In-depth News Features | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

Seven decades have passed since the devastating effects of Minamata disease — caused by mercury poisoning — were officially recognized in southwestern Japan. The tragedy affected thousands of people and their families with a legacy that continues to cast a long shadow. A similar crisis is developing on the other side of the world, among indigenous communities in the Amazon rainforest. Driven by soaring gold prices, illegal mining that uses mercury in the extraction process is spreading rapidly, polluting the waters from where local people source fish as a dietary staple.

More than 80 years have passed since Japan occupied Singapore during World War Two, and historian Lim Shao Bin continues to search for answers buried in documents and war memorabilia — from a chapter of history that still shapes his country today. His work is deeply personal, driven by a conviction that confronting painful truths is essential to building lasting peace. At its core is a question: how can societies pursue peace without forgetting the past?

Japanese wines are picking up international awards — but global traction is another story. In a climate defined by humidity and rain, producers are getting creative, taking cues from sake and whisky to carve out a distinct identity.

Award-winning Myanmar writer Ma Thida says reading and critical thinking are essential tools of resistance — and the foundation of any future democracy. Speaking during a three-city tour of Japan, the former political prisoner, now living in exile in Germany, reflected on post-coup Myanmar, where the military continues to entrench its power despite claiming a return to civilian rule.