"Drama 1 Week" brings you the latest drama news from the past week. This time (December 6th to 12th), the hot topics include Fujisawa Suzuka from "Mrs. GREEN APPLE" making her first appearance in a drama series in the TBS Sunday Theatre "Reboot," and Hayato Sano and Neru Nagahama appearing in "Okome no Onna - National Tax Agency Materials Investigation Division, Miscellaneous Country Room," starring Nanako Matsushima . This article will cover these topics in two parts.
On December 6th, it was announced that the omnibus drama "Non-REM Window 2025 Winter" (NTV), written by Bakarhythm and others, will be broadcast from 10:30 PM on December 21st. This is the eighth installment of the popular omnibus drama series, and two stories will be broadcast: "Gradation" starring Koji Yamamoto, and "Toilet Paper Race" starring Nishino Nanase and Asari Yosuke. This "new-concept sci-fi short story" drama aired its first installment in April 2022, and this is the eighth installment. "Gradation" is written by Bakarhythm and directed by Uchida Hidemi, while "Toilet Paper Race" is written by Hata Masafumi and directed by Tsubakimoto Keijiro.
On the 7th, the cast of the TV Asahi drama series "Okome no Onna - National Tax Agency Document Investigation Division, Miscellaneous Country Room" (Thursdays at 9 PM), starring Nanako Matsushima and set to premiere on January 8, 2026, was announced over seven consecutive days, with the first announcement being that Hayato Sano will be appearing. This will be his first time acting alongside Matsushima in roughly 10 years, since "Suna no Towa - Shiritsugino Tonari" (TBS, 2016), in which they played father and son. Also announced on the 8th was Neru Nagahama . The drama is set in the "Complex National Tax Case Processing Room" (commonly known as "Zakkoku"), a newly established department within the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau, and follows the story of skilled investigator Masako Yoneda (Matsushima) as she works with a group of unique individuals to punish unscrupulous tax evaders.
On the 7th, it was revealed that Kitamura Kazuki will be appearing in the final episode (airing December 14th) of the NHK Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (General TV, Sunday 8 PM and others) as Kazuki Kitamura . Kitamura plays Motoori Norinaga, a Japanese scholar whom Tsutaju (Yokohama) visits. Tsutaju visits Norinaga in Matsusaka, Ise, hoping to promote Norinaga's writings in Edo, but... In fact, he studied the Kojiki, Japan's oldest surviving historical record, and wrote the Kojikiden. He also had a side as a doctor. Kitamura commented, "I was very surprised to receive an offer to appear in this drama. It's been a while since I last appeared in a Taiga drama, but it was an exciting and truly enjoyable role."
On the 8th, it was announced that Yasunori Danta and Noriko Eguchi will appear in the drama series "Reunion ~Silent Truth~" (TV Asahi, Tuesdays at 9:00 PM), starring Ryoma Takeuchi, which will begin airing on January 13, 2026. They will play police officers investigating the truth behind a murder case alongside the protagonist, Junichi Hina (played by Takeuchi). Danta will play Fusanobu Kosugi, Junichi's superior and chief of Mitsuba Police Station in Kanagawa Prefecture. He is a gentle, caring man who cares for his subordinates and is always concerned about Junichi. He also serves as the head of the special investigation headquarters investigating a murder case in which Junichi's classmates are suspects. Eguchi will play Rikako Minami, a detective in the Kanagawa Prefectural Police's First Investigative Division who teams up with Junichi during the investigation. She is a mysterious character, often described as "the oddball in the prefectural police department," but she is an excellent detective. She also calmly and coolly observes Junichi's behavior and words, which he uses to connect with the suspects.
On the 8th, Nakano Taiga and Ikematsu Sosuke attended a preview screening and press conference for the 2026 NHK Taiga drama "Toyotomi Brothers!" (General TV, Sunday 8pm and other times) held at the NHK Broadcasting Center (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo). It was revealed that the first episode will feature action scenes between the protagonist Koichiro (later Toyotomi Hidenaga, played by Nakano) and his older brother Tōkichirō (later Toyotomi Hideyoshi, played by Ikematsu), and they emphasized that "the action is one of the highlights." The first episode will feature scenes of Koichiro and Tōkichirō fighting with wooden sticks, as well as Tōkichirō wielding a sword. "Toyotomi Brothers!" is a success story of hope and dreams, depicting the miracle of the Toyotomi brothers who achieved the great feat of unifying Japan through their strong bond, with Hidenaga, the younger brother of "the great ruler of Japan," Toyotomi Hideyoshi, as the protagonist. It will begin airing on January 4th, 2026. The first episode will be extended by 15 minutes.
The new cast for "Toyotomi Brothers!" was announced on the 9th, revealing the appearance of 10 new cast members, including Takenaka Naoto, Okura Koji, and Miyagawa Ichirota. Takenaka will play Matsunaga Hisahide, a Sengoku period warlord from Yamato Province (present-day Nara Prefecture). Hisahide often earned the resentment of those around him due to his numerous betrayals and quick changes of heart. When Oda Nobunaga travels to Kyoto with Ashikaga Yoshiaki, he quickly becomes a vassal to Oda and becomes involved with Koichiro (Nakano Taiga) and others. Okura will play Sakai Kizaemon, a powerful local lord in Nakamura, Owari Province; Miyagawa will play Asano Nagakatsu, the father of Nene (Hamabe Minami); and Moriguchi Yoko will play Nene's mother, Fuku.
On the 9th, it was revealed that King & Prince's Nagase Ren will be appearing in the TBS Sunday Theatre "Reboot" (Sundays at 9 PM) in the January 2026 season. He will play an executive of an underground organization that becomes involved with the lead actor, played by Ryohei Suzuki. Nagase's character, Wataru Fuyuhashi, is an employee of an NPO that rescues homeless children and an executive of the underground organization led by Wataru Goroku, played by Yukiya Kitamura. He also serves as a liaison with Suzuki Gido and monitors him to ensure he is not disobeying Goroku's orders. Nagase commented, "This is the most violent role I've played so far." It was also announced that Suzuka Fujisawa, from "Mrs. Green Apple," will be appearing in the drama. This will be Fujisawa's first appearance in a drama series, and he will play Naoto Kiriya, Fuyuhashi's partner.
