Japan's sewer system is aging. Across the country, particularly in urban areas, pipelines are degrading, with potentially disastrous consequences. In one case earlier this year, a ruptured sewer pipe triggered a major road collapse near Tokyo that killed a truck driver. The incident revealed some pipelines are decaying faster than expected and prompted a national inspection of large and aging sewer pipes across the country that uncovered similar problems in other places. The race is now on to remedy these issues, but local authorities say labor shortages and budget limitations are hampering their efforts. We asked an expert what Japan needs to do to preserve its sewer system for generations to come. Guests: Urakami Takuya (Professor, Kindai University) Saito Keijiro (NHK reporter)