The Professionals

It's said that 1 in 100 children are born with congenital heart disease. Yamagishi Masaaki has saved the lives of over 4,000 children and invented many new surgical techniques for diseases once impossible to treat. With skills developed by working harder than anyone, he repeatedly makes incisions and stitches less than a millimeter in size, bringing hearts back from the danger of failing. In his youth, he himself lost his younger brother to a heart disease. Now, he rushes between 3 hospitals, standing at the border between life and death. This is the story of a surgeon who has devoted his life to saving lives.

Yamada Yoji is a master of Japanese films, from the "It's Tough Being a Man" series to "The Yellow Handkerchief." Yoshinaga Sayuri is said to be Japan's last true film star, playing only lead roles in film after film. We recorded behind the scenes as this 92-year-old and 78-year-old work on a new production. While confronting his age, Yamada never compromises in directing on the set. His attention is focused on Yoshinaga. "If Yamada was the director, this would be the perfect finale." What thoughts lie behind Yoshinaga's words? These two superstars show us their devotion to film, and ask us to consider the meaning of happiness.

Capsule toys are in a record-breaking boom. Parents and children form lines in store corners dedicated to capsule machines. While over 300 new products are created each month, 54-year-old Honda Tsuneyuki has made mega-hit after mega-hit. He's changed the concept of capsule toys, with his masterpiece series "The Diversity of Life on Earth" even used as school teaching materials. He was once pushed out of project development and took a 20-year detour to find his current path in life. The behind-the-scenes of development is revealed for the first time, and a new challenge begins to create a capsule toy of unprecedented size. What goes into making these 7-centimeter spheres?

From devices that enable people with hearing disabilities to experience music to autonomous wheelchairs, researcher Ochiai Yoichi seeks to use technology to break down barriers and tackle social issues like disabilities and discrimination. What future does this "modern-day magician" envision? Once a boy with no interest in people, he found a new way of life when his child was born with a disability. Now, with AI evolving at a rapid pace, we reveal the true self of this young pioneer as he strives to form a bridge between people and technology.