Eiko Koike Stretches Thoroughly on a Bridge, Fully Motivated… She Shows Composure and Poise During Filming for Her Highly Anticipated July Drama, in Which She Stars

A Drama She Immediately Agreed to Star In, Saying, “I Definitely Want to Do This!”

On a large bridge spanning the JR tracks, a woman in a suit is carefully stretching—extending her arms and bending her knees… It is actress Eiko Koike (45). Around her, a large crew was preparing for the shoot.

“We’re filming Fuji TV’s new Tuesday drama, ‘Sayonara Noir.’The series features an original script by screenwriter Yumiko Inoue (65), known for the ‘Emergency Interrogation Room’ series (TV Asahi), and the story unfolds at the “Crime Victim Support Office” established within the Nishi-Ikebukuro Police Station, which maintains public safety in Ikebukuro (Toshima Ward), Tokyo.

Koike plays the role of Natsumi Kuroki, a former detective in the Organized Crime Division who is now assigned to the support office.“She teams up with Kana Kita (28), who plays psychologist Eriko Shiraishi, in this police drama that focuses on providing initial support to crime victims and their families while standing by their side,” said a television magazine writer.

On this day in late May, filming was taking place early in the morning. Koike was fully focused, performing a thorough stretching routine—clasping her hands above her head and stretching her body as if reaching for the sky, and bending her upper body widely from side to side.Despite the tension among the staff just before filming began, Koike appeared relaxed and even exuded a sense of poise.

For Koike, this marks her first lead role in a commercial TV drama since Fuji TV’s “Wednesday 10 p.m. slot” drama *Shinjuku Field Hospital*, which aired in July 2024; however, it is her first time starring in this time slot, which has produced series such as *Nurse’s Work* and *Bayside Shakedown*.Incidentally, the April time slot featured “Detectives with Different Surnames,” co-starring Jiro Sato (57) and Ai Hashimoto (30).

“However, in recent years, there haven’t been any dramas in this time slot that generated significant buzz or achieved ratings that could be considered satisfactory. Fuji TV is eager to create a drama that can be turned into a series, so they seem to have very high expectations for Koike, who is said to ‘draw in viewers,’” said the writer mentioned earlier.

The drama *Mushoran Three Stars* (5 episodes total), starring Koike and broadcast on NHK General until June 27, was also generally well-received. As reported by *Gendai Business* (published June 24, ’26), plans for a second season are underway, and a film adaptation is also in the works.

In this series, Natsumi—played by Koike—served as the team leader of the Organized Crime Countermeasures Unit (renamed the Organized Crime Countermeasures Division in October ’25), but following a certain incident, she was transferred to the newly established Crime Victim Support Office.She is portrayed as a down-to-earth character who treats crime victims as individuals, never looking down on them or pretending to understand their feelings. Regarding this role, Koike said,

“I think it’s a very complex and challenging role. All the characters in the story carry their own emotional scars from the past, yet they support the victims despite those wounds. And sometimes, by offering that support, their own wounds are soothed.I’m taking great care to portray this with subtlety. Whenever I find it difficult, I keep reflecting on the director’s words: ‘The work of supporting crime victims is like “stopping the bleeding” for those who are bleeding internally.’〉 (From Fuji TV’s official website)

she analyzed. As for why she accepted the offer,

“Since the production team for this project was the same group I worked with on *Shinjuku Field Hospital*, I was delighted to be able to work with them again. Plus, knowing that Kana-chan would be my partner, I immediately replied, ‘I definitely want to do this!’” (ibid.)

she expressed her delight.

Will this show—featuring a close-knit cast and a buddy pairing—be the turning point that revives the struggling “New Tuesday Drama” time slot? Stay tuned.

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