The humble egg, indispensable in the kitchen, is undergoing a major transformation. Global restaurant chains are shifting to cage-free eggs and the European Union has declared a ban on conventional battery cages for laying hens. The concept of animal welfare is to reduce pain and stress in animals through the creation of a better environment for livestock. It is also an important part of achieving the SDGs set out by the United Nations. Meeting animal welfare requirements, however, imposes additional costs and Japanese farmers are struggling to make it happen while investors put more emphasis on sustainability. We take a look at the frontline of the animal welfare movement in farming.Guests:Shimmura Tsuyoshi (Professor, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology)Kawaguchi Mariko (Specially Appointed Professor, Rikkyo University)

The 90-year-old star of the Star Trek TV series, a childhood cancer survivor, and a Japanese entrepreneur. They are among the 29 civilians who have traveled into space in 2021. Some are calling the year the advent of the new age of space travel. Private companies are behind this sudden boom, with the global space business on course to become a trillion-dollar industry within the next few decades. We take a look at the latest in civilian space travel and talk to an astronaut about what changes the "new space age" will bring to society.Guests:Maezawa Yusaku (Entrepreneur/Founder of ZOZO Inc.)Yamazaki Naoko (Astronaut)

For our first episode of 2022, we interviewed two internationally prominent figures. One is Maria Ressa, the Philippine journalist who received the Nobel Peace Prize last year. She referred us to the famous phrase "Silence is complicity," but what does it mean as democracy stands at a crossroads? The other is Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the prime minister of Iceland — the world's most gender-equal country. We asked her for her thoughts on what needs to be done to realize a true gender-equal society.Guests:Maria Ressa (Journalist)Katrín Jakobsdóttir (Icelandic Prime Minister)