In-depth News Features | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The idea that digital hobbies spell the end for their analog forebears no longer holds true. Vinyl LPs and film cameras are cases in point. Sales have soared across the world on the back of a newfound appreciation for music and photos you can hold in your hands. In South Korea, there's a similar resurgence in the realm of good old-fashioned books.