Overview
Title: 不毛地帯
Romanji: Fumou Chitai
English: The Waste Land
Format: Renzoku
Genre: Business, Drama
Broadcast Network: Fuji TV
Broadcast Period: 2 Seasons. Starts 2009 October 15 to (to be announced)
Timeslot: Thursdays 22:00
Official Website: http://www.fujitv.co.jp/fumouchitai
Main Theme Song: Sakamoto Ryuichi (坂本龍一) | Official Website
Production
Original Writer: "Fumou Chitai" by Yamazaki Toyoko (山崎豊子)
Screenwriter: Hashibe Atsuko (橋部敦子)
Producer: Osabe Sosuke (長部聡介), Shimizu Kazuyuki (清水一幸)
Directors: Sawada Kensaku (澤田鎌作), Hirano Shin (平野眞), Mizuta Narihide (水田成英)
Music: Kanno Yugo (菅野祐悟)
Cast
Karasawa Toshiaki as Iki Tadashi
Wakui Emi as Iki Yoshiko (wife)
Yanagiba Toshiro as Kawamata Isao (good friend and also army officer in the same batch as Iki)
Koyuki as Akitsu Chisato (woman who gives Iki emotional support)
Sasaki Kuranosuke as Akitsu Seiki (son of military official Akitsu Noritake and a former officer who has entered priesthood)
Hashizume Isao as Tanigawa Taisa (military official)
Nakamura Atsuo as Akitsu Noritake (military official)
Amami Yuki as Beniko
Takenouchi Yutaka as Hyodo Shinichiro
Ito Shiro as Hisamatsu Seizo
Danta Yasunori as Kaizuka Michio
Furuta Arata as Ashida Kunio
Abe Sadayo as Tawara Hideo
Matsushige Yutaka as Koide Hiroshi
Kishibe Ittoku as Saito Tatsuya
Harada Yoshio as Daimon Ichizo (president of the company that Iki joins)
Translation and Credits: Jade_Frost at jdrama.wordpress.com
Karasawa Toshiaki playing the lead role
Fumou Chitai's Powerhouse of Talents
Fumou Chitai's Powerhouse of Talents
Introduction
Friday, 2009 May 15, 0600 (JST) -- Broadcaster Fuji TV has announced the production of a live-action drama based on the best-selling novel Fumou Chitai. The series is a major project for the network, as it will run for half a year.
The original novel was written by author Yamasaki Toyoko, also responsible for the books behind the dramas Shiroi Kyoto and Karei Naru Ichizoku. The story depicts a former colonel who survived a Siberian detention camp and resumed his life in Japan working for a trading company. It was previously adapted as a movie in 1976, followed a 7-month long TV series on TBS in 1979.
Fumou Chitai will star actor Karasawa Toshiaki , who also played the lead in Shiroi Kyoto. That series, which also lasted six months long, was produced in honor of Fuji TV's 45th anniversary and achieved ratings of 23.9%. Similarly, Fumou Chitai will help mark the network's 50th year, and Fuji TV is hoping that it even surpasses Shiroi Kyoto.
In addition to Karasawa, the cast features several others who have experience in lead roles: Wakui Emi, Yanagiba Toshiro, Koyuki, Sasaki Kuranosuke, Amami Yuki, and Takenouchi Yutaka. There are also many veteran supporting members, such as Hashizume Isao, Nakamura Atsuo, Kishibe Ittoku, and Harada Yoshio.
Shooting starts in mid-July, with locations including New Zealand. The show will run in Fuji TV's Thursday 10:00pm time slot starting in October.
Source: Fuji TV plans new "Fumou Chitai" drama - Tokyograph
Via: Sports Hochi
Synopsis
During WWII, Iki Tadashi (Karasawa Toshiaki) was a staff officer at the headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army. After the war, he was captured by Soviet troops and forced to do hard labour for 11 years as a prisoner in a concentration camp in Siberia. Returning to Japan upon his release, he rejects the invitation of the Defence Agency to be a part of their organisation and naturally finds himself without employment. Meanwhile, Daimon Ichizo (Harada Yoshio), the president of an Osaka trading company, Kinki Corporation, which started as a wholesale dealer in textiles, hopes to transform the company from an old industrial conglomerate into a full-fledged integrated company. Painfully aware that the company needs men of talent who make judgments from a broad picture and can run the company in an organised way, Daimon decides to target outstanding staff officers who had been with the Imperial Japanese Army headquarters during WWII … After two years of job hunting, Iki, who has no qualifications but military credentials, plunges into the business world.
Translation and Credits: Jade_Frost at jdrama.wordpress.com
Character Descriptions
Karasawa Toshiaki as Iki Tadashi
Born in 1912. An elite soldier who graduated with top honours from the military academy. During WWII, he was involved in planning missions as a staff officer of the Imperial headquarters which has supreme command over the military. To persuade the Kwantung army which insists on a thorough resistance against Soviet troops that won’t accept the cessation of hostilities, he heads to Manchuria with a ceasefire missive in hand but is captured by Soviet troops. After that, he is sentenced to 25 years of forced labour at a military tribunal and is sent to a penal colony in the far north of Siberia which is said to be a place where a person cannot come back alive once he is sent there. He holds up through 11 years of forced labour and returns to Japan in 1956. He joins Kinki Corporation without using his position or connections during his days as a soldier but …
Wakui Emi as Iki Yoshiko
Iki’s wife. The daughter of Sakano, the instructor in charge during the time Iki was at the military academy. She raised their two children on her own while he was detained in Siberia. Even after Iki’s return to Japan, she continues to support the family while working at the Osaka Prefectural Office’s Civil Affairs Division during the period of his severe malnutrition as a result of forced labour to his recovery.
