TV back-fence gossip
In the 1960's, Japan was in the midst of an era of rapid economic growth. The spread of home electrical appliances was saving housewives some of the toil of housework, giving them more time to watch TV. The time was ripe for a new type of program: Hello Homemakers, a live magazine show (called "wide show" in Japanese), was launched in 1966. Every morning 20 housewives assembled in a studio to share opinions and experiences about such issues as conflict with mothers-in-law, the communication gap between children and parents, how to tie kimono sashes and how to manage family finances. This chatty style earned the show the nickname, "TV Back-Fence Gossip." Host Suzuki Kenji's skilled moderation brought out the participants' true feelings, and pioneered the idea of audience participation.

War not over for many
In the 70's and 80's, the name was changed to All Together and then Morning Plaza. In 1981, 36 years after the war ended, a movement began to repatriate Japanese war orphans left behind in China amid the chaos towards the end of the Second World War. Morning Plaza broadcast an appeal for clues to the orphans' relatives, and the show became a parade of tearful reunions. The program took up the subject of the war through an eye-witness series. Broadcast every summer, these programs revealed that, for many people, the scars of war had still not fully healed.

Shows you can rely on
In 1984, Morning Journal went on the air, bringing with it a more vivid portrayal of social issues. Shows on bullying, corporal punishment, spouses being posted to jobs far away from their families, and unethical business practices took viewers beyond the living room to explore the nation's social problems. This new approach struck a chord with many people.
From 1995 to the present the banner has been carried by Have A Good Day!, which has addressed the question of how to live a healthy and genuinely fulfilling life. Broadcast from a warmly welcoming studio, and chock full of practical hints, the show has become a dependable source of information.

Era of high economic growth
From 1976, Educational TV carried an economics show targeting businesspeople called White-collar Life. Then, in 1988, NHK Economics Magazine began on General TV. For the first time on a business show, the Program Production Department and News Department formed a project team in order to cover fresh, exclusive stories without being bound to a preset schedule. This enabled the show to report flexibly on emerging developments in Japan and internationally.
After the bursting of the bubble economy, viewers needed information about business and the economy more than ever. Following in the footsteps of NHK Economics Magazine, NHK created programs like Sunday Business Scope, Understanding Economics and 21st Century Business Forum. Satellite broadcasting has also played an important role in business shows, from Japan Business Today and NHK Business Line to today's BS23 Economics Frontline.
Project X: Challengers, which began in 2000, puts the spotlight on the unheralded people behind Japan's rapid post-war economic growth. This program has been extremely popular right from the start.

Changes in rural life
From the first broadcast in 1958 to the last in 1985, Farming Today and its forerunner racked up 8,300 episodes. When the program was launched in the 50's, it chronicled farmers' struggle to extract larger harvests from the land. In the 60's, rapid economic growth drew many workers from farms into the cities. The 70's saw the start of a new policy of mandatory reductions in rice cultivation. For 27 years, Farming Today chronicled the transformation wrought on agriculture and farming communities by the industrialization of Japan.
Farming Today and Fishing Today linked up urban consumers with rural producers to foster a deeper understanding. As issues like food safety, direct producer-consumer relations, and the improvement of Japan's food self-sufficiency became more prominent, these programs aimed to provide useful information to consumers. This approach has been carried on by their successors Early Rise Japan and now The New Century of Food, which addresses food production in the 21st century.