Shirō Itō

Ryo, a young former banker, gets beaten up over a debt from gambling. A yakuza boss saves him, and Ryo decides to train to become a yakuza under him.

Intrepid tax investigator Ryoko Itakura sets her sights on the mysterious and philandering Hideki Gondo, a suspected millionaire and proprietor of a thriving chain of seedy hourly hotels, who has for years succeeded at hiding the true extent of his assets from the Japanese authorities. Itakura and Gondo soon find themselves engaged in a complicated, satirical battle of wits.

Zatoichi is a blind massage therapist and swordsman who finds out that something troubling is taking place on the outskirts of town. After discovering who the guilty parties are -- an accomplished Chinese martial artist named Wang Kang and his youthful attendant -- Zatoichi finds them and discovers that the pair's mixed up with a dangerous bunch of terrorist samurai who murdered the boy's parents. Now, Zatoichi must step in to save the day.

An upscale Japanese hotel hires Mahiru Inoue, a lawyer adept at dealing with the Yakuza, to help them rid their hotel of the local gangsters so they can get a contract for a meeting of important foreign officials.

Jr. High School Student Wataru and his friends like playing in an abandond building and looking for ghosts. However it seems he is not the only one. Another mysterious student Mitsuru shows Wataru that there is a magical door to another world where one can go and get the Goddess of Fortune to grant one wish! When tragedy strikes Wataru's family he decides to open the door for himself.

A struggling Japanese neighborhood supermarket manager chances upon an old classmate, who has plenty of ideas for revitalizing his business.

New Year's Eve at a posh hotel and all should be shipshape. It is not. There is the traditional party, an official ceremony, entertainment and a special dinner planned and yet there is trouble everywhere. An Animal is on the loose, a politician to protect, a prostitute to handle, a bellhop to focus and a few things more.

Oshin comes from a family of poor rice farmers. Her father and brother must work in the fields and her grandmother and mother, who is expecting another child, barely have enough to eat. In order to make ends meet for her family, 7-year-old Oshin gives up school and decides to become a servant in the household of a wealthy family, where she faces trials and tribulation beyond her worst fears.

A hard-working section chief, fast approaching retirement and beset by stress from all directions, joins a jazz band and reignites his youthful passion for the music, giving him a chance to set things right in his life.

Two Osaka comedians, Makoto (Tomomitsu Yamaguchi) and Kinta (Go Morita), are riding bicycles in Tokyo when they're hit by a dump truck. They regain consciousness in 1945, but not of their own bodies. Somehow, their souls have been transported into the bodies of two tokkotai (special forces, or "kamikaze") pilots. Having grown up in a peaceful, carefree Japan, the two comedians experience severe disorientation at having to suddenly deal with the realities of war. They attempt to escape their squadron, knowing that Japan will eventually lose the war, but are nevertheless moved by the young men they meet, all of whom have very different opinions about their fate and the responsibilities that have been placed upon them.

Kon Ichikawa's war film depicts the 60-hour period from the departure of the battleship Yamato, the pride of the Japanese Navy, until its sinking by the American forces during Operation Ten-Go.

Kanzo Hattori, an apprentice Ninja, leaves his home town of Iga for his final training. He must go to the city of Edo (Tokyo), and the first person he meets shall be his master, whom he must protect with his life, whilst upholding the ninja code. Also while in Edo, Hattori must find out why their rivals, the Koga Ninjas, are flourishing while the Iga Ninjas are dying out. Hattori's master is Kenichi, a 9 year old boy. Kenichi is an introvert and not very popular boy, so he never plays with the other children from school. Kenichi also has a secret crush on a young lady called Midori, yet he's too shy to speak to her. Though as he watches Hattori trying his best, he too begins to try. Meanwhile, people are being found unconscious, their bodies completely unmarked. All the victims have a tattoo (the Koga Ninja crest) and are found with a throwing knife lying close by.

When easy-going Aoyagi meets an old friend for a fishing trip, he ends up drugged, framed for the Prime Minister's assassination, and on the run from corrupt cops. It's only the beginning of what quickly becomes the worst, weirdest day of his life. But he'll get by with a little help from his friends, who include a famous pop diva, a rockabilly deliveryman, a crippled old gangster, and the world's most cheerful serial killer.

The story of a Japanese man who as a 16-year-old went to Maui to work in the sugar cane fields in order to support his family back in Japan. Now 89 and still living in Hawaii he is visited by his granddaughter who brings him a letter from his disinherited and recently dead son. This brings back memories of his life with his wife and family following the attack on Pearl Harbor, in particular of his son who had gone off to join the war for the Americans.

Commemorating the 70th anniversary of TV broadcasting in Japan, and the 60th anniversary of the Taiga drama, this special depicts the struggles of creating the first Taiga drama.

Hideyuki Mitamura, a student at a private school near Osaka, is kidnapped on his way home from school.

Kuroiwa, a high school teacher who carries a “Big Magnum 44” gun is sent to a school that is full of violence. Can Kuroiwa reform the students with the gun?

The fourth and final "Comic Storyteller" feature.

The story of Japan's victory in the battle of Tsushima Strait.

Kimihiko Onizuka is a salaryman infatuated with maiko (apprentice geisha) and whose greatest goal in life is to play a party game called "yakyuken" with one.

The Maccherone organization is out to get a priceless national treasure. But when they see third-generation cat-burglar Lupin as an obstacle, countless assassins are sent to kill him on sight and kidnap his girl Fujiko! Can Lupin get the loot before the Maccherone gang, rescue Fujiko, and stay alive at the same time?

Nobuko Sawaguchi is a surly, unattractive housekeeper in her mid-thirties. However, in actuality, she is a beautiful woman, but she hides this fact using her makeup because of a traumatic past experience. One day Nobuko is sent to housekeep for the Uehara family, known for its tremendous wealth. In the Uehara family, there is a massive quarrel over each member’s future succession and inheritance. In the middle of this hectic situation, Nobuko is asked by the daughter called Akemi to protect her.

Tamura Masakazu plays Shohei Yamauchi, a freelance reporter obsessed with finding out the truth about a traffic accident in which his beloved daughter died. Judging by the photo of the accident, which appeared in the news described by photojournalists as "one coincidence in a hundred thousand", and the survivor's testimony that "I saw a red fireball" immediately before the accident, the circumstances of the accident are questionable. The film is based on a late masterpiece by Seicho Matsumoto.

Daimon Michiko is a 37-year-old freelance surgeon who is part of a questionable “doctor placement service” that has her wander from hospital to hospital. The harsh environment at the hospitals led many doctors to retire from their positions, forcing hospitals to make use of said program to fill the empty spots at least temporary. However, Michiko doesn’t look like a doctor at all with her flashy clothes and eccentric attitude. In the first episode she raises objections to a certain operation which is planned to be done by the head of a hospital who hasn’t performed an operation for a very long time. This causes Michiko to incur odium at the hospital, however, everyone becomes frozen when Michiko points out the outdated skills of the director. She also holds a scrupulous compliance when it comes to her working hours, never does any unnecessary chores that don’t require a medical license, and couldn’t care less about the power struggles within the hospitals. Nobody knows how she acquired such a top-level skill that allows her to claim exorbitant sums as reward, but her private life is an even greater mystery to everyone around her. Tanaka plays a rookie surgeon, Uchida an anesthetist, Kishibe the head of the placement service, and Ito the head of the surgical department of this institution.

Saka no Ue no Kumo is an NHK 21st Century special drama which was aired over three years starting from November 29, 2009. The series runs 13 episodes at 90 minutes each. The first series, with 5 episodes, was broadcast in 2009, while series two and three, each with 4 episodes, were broadcast in late 2010 and 2011. While most episodes were shot in Japan, one of the episodes in series two was shot in Latvia. The TV series is based on the novel Saka no ue no kumo by Ryōtarō Shiba and adopted by Hisashi Nozawa. The theme song of the drama series is titled "Stand Alone". It was composed by Joe Hisaishi, written by Kundo Koyama and performed by British soprano singer Sarah Brightman.

Satoshi Itomura is an assistant police investigator who belongs to the Metropolitan Police Department’s Scientific Investigation Team. Reenactments, fingerprint and voice data collections, profiling... His team collects scientific evidence and pieces together fragments of information in order to help build evidences. However, Itomura often does not care about the scientific approach and instead pays a great deal of attention to the things that the victims always carried with them or treasured. And he focuses on these things because they usually carry the victim’s dying wishes, understanding that last message not only helps solve the cases but also brings closure to the depressed family of victims.

Oshin is a Japanese serialized morning television drama, which aired on broadcaster NHK from April 4, 1983 to March 31, 1984. The series follows the life of Shin Tanokura during the Meiji period up to the early 1980s. Shin was called "Oshin", which is an archaic Japanese cognomen.

A lawyer with a big personality works with an straightlaced recent law graduate on various law cases in Japan.

Oomae Haruko is an A+ Temp worker who never cracks a smile or minces words, and leaves work on the dot. But her cynical nature indicates she has something painful to hide. Satonaka Kensuke has just been promoted to head S&F's new Marketing Division. Saddled with a rag-tag group of subordinates, he is struggling to lift his division off the ground. When Oomae is placed in Kensuke's department, she finds herself doing more work than she's ever done before. This is a timely drama that examines the different attitudes toward temp workers and regular employees, and the ways to overcome frictions in interpersonal relationships. This follows an October report on labor conditions by the Labor Ministry, which showed that, after regulations were relaxed, the proportion of regular employees to Temps had doubled compared to that of eight years ago.

Shogo Kai is a lawyer at one of the big 4 law firms in Japan. He is good at his job, but he is arrogant. Shogo Kai only thinks about winning and he thinks the only way to satisfy his clients is to win. He is getting close to becoming a senior partner at the law firm. Shogo Kai's boss worries about his focus on winning above all else. As a condition of his promotion at the law firm, his boss asks him to hire a young lawyer as an associate. Shogo Kai interviews prospective young lawyers and meets Daiki Suzuki. Daiki Suzuki has high intelligence and his memory ability is amazing.

The #9 investigation team has been disbanded and members of the #9 investigation team have been scattered around. One year later, the Chief of the National Police Agency, Sojiro Kandagawa, orders the creation of a special investigation team to cover from the initial investigation until it is sent to the prosecutor's office. Sojiro Kandagawa appoints Sakutaro Munakata as the leader of the special investigation team. Former #9 investigation team members join the special investigation team.

Villain or hero, Taira no Kiyomori changed Japanese history forever 900 years ago. Without ever knowing his real father, Kiyomori was raised as a samurai. Together with his stepfather, he wiped out piracy along Japan's western coast, becoming a full-fledged warrior samurai. In an age when samurai were looked down on as members of the lower class, Kiyomori was skillful at winning the hearts and minds of the people. By rounding up surrendered pirates and achieving other successes, Kiyomori eventually became the de facto ruler of Japan.

Romanized : Seizaemon Zanji Tsuroku

Rakugo has the image of a humorous story, but it is also a treasure trove of “scary stories”. Among them, this work boldly arranges a performance in which "human fear" stands out, and does it in an omnibus format. There are four rakugo plays that will be drawn as a drama this time: "Kokoro", "Tatsumi's Tsuji Zou", "Konya Takao", and "Miyatogawa (upper / lower)".

Haraguchi Motoko works as a temp at a bank. To pay off debt that she inherited from her parents, she also works as a hostess at a club in Ginza.

Iki Tadashi is a military leader named who was captured by the Soviets during World War II. Treated as a war criminal, he was sentenced to many years of labor in a harsh Siberian detention camp. After 11 years of imprisonment, he is released. He returns to Japan and begins readjusting to life as a civilian, rejecting an offer from his former colleague to work on a defense project. Tadashi has decided to never involve himself in war again, much to the joy of his family. Instead, he attempts to set off on a new path working at a major trading company. --Tokyograph

A random mass stabbing, major food company Titus Foods, and a mysterious infant disease. These three things have as much in common as Detective Soma, hack writer Yarimizu, and the stabbing's lone survivor, Shuji. Yet, these men are now embroiled in a risky quest for the truth. What they find, though, is more heinous than they imagined, making them question just who is the real criminal?

This is the story of a young mother, Kitayama Nazuna, and her son Taiyo from Ohma, a small town at the tip of a peninsula in Aomori. Taiyo's father, Murai Kento had aspirations to be a professional boxer but due to a detached retina he was forced to abandon his dream. Leaving Nazuna behind, he left for America, with another woman, to get treatment for his eye-problem, unaware that Nazuna was pregnant. As his life is boxing he quickly returns to the ring after the operation turns out to be successful and once again he dreams of becoming a professional boxer. However, success eludes him and he returns home to Japan. Nazuna meanwhile has given birth to her son and moved to Tokyo to search for Kento. By chance she finds Kento. When discovers he has become a father, he tries to make up for lost time. The show picks up their story as Nazuna, Taiyo and Kento begin family life together. Of course things are not as simple as they appear.

The 48th NHK Asadora Renzoku Drama is Hirari. Story's settings includes Tokyo. Hirari is a young and energetic girl. She loves the sports, sumo, very much and would like to find a career. However, there isn't any suitable career for a female in this area. Nevertheless, she still works hard towards her dream, and at last, she gets a chance to become a sumo stable's nutrition consultant.in this field. However, there isn't any suitable career for a female in this area. Nevertheless, she still works hard towards her dream, and at last, she gets a chance to become a sumo stable's nutrition consultant.

A 3-part series of biographical dramas to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the establishment of NHK.

This story about a detective who has a huge appetite is adapted from a manga by Daisuke Terasawa.

The story chronicles the life of Nagao Kagetora.

Before World War II, the automobile industry in developed countries in Europe and the United States possessed formidable technological capabilities. A youth who saw this industrial might with his own eyes, returns to Japan fired up with the dream to develop the national automobile industry with his own hands. This young man’s name is Aichi Saichiro and this is the story of Aichi (Toyota) Motor Corporation.

Eijiro Saito is a graduate of the prestigious Eidai Medical School and is sent to Eidai Hospital as a trainee doctor. There, under the supervision of Dr. Shiratori at the surgery department, Eijiro trains hard with Dekune and Munekata. But all they seem to do is take care of menial work for low hours and low pay. So low in fact bad that they have to do part-time work at other hospitals just to make ends meet. Eijiro picks Seido Hospital, run by Dr. Hattori, for his part-time job. The surgery is like a battleground. Eijiro is very impressed by his senior Dr. Ushida and the nurse Kaori. But one night, when he is on duty, Eijiro runs from the surgery leaving a badly injured patient behind! It is the story of an intern doctor and the various problems and contradictions of the medical industry. -- TBS