A Japanese recycling company from Hokkaido is trying to help Ethiopia turn mountains of trash into an alternative fuel. It's a business concern that also holds social value, with waste management a key problem across Africa.
From Hokkaido's pristine powder-snow peaks to the neon-lit drinking warrens of downtown Osaka, inbound tourists are flocking to Japan in record numbers. Hoteliers nationwide are making a roaring trade, but the boom is not without its problems. Some areas are struggling to cope with all the attention. Others are still waiting for a piece of the pie.
Landscape photographer Imai Go has a soft spot for sparrows. It's an interest that began four years ago when he captured some images of one of the tiny, delicate birds nibbling on cherry blossom buds.
Kanamori Kei found his creative spark in a paper fold, but he is now leaving people breathless with his computer graphic animations. His short film "Origami" is the first Japanese production to win a Student Academy Award. The work is a paean to his first passion — but more than that, it’s a celebration of the human touch in an increasingly digital world.
Four years since a military coup rocked Myanmar, the fighting rages on. Life is tough as the military, pro-democracy forces, and armed ethnic minority groups remain locked in battle. The prolonged conflict is casting a shadow over a once-promising economy and putting pressure on younger people, especially those with higher education qualifications whose career and leadership prospects have been all but extinguished. They began fleeing in large numbers after the military announced last year that ...
South Koreans who secretly loved Japanese pop songs in their youth are reveling in nostalgia amid a revival for Showa-retro tunes from the 1970s and ’80s. Their renewed popularity has sparked an era of Japanese cultural appreciation, driven by middle-aged and older generations of fans who remember the songs’ underground appeal.
As Ukrainian efforts to repel Russian forces divert more men from the workplace to the frontline, short-handed employers are turning to women to pick up the slack, especially in traditionally male-dominated roles.
The overall suicide rate in Japan is falling, to just over 20,000 last year, as a national prevention strategy bears fruit among the adult population. But for one sector of society – children and teenagers – it is a worsening problem, with the loss of 527 lives last year. That figure represents an all-time high among young people. NHK World anchor Morishita Erika spoke with Okaku Terumi, CEO of grief support and suicide prevention organization Live on. Okaku was 19 when she lost her mother to su...
South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol remains defiant against the investigation into his martial law declaration last year, even after his indictment. NHK World's Aoki Yoshiyuki explains the unfolding political crisis.
A six-week ceasefire between Israel and Islamic group Hamas has been in place since January 19. NHK World's Sakurai Reiko spoke to the UN Development Programme's Noguchi Chitose on the current situation in Gaza and how the international community can help people rebuild their lives.
The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake rocked Japan's Hyogo Prefecture and surrounding areas in 1995, killing 6,434 people and causing more than 100,000 houses to collapse. One of those homes belonged to the grandparents of NHK World’s NEWSROOM TOKYO anchor Yoshioka Takuma. He revisited his family’s community in the Iwaya district of Kobe on the 30th anniversary of the disaster to see how people had rebuilt and what lessons they had learned.
George Bory is the chief investment strategist for the fixed income team at Allspring Global Investments. He recently visited Tokyo and spoke with NHK World’s Hirata Miyu and Esaki Daisuke about the potential impact of US President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda on the US economy in 2025. The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
A doctor from Myanmar has been caring for displaced people at her clinic in Thailand for three decades. She says since her native country’s 2021 military coup, the situation has dramatically worsened. Dr. Cynthia Maung is the founder of the Mae Tao Clinic, which was honored in 2002 with the Ramon Magsaysay Award – known as the Asian Nobel Peace Prize.
Over 6,400 people died in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in western Japan three decades ago. NHK World's Ide Mizuha spoke to a mother still grieving her son who died before he could realize his dream of becoming a professional shogi player.
A little over a year ago, Japan's Noto Peninsula was shaken by a powerful earthquake. About nine months later, when many people were finding their footing, torrential rains swept through, causing even more destruction. The city of Suzu, perched on the tip of the Noto Peninsula, bore the brunt of both disasters. One man saw his home devastated both times, but instead of succumbing to despair, he became even more determined to help rebuild the community he loves.
New York's subway stations pulse with the energy of millions on the move. But in this subterranean complex, art installations have been asking people to pause, reflect and share their thoughts.
