On March 2nd, the cast of the TV Asahi drama series "PJ ~Aviation Rescue Team~" (Thursdays 9pm), starring actor Seiyo Uchino, which begins on April 24th, appeared at the Air Festival at Komaki Air Base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Komaki City, Aichi Prefecture), where filming is taking place.
The drama is an original story that focuses on the Air Self-Defense Force Aviation Rescue Wing, commonly known as PJ (pararescue jumpers), who carry out rescue operations under harsh conditions during accidents and disasters. The story depicts trainees who passed the extremely difficult selection test to become PJ members facing the extremely harsh "hellish" training under the strict and unconventional chief instructor Seiji Usami (Uchino).
A total of 46,000 people attended the air show, including Uchino and the trainee actors from the drama, Fuju Kamio, Anna Ishii, Kentaro Maeda, Aoto Watanabe, Atsuhiro Inukai, and Oshiro Maeda (Kusama Richard Keita was absent).
A talk event was held by the cast on a special stage set up in front of the display of the rescue helicopter "UH-60J" and the rescue search aircraft "U-125A," both of which appear in the drama. Uchino was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the audience, saying, "It's amazing," and greeted with a smile, "I've been able to take advantage of this event called an air festival. I'll be playing the role of a strict instructor!" He revealed some behind-the-scenes stories, saying, "We started filming on a snowy mountain, but it was a real snowstorm... not CG (laughs). I was nervous the first time I was suspended in mid-air during filming. But the helicopters flying in were so reliable, and I thought the rescue team was amazing."
