The new cast for the NHK Asadora drama "Kaze,Kaoru, " starring Ai Mikami and Juri Kosaka , which will air in the first half of 2026, has been announced on the official NHK Drama website (@nhk_dramas), revealing that Taizo Harada of the comedy trio Neptune will be joining the cast. He will play the proprietress of a Japanese sweets shop. He will also play Shibataya and Matsunaga-ya. He will also play Yoshie Zensaku, a pastor who watches over one of the main characters, Oya Naomi (Uesaka). Harada and Uesaka will be reprising their roles following "Menstruation Man and His Daughter" (NHK, 2023), in which they played father and daughter.
Yoshie Zensaku is a Christian pastor who has been watching over Naomi ever since he took her in four years ago. He respects Naomi's desire to be independent and lives separately from her, but he is always concerned about her.
Harada said, "I never imagined that the role of a pastor would come to me. Yoshie gives the impression of being sincere but a little unreliable and earnest, and I think he is a person who loves unconditionally. I am really looking forward to playing such a Yoshie. I hope that there will be a moment when someone's heart will be lightened through Yoshie's lines. I have previously co-starred with Uesaka, who plays Naomi, as mother and daughter, so I am happy to be working with her again this time. Let's warm up together for a moment in the morning!"
" Kaze,Kaoru" is the 114th serial TV drama. Set in the Meiji era, it is a buddy drama featuring two trained nurses, Ozeki Chika and Suzuki Masa, as its two protagonists. The two graduated from the same nursing school, but struggle with how to interact with patients and doctors, and grow through clashes, eventually becoming the "strongest buddy." Mikami plays the other protagonist, Ichinose Rin.
