<figure id="attachment_273465" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-273465" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8ddb1492"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/11/c57cd0b25aa29a8b37bf898ba833698e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-273465" class="wp-caption-text">Rumors of the end of the show &#8220;Forensic Woman&#8221; have been persistent. The day when Mariko Sakaki, played by Sawaguchi, will disappear from TV may be approaching.</figcaption></figure>
 One of Japan&#8217;s most popular national dramas has reached a turning point.
 The popular drama series &#8220;Forensic Woman&#8221; (TV Asahi), starring Yasuko Sawaguchi (57), has been popular among men and women of all ages for about a quarter of a century since its start in 1999. It has long been aired in the &#8220;Thursday Mystery Drama&#8221; 8:00 p.m. slot, but in October of this year, it was moved to the Tuesday 8:00 p.m. slot. The program was relaunched with renewed cast and content. However, it appears to have had a difficult start.
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 The first two-hour special on October 18 got off to a good start with a household rating of 11.9%, showing that the show was in top form, but in the second episode, the household rating plummeted to 8.9%. Considering that the household rating for the second episode of the previous season was 10.7%, which was not a strong result, there is no doubt that the popularity of the show has begun to wane.
 In October last year, some weekly magazines reported the end of the Thursday mystery drama slot, and with it the theory of the show&#8217;s demise emerged. In reality, however, the program was only moved to a different broadcast slot and the cast was changed. Despite a slight decline in viewer ratings, the show&#8217;s status as TV Asahi&#8217;s signature drama seemed to have remained unshakable. A source at a drama production company revealed the following.
 TV Asahi discontinued its Thursday mystery drama program this summer. Of course, &#8220;Forensic Science&#8221; is also included, and there is talk that it was originally scheduled to end this spring. However, considering Ms. Sawaguchi&#8217;s contribution to the series, it was decided to continue, but this is merely a measure to prolong its life, and it is possible that it may be terminated as early as this season.
 Behind the persistent rumors of the show&#8217;s demise, there are hints of the station&#8217;s desire to drastically cut production costs and rejuvenate its viewer base.
 The current financial situation at each station is quite severe. All stations are drastically cutting back their production budgets due to the impact of the new Corona and other factors. The filming of &#8220;Forensics&#8221; is basically being conducted mainly at Toei&#8217;s Kyoto studio, and the cost of travel, accommodation, studio and set maintenance, etc., are all enormous. In the year before last, Yusuke Okada, chairman of Toei, who had close ties with TV Asahi, passed away, and a scalpel was used to cut costs in areas that had been inviolable until now.
 TV Asahi also hopes to increase the number of viewers in their 20s and early 30s, a demographic for which advertising costs are high. The current &#8220;Forensic Science&#8221; is also going against this policy, with the majority of the viewers being older than 65 years old. If the ratings do not improve in such a situation, the end of the show is inevitable, no matter how meritorious he may have been. In such a situation, if the ratings are not good, the end of the program may be inevitable, no matter how meritorious he may have been.
 When this magazine sent a letter to TV Asahi asking whether it is true that the program is being considered for termination after this season, they replied, &#8220;No, we have not decided on the future organization of the program.
 The magazine sent a letter of inquiry to TV Asahi, asking, &#8220;Is it true that the program is being considered for termination after this season?
 The answer was, &#8220;No, we have not decided on the future organization of the program.
 At the stage greeting for &#8220;Forensic Woman &#8211; The Movie,&#8221; which was released last fall, he said, &#8220;I&#8217;m glad I didn&#8217;t give up and made it this far! I would be very happy if I could cheer you up even a little bit,&#8221; said Sawaguchi tearfully. However, even a national drama cannot resist the passage of time, can it? The day when Mariko Sakaki will no longer be seen may be just around the corner.

 Ippei Hara

 One of Japan's most popular national dramas is facing a turning point. The popular drama series "Forensic Woman" (TV Asahi), starring Yasuko Sawaguchi (57), has been popular among men and women of all ages for almost a quarter of a century since its start in 1999.

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