Actor Kanna Hashimoto attended the induction ceremony for TV Asahi held at the company's headquarters in Minato Ward, Tokyo on April 1. Her surprise appearance, which was not announced to new employees beforehand, caused a stir in the venue.
Hashimoto greeted with a smile, "Congratulations on joining the company!" He appeared on stage in a white coat, the costume he wears for the drama "Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective" (TV Asahi, Tuesdays at 9pm), which starts on the 22nd, and said, "I came here as is (laughs)." The mood in the venue instantly became friendly, and announcer Nogami Shinpei, who was the host, commented, "Everyone's faces are relaxed (laughs)."
There was also a talk corner between Hashimoto and the new employees, with Wada Chihiro, who said it was his first time talking to a celebrity, being surprised at Hashimoto's small face from so close. Afterwards, Hashimoto surprised the 29 new employees by hanging their employee ID cards around their necks. Then, one female employee got close to Hashimoto and started whispering. Hashimoto was surprised and said, "Your parents live in the same apartment building?!", causing a stir in the venue.
Finally, Hashimoto gave a message of encouragement, saying, "I was overwhelmed by your sparkling aura and it gave me so much energy. I dream of working with you all!"
The drama is a film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Mikito Chinen, which has sold over 3.6 million copies in total. This is a medical mystery drama in which the buddy team of Takao Ameku (played by Hashimoto), a diagnostician with superhuman intelligence and memory, and Yu Takanashi (played by Shohei Miura), an internist, solve mysterious cases and phenomena.
