It was announced on June 3rd that actress Juri Kosaka will co-star with Ai Mikami in the NHK Asadora drama series "Kaze,Kaoru " in the first half of 2026. Uesaka, who will be appearing in a Asadora for the first time, expressed her joy by saying, "I still can't believe it."
Uesaka is 19 years old, born on July 14, 2005. In 2001, she became an exclusive model for Seventeen at "Miss Seventeen 2021" and made her acting debut. In 2022, she attracted attention with "Heroine Tanjo! Dramatic Women" (NHK), and in 2025, she played the role of regular student Shinonome Tazune in the Sunday Theatre drama "Mikami Sensei," attracting a lot of attention.
Production manager Takehiro Matsuzono praised her acting skills, saying, "Most recently, in ' Mikami Sensei,' I thought she gave a very good performance while still bringing out her own individuality. In the one-off 'Menstrual Man and His Daughter,' I thought she did a good job playing a complicated woman of a certain age."
The role played by Uesaka is Naomi Ooya, who was abandoned by her mother shortly after birth and raised by a Christian pastor. She has no family to call her own, and is a shrewd character who is willing to lie and cheat a little to achieve her goals.
Uesaka said, "I feel that Ooya Naomi is the complete opposite of me. She is full of humanity and can be cunning, but she also has strength and kindness. I read the script and got to know Ooya Naomi, and I'd like to work closely with Migami to play the Asadora."
The 114th serial TV drama, "Kaze,Kaoru" is set in the Meiji era and is a buddy drama about two trained nurses, Ozeki Chika and Suzuki Masa. The two graduated from the same nursing school, they struggle with how to deal with patients and doctors, and grow while clashing with each other, eventually becoming the "strongest buddy".
