Helping Hands Build Iraqi-Japanese Friendship

When the UN called on the international community to help rebuild Iraq in 2003, Japan committed itself to aid reconstruction efforts. A new law was passed to allow JSDF forces to take part in this mission, and they have been providing medical and humanitarian assistance as well as working closely with Iraqis to rebuild the basic infrastructure, from roads and water supplies to schools.

Getting Close to the Animals

Run-down and about to close, Asahiyama Zoo transformed itself into the most popular zoo in all Japan. The secret was a rethinking of how visitors and animals interact. This zoo pioneered many new ideas to bring visitors closer, using glass walls and underwater tunnels to let people see the animals underwater, moving just as they would in nature.

When Computers Can't Match Human Skill

Tokyo's Ohta ward is home of most of the city's machi-koba, small, specialized factories whose highly-skilled craftsmen can hand manufacture world-class products to specifications as precise as 1/1000 mm. From these tiny, often family-run, operations have come world beating inventions such as the safety pull-top used in cans, with and edge that doesn't cut.

Aomori - Land of Contrasts

Aomori is the northernmost region of Japan's main Honshu island. It's a land of extreme seasonal contrasts: long winters chilled by Siberian winds, superb cherry blossoms, in spring, hot summers and glorious autumn colors. It shows in the character of the region's friendly people too - the summer Nebuta festival is one of Japan's most exuberant, and few musicians are wilder than those of Tsugaru.