On December 3rd, it was announced that Ai Mikami, who is currently in the spotlight for her role as Empress Dowager Akiko in the NHK Taiga drama "To You, Shining," will appear in the Fuji TV "Monday 9" drama "119 Emergency Call" (Mondays at 9pm, 30 minutes extended for the first episode), which will begin on January 13th, 2025. This will be her first Monday 9 appearance, and she will play a fire dispatcher.
The drama is set in the fire department's communications command center, and is an original story that depicts the "real" lives of dispatchers. Nana Kiyohara will star as Kasuhara Yuki, a dispatcher who goes her own way within the organization. Seto Koji has also been announced to play the role of Kaneshita Mutsuo, a former firefighter and dispatcher.
Mikami will play Niijima Sara, a dispatcher in the Yokohama City Fire Department's Command Division 3, and a colleague of Yuki and Mutsuo. She has high abilities as a command and control officer, and always maintains a calm and collected attitude over the phone. However, she is not very sociable when off work, and does not try to get involved with others more than necessary outside of work. Although she is younger than Yuki, she plays the role of a senior in terms of career.
Mikami said about this work, "I hope that I can convey to those who have been involved in this profession in the past and those who may be involved in it in the future how difficult this profession is, which is not well known, and the role that is played." She appealed, "I think this drama depicts various human relationships in the work that is involved in your lives, so please look forward to it in front of the TV at 9pm on Monday!" Regarding Sara, she said, "I thought she was a very serious and hardworking woman. She is serious about her work, but she is also clumsy. She is a character who is not very good at human relationships, so I hope to enjoy playing her and see how that changes." The appearances of Ichinose Hayate and Maehara Ko were also announced. Ichinose, who will be appearing in a Monday 9pm drama for the first time in about three and a half years since "Night Doctor" (2021), will play Yogo Shinnosuke, a command and control officer with a medical technician license. Maehara, who will be appearing as a regular in a Monday 9pm drama for the first time, will play Minowa Kensuke, a command and control officer who is good at talking.