Inohara Yoshihiko and Higashiyama Noriyuki Navigate Tokuso 9 as They Embody the Supervisory Image Demanded by the Times in New Series

The new season of TV Asahi drama “Tokuso 9,” starring former V6 actor and TV personality Inohara Yoshihiko (47), will begin airing on April 3.

The drama originally started in 2006 as the popular series “Keishichô sôsa ikka kyû gakari” starring Tsunehiko Watase. After Watase’s sudden death in 2017, Inohara took over the lead role as the successor series in 2018, bringing the total number of seasons to 19. The series will continue with Naoki Asawa, played by Inohara, as well as Umejaku Nakamura (68), Michiko Haneda (55), Mitsuru Fukikoshi (59), Hiromasa Taguchi (56), Yuki Yamada (33), Koji Mukai (29) and Mai Fukagawa (32) from “Snow Man,” and the total episode count will surpass the 200 episode mark this season.

“Inohara’s agency’s junior being added as a regular cast member caused a fierce backlash from regulars from the ‘9-kei’ era, particularly from Kanji Tsuda (58). Tsuda clashed with the production team and effectively left the show.

 

Currently, our flagship detective drama series is ‘Aibou,’ but with the lead actor, Yutaka Mizutani (71), facing age-related issues, it’s uncertain how long sequels can be produced. Therefore, ‘Tokuso 9’ seems poised to take over afterward. There might even be a movie adaptation in the future.” (TV Asahi insider)

 

In this season, one of the highlights is Asawa, who has entered his 7th year as the lead investigator, embodying the ideal boss that the times demand. With his strong empathy and care for his teammates above all else, Asawa doesn’t lead the team with charisma or strong initiative, but rather, he respects the overwhelming individuality and values of the investigative team members, watching over their active roles as a ‘new era leader.’