MUMBAI: The week of 4 December 2006 on CNN marks a series of special programming focusing on the diversity and complexity of Japan. The news broadcaster presents a series of talk shows and feature programs in the initiative Japan Now that includes five consecutive episodes of Talk Asia from Monday through Friday, Revealed and Business Traveller over the weekend.

Talk Asia off the week of specials with the likes of Bulgarian sumo wrestler champion (Ozeki) Kotooshu, architect Tadao Ando, 'Mr. Nintendo' Shigeru Miyamoto, and R&B Japanese pop singer Ken Hirai. Revealed then catches up with Japan's most internationally recognized football star Hideotoshi Nakata at the crossroad of his career. Recruited by Italy's series A, the world's toughest football league, after representing Japan in the World Cup in 1998, he was the first to show the world what Japanese players are capable of on the pitch. Shocking Japan with his early retirement, the program follows Nakata on a post-retirement trip around Asia.

Also known as the city of merchants, Business Traveller flies to Osaka, Japan, to feature one of the most expensive cities in the world. Correspondent Richard Quest follows a daily routine of a businessman and attempts to replicate the same day in Osaka on a shoestring budget. The show will also focus on foreign expatriates, asking for their tips on how to survive and thrive at business scenes in Japan.