The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2019
NHK re-filmed ten episodes after its Taiga lead's drug arrest
Sawajiri was arrested in November, replaced in December, and every scene she had shot for the first ten episodes of the 2020 Taiga drama was filmed again.
NHK · 2019-11-16
What happened
Erika Sawajiri was arrested in Tokyo on 16 November 2019 on suspicion of possessing the synthetic drug MDMA, found at her home together with liquid LSD and LSD-impregnated paper.
NHK had cast her as Kicho, the female lead of its 2020 Taiga drama Kirin ga Kuru, and filming was well underway when she was taken into custody. On 22 November, NHK announced that Haruna Kawaguchi, then 24, would take over the role — and that all scenes featuring Sawajiri in the first ten episodes, the portion already shot, would be re-filmed.
Sawajiri admitted the possession charge in court. On 6 February 2020 the Tokyo District Court sentenced her to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years. Kirin ga Kuru was set to begin airing in January 2020, with Kawaguchi starting filming in early December.
Why it happened
- NHK had built its year-long flagship around one actress — the Taiga lead anchors a year of weekly episodes — so an arrest six weeks before broadcast left no continuity that could survive recutting.
- NHK chose the most expensive repair: re-shooting every completed scene in the first ten episodes rather than writing the character out, because the commissioned story depended on Kicho being present.
- The legal path was short and certain: Sawajiri admitted possession and was sentenced within three months, so the production's bet was not saved by a favourable outcome.
The lesson
A flagship built around one performer inherits that performer's risk: when the lead was arrested, NHK's only options were to re-shoot ten episodes or abandon the story it had commissioned.
Aftermath
Sawajiri admitted possessing MDMA and LSD and was sentenced on 6 February 2020 to 18 months' imprisonment, suspended for three years. Kirin ga Kuru was set to begin airing in January 2020, with Kawaguchi starting filming in early December.
Sources
- Sawajiri Erika arrested for alleged possession of synthetic drug MDMA — Arama Japan, 16 Nov 2019
- Sawajiri to be replaced in NHK drama series after arrest — Japan Today, 22 Nov 2019
- Erika Sawajiri handed suspended prison term for possessing ecstasy, LSD — Tokyo Reporter, 6 Feb 2020
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