The "R" in the title of the daily variety show "R no Hosoku" ("The Law of R"; NHK-E, Mon.-Thurs., 6:55 p.m.) stands for "ranking" and "research." Kids go out into the streets and find out what interests today's junior high and high school students and then create rankings based on the research. In the studio these rankings are discussed by students along with guest celebrities and the host, Tatsuya Yamaguchi of Tokio.
On Wednesday, the special guest is all-girl K-pop group Kara. Researchers in the field survey 125 teenage girls to find out how they interpret Kara's lyrics about love, and back in the studio the five members explain what the words are really about. They will also perform two songs live.
In 1982, actor Takanobu Hozumi published a book, "Tsumiki Kuzushi" ("Knocking Over a Pile of Blocks"), that described his daughter's descent into juvenile delinquency. She eventually straightened out, but the book became a best-seller and was made into a TV drama, publicizing the family's ordeal.