Shaking hands with a female staff member… Witnessed the launch of the drama “Broadcasting Station Occupation” attended by Sho Sakurai of “Arashi” and others!

The venue is a popular dining bar

A stylish dining bar in Daikanyama (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo). It is a popular place for young people to enjoy authentic ethnic cuisine for around 4,000 yen per person, but one night in late September, the place was even more crowded than usual.

A little after 6:30 in the evening, a car pulled up in front of a group of men and women waiting for the “star of the show” to arrive. Getting out of the car was Sho Sakurai, 43, of “Arashi. Dressed in a navy jacket and blue pants, Sakurai was greeted by the staff as he entered the restaurant.

The launch of the drama “Broadcasting Station Occupation” (Nippon TV), which reached its final episode on September 20, was being held. In addition to Sakurai, actresses Aimi Higa (39), Kimi Takiuchi (35), and Takayuki Haranishi (54) of “Fujiwara” were also in attendance. The restaurant was rented out and partitioned off so that it could not be seen from the outside. Mr. Sakurai was in a good mood from start to finish, chatting and laughing with the staff and co-stars,” said a drama production staff member.

The launch party seemed to be quite lively, and the cheers could be heard outside the restaurant. Perhaps it was the sense of relief and accomplishment at having successfully completed the third installment of the popular series.

Occupy Broadcasting Station” is the third in the “Occupy” series, following “Occupy the Hospital” and “Occupy the New Airport. In “Occupy Broadcasting Station,” a group of armed men with masks concealing their faces take 500 hostages and occupy a broadcasting station. The main character, Detective Musashi Saburo, played by Sakurai, takes a stand against them. The average viewer rating was 4.9% for households and 2.9% for individuals, but the most notable feature of the series was the response on the Internet, with more than 1.36 million people registering as their favorites on TVer by the end of the broadcast. The number of subscribers to the TVer favorite list exceeded 1.36 million at the end of the broadcast, and words related to the program were trending on X each time it aired. At a time when people have long since moved away from television, the Occupy series is being seen as a valuable success story,” said a source close to Nippon TV.

Sakurai, who led the Occupy series to great success, has decided to suspend his “Arashi” activities in May of 2014. What career plans does Sakurai have after he finishes his activities as “Arashi”?

I think my main focus will be on acting and MCing. He will be entrusted with variety shows such as “Sakurai Ariyoshi The Night Party” (TBS), as well as news and sports programs as an anchor. His career as an actor has been going on for more than 25 years, and he continues to receive offers. It is said that a fourth film in the “Occupy” series is already being conceived.

It seems that Sakurai’s solid position in the TV world will not be shaken even if he is no longer called “Arashi.