It has been announced that the popular anime Sazae-san (Fuji TV), which celebrated its 55th anniversary this October, has been recognized as a Guinness World Record for breaking its own record for the longest-running TV anime program by five years. Voice actress Midori Kato, who has played Fuguta Sazae since the show's first broadcast, has also been recognized as a Guinness World Record holder for the longest playing a character in the same TV anime program (female).
A ceremony to recognize the two Guinness World Records was held on November 15th at the Hasegawa Machiko Museum of Art in Sakurashinmachi, Setagaya Ward, an area closely connected to Sazae-san, and certificates were presented to Sazae-san and Kato by Ishikawa Kaori, representative of Guinness World Records Japan. This is the first time that the anime Sazae-san and Kato have been recognized as Guinness World Records since 2019, the 50th anniversary of the show's broadcast. The record will be published in the Guinness World Records 2025 (Kadokawa ASCII Research Laboratories), to be released on November 21st.
Kato commented, "I received the award once on our 50th anniversary, and now I've received it again five years later on our 55th anniversary. These five years have gone by in a flash, but there are many people involved in each and every anime show, so I will cherish this award as it carries even more weight. We've been able to come this far thanks to everyone on production, but most of all it's thanks to all the viewers who watch it regularly. I hope that even your grandchildren will continue to watch it!"
Fuji TV producer Tsuneya Watanabe said, "The show began broadcasting on October 5, 1969, and as of October 6 this year, it has been broadcast without interruption for 55 years. This is the result of Midori Kato's unchanging efforts, and I also feel the long history of Sazae-san, which was created by everyone, including Eiken's President Yukio Takada. It is truly an honor that Fuji TV producers have been involved in the production and broadcast history of Sazae-san for 55 years. We will continue to do our best to continue the show to its 60th and 65th anniversaries, so we ask for your continued support."
Eiken president Yukio Takada said, "We are very grateful to have been able to work with Midori Kato, who has been full of love for Sazae-san, and many other people for such a long time. We would like to work even harder and with more love as we aim for the 60th anniversary."
To commemorate the 55th anniversary, Fuji TV will be broadcasting various special content related to "Sazae-san" from November 25th to December 1st, titled "Celebrating the 55th Anniversary of Broadcasting: Autumn Sazae-san Week." In a 10-minute slot from 6:50 to 7:00 pm each day from November 25th to 29th, carefully selected episodes from the show's 55-year history will be broadcast every day as "Autumn Masterpiece Selection." This project is the second installment of the "Golden Sazae-san Week Masterpiece Selection" that was held during Golden Week this year.
From 7:00 pm on November 26th, "National Anime Festival: Sazae-san 55th Anniversary Special" will be broadcast. It is said that new aspects of the characters, including the Sazae-san family, will be revealed. Comedy duo Kirin's Akira Kawashima and actor Yuki Uchida will serve as MCs and broadcast hilarious episodes of the characters. On December 1st, a one-hour special will be broadcast to commemorate the 55th anniversary of "Sazae-san."
To commemorate the 55th anniversary of "Sazae-san," Sazae-san will be making announcements on the escalators on the 1st to 3rd basement floors at Sakurashinmachi Station on the Tokyu Denentoshi Line. He will be calling for safety in his hometown of Sakurashinmachi. This will be carried out until September 2025.
"Sazae-san" is based on a manga by Machiko Hasegawa. The TV anime series began airing on October 5, 1969. In 2013, it was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the "longest-running TV anime program." In 2019, it broke its own record by five years and was recognized by the Guinness World Records again. It airs every Sunday at 6:30 pm on Fuji TV.
