Actor Yutaka Mizutani appeared at a live fan meeting for the TV Asahi drama "Aibou Season 24" (Wednesdays at 9pm, starting October 15th) held at the TV Asahi headquarters in Tokyo on October 12th. This was his first public appearance since his eldest daughter, actor Shuri, announced on September 26th that she was expecting her first child.
Mizutani, who is celebrating the birth of his first grandchild, held the first fan meeting for the detective drama "Aibou," which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Mizutani, who plays Ukyo Sugishita of the Metropolitan Police Department's Special Investigation Unit, and Yasufumi Terawaki, who plays Kameyama Kaoru, held a talk show in front of 256 fans, who were selected by lottery from a total of 8,000 applicants, and the event was streamed live.
When the two appeared at the venue, the crowd erupted in cheers of "Kyaaa!". When Mizutani announced the start of the event with "Welcome to the world of Aibō!", the cheers grew even louder. Afterwards, a talk show was held with the series' creator and screenwriter, Koshimizu Yasuhiro. For a fan who revealed that it was his birthday, Mizutani and Terawaki surprised him by singing "Happy Birthday to You", livening up the venue.
When a fan inquired further, "Does Ukyo have a retirement age?", Mizutani replied with humor, "There is definitely a retirement age at the Metropolitan Police Department (laughs)." He continued, "Please let me think a little more about Ukyo's retirement (laughs)," and enjoyed interacting with the fans.
