Japan pop group Arashi s Jun Matsumoto cast as lead for 2023 NHK drama
Jun Matsumoto, a member of popular Japanese boy band Arashi that went on hiatus from New Year s Day, has been cast for the leading role in NHK s yearlong period drama for 2023, the public broadcaster said. Dosuru Ieyasu (What to do, Ieyasu) about Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, will also mark the first time Matsumoto has starred in NHK s annual Taiga (big river) period drama series that began in 1963.
Jun Matsumoto. (Kyodo) As I try to find a new adventure after temporarily disembarking from the ship called Arashi, there is no bigger challenge than playing the protagonist role in the period drama, the 37-year-old former music idol said in a video released Tuesday by the broadcaster, formally called Japan Broadcasting Corp.