New cast members have been announced on NHK Drama's official Twitter account (@nhk_dramas) for the first half of 2026 NHK Asadora drama "Kaze,Kaoru, " starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka in dual leading roles. It has been revealed that Kie Negishi will be appearing in the drama. She will play Sada Okuda, the mother of Kameji Okuda (Takahiro Miura), the fiancé of one of the main characters, Rin Ichinose (Mikami).
Okuda Sada takes pride in having built the Okudaya business together with Kamekichi. Tired of being treated as a nouveau riche by those around him, he proposes marriage to the Ichinose family in order to acquire a prestigious family name.
Ms. Negishi commented, "My mother is currently 95 years old and still alive and well. She is full of energy, not only taking care of herself but also cooking lunch for her grandchildren who live in a two-family house on weekends. At the care center she visits once a week, several TVs are apparently all showing the Asadora at the same time. When I told her, 'I'll be appearing in the Asadora,' she said, 'I'm already looking forward to it. There's no greater way to show filial piety.' I am grateful and happy to be able to appear in it as well."
"Kaze,Kaoru" is the 114th installment of the NHK morning drama series. Set in the Meiji era, it is a buddy drama about two trained nurses, Chika Ozeki and Masa Suzuki. The two graduates of the same nursing school struggle with how to interact with patients and doctors, clash with each other, grow as individuals, and eventually become the "ultimate buddy" team. Uesaka plays the other main character, Naomi Oya.
