"Drama 1 Week" brings together the major drama news of the week. This time (November 29th to December 5th), the topics of discussion include Nanako Matsushima starring in the drama series "Okome no Onna - National Tax Agency Document Investigation Division, Miscellaneous Affairs Room -" and Kento Nakajima playing the role of Okada Izo, a Tosa samurai known as "Izo the Assassin," in the Shinsengumi -action drama "Chirururan Shinsengumi Requiem," starring Yuki Yamada .
On December 3rd, Kotake Seijikan made a guest appearance in the ninth episode of the drama series "ESCAPE: It Was Supposed to be Kidnapping" (NTV, Wednesdays at 10 PM), which aired the same day. Kotake, a practicing lawyer affiliated with the Tokyo Bar Association, played the role of a lawyer. This was his first attempt at full-scale acting. Kotake specializes in comedy and stand-up routines that involve law, courtrooms, and the legal profession. He is a talented solo comedian who made it to the semifinals of the 2024 ABC Comedy Grand Prix, the 2025 R-1 Grand Prix, and the 2025 Watanabe Comedy Grand Prix. Since March 2022, he has also been active on his YouTube channel, "Kotake Seijikan's Guilty Channel," which has gained over 300,000 subscribers. His solo live performance, "Debate," held in December 2024, was subsequently released for free on YouTube, generating significant buzz.
On the 3rd, the Yahoo! Search Awards 2025, which ranks the people, works, and products that saw a sharp increase in search volume in 2025 compared to the previous year, were announced. The NHK morning drama " Anpan ," starring Mio Imada, took first place in the drama category. Imada also placed second in the actor category, while her co-star Keiko Toda also took first place in the voice actor category, and Mrs. Green Apple's Motoki Omori also placed fourth in the special category, further confirming her popularity. Rounding out the list were the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " starring Ryusei Yokohama Yokohama, " Who saw the peacock dance in the jungle? " (TBS) starring Suzu Hirose Tori Matsuzaka, the Sunday Theatre drama "Mikami Sensei" (TBS) starring Kyoko Yoshine, and "A Calm Sea and Beautiful Days with You" (Fuji TV) starring Kyoko Yoshine and Kyouya Honda.
On the 3rd, it was revealed that Nanako Matsushima will be starring in the TV Asahi drama series "Okome no Onna - National Tax Agency Document Investigation Division, Miscellaneous Country Office," which will begin airing on January 8, 2026. This will be Matsushima's first lead role in a TV Asahi drama series, and she will play the protagonist, Yoneda Masako, an eccentric and skilled investigator at the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau. A new image of Matsushima with short hair and glasses has also been released. The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau Document Investigation Division is known as the "last stronghold of tax investigations," and its name, "Kome," is derived from the character for "rice" ("ryo"). The drama is set in a newly established department within "Kome," the "Complex National Tax Case Processing Department" (commonly known as "Zakkoku"). Matsushima's character, Masako, establishes "Zakkoku" to investigate and resolve tax evasion cases not handled by "Kome," and assembles a unique team of members.
On the 4th, it was announced that Nakajima Kento will play Okada Izo, a samurai of the Tosa clan, also known as "Izo the Assassin," in the drama "Chirururan Shinsengumi ," starring Kento Nakajima Yuki Yamada . Izo is a rare character who becomes both a sworn enemy and an ally of the protagonist, Hijikata Toshizo(Yamada). He becomes a tragic figure who dies brilliantly and fleetingly during the late Edo period. This work is a large-scale project between TBS, U-NEXT, and THE SEVEN, which also produced "Alice in Borderland." It will be broadcast as a terrestrial special on TBS in spring 2026, and the drama series will be exclusively streamed on U-NEXT. Yamada will play the protagonist, Hijikata Toshizo , Suzuki Yamanami Keisuke as Nobuyuki Suzuki Isami, Nakamura Aoi as Okita Soji, Kanata Hosoda, and Ayano Go as Serizawa Kamo.
On the 5th, it was announced that Miku Ubukata, the screenwriter behind Fuji TV's serial dramas "Silent" (2022), "My Favorite Flower" (2023), and "The Beginning of the Sea" (2024), will be releasing her new drama "A Lie is a Lie, a Lie is a Lie" (4 episodes) on FOD on December 24th, before airing on Fuji TV on January 11th, 2026, at 11:15 PM on Sundays. Starring actor Rinko Kikuchi, the drama also stars Ryo Nishikido, Pistol Takehara, and Akihisa Shiono . Set on Christmas night, the story explores why people lie and explores the human relationships surrounding various lies. This will be Ubukata's fifth work for the network and her first mystery.
On the 5th, it was announced that the fifth season of the TV drama series " Emergency Interrogation Room ," starring Yuki Amami (TV Asahi, Thursdays at 9 PM), will conclude with the eighth episode airing on December 11th. The two-part episode depicts a gun explosion during a shooting training session at a police academy. Instructor Takahiro Takigawa is played by Tetsuji Tamayama, and student Kentaro Miyamoto, who fired at his classmates, is played by Kazuya Ohashi of " Naniwa Danshi ." The series will conclude with the theatrical release of " Emergency Interrogation Room THE FINAL" on December 26th, marking the final episode of the series. Tamayama has worked with Amami on numerous projects, including the popular "BOSS" series (Fuji TV). This time, they will "clash" in the interrogation room. Takigawa, who plays a charismatic police academy instructor, gradually reveals his dark side after a gun explosion occurs in one of his students.
On the 5th, the free streaming of the drama series "Great Love: With You Who Forgets Me" (TBS), which aired in October 2018 and starred Erika Toda and Tsuyoshi Muro, began on the video streaming service "TVer." The drama is an original work by screenwriter Shizuka Oishi, known for works such as "Second Virgin" (NHK). It depicts the heartbreaking, pure love story spanning 10 years between Takashi Kitazawa (Toda), a doctor suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's disease, and Shinji Mamiya (Muro), a former novelist who supports Takashi's boyfriend. This is Muro's first attempt at a full-fledged love story. Tamiyo Kusakari plays Takashi's mother, Kaoru, and Masahiro Matsuoka plays Takashi's ex-fiancé, Yuichi Ihara, a doctor. Other cast members include Takeshi Tomizawa, Yosuke Sugino, Tomoka Kurokawa, and Yoko Natsuki from the comedy duo "Sandwichman."
