In-depth News Features | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

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...

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...

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 an...

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 cen...

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.

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.

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 ho...

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...

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 Japa...