Asian Drama

The theme of "season 7" is diversity. The members of the Special Investigation Unit, including the team leader Kunikida Seiji, Asawa Naoki, Komiyama Shiho, Aoyagi Yasushi, Yazawa Hideaki, Shindo Ryo, and Takao Yuma all have strong personalities. However, their ages, careers, personal circumstances, investigative viewpoints, and approaches to their work are all very different. Therefore, clashes occur on a daily basis, but based on the trust they have built up over the years, they are a team that can honestly admit their differences in opinion and work together.

On the other hand, the crimes they face are also becoming more diverse with the times. In the new season, they will depict not only cases that reflect the "current" world, but also various human dramas lurking in the background and the detectives who face them with all their might, in a complete episode format.

(Source: Japanese = TV Asahi)

Duration: 54 min.

Aired On: Wednesday

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Set in Kumamoto, one year after Iruma Michio was transferred out of “Ichikei”. Whilst Michio is busy vigorously conducting trials at the Kumamoto District Court 2nd Branch, a case of grievous bodily harm arises, revolving around a young man named Suwa Haruto who intervened in a gang fight and is in critical condition. The suspect, Uchida Wataru, pleads guilty to the charges, and on the surface, it appears to be a cut and dry case that will result in a suspended sentence. However, as the investigation proceeds, it becomes clear that Wataru initially denied the charges during his police interrogation. Sensing there is more to the story and doubting the suspects’ guilt, Michio activates his authority and begins his own investigation.

Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Komazawa Yoshio, the head judge of “Ichikei”, is deliberating over a personal injury case between employees of the large company "Hoshizumi Holdings." The employees belonged to factions of the next company president candidates, and the case resembles a war by proxy. The parties involved, Oyabu Shigeyuki and Shimazu Natsuko only care about ending the trial as quickly as possible, which makes Komazawa even more irritated.

From these two completely unrelated cases, an unexpected connection arises. When things finally come to trial, what dreadful heartbreak and deep darkness is hidden at the center of these cases?

(Source: Japan Program Catalog)

Adapted from the manga "Ichikei no Karasu" (イチケイのカラス) by Asami Rito (浅見理都).

Episodes: 1

When a police officer is posted to a remote village in the countryside, little does he realize he's encroaching on a community of a cannibals.

Adapted from the manga "Gannibal" (ガンニバル) by Ninomiya Masaaki (二宮正明).

Kento Ohashi (Tatsuya Fujiwara) is a novice ion engine developer working on a team that is launching the unmanned Hayabusa spacecraft into outerspace. His father Isao (Tomokazu Miura) was the leader of a previously failed space probe named Nozomi. Now, Kento pursues his dreams and his father's while experiencing the unexpected surprises that comes with the Hayabusa's 7 year odyssey. ~~ Based on the true story of the unmanned Hayabusa spacecraft launched by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in 2003.

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Set three years after the conclusion of "The Blood of Wolves."

After, Shogo Ogami’s death in Hiroshima, Detective Shuichi Hioka successfully implemented Shogo Ogami’s plan, which was to control the yakuza to prevent further gang wars and save innocent people from getting harmed. Shuichi Hioka manages the criminal organizations, but, due to one evil person who gets released from prison, the situation drastically changes.

Adapted from a novel of the same name by Yuzuki Yuko.

Iruma Michio is a devil-may-care, unorthodox criminal judge at the Tokyo District Court’s first criminal court. He used to be a lawyer and was deeply involved in a past case that was behind his transformation into a judge. Iruma personally inspects crime scenes to prevent a miscarriage of justice and bring the truth to light. Although his demeanour is far from the image of a stuff judge, he is feared by lawyers as well as prosecutors because he is not bound by obligations, prejudices and preconceptions and has an inquiring mind that probes cases thoroughly. On the other hand, the judge Sakama Chizuru is the complete opposite of Iruma. A graduate of Tokyo University’s Faculty of Law, she is an elite among elites. She has been transferred to the first criminal court to reform it due to the unbelievably small number of cases that are closed. This is the equivalent of a company in the red to the extent of going bankrupt. As someone who takes great pride in maintaining public order by handling cases accurately and promptly, Chizuru cannot understand Iruma’s style which frustrates her to no end. However, when she realises that Iruma believes in treating a case as an individual’s life, she is faced with the question, “What can a judge do aside from issuing a ruling?”

A 65-year-old salaryman Etsuki Tomokazu who is approaching retirement, comes home one day to hear a shocking declaration from his wife Yuko who is near 70, “I’m pregnant!” The couple struggle with whether to have the child given the physical risk of having a baby at such a late stage in life. As first-time parents, they fail and go back and forth for everything in an antenatal class with young couples.

