Ai Yoshikawa Spotted with Handsome Co-Star—A Sharp Contrast to Her Otaku Persona

Who was the handsome man walking next to Akari Yoshikawa!?

On a night in the office district, a group of men and women in crisp suits were walking.

All of them wore serious expressions, somewhat melancholic. When the director shouted, “Cut!” their faces instantly lit up, exchanging smiles and showing white teeth. Among them, the young woman in a pure white coat over her suit stood out—Akari Yoshikawa (26).

In mid-December of last year, filming for the January drama Tokyo P.D. Keishicho Public Relations Section 2 (Fuji TV) took place on a sidewalk near Toranomon Station (Minato-ku, Tokyo).

“This drama is an unusual social police drama focusing on what happens after criminals are arrested. It depicts the conflicts and struggles between the PR office, which handles issues like reporting real names and media relations, and detectives at the investigative site. The P.D. in the title stands for Police Department. The lead is Sota Fukushi (32), playing Rintaro Imaizumi, an excellent detective in the Metropolitan Police Kuramaebashi Station Violent Crimes Division.

While it was expected he would be assigned to Investigation Section 1, the next personnel order placed him in the Metropolitan Police Public Relations Division, Section 2, which handles the media that Imaizumi dislikes. The “madonna” of that section is Kokone Kumazaki, played by Yoshikawa. She is competent, straightforward, and viewers will be keen to see what kind of team she forms with the passionate Imaizumi,” said a TV magazine writer.

Back to the opening scene: the people walking through the office district were the members of the PR office. None of them spoke; each kept a slight distance from the others. Yoshikawa was near the center of the group, looking slightly down, her expression somewhat dark. Even so, her beauty stood out from a distance, prompting bystanders to say things like, “Who’s that beautiful woman?” or “Akari Yoshikawa?” There was also a scene where she walked alongside Fukushi, prompting comments like, “Such a beautiful couple!” and “There’s no couple like them.”

Yoshikawa is known as a devoted fan of popular K-pop groups TWICE and ITZY, as well as TWICE’s Japanese unit MISAMO, frequently sharing her fan activities (“oshi-katsu”) and love for anime (“ota-katsu”) on her SNS. Her occasional cosplay and cute photos are praised by fans, with comments like, “Level to aspire to” and “Ai-chan’s fan activities are precious.”

This time, playing the role of a Metropolitan Police sergeant, Yoshikawa commented:

“I thought she is straightforward, brave, capable, and someone everyone admires. There are many scenes where she gives guidance, so I want to learn properly before taking on the role” (from the official program website).

Expectations for Yoshikawa’s character and acting, different from before, are growing.

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