so it goes for ebizo ichikawa, kabuki's biggest star. on the makeup, what do you go through? >> ebizo ichikawa (translated): the makeup brings you into the role. it's a time for you to step into that role and become the character. >> wertheim: if you think his makeup looks heavy, get a load of ebizo's costume-- 130 pounds and packed with ice, to keep him cool for hours on stage. and, the guy knows how to make an entrance. ♪ ♪ in this production he plays a faithful lieutenant. ironic, since, in real life, ebizo is the center of attention. yet, for all the extravagant trappings, kabuki came from humble origins. in 1603, right around the time shakespeare first started staging his plays in london, here in kyoto a woman named okuni came down to the river and began performing interpretive dance dramas, which, like shakespeare's plays, found an audience among the common folk. these stylized performances, once banned, grew to become a national art form: kabuki, derived from a japanese word meaning something a little off- kilter. >> ebizo ( trans

this is ichikawa kenichi. his younger brother was abducted 42 years ago.irus pandemic is making it difficult for kenichi to petition on the streets, and he feels a sense of crisis. k kenichi and other abductees' family members regularly send radio messages to their loved ones in north korea. kenichi's message to his brother this year has extra significance. >> reporter: this photo of yokota megumi was take when she entered middle school half a year before she was abducted in 1977. it was later widely released and became an iconic image of the cruelty of the abductions. her father, shigeru, took the photo. he spent 43 years of his life working to resolve the abduction issue before passing away on june 5th. after it became clear that north korea had taken megumi, shigeru created an association for families of the abducted in 1987. at first the japanese public were skeptical of their claims and media interest was neglect legible. even so shigeru and his wife gave over 1,400 speechd all around the country to raise awareness and demand resolution of the abducti

ichikawa hiro is a professor emeritus emeritus says the pandemic has led to a big shift in prioritiesmployees. >> translator: starting now, each workplace should include a space to play and a child care facility as part of the complete package. tokyo needs to think more about diversity and show this to the world. if it does this, people who are watching will come. >> two other japanese cities or the list. osaka ranked 33rd, down four notches. fukuoka came in at 43, down one place. >>> new york state's massive pension fund has set a green goal. it wants its investments to hit net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 as governments around the world do more to protect the environment. the official in charge of the state's finances say the fund will gradually cut investments in many fossil fuel firms to reach its target. the pension fund is the third largest in the u.s. it's worth around $226 billion. about 1% of that is currently invested in fossil fuel companies. the official says the move will help offer a greener future for the around 1 million people who have money in the fund. the