Yanagiba Toshiro as Kawamata Isao
The Defence Agency’s General of the Self Defence Force’s Air Force and rumoured to be the next Air Staff Chief. He has doubts about the role of the Self Defence Forces and dreams of transforming it into an institution that is approved by the public if he becomes the head of the Air Staff Office. Iki and him were in the same batch back in their days at the military academy, and are good friends. During the time Iki was detained in Siberia, he introduced work to Yoshiko and supported Iki’s family in various ways. He invites Iki to join the Defence Agency but …
Koyuki as Akitsu Chisato
The daughter of Lieutenant General Akitsu. She lives in Kyoto and aspires to be a ceramic artist. Listening to the last words of her father, she sends a letter to Iki. She is attracted to Iki who reminds her of her dead father.
Sasaki Kuranosuke as Akitsu Seiki
The son of Lieutenant General Akitsu and Chisato’s older brother. The war in the Philippines ends but feeling responsible for causing the deaths of many of his subordinates, he becomes a Buddhist priest and undergoes rigorous training.
Nakamura Atsuo as Akitsu Noritake
Commanding officer of the railroads on the continent. Lieutenant General. He meets Iki again at Khabarovsk while detained in Siberia. He is forced to appear as a witness for the Soviets in the Tokyo Tribunal of War Criminals. He initially accepts it and sets foot in Japan for the tribunal but …
Hashizume Isao as Tanigawa Taisa
Staff officer of the Manchuria Kwantung army. He was sent to Siberia together with Iki. After his return to Japan, he manages the foundation, Sakufukai, for those who have returned from Siberia and their surviving family members while living a life far from affluence.
Amami Yuki as Hamanaka Beniko
The daughter of the proprietress of the club, Le Bois. She accompanies her piano playing with singing at her mother’s establishment. She has forged close ties with business people and is well-informed. She has been on familiar terms with Hyodo for a long time.
Takenouchi Yutaka as Hyodo Shinichiro
He works at the Steel Division of Kinki Corporation’s Tokyo branch. He was from the military academy’s 58th batch and is Iki’s junior. A remarkable man who looks at Kinki Corporation’s future from a global perspective and constantly approaches work energetically. He comes to understand Iki, who is perplexed by the corporate world, well.
Ito Shiro as Hisamatsu Seizo
Chief of the Economic Planning Agency. He is also a member of the National Defence Council which makes decisions on the Defence Agency’s next generation of fighter planes. He privately discussed early peace overtures with Iki during the war and they are old friends. His connections with political circles and bureaucrats are wide, and he also has influence over the Prime Minister’s faction within the party.
Danta Yasunori as Kaizuka Michio
Deputy Vice-Minister of the Defence Agency. He used to be a former officer of the Interior Ministry and came from the police. He has been a defence career bureaucrat since the National Police Reserve. Aligning himself with Samejima Tatsuzo, he works on the Prime Minister’s faction in order to get Grant Corporation’s Super Dragon adopted as the Defence Agency’s next generation of fighter planes.
Endo Kenichi as Samejima Tatsuzo
Head of Tokyo Corporation’s Aircraft Systems Division. Called the man who built up the aerial capabilities of Tokyo Corporation. He recommends Grant Corporation’s Super Dragon as the Defence Agency’s next generation of fighter planes. He has the nickname “King of the Air” and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, risking his life in name and in deed, to promote aircrafts.
Furuta Arata as Ashida Kunio
Kawamata’s subordinate. He was colleagues with Koide at the Defence Agency and is now the team leader of planning at the Defence and Operations Division’s Defence Planning Section. He has links with Kinki Corporation and provides the company with information from the Defence Agency at the time of the introduction of the next generation of fighter planes. He has a weakness for money and women, and is a coward.
Abe Sadayo as Tawara Hideo
A reporter from Maichou Shimbun’s political desk. He is currently assigned to the Defence Agency to cover issues relating to the decision on the model of the Defence Agency’s next generation of fighter planes. Aggressive and brimming with the spirit of journalism. Characteristic of newspaper reporters, he possesses information and occasionally pins Iki and the rest down with his incisive approach.
Matsushige Yutaka as Koide Hiroshi
He works at the Aircraft Systems Division of Kinki Corporation’s Tokyo branch. He gets in touch with Ashida in order to receive orders for the Defence Agency’s next generation of fighter planes. He used to be the Section Chief of Research at the Defence Agency’s Defence and Operations Division but when the leak of classified information to Kinki Corporation is exposed, he joins Kinki Corporation. Feeling indebted to the company, he tries to achieve good results. He has an earnest side as well as a cynical side.
Kishibe Ittoku as Satoi Tatsuya
General manager of Kinki Corporation’s Tokyo branch. As the head of the Tokyo branch dealing with steel and aircrafts, he transfers Iki, who is well-connected to the nerve centre of the Defence Agency, to the Aircraft Systems Division at Daimon’s advice in order to win orders for the Defence Agency’s next generation of fighter planes. He pushes for Lukid Corporation’s F104 as the next generation of fighter planes but …
Harada Yoshio as Daimon Ichizo
CEO of Kinki Corporation. A man full of pioneering spirit and with all the attributes of a leader who sees the big picture and comes out with bold policies. To globalise Kinki Corporation which focuses on textiles, he fixes his eyes on Iki’s ability to gather information and analyse situations, and invites him to work for his company.
Tabe Mikako as Iki Naoko
Takahashi Taira as Iki Makoto
ALL Translations and Credits: Jade_Frost at jdrama.wordpress.com.
News
Other Sources: Pinkpineapple at DramaWiki
Yutaka!!!! *sigh* supporting again? Can't really complain, I like Karasawa in Toshiee to Matsu... and have yet to watch Shiroi Kyoto.
