In-depth News Features | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

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.

August marks two years since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan. During that time, the Taliban's oppressive attitude toward women has intensified, widening the rift with the international community. Under these circumstances, China has been increasing its involvement in Afghanistan, as if to take advantage of the absence of US troops. I would like to look at the many factors at play in Afghanistan in order to understand the situation.

For years, China has been building military facilities on artificial islands in the South China Sea to strengthen territorial claims in the region. Satellite images show that Vietnam is now taking a similar approach.

Cagayan Province in the northern Philippines has become the object of attention from both the United States and China. Some residents are excited about the economic opportunities, but others fear being caught in a geopolitical tug-of-war.

"It's our duty to be ready and to have a force that's capable of prevailing, but our focus is on deterring that conflict from ever happening." The United States Navy chief shares an update on the increasingly tense situations in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea in an interview with NHK World's Washington Bureau Chief Takagi Masaru.

Toda Natsuko is a name widely recognized among Japanese movie enthusiasts. Her work has been integral to their enjoyment of some of the biggest cinematic hits of the past half century. In that time, the 88-year-old subtitler has written Japanese translations for more than 1,500 English-language films, including classics such as "E.T." and "Titanic," and more recently the latest installment of the "Mission: Impossible" series.

NEWSLINE anchor Kawasaki Rika asked Toda how she stays motivated.

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.

Japan is far from the frontlines of Ukraine's ongoing war, but a project is underway to bring over injured former soldiers for specialized medical treatment. Japanese hospitals are giving them care and rehabilitation unavailable in their home country.

Abe Shizuko was permanently disfigured in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Decades later, a trip to the country that carried out the attack helped her begin the process of inner healing.

Oyakawa Masaaki had inner demons to slay. What better way than to punch other business executives in the head? An up-and-coming event on the martial arts scene gave him the opening he was waiting for.