Japanese mountaineers Hiraide Kazuya and Nakajima Kenro have posthumously received 2024's Piolet d'Or for the unprecedented feat of ascending the northern wall of Tirich Mir in Pakistan in 2023. The Piolet d'Or award is considered the highest honor in the climbing world. It is given to those who achieve imaginative and innovative climbing by scaling a mountain through new routes while using simple techniques. In July, 2024, Hiraide and Nakajima attempted to climb K2 — the world's second-highest ...
South Koreans reacted with anger and defiance when their President abruptly declared martial law earlier this month. The ensuing turmoil was captured in an iconic image that shows an opposition party spokesperson grabbing the rifle of a soldier amid chaotic protests outside the parliament building in Seoul. Weeks later, Yoon Suk-yeol is suspended from duty following a successful move by the opposition to impeach him, but the reasons for his declaration remain unclear. Former NHK Seoul bureau chi...
The weak yen is luring record numbers of visitors to Japan, and the tourism industry is now turning its attention to travelers who can deliver a bigger economic impact. In April, Japan began issuing 6-month residency visas to traveling remote workers known as digital nomads who can show they earn at least 10 million yen per year. NHK World visited Shimoda City in Shizuoka Prefecture, a coastal city south of Tokyo, that is banking on these fresh arrivals to breathe new life into its community.
A year after a powerful earthquake ravaged Japan's Noto Peninsula, residents of one historic neighborhood are banding together to expedite repairs to the centuries-old shrine they consider the heart of their community.
US President-elect Donald Trump won over voters in some surprising places, including reliably blue cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. NHK World's Inoue Yuki takes a closer look at Trump's success amid this swing to red in some of New York's most diverse districts.
For almost seven decades, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, Nihon Hidankyo, has been a consistent ― and persistent ― voice for the survivors of the atomic bombs that struck Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The group's education and lobbying efforts have been recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize for 2024. Two of NHK's senior commentators, Kiyonaga Satoshi and Kamoshida Go, explain the significance of the win.
Nearly 80 years have passed since the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While the suffering of the survivors, known as hibakusha, is well-documented, the suffering of Korean survivors is often overlooked. A documentary film that follows the life of one such survivor highlights his fight against physical suffering and discrimination.
Wine lovers who hear the words “Japanese wine” are likely to think of Yamanashi’s rolling vineyards, or the high terrain of Nagano. But up north in Hokkaido, in a climate once considered too cold for quality wines, the famously finicky Pinot Noir grape is thriving.
China spent decades struggling to contain explosive population growth, but now it’s grappling with the opposite. The combination of a fast-aging society and a record low birth rate have resulted in two successive years of population decline. Even so, the market for maternity goods and services is flourishing, fueled by perceptions around parenting and the expanding affluence of the middle and upper classes.
A remote island in western Japan is a spiritual home for sumo wrestling. For hundreds of years, a competition in Shimane Prefecture's Okinoshima town has honored a local deity. Among more than 200 people who took part in the latest event were wrestlers from Poland who discovered that the sacred ritual is far more than just a sport.
Myanmar's junta is pushing back with a new tactic after sustaining heavy losses in the western state of Rakhine. Military forces have found themselves cornered by the Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine armed group ― and in an effort to retaliate, the junta is allegedly recruiting Muslim Rohingya, from the stateless minority group. The tactic is regarded as a ploy designed to incite conflict between the Rohingya and the majority Rakhine population.
South Korean pop star group New Jeans surprised fans at its Tokyo concert with a cover of a beloved Japanese '80s hit, sparking a viral buzz back home. NHK World's Aoki Yoshiyuki unpacks why Japanese pop from the 1970s and '80s is enjoying a major revival in South Korea.
Osaka is the first city in Asia to host the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association's (IGLTA) annual global conference, cementing Japan as a dream destination for a diverse range of travelers. About 600 influencers, travel agents, tourism officials, hoteliers, and other industry figures from around the world took in the sights and sounds of Osaka during October.
Vending machines and traditional wooden kokeshi dolls are both icons of Japanese culture, and a hot spring resort in northeastern Fukushima Prefecture has combined the two. The novelty of being able to buy the dolls 24 hours a day has created a buzz and lifted sales – and is also raising awareness about the need to preserve the handicraft.
