In-depth News Features | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

The end of World War Two only marked the beginning of another long nightmare for about 600,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians, detained by the Soviet Union and forced to work under brutal conditions in Siberia. One survivor who remained silent for decades is using his later years to ensure this dark chapter of history is never forgotten.

Mise Seiichiro was playing the organ at his home in Nagasaki around 11 a.m. on August 9, 1945. He was pressing the lower notes on the keyboard and imitating the sound of an American B-29 engine. His grandmother approached and told him to stop. As Mise reluctantly closed the organ lid, there was a blinding flash ― and the world changed forever.

With each passing year, there are fewer opportunities to listen to the stories of hibakusha atomic bomb survivors like Mise. Those who are left are old: their average age is over 85.

In Nagasaki, there is a renewed sense of urgency in the effort to preserve the voices of survivors and ensure their stories are heard by younger generations in Japan and the rest of the world. The push comes as global conflicts stoke fears that nuclear weapons could be used again.

Rice is in short supply at supermarkets in Japan. During late August, an NHK crew visited a store in Tokyo that usually sells about 10 varieties. But all it had in stock were 16 bags of a single type, with a purchase limit of one bag per customer.

As of the end of July, rice stocks were down 32 percent from the same month of last year. Not just extreme weather, but some unexpected factors have impacted both supply and demand of the nation's staple grain.

Recorded interviews and testimonies are invaluable resources for learning about history. But nothing conveys firsthand experience quite like one-on-one conversation. With the number of World War Two survivors dwindling, a Japanese software company is developing an AI system that ensures their memories never lose the power and urgency of direct appeal.

One of the most tragic human stories that emerged from the United States' atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 is that of Sasaki Sadako. She died aged 12 from leukemia ― believed to be linked to radiation exposure ― after folding more than 1,000 paper cranes that she hoped would save her.

Her story has been immortalized in literature and the arts ― and its message of peace is carried on by her surviving brother Masahiro, 83. Almost seven decades after Sadako's passing, he has a new project underway.

Teaching children about the atomic bombings can be challenging, given the harrowing subject matter. One man in Nagasaki is using an upbeat performance style, typically used in street advertising, to tackle the topic without leaving his young audience terrified.

A report by human rights watchdog Myanmar Witness says more than 130 schools and universities have come under attack in the three years since the military coup. It says teachers and students are increasingly victims of the drawn-out battle between the junta and resistance forces.

When the atomic blast ripped through Hiroshima, few objects near the epicenter survived. These relics―permanent reminders of the horror that nuclear weapons inflict―include a piano that belonged to a teenage girl who died in the attack.

The sequel to the Japanese autobiographical memoir "Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window" has become a smash hit in China.

A price review for visitors at one of Japan's premier tourist attractions is generating controversy over possible discrimination.