An initial case in mid-January set off Japan's first wave of COVID-19. Unlike many of its Asian neighbors, Japan entered its battle with the elusive novel coronavirus relatively unprepared. In interviews with more than 100 policymakers, scientists and other experts on the front lines, NHK sheds light on a key weakness in the nation's response: a lack of action on warnings issued by experts after another infectious disease outbreak a decade ago. In the first installment of NHK Documentary series, "COVID-19 Pandemic," we go behind the scenes to examine the challenges Japan faced during those 132 critical days.