Two years ago journalist and critic Takashi Tachibana was operated on for bladder cancer. The experience made him curious about research into cures for the disease, and what he learned is outlined in "Tachibana Takashi Saizensen Hokoku, Gan to Ningen, Hateshinaku Tatakai" (Takashi Tachibana's Front Line Report, Cancer and Humans, Endless Struggle; NHK-G, Mon., 10 p.m.).
Tachibana travels all over the world, visiting cancer research centers and interviewing experts about the latest developments. He learns some difficult truths about how cancer, always associated with death, is actually a pure manifestation of the life force. Cancer is present in all living things and is itself a complex organism. He reaches the conclusion that regardless of whether or not a cure is found, human beings will face the possibility of contracting cancer in a completely new way.
One of the most popular songs of the last decade was Naotaro Moriyama's "Sakura," which has become both a karaoke staple and popular graduation anthem. On "A-Studio" (TBS, Fri., 11 p.m.) rakugo storyteller Shofukutei Tsurube tries to find out how the song came about.