Japan has yet to officially recognize same-sex marriage. For binational spouses, this makes things even harder. We examine the issue from the perspectives of a Japanese-American gay couple kept apart by entry restrictions in Japan, and 2 women living together in Kyoto Prefecture - one US-born and the other Japanese - who wish to have kids but are worried because their marriage isn't recognized.
We meet Peru-born entrepreneur Okamura Albert. From his unique life experiences that include work at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau came the wish to provide support to foreign nationals in Japan. He founded a firm that helps them with complicated procedures related to life in Japan, such as obtaining a visa status. His long-term goal is to foster a society all can share, regardless of nationality.
A documentary released in 2021 is based on 5 years of interviews with young Turkish Kurds who have grown up in Japan. Their repeated applications to obtain refugee status have failed, making it hard for their dreams of higher education and employment to come true. Director Hyuga Fumiari shares his thoughts on producing "TOKYO KURDS" and explains how it has affected his view of Japan today.
In Japan, around 50,000 children with foreign roots have limited Japanese skills and find it difficult to understand regular school lessons and adapt to them. A "free school" founded by an NPO in the suburbs of Tokyo caters for such children wanting to enter high school. What support is required to make their wish come true?
Almost 5 months after the coup in Myanmar, the turmoil is ongoing across the country. Hoping to help Myanmar's citizens, people in Japan started aid projects. From university students conducting weekly street-side fundraising to a woman setting up a "babysitting for Myanmar" service, and an entrepreneur promoting free trade by importing Myanmar coffee, we look at this grassroots-level form of support.
This episode looks at the situation in Japan today as glimpsed through the activities of long-term resident Haroon Qureshi from Pakistan. As Secretary General of one of Tokyo's several mosques, he offers a helping hand to the homeless and poor regardless of race or creed, including those hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. His compassionate attitude has engaged the hearts of young Japanese.
Ten years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, NHK's song for recovery "Flowers Will Bloom" is reborn in 11 languages, thanks to artists from around the world. Following "Flowers Will Bloom Beyond Borders," aired in February, this program offers insight on the performers' memories of the disaster, their feelings about the song, as well as the unexpected positive impact it had on people in Syria.
In the wake of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the song "Flowers Will Bloom" was created in support of those affected by the disaster. Now, 10 years later, it is reborn in 11 languages with performances by artists such as May J., Ono Lisa, and Morisaki Win who generously offered their voices. Can the song carry its prayer of hope across the globe? Join us as we learn the story behind the song's inception, look at the disaster area today, and introduce messages from around the world.