protection expert Paola Bellucci knows that a message with music and animation can reach youngsters' hearts. Her cartoon, "Don't Mess With Me" (English translation), is designed to teach children how to identify a threat of sexual assault or harassment — and protect themselves from a potential assailant.

In Myanmar, resistance fighters are loosening the junta’s grip on the country, and some believe a historic tipping point is near. The catalyst was Operation 1027 -- coordinated attacks on October 27 last year by three ethnic armed groups. Since then, other resistance forces have joined the movement.

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict nears the two-year mark, with international support faltering, leaders in Kyiv are orchestrating a strategic shift, ramping up domestic arms production and turning more to drone warfare. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he wants to manufacture at least one million FPV drones by the end of the year, which means training drone pilots is now a priority. And it's a strategy that relies increasingly on civilians.

A fresh-faced, attractive young woman promotes a Japanese green tea that promises longevity and good health. The tea is real, but the model holding the bottle is not.

She was produced by generative artificial intelligence for a TV commercial in a trend that has Japanese artists worried about their livelihoods.

In the aftermath of World War Two, Soviet Union forces rounded up 570,000 Japanese soldiers and put them to work in concentration camps. They also captured an unknown number of Japanese civilians, among them Ahiko Tetsuro, a teenager at the time. He was eventually released, but due to a government designation, he couldn't go back to his homeland.

When he died in 2020, aged 89, he was the last Japanese person still living in Kazakhstan out of the many who were sent to toil in Soviet gulags. A new movie tells the story of his struggle.

An alliance of human rights organizations is using open-source information to investigate alleged war crimes by Russia in Ukraine. Russian forces are suspected of having committed more than 48,290 atrocities, many of them attacks on civilians. Just a handful of cases have led to convictions so far. Prosecuting more will be a long and complicated process.

An alliance of resistance fighters in war-torn Myanmar has scored major victories against the military junta in recent months, capturing towns and army posts in the most successful challenge to the regime since it seized power in a 2021 coup. Zin Mar Aung, the foreign minister of the pro-democracy National Unity Government — the shadow civilian government formed as an alternative to the junta — visited Tokyo late last year to speak with Japanese lawmakers about the state of the conflict. She also sat down with NHK World's Yoshioka Takuma to discuss her aspirations for Myanmar in a post-junta era.

As leaders from around the world gathered in Egypt this month for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, one official is sounding a warning about a country that's being devastated by the severe drought, with many children already losing their lives. The World Food Programme's Somalia spokesperson sat down with NHK to discuss the likelihood of a catastrophic famine.

Revered French historian Helene Carrere d'Encausse believes mounting opposition in Russia to the invasion of Ukraine could ultimately see President Vladimir Putin lose his grip on power. She's been right about downfalls at the Kremlin before.

The military regime in Myanmar is turning to increasingly brutal tactics to suppress opposition. In July, it executed four people and started ramping up attacks on urban areas. This has spurred many young people to take up arms and fight back, while others have chosen to leave the country. But some remain committed to non-violent protest. NHK World spoke to an 18-year-old activist about the difficulties of staying true to pacifism while facing a relentless opponent.

The Japanese government has intervened in the currency market by buying the yen and selling the dollar for the first time in more than 24 years. The move was intended to keep afloat the value of the yen, which has so far declined over 25% against the dollar in 2022. Did the intervention have any effect? Why did the government act? Will there be more yen-buying? NHK World asked an expert.

Iran has been engulfed in unrest since the death of a young woman in police custody four weeks ago, and clashes between protesters and security forces have claimed many lives. Demonstrations are also being held beyond Iran's borders, including in Japan.

The Federal Reserve kept up its aggressive stance at its September policy meeting. An expert explains that inflation in the US remains "sticky," with some prices set to keep rising, and warns of the consequences of runaway price rises.

A director who had to remain anonymous. His work filmed in secrecy. Dark times in Myanmar are depicted onscreen in "Losing Ground", a 23-minute work that was honored in October at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival.

Ophthalmologist Hattori Tadashi quit his high-paying job in Japan two decades ago to give impoverished people in Vietnam access to eye care. Since then, he and his team have restored the vision of more than 20,000 people free of charge. Now he has been named one of four recipients of this year's Ramon Magsaysay Award -- often called "Asia's Nobel Prize" -- for his humanitarian work.

The global tourism industry is trying to bounce back following more than two years of coronavirus restrictions, and many countries are still struggling to regain foreign tourists.

In Greece, officials on the island of Alonissos are boosting the recovery by offering unprecedented access to an otherworldly relic, submerged underwater for thousands of years.

Bringing a new life into the world is never easy, but doing so in a foreign country, in a foreign language, is even more challenging. It's an increasingly common situation in Japan where one out of every 25 babies born have at least one parent of a foreign nationality.

Greek authorities are under fire for making life difficult for refugees and placing asylum-seekers at risk. A get-tough approach is seeing refugee camps get shut down -- and stays slashed at government-supported accommodation.

People of Japanese descent on Russia's Sakhalin island have long cherished the opportunity to step foot in their ancestral homeland, but the conflict in Ukraine has made those trips all but impossible for many.

It's not every day the young students at Kyoto's Terada Ballet Art School get a visit from some of the world's top dancers. So, in August, when the children welcomed a group from the National Ballet of Ukraine, they made the most of the rare opportunity to learn from their guests — not just about their shared art, but also their shared humanity.

The first meeting of states parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was held June 21-23 in Vienna. The talks came as Russia's invasion of Ukraine raises genuine fears of a country pushing the dreaded button in an act of aggression for the first time since the end of Cold War. NHK covered all the major developments.

The wife of a popular hip-hop artist and former lawmaker in Myanmar is pleading with the global community to help save his life. The country's military rulers sentenced Phyo Zeyar Thaw to death after he took part in a peaceful protest against last year's coup. His execution was approved in June.

As the number of refugees and displaced people tops 100 million, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees discussed the crisis with NHK World. Filippo Grandi is appealing for help in the global response, singling out Japan for its generous support.

The curtain has fallen on the 75th Cannes Film Festival in France, and beyond the prizes and glamorous parties lie works of art that challenge us to view the world differently. Among them is Broker, from Japanese director Koreeda Hirokazu.

A man who lost his 12-year-old daughter in the 2011 tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan says it is vital for people to understand the psychological traps that can prove deadly during a crisis.

The winds of change are blowing through Europe's fashion industry as leading labels increasingly embrace animal welfare in their work. Many have spoken in favor of a fur ban, and some are using the shift to pursue eco-friendly alternatives to leather.

Steve Jobs helped shape the modern world with his products at Apple, and it appears we can partly thank the unique aesthetic of Japanese ceramics for some of his most iconic designs.