Igarashi Iori is a talented radiographer who believes the “truth” is definitely captured in CT and MRI images. He and radiologist Amakasu An work at a hospital’s radiology department where they determine the causes of patients’ illnesses and injuries.

In Kyoto, Yui Hitotsugi is an extremely competent lawyer at a law firm. A politician, Seizo Tagane, is given immunity after he testifies against rampant corruption. However, their is national outcry when he is not prosecuted. A committee of prosecutors meet and conclude that Seizo Tagane should be prosecuted. Yui Hitotsugi, a lawyer, takes the prosecutor's position on the case. She researches the case with the help of Prosecutor Shinji Tachibana.

Taizo Kitazawa (Baijaku Nakamura) works as a middle school principal. He has three children. His first child, Hirofumi (Yukiyoshi Ozawa), is 38 years old and works as a heart surgeon. His second child, Chiaki (Haru), is 27 years old and works as a lawyer. The youngest child, Shusaku (Ryosuke Yamada), is 25 years old and works as a police officer. He is ambitious and has a strong sense of justice.

In order to keep happiness in the Kitazawa family, the family uses any means they can. Shusaku comes into conflict between love for his family and professional ethics.

Taizo Kitazawa (Baijaku Nakamura) works as a middle school principal. He has three children. His first child, Hirofumi (Yukiyoshi Ozawa), is 38 years old and works as a heart surgeon. His second child, Chiaki (Haru), is 27 years old and works as a lawyer. The youngest child, Shusaku (Ryosuke Yamada), is 25 years old and works as a police officer. He is ambitious and has a strong sense of justice.

In order to keep happiness in the Kitazawa family, the family uses any means they can. Shusaku comes into conflict between love for his family and professional ethics.

Ritsu was abandoned by his mother Reiko when he was little, so now he belongs in the lower social strata. One day, Ritsu gets involved in a case and his head is severely injured, so he can die at anytime. Convinced she abandoned him due to poverty, Ritsu attempts to find his mother and be good to her before his death. But when he learns that she is leading a happy life instead, with her pianist son Satoru, he decides to take revenge on his mother. Ritsu then meets Rinka, a girl whom he happened to help in the past, and discovers she is Satoru’s childhood friend.

During the Sengoku period, the Ii family governs the Totomi region. Due to many past wars, there are no more male successors left to become a lord. Naotora Ii (Kou Shibasaki), the only daughter of the lord, now becomes a lord. She faces a difficult period. The constant love from her fiance, whom she became engaged with at a young age, helps her to keep moving forward.

A 30-year-old single detective (Nagase Tomoya), who is under the illusion that he is popular with females is called 'Unubore' by friends. He is an ultra romantic and susceptible to conceitedness. He has such a strong desire to marry to the extent that he has bought an apartment for his newlywed life. He falls in love with female criminals at first sight each time. While the sheer desire to meet wraps around him, he will get proof that the female is the culprit. And so, he will thrust both the arrest warrant and marriage papers at her, proposing with the words, "If you marry me, I won’t arrest you." If that still does not work, he will hold out an engagement ring and his handcuffs. In the end, the criminal will choose to be arrested and his heart will be broken. He will cry as he puts the handcuffs on her.

During the late Heian era, a youth who did not know his birth parents was raised by the Heike (also known as the Taira), a samurai clan of emerging influence. Taira no Kiyomori (Matsuyama Kenichi) was in truth the illegitimate son of Emperor Shirakawa. With his adoptive father, Tadamori (Nakai Kiichi), he got rid of the pirates in the Seto Insland Sea, and was trained to be a samurai. In a period where the samurai were being discriminated by the aristocrats of the upper echelons of society, Kiyomori, who was adept at winning hearts and minds, controlled the pirates. He worked to reform the aristocracy, persisted with the way of life of the samurai and built up the mighty Taira clan (Nakamura Baijaku, Kamikawa Takaya, Fujimoto Takahiro, Daito Shunsuke). Before long, he rose from a senior courtier of the third rank to become the chief minister and the ruler of Japan.

The 45th NHK Taiga Drama is Komyo ga Tsuji.

Kazutoyo lived during the end of the Sengoku period (1546-1605). He was the first feudal lord of the fief of Tosa on the island of Shikoku. He served Nobunaga Oda, Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Chiyo (1557-1617) was his wife, and was known in history for her dedication and devotion to her husband (like Matsu was to Toshiie in Toshiie to Matsu). She is the daughter of a samurai who served the feudal lord Asai.