TOKYO DRAMA AWARD

2025

Born in 1750, Tsutaya Juzaburo, or Tsutaju for short, was put up for adoption at a young age and grew up with a family running a tea house in the red-light district of Edo. Tsutaju first made his name by starting a book-lending service.But his ambition knew no bounds. He teamed up with some of Japan’s best writers and artists and began his own publishing business. His keen eye for young talent led to the discovery of ukiyo-e artists Utamaro and Hokusai. Adorned with plates beautifully illustrated by such creators, book after book would fly off the shelves.Yet his success came with a price, as his satirical publications began drawing ire from the shogunate. Despite the relentless persecution by the government, he maintained a rebellious stance throughout his entire career and continued to entertain the masses by pursuing true beauty through his publications. Left tattered after having half his fortune confiscated by the shogunate, he takes one last gamble with a grand project featuring a previously unknown artist named Sharaku.

The story is set in Tokyo, an international city where the number of foreign residents is rapidly increasing. A green-haired detective specializing in international investigations teams up with a Chinese interpreter to seek out lives that are on the verge of being overlooked by Japanese society.
Understanding “a single word” might lead to understanding “someone’s life.” With this belief in their hearts, the duo confronts cases involving foreigners. They encounter meanings of foreign languages that can't be grasped through literal translation, unfamiliar foods from different cultures, and individual “lives” that cannot simply be categorized as “cases.”
As Tokyo increasingly becomes a multicultural “salad bowl,” the two race through the city, eventually uncovering a dark force that confuses and misleads foreigners.

Extraterrestrial life lurks in a town located at the foot of Mt. Fuji!
Kiyomi Endo is a 41-year-old single mother who works at a business hotel. She performs her front desk duties daily, keeping a professional but distant rapport with colleagues. In her private life, she enjoys chatting over meals with two childhood friends.
One day, Kiyomi almost gets into a traffic accident while riding her bicycle from work. At the last moment, however, she is saved by an “extraterrestrial life form.” Kiyomi can’t resist telling her childhood friends about the secret, and upon doing so, her ordinary life begins to change.

Takashi Mikami, a bureaucrat from the Ministry of Education (MEXT), is assigned to the prestigious Rintoku Academy. On the surface, he is faced with the school's brilliant and elite students. However, the problems they harbor are a microcosm of the very issues plaguing Japanese society itself.
Mikami is haunted by a past tragedy: as a middle school student, he lost his older brother to suicide, an event caused by the discriminatory nature of the school system. He joined the ministry to change the educational framework that killed his brother, only to discover that the organization was rotted to the core. Realizing he was powerless to bring about change as a policymaker, Mikami makes a new vow: "If I can't change the system from the outside, I will destroy it from within."
Now, while guiding the 18-year-olds of the modern Reiwa era, Mikami confronts the foundations of Japanese education head-on.

Minori Kisaragi (Marika Matsumoto) believed her first love would last forever. But after 15 years, she discovers her husband, Yudai (Terunosuke Takezai), has secretly maintained another family. Divorce is not enough—if no one punishes his betrayal, she will. To expose him, Minori approaches Wataru (Kota Nomura), the teenage son of Yudai’s lover, Riko (Maho Nonami). As she manipulates the innocent boy to gather evidence of the affair, Minori uncovers shocking truths about her own birth and a deeper conspiracy. Yet her growing guilt toward Wataru threatens to derail her path of revenge.

A heartwarming story of a couple’s simple, gentle life through the seasons in early Showa-era Japan.
In the late 1930s, Natsumi is introduced to her marriage partner, Lieutenant Takimasa Ebata of the Imperial Navy, by her father. However, on their wedding day, Takimasa is absent due to training, marking a turbulent start to their marriage. Natsumi is a pure-hearted woman, while Takimasa is shy and awkward in building relationships with women. Though their relationship is filled with miscommunication and frustration, they gradually grow closer as they spend more time together. This is a story that lovingly portrays Natsumi and Takimasa’s sweet, yet sometimes frustrating, newlywed life.

Based on the immensely popular manga by Satoru Noda, which has sold over 29 million copies, the story of the live‑action film Golden Kamuy continues with a sequel drama series produced by WOWOW.
Set in early twentieth‑century Hokkaido, this mystery adventure follows the pursuit of hidden Ainu gold, bringing together a cast of compelling characters in a thrilling tale of survival and intrigue.
Russo‑Japanese War veteran Sugimoto (Kento Yamazaki) sets off in search of 24 tattooed convicts who carry pieces of a coded map to the secret gold, together with an Ainu girl Asirpa (Anna Yamada) and an escapee from Abashiri Prison, Shiraishi (Yūma Yamoto). Others also pursue the treasure, including Lieutenant Tsurumi (Hiroshi Tamaki) of the 7th Division, Ogata (Gordon Maeda), and the former “Demon” vice‑commander of the Shinsengumi, Hijikata (Hiroshi Tachi). The turbulent battle for the gold unfolds.

An elderly retired police officer is targeted by a detective investigating a murder. He knew nothing about the incident, but as a former police officer, he had a strong motive for the crime. The detective uncovers evidence supporting his guilt, strengthening her conviction that he is the real culprit. Driven by his pride as a former officer, the man desperately tries to prove his innocence, but he begins to doubt himself. Because he suffers from dementia. Gradually, both the old man and the detective find themselves stepping into the labyrinth of his mind. Is he truly the culprit? This suspenseful human mystery powerfully explores themes that deeply resonate with modern audiences. What is it to live? What is aging?

Abarenbo Shogun, the legendary Japanese drama series first broadcast in 1978 with a total of 832 episodes, returns in the Reiwa era after 17 years.
More than twenty years into the reign of the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, he works tirelessly to aid a people still reeling from the Great Kyoho Famine. Nearing his sixtieth year, he also faces a troubling succession, with his eldest son Ieshige in poor health and unfit to rule. Meanwhile, young women vanish from Edo’s streets, later found dead under mysterious circumstances. Sensing a hidden plot, Yoshimune begins his own investigation.

Kensaku Komuro (Kei Tanaka) is an office worker with a deep love for Osamu Dazai. One day, on his way home from a wedding reception with his wife Miyoko (Emma Miyazawa), he finds himself wandering along a seaside path.
During his stroll, he realizes that he has arrived at the very beach where Dazai once attempted a double suicide.
Overcome with excitement at being in such a significant place tied to his literary idol, Kensaku ventures into a cave nestled along the shore.
But when he emerges from the other side, what awaits him is beyond imagination—standing before him are none other than Osamu Dazai (Kenichi Matsuyama) and his lover Tomiko (Eiko Koike)!
Kensaku has somehow slipped through time.
To make matters even more complicated, he instantly falls in love with Tomiko. However, according to historical fact, the two are destined to attempt suicide together shortly after.
Kensaku is determined to save Tomiko—but should he really change the course of history? Thus begins his frantic and emotional journey.

Yukina, an elite but anxious university student, is struggling to land an internship and questions her future. One day, her professor assigns her an unusual marketing challenge: to help revive a struggling snack bar—a uniquely Japanese, community-based drinking establishment—in Sapporo’s Susukino district.
Thrown into a world she knows nothing about, Yukina meets Mama Yukari and Chi-Mama Mai, who have kept the bar running with warmth and care despite dwindling customers. Yukina begins applying marketing theory to practice, from customer analysis to branding, social media campaigns, and new menu concepts. Along the way, she makes mistakes, faces generational clashes, and learns what truly matters in hospitality and human connection.
As Yukina grows through these experiences, she also rediscovers her own strengths and purpose. Susukino Intern is a heartwarming coming-of-age drama that weaves together local culture, social issues, and the timeless value of face-to-face connection.

Rinko Yoshinaga is a 29-year-old office worker living in Tokyo. With her 30th birthday just around the corner, she suddenly takes paid leave and impulsively sets out for Yokkaichi City in Mie Prefecture. A journey all on her own. Her purpose is to pose “a certain question” to Shohei Sugiuchi, her first love with whom she once shared a connection while living in the same housing complex, and who now works as a train driver for the Asunaro Railway.
As she walks through the streets of Yokkaichi, Rinko confronts her past and gradually begins to reexamine her own inner self. Through chance encounters and interactions with local people amidst the town’s nostalgic scenery, and ultimately through her reunion with Shohei, a quiet yet undeniable change begins to take root within her heart.