Today's Close-Up - Season 2 / Year 2016

On May 27th, Barack Obama visited Hiroshima as leader of the only country that has used atomic bomb in war. He is the first, serving US president to do so. How did he arrive at this decision and what do A-bomb survivors expect of his visit? The president explains his intentions in an exclusive interview with NHK.

We are beginning to see robot avatars in shops, workplaces, even schools. These machines are removing physical barriers to communication, and giving some people more confidence to speak their minds. We conduct an interview with Edward Snowden's robot avatar to give you a sense of how technology is transforming the way we interact.

Short stories written by AI software recently passed the first round of screening for a literary award in Japan. AI is also creating highly sophisticated paintings and music. Computers conquered humans at board games long ago. Will they soon overtake us at artistic endeavors, too?

"We should set a limit on healthcare coverage in Japan for the aged". That suggestion by one doctor is having widespread repercussions. He says the universal healthcare system will collapse if it continues to subsidize new, more effective but expensive drug treatments. Questions are arising about the costs of saving a life.

Rokusuke Ei died on July 7th. He is best known as the man behind the 1963 international hit, Sukiyaki. After the war, Ei became a leading figure in television, radio and print and helped pioneer a new era in Japanese popular culture. We take a look back at his career and hear from writers and celebrities who knew him well.

Weight-loss diets which limit one's intake of rice, bread and other carbohydrates are enjoying a boom. The results often come quickly. Some people take the behavior to extremes, damaging their health. We look at the risks behind this new food fad.

At hospitals and nursing homes across Japan, medical workers are joining hands with religious organizations to help terminally ill patients die peacefully. With cooperation from over 30 groups and denominations, universities are now providing training for priests and lay religious workers to be interfaith chaplains. We take a look at the practice from the frontline.

Japanese manufacturers once dazzled the world with products such as the Walkman, Nintendo and car navigation systems. But in recent years, the global success stories have been few and far between. Now, a new wave of young entrepreneurs is preparing to put the made-in-Japan tag back in the international spotlight. We take a look at what they've got planned.

As China consolidates its place as a world power, its counterfeit product industry has turned to high-quality fakes. So-called "super copies" threaten not just other nations' businesses, but Chinese ones as well. NHK goes undercover at a pirated goods market.

Relations between Japan and Russia have been getting closer. The key issue they need to resolve is the dispute over the Northern Territories - 4 islands controlled by Russia but claimed by Japan. With a peace treaty yet to be signed after World War II, what are the intentions of the countries' leaders?

Tokyo Governor, Yuriko Koike, is tackling a series of issues facing the relocation of the Tsukiji wholesale food market. The governor sees the heart of the problem as lying with the poor organizational structure of the metropolitan government. We ask the governor to explain the deeper causes of the confusion and what is being done to move forward.

The winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi discovered mechanisms underlying autophagy. He got to the root of life by untiringly peering at cells under a microscope. Often described as 'determinedly unconventional', he shares his philosophy toward science with us in studio.

Japan faces a serious labor shortage. Foreign workers have become essential to the economy. But amid harsh conditions, many workers are fleeing their employers. How should Japan expand its foreign workforce to bring benefits to both sides?