The fourth episode of the TV drama "PJ ~Air Rescue Team~" (TV Asahi, Thursdays 9pm), starring actor Seiyo Uchino, will be broadcast on May 15th.
Usami (Seiyo Uchino) is shocked to learn from his ex-wife Mako (Kyoka Suzuki) that the person he rescued on a snowy mountain 12 years ago was trainee Sawai (Fuju Kamio). However, he doesn't want to let personal feelings get in the way of training, so he asks Mako to keep it a secret from his daughter Yuna (Yoshikawa Ai), who is here to cover the Air Rescue Team. Yuna is excited to accompany the students on their general mountaineering training. She tells Sawai that she is determined to "follow them to the end."
The harsh mountaineering training begins, with only two liters of water allowed to be consumed in the mountains for two days. Carrying 30 kilograms of luggage, the training is life-risking, as rescuers must retrieve victims into a helicopter. Usami appoints Kondo (Maeda Oshiro), who was a member of the mountaineering club in college, as the leader in charge of selecting the search route and setting the pace for the team.
At first, the students seemed relaxed. Gradually, Tokairin (Atsuhiro Inukai) began to fall behind, and finally collapsed. Then, Usami and the other instructors coldly told them, "If you can't move, leave us behind." The seven classmates vowed to graduate together. However, as they were pushed to their limits both physically and mentally, some of them finally dropped out...!?
The screenplay was written by Izumi Takahashi. The story depicts trainees aiming to become PJs, or rescuers, of the Air Rescue Wing of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, an elite unit for rescue operations and the "last stronghold" of lifesaving, as they go through rigorous training under the strict and unconventional chief instructor, Usami. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force has given its full cooperation.
