This Wednesday marks the 56th anniversary of the Japanese surrender, but, as usual, only NHK is commemorating it in any significant way.
The theme of this year's series of broadcasts is "For those who don't know war," with "know," in this case, meaning firsthand experience. Tonight at 9, "NHK Special" (NHK-G) will not present its usual documentary, but rather a drama about a Tokyo family that is barely surviving through the last months of the war.
Written by popular novelist Hisashi Inoue, "Aozora no Tango (Blue Sky Tango)" tells the tragicomic tale of the Yamakawas, a family of five living in the shitamachi district. The Yamakawas make their living manufacturing uchiwa fans, but, owing to the war emergency, their business has shut down.