Divorce is the main topic on the "Megami no Antena Special (Antenna of the Goddess Special)" (Asahi, Monday, 7 p.m.). Hosts Shinsuke Shimada and Shin Murakami discuss the rise in the nation's divorce rate, particularly among older couples.
In many cases, the split is initiated by the wife and the program attempts to find out why that is. Do husbands even know their marriage is on the rocks? As an experiment, books about middle-age divorce are left lying around selected homes, and hidden cameras in those homes capture the reactions of husbands who come upon them by accident. Back in the studio, guests talk about how money is often at the root of divorce. Showa University lecturer Mariko Bando, who wrote the best-selling book, "The Dignity of Women," also appears and discusses her own theories about the divorce boom.
Shimada is also the host of the weekly quiz show "Sekai Baribari Baryu (World's Exciting Values)" (TBS, Wednesday, 10 p.m.), which this week looks at women entrepreneurs. "I am doing what I've always loved to do," explains one company president about her work. "As far as the money goes, it just comes in."