The 25th "Broadcasting Professionals Grand Prix 2026" awards ceremony was held in Tokyo on May 30th, and documentary director and producer Chihiro Koyanagi was selected as the Grand Prix winner. The "Broadcasting Professionals Association," comprised of people involved in or formerly involved in broadcast program production, presents this award annually to honor programs and creators.
In 2025, Ms. Koyanagi directed the ETV special "War Widows: The Post-War Lives of Wives Over 100 Years Old." Her dedication to meticulously seeking out and interviewing war survivors, amidst the growing difficulty of conveying the story of war, has been recognized, along with her previous work on other programs.
Koyanagi expressed her gratitude for the award, saying, "Lately, I've been feeling pessimistic because my projects haven't been getting approved, but everyone has given me courage, and I will continue to do my best."
In addition, the Grand Prix was awarded to the following: the production team for the joint TOKYO FM and Hiroshima FM special program "80 Years of Crossing Borders - From a Neighboring Town of Hiroshima"; radio personality Satetsu Takeda; former editor-in-chief of TBS's "Hodo Tokushu" program, Geum-soo Cho; the production team for the earthquake disaster project "Letters to the Future"; and the production team for "JOBK 100 Years: Facing Small Voices."
Additionally, the 12th Katsumi Oyama Award, which recognizes outstanding drama creators, was presented to Naoki Murahashi, chief director of NHK, who served as chief director for the serial television drama "Bakebake," and to Ayari Kijima, producer at TV Asahi, who worked on the dramas "Mamono" and "Chotto dake Esper."
