The Long Way is the Best Shortcut - Tadatoshi Takayama, Liver Surgeon

Every year, 30,000 people in Japan die from liver cancer. Tadatoshi Takayama has performed more operations than any other liver surgeon in the country, completing 300 per year. He's an expert who expanded the potential for treatment by becoming the first to accomplish a new type of procedure. Because the liver contains an intricate network of countless blood vessels, it's referred to as a "clump of blood". One wrong move could trigger massive bleeding. But Takayama's careful approach incorporating extremely delicate techniques have allowed his surgeries to succeed. When operating on liver cancer, a slip of just a few millimeters can prove fatal. With uneasiness as his constant companion, Takayama keeps a certain thought in mind. "I think my surgeries succeed", he says, "because I'm uneasy and I worry". His philosophy has been honed through countless difficult challenges. On this program, we follow a dedicated surgeon who devotes himself body and soul to performing life-or-death operations.