Netflix Unveils Dynamic Japanese Slate of Creative Breakthroughs

Kaata Sakamoto

Vice President, Content - Japan

It's been nearly nine years since we launched Netflix in Japan, and we've brought an array of Japanese stories to the country and the world. We've always been focused on developing the best stories for our Japanese audience and reaching new global fans, which continues today with the announcement of our 2024 lineup.

Last year, Japanese-language content became the third most-viewed non-English content on Netflix, behind only Korean and Spanish. We collaborated with distinguished creators such as Hirokazu Kore-eda (The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House) and Yuji Sakamoto (In Love and Deep Water), and aimed to showcase unique Japanese narratives using world-class production. This synthesis of Japanese storytelling and global resources has allowed us to present stories that are both culturally resonant and globally accessible.

Deeply beloved Japanese IPs such as ONE PIECE, Yu Yu Hakusho, Pokémon Concierge, and PLUTO made waves both locally and worldwide. Japan's rich trove of manga, novels and anime provides an unparalleled source of longing inspiration, and we're thrilled to see that we've become a window through which the world experiences Japanese creativity.

Live-action titles that ignite the screen in 2024

This year, we'll continue to bring you even more never-before-seen stories from Japan across a wide variety of genres. At the "Next on Netflix" event today, we unveiled a stellar lineup of the hottest live-action titles that will be released over the next 11 months.

The series House of Ninjas features Kento Kaku as the lead actor and co-executive producer, under the direction of the up-and-coming Dave Boyle. This original story explores what would happen if ninjas were still a part of Japanese society today.

Based on Ko Shinjo's captivating novel, the Netflix adaptation of Tokyo Swindlers brings to life a high-stakes game of real estate deception. This thrilling crime drama series stars Go Ayano and Etsushi Toyokawa. The story unveils a series of unprecedented crimes committed by a cunning group of land scammers who use real estate sales as bait to steal large sums of money.

The Queen of Villains depicts the untold story of Dump Matsumoto, the charismatic figure behind the boom in women's professional wrestling during the 1980s. In this series, Yuriyan Retriever portrays Dump Matsumoto, while Ayame Goriki and Erika Karata breathe life into the roles of Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo from "Crush Gals."

In Beyond Goodbye, a grief-stricken Saeko meets Naruse, a man who strangely reminds her of Yusuke, her boyfriend who died in a traffic accident on the very day she proposed to him. Little did she know that Naruse received Yusuke's heart. Featuring Kasumi Arimura and Kentaro Sakaguchi, this original series is written by Yoshikazu Okada (The 8-Year Engagement, 10 Years to Live). Filmed in beautiful and spectacular locations, it's a love story that depicts the heartbreaking miracle of two people whose lives are tossed about by fate.

Helmed by Michihito Fujii, one of the most talented directors in Japanese cinema, The Parades tells a poignant story that delves into the emotions of the departed