It's a big week for physicians on television. First there's the two-hour special "Uman Dokuta, Mitchaku" ("Close Coverage of Women Doctors"; TV Tokyo, Mon., 7:54 p.m.), which reports on the activities of various female doctors working throughout the country. Japan has 300,000 doctors, 20 percent of which are women.
One of the doctors profiled includes a "beautiful" general practitioner who works alone on a remote Okinawan island. Then there's the surgeon who works the night shift, though she's also raising a 5-year-old son; and a neurologist who is considered one of the top specialists in the world. The host is actor Kotaro Koizumi, and the studio guests include female medical students and an obstetrician who is also a well-known TV personality.
Advances in medical technology is the topic of the occupation-related variety special "Ano Shokugyo no Himitsu Butchakemasu" ("Revealing Secrets of This Profession"; TBS, March 8, 7 p.m.), hosted by the comedy trio Neptune. The program gathers doctors from many fields, including internal medicine, orthopedics and ophthalmology, to discuss the latest secrets of the medical profession.