Stir as Takuya Kimura Appears at Tokyo District Court, Top Talent of New Company Radiates Aura of Determination

The overwhelming aura he displayed on location for “Believe,” his latest starring drama.

When the rain that began falling early in the morning turned to snow, a crowd of people gathered in front of the severely cold Tokyo District Court. Soon after, two vans pulled up alongside in front of the district court, and a man in a dark suit alighted.

I was passing by the District Court in my car, and I felt an unusual aura and looked up to see Takuya Kimura (Kimura Taku, 51)!　Our eyes met!　I wanted to keep looking at him, so I stopped my car and became an onlooker for a while.

In front of the District Court, there was a commotion. Kimura quietly opened his umbrella and walked out. Beside him was a tall, handsome man in a white suit. He appeared to be Takumi Saito (42).

He was filming for TV Asahi’s 65th anniversary drama “Believe – Kimi ni kakeru hashi. Kimutaku’s role is that of the head of the civil engineering design department of a major general contractor. The story is that he is asked by the president of the company to take the blame for a fatal accident at a construction site, but when he is released from prison, he is confronted with the company’s refusal to honor his promise to be treated well.

Indeed, Kimura was repeatedly entering the entrance of the district court where the press was waiting for him.

The shooting ended after only about 15 minutes. Without a moment to catch his breath, he left the district court.

The film will start airing on April 25, but we cranked it up on March 20, which is exceptionally late. It’s a tightrope schedule. I heard that he was on location in Mie until the day before this, and after the district court, he moved to Chiba to continue filming” (director of a production company).

A producer at a key station believes that “what is driving Kimura is his determination as the top talent of the new company.

“At first, Kimura was supposed to play the role of a TV man in this film. However, when the TV station’s discovery came under scrutiny due to the sex-abuse scandal involving the late Mr. Janney Kitagawa, the project was scrapped and the script had to be rewritten. It is impossible not to feel a sense of responsibility.

The film is a special anniversary production, and in addition to Saito, the cast includes Ryoma Takeuchi (30), Takaya Kamikawa (58), and Kinya Kitaoji (81), all of whom are heavyweight co-stars. They are not doing the bartering that the old Johnny’s office was known for, and they are giving it their all without complaining.

The fierce expression on their faces at the district court reflected the pride of the top management.

From the April 19, 2024 issue of FRIDAY