In-depth News Features | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

A structural design firm in Hokkaido has tackled high employee turnover by giving young workers the freedom to pick their own boss. Officials say the idea has fostered a culture in which both supervisors and subordinates can put their strengths to best use.

A fishing company on Japan's western island of Shikoku is breaking with convention by offering workers a guaranteed salary. And young people are taking the bait.

Japan's food industry faces the same dire demographic problems plaguing the rest of the country. A shrinking and aging population has led to chronic labor shortages, but one startup believes robots could save the day.

Bear attacks are on the rise in Japan with a record 219 incidents — including six fatalities — reported during the last fiscal year. As the animals emerge from hibernation and fossick for food, authorities are worried more people could get hurt.

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.

For the record 3.2 million foreigners living in Japan, one of the country's most attractive features is its low crime rate. But many are falling victim to fraud.

This is the first installment in an NHK World series that aims to help foreigners protect themselves from crime and live safely in Japan.

Some foreign residents in Japan are being deceived into committing illegal acts. They get involved in what appear to be easy, high-paying activities on social media that can lead to arrest and potentially deportation.

This is the second installment of an NHK World series on crime prevention with a warning about what to avoid.

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 public elementary school in rural Japan has done away with homework — and after one year, some students say they are more motivated to learn.

Life is good for some people in the United States right now as wages increase and companies book profits on the back of strong consumer spending. But as interest rates climb to their highest level in more than two decades, anomalies in the housing market have led to record numbers of people experiencing homelessness.