NHK is filling out its fall and winter schedule across several fronts: a three-part NHK Special on AI starting November 29, the 77th Kohaku Uta Gassen on December 31, and the Drama 10 series Company Employee, whose lead Yoh Yoshida discussed in late October. Taiga dramas Ryomaden and Segodon began streaming on Prime Video on October 1.
NHK's recent announcements spread across drama, documentary, music, and streaming rather than concentrating on one title. The 77th Kohaku Uta Gassen, announced October 9, will be hosted by Mana Ashida, Masato Sakai, Kazunari Ninomiya, and announcer Nahoko Suzuki, with a 2026 theme of "Koe te ikou, uta to tomo ni" and a live broadcast December 31 from 7:20 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. On the documentary side, NHK Special series Hyper-AI Society runs in three parts: the intelligence explosion and work on November 29, creativity on December 6, and humanity on January 24, 2027, all from 9:00 to 9:49 p.m. with streaming on NHK ONE, and Naoki Matayoshi as MC.
Drama coverage centers on Company Employee in the Drama 10 slot. Yoh Yoshida, who plays 50-year-old executive candidate Eriko Miyagi, said the Episode 1 scene where Eriko reframes a subordinate's power harassment as part of the job chilled her most on reading the script. Further out, Kankuro Kudo writes the 2028 morning drama Hon no Mokichi, his first script for the slot since Amachan in 2013, based on poet Mokichi Saito and his wife Teruko, played by Yuumi Kawai. The 2027 taiga drama Gekizoku no Bakushin, starring Tori Matsuzaka, added ANI of Schadaraparr as Mukasa Yuzaemon among six new cast members.
The back catalog moved outward. Ryomaden (2010) and Segodon (2018) began streaming on Prime Video on October 1. Game Genome, the game culture program, brings its 2021 pilot and 2022 Season 1 to NHK On Demand from September 1 at 17:00, 11 episodes in all. The NHK Symphony Orchestra premieres its Pokemon Classical Concert Tour recording on YouTube on October 5 at 19:00, using the August 21 Tokyo performance. NHK ONE marked its first anniversary with an October 1 Domo-kun and Wanwan video, part of a series of six shorts planned for the NHK Corporate Communications X account on the 1st of each month at 11:11.
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NHK's fifth Kindaichi Kosuke drama, Akuma no Temari Uta, stars Hidetaka Yoshioka as the detective, with Rie Miyazawa as an innkeeper whose husband died in a murder case 23 years ago. Part 1 airs November 28 and Part 2 on December 5, each from 9:00 to 10:29 p.m. on NHK BS. The story follows a singer's homecoming to a mountain village and a string of killings.
Yoh Yoshida, star of NHK's Drama 10 slot series "Company Employee," spoke about playing Eriko Miyagi, a 50-year-old executive candidate who covers up a subordinate's power harassment in Episode 1. Yoshida said the scene where Eriko reframes the harassment as part of the job, guiding the victim to a conclusion as if it were her own decision, gave her the most chills when she read the script.
NHK will air a three-part NHK Special series, Hyper-AI Society, asking what AI brings to humanity. Episode 1, on the intelligence explosion and work, airs November 29; Episode 2, on creativity, December 6; Episode 3, on humanity, January 24, 2027. All run from 9:00 to 9:49 p.m., with simultaneous and catch-up streaming on NHK ONE. Comedian and Akutagawa Prize-winning author Naoki Matayoshi is the MC.
NHK announced on Friday, October 9, the hosts of the 77th Kohaku Uta Gassen: Mana Ashida, Masato Sakai, Kazunari Ninomiya, and announcer Nahoko Suzuki. The 2026 theme is "Koe te ikou, uta to tomo ni." Sakai and Ninomiya play sworn brothers in the TBS drama VIVANT, whose sequel airs from July for two consecutive cours. The show airs live December 31, 7:20 p.m. to 11:45 p.m.
Two NHK taiga dramas, "Ryomaden" (2010) and "Segodon" (2018), will stream on Prime Video starting October 1. "Ryomaden" follows Sakamoto Ryoma, played by Masaharu Fukuyama, with a screenplay by Yasushi Fukuda and direction by Keishi Otomo. "Segodon" follows Saigo Takamori, played by Ryohei Suzuki, with an original work by Mariko Hayashi and a screenplay by Miho Nakazono.
ANI of hip-hop group Schadaraparr will appear in the 2027 NHK taiga drama Gekizoku no Bakushin starring Tori Matsuzaka. ANI plays Mukasa Yuzaemon, chief retainer to the Oguri family, a first role with a proper name after only bit parts. Six additional cast members were announced, including Kumi Takiuchi and Jun Saito.
NHK announced on August 28 that its game culture program "Game Genome" will be distributed sequentially on NHK On Demand starting September 1 at 17:00. The service will carry 11 episodes covering the 2021 pilot and Season 1, which aired in 2022. The program treats the emotions and values players gain from play sessions as "game genomes" and analyzes classic titles with guests. The pilot episode, an extended version focused on "Death Stranding," features creator Hideo Kojima, host Tsubasa Honda, artist Gen Hoshino, and former Famitsu editor-in-chief Katsuhiko Hayashi. Season 1 episodes cover "Shadow of the Colossus" and "The Last Guardian," "Persona 5," "Ace Attorney," "Dark Souls," "Resident Evil," "Romancing SaGa 2," "Life is Strange" and "Life is Strange 2," "Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin," "This War of Mine," and "Tokyo Jungle" and "Stray." Honda hosted the pilot and first half of Season 1, while singer and dancer Daichi Miura took over for the second half.
NHK announced the 2028 morning drama 'Hon no Mokichi,' written by Kankuro Kudo, his first script for the slot since 'Amachan' in 2013. The series is based on poet Mokichi Saito and his wife Teruko, played by Yuumi Kawai. Kudo said he wants to take a completely different approach from last time.