The Professionals - Season 10 / Year 2023

Copy editors go through every single word of text from magazines and books before they're published, not only checking but also making suggestions for improvements. Copy editor Onishi Toshio (60) has the implicit trust of many extraordinary authors and editors. He has worked on many best-selling Japanese novels. This quiet, gentle man loses all sense of time as he dives deep into a sea of words. He's spent a lifetime protecting words from his small apartment. Explore the rich, revelatory world of copy editing at Onishi's side.

Across Japan, there are nearly 300 narcotics agents—drug crime specialists employed by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. Among them is ace narcotics agent X, the director of the 1st Investigation Division. Together with his fellow agents, he's led the way to solving countless enormous cases. With cases of cannabis users increasing each year, drug-related crime has begun eating away at younger generations. The reality is that drugs have found their way into everyday life—but narcotics agents battle back and forth on the frontline to cut them off. This unprecedented coverage lays bare the real job of the narcotics agent.

This pediatric ward has a curiously gentle atmosphere. Here, child life specialist Sasaki Miwa (41) supports the hearts of children in challenging medical environments. With only around 50 such specialists in Japan, Sasaki is a pioneer who has accompanied over 1000 children. She stands between doctor and patient, providing support so that children can take an active role in their treatment. Guided by the children's smiles, she finds ways to restore a bit of everyday life to the restrictive hospital environment.

In Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, there is a fish shop that seems ordinary, but actually draws attention from around the world. Here, 48-year-old owner Maeda Naoki prepares fish for a flood of Michelin-star chefs. He uses his own technique to dehydrate fish to the perfect level of moisture, and can judge the condition of fish organs through his experience and sense of smell. He sleeps 3 hours a day, even then only dozing while sitting upright in order to take calls from fishermen whenever they come. This is the story of a man who refused to give up, even when no one would acknowledge him.

Chasing spring from southern to northern Japan, migratory beekeeper Fujii Takaharu (79) has pursued the same way of life for 60 years. From Chinese milkvetch in Kagoshima Prefecture to apple trees in Aomori Prefecture, he travels with his bees from one kind of blossoming flower to the next. Born as the 3rd generation of a family of beekeepers, despite facing troubles due to environmental change, he's lived a life balanced between family and bees. Only 5% of the honey distributed in Japan is domestic, and Fujii's is even more rare for its fragrant scent of flowers. As spring arrives, Fujii's journey begins again, and he shares with us what he's learned from his bees.

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.