<figure id="attachment_456064" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-456064" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3113fbec"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/be36036358d086245553a738bdd78522.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-456064" class="wp-caption-text">Yu Aoi, who has been creating a stir in the industry for starring in a commercial TV drama for the first time in 18 years,&#8230;&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> She gave birth to her first child, a baby girl, in 2010.</span></h2>
<p> Yu Aoi (40) is creating a buzz in the industry that she will star in a commercial terrestrial drama series for the first time in 18 years, since &#8220;Osen&#8221; (NTV), in which she starred in ‛08.</p>
<p> It is said that adjustments are being made for Aoi to star in the July season of the TBS Friday drama slot, which currently airs &#8220;DREAM STAGE&#8221; starring Nakamura Rinya (39).</p>
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<p> Aoi married Ryota Yamasato (48) of the comedy duo &#8220;Nankai Candies&#8221; in June &#8217;19 and gave birth to their first child, a girl, in August &#8217;22. In 2011, she returned to acting as Reiko Yamato, the top star of the theatrical troupe &#8220;USK&#8221; (Umemaru Shoujo Kagekidan), in the NHK television series &#8220;Boogie Woogie.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> When she appeared on &#8220;Asa Ichi,&#8221; Aoi gained the sympathy of women of her generation when she spoke frankly about the difficulties of returning to work after childbirth, saying, &#8220;My back was ruined by childbirth, and I wondered what I would do when I was offered the role. It was reported that Aoi was &#8220;working alone&#8221; in Osaka, where NHK has a studio, with her baby in tow at the time of recording, returning to Tokyo only on weekends. When &#8220;Boogie Woogie&#8221; started, she surprised viewers by showing a brilliant dance performance as an experienced classical ballet dancer in the same physical condition as when she was working.</span></p>
<p> Aoi is known as a talented actress, and her main field of work is in movies.</p>
<p> In addition to &#8220;Hula Girl,&#8221; released in September 2006, for which she won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the Japan Academy Prize, she has also starred in &#8220;Hana to Alice&#8221; (2004), &#8220;All About Lily Chou-Chou&#8221; (2001), and &#8220;One Million Yen and a Bitter Woman&#8221; (2008), her first leading role. However, in terrestrial TV dramas, she is often cast in important supporting roles that affect the storyline.</p>
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<p> In the popular TV drama &#8220;Dr. Koto Clinic&#8221; (Fuji TV), which has also been made into a movie, she played an assistant nurse supporting the surgeon Dr. Koto, and in the NHK historical drama &#8220;Ryomaden&#8221; she played a geisha. In 2008, before the birth of her child, she starred in &#8220;Spy&#8217;s Wife&#8221; on NHK and in a movie, but considering that it was a movie and not a commercial production, it must have been a great challenge for her to star in a drama series on a commercial TV network, which requires high numbers.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" She also has a history of &quot;duds&quot; in starring in commercial dramas. ......"></div>
<h2><span class="strongInContent">Aoi&#8217;s presence in &#8220;Reboot&#8221; after a three-year absence</span></h2>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> In &#8220;Osen,&#8221; Aoi played the role of the young proprietress of a 200-year-old ryotei (traditional Japanese-style restaurant) in her first starring role in a drama series. She was a good-natured, big sister, a gourmand, a heavy drinker, and a natural airhead despite her sexiness, but the average viewer rating was only 7%. At the time, terrestrial TV drama series themselves were still getting good ratings, so I think Aoi herself was disappointed. The reason why Aoi is now playing the leading role in a drama series for the first time in 18 years on TBS may be due to the influence of other actors of the same generation who have become mothers.</span></p>
<p> Recently, Keiko Kitagawa (39), a mother of two children, attracted attention for her performance in NHK&#8217;s morning drama &#8220;Bakebake,&#8221; in which she plays the daughter of a family patriarch who turns into a &#8220;beggar. She also played an illegal drug dealer in the movie &#8220;Night Flower&#8221; released last November, breaking new ground with roles that would have been unthinkable before her marriage.</p>
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<p> Also, Erika Toda (37) has made rapid progress in this season&#8217;s dramas. Not only is she being talked about as one of the star-studded cast members co-starring with Ryohei Suzuki (42) in the Sunday theater &#8220;Reboot&#8221; (TBS), but she also plays fortune teller Ms. Kazuko Hosoki (83 years old) in the Netflix drama &#8220;Jigoku ni Fukeruyo yo&#8221; which will be distributed from April.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Toda announced her marriage to actor Momori Matsuzaka, 37, in December &#8217;20, and reportedly gave birth to their first child in May &#8217;23. She returned to acting after a three-year absence with &#8220;Reboot,&#8221; but you don&#8217;t feel the blank at all. If Aoi is chosen to star in a TBS drama in the July season, it is sure to draw as much attention as Toda&#8217;s success,&#8221; said a source at the TV station.</span></p>
<p> This website sent a letter of inquiry to TBS to confirm the facts about Aoi&#8217;s starring role in the drama, but did not receive an answer by the deadline.</p>
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<p> Ryota Yamasato (48) revealed on TBS radio&#8217;s &#8220;Wednesday JUNK: Yamasato Ryota&#8217;s sterile discussion&#8221; broadcast late at night on January 28 that Aoi taught him how to remember long lines. We can&#8217;t wait to see how Aoi will grow as a mother and an actor of acting talent.</p>


 Saki Hotta

 Actor Yu Aoi has left her mark in numerous movies and dramas, including "Hula Girls," "All About Lily Chou-Chou," and the "Dr. Coto Clinic" series. After giving birth, she has decided to star in a commercial TV drama ......

Yu Aoi to star in her first commercial drama in 18 years behind Keiko Kitagawa and Erika Toda, who are both returning to work after childbirth.

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