Yoshiko Sakurai, 60, is known as Japan's bravest and most responsible journalist. Her in-depth investigations have unnerved members of the establishment for decades. After 16 years as the nation's top newscaster, she quit television in 1996 to dedicate herself to writing. Sakurai has published more than 45 books, among them "AIDS Crime: The Tragedy of the Hemophiliacs," which, in 1994, exposed the government's failure to prevent the use of HIV-tainted blood products, which led to the infection of 40 percent of Japan's hemophiliacs.

Don't postpone marriage and having children. Many young people focus on their careers, but when I see how quickly my secretary's son grew up, and how happy and healthy he is, I think that one can have a job and a family, and the sooner the better. I was married once, but unfortunately we couldn't have a child. I wanted to adopt, but my husband didn't.

Japanese television programs contribute to an environment in which people never grow up. Most TV shows are very simple-minded, and it is difficult to find many intelligent programs on any of the channels.