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Message: <blockquote data-quote="thomas" data-source="post: 804741" data-attributes="member: 1">Whatever you might think about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Jazeera">Al Jazeera</a>, AJ English have an interesting series of country reports on Asia called <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/">101 East</a> (most of them are available on Youtube).  I watched a few of their episodes on Japan, some issues are quite controversial and not often reported on Japanese channels.If you have time to kill give them a shot:Japan: Guilty Until Proven Innocent[MEDIA=youtube]yYJpc2y37oU[/MEDIA]Japan is famous for having one of the safest societies in the world, with exceptionally low levels of crime. But does this clean image hide a darker side? The country's criminal courts have almost a 100 percent conviction rate. But justice in Japan relies on confessions, and police and prosecutors have been accused of abusing their authority.  With advances in forensic and DNA technology, an increasing number of wrongful convictions are coming to light, proving that innocent people have been imprisoned, sometimes for life. 101 East asks: Is justice being served in Japan?Japan's whale hunt[MEDIA=youtube]b6lq1sfJviI[/MEDIA]Japan's whaling fleet returned home in April from the Antarctic after conducting their annual whale hunt. It was a difficult season, involving months of high-seas clashes with anti-whaling activists. On this episode of 101 East, we look at Japan's controversial whaling programme as the nation vows to continue the hunt.Coming of age in Japan[MEDIA=youtube]7KBdc7CtjeQ[/MEDIA]Monday is a special day for 20-year-olds in Japan. The "Coming of Age" day celebrates the fact that they are now adults who can enjoy grown-up pursuits, such as driving and drinking alcohol. Al Jazeera meets one young man to find out what it's like to grow up in modern Japan.Finding Love In Japan[MEDIA=youtube]2XllGh3OExA[/MEDIA]The path to true love is never easy but in Japan, finding 'the one' has never been harder. Only a third of the nation's youth have been in a relationship. Many consider a romantic partner bothersome in a country famous for maid cafes, herbivore men and pop idol shows. For the government, playing cupid is now in the national interest. As the country's population rapidly declines, it's funding matchmaking events to help encourage marriage - and babies. Such events are also being embraced by reality shows, small towns and even monks who need a partner for their temple to survive. 101 East asks, can love find a way in desperate and dateless Japan?Inside Fukushima’s Time Bomb[MEDIA=youtube]LcLo51IZnos[/MEDIA]Five years after the twin catastrophes of the Japan tsunami and Fukushima nuclear meltdown, villages sit silent and empty. Thousands of workers still toil to clean up the radioactive material but it could be decades before their work is finished. As Japan continues to suffer the toxic aftermath of one of its worst ever disasters, 101 East reveals that the countryside may never again be safe.Japan's Throwaway Children[MEDIA=youtube]I50yAoCnA64[/MEDIA]In a country that frowns upon foster care, 33,000 children from abusive homes are growing up in state institutions.When I Die: Inside Japan's Death Industry[MEDIA=youtube]BzpmWOVeExQ[/MEDIA]Sumiko hops into a coffin and lies down, testing it for size. For her, it’s a chance to “try before you die”.  The 40-year-old woman is among a growing number of Japanese taking a proactive approach to planning their funeral, sparking a booming death industry. In 2014, approximately 1.26 million people died in Japan. And with an ageing population, that number is estimated to continue rising until 2042. Japan is running out of space to bury the dead, and traditional funerals have become expensive as a result. The death industry and temples are trying to get creative by finding innovative, affordable ways to send their clients into the afterlife. We take a look at how Japan says its final goodbyes.Japan's Stalking Crisis[MEDIA=youtube]ehbNJoxhkG8[/MEDIA]Stalkers are terrorising more and more women across the country, with 21,000 cases reported to police in 2013.Ageing Japan: The Burden of a Graying Planet[MEDIA=youtube]R8wdLWUEnzI[/MEDIA]Japan faces a demographic crisis. Its population is falling rapidly due to an ageing population and declining birthrates.  In two decades from now, seniors will outnumber children under 15 by nearly four to one. The situation is now so critical that adult nappies outsell baby nappies in the country.Japan's Ainu[MEDIA=youtube]iA7BILX-q4I[/MEDIA]101 East looks at Japan's indigeneous people and their fight for cultural  survival and acceptance. Over the last century, they have seen their traditions and their language stripped away, along with their ancestral lands. But after generations of oppression, racism and forced assimilation, change is in the air for the Ainu.</blockquote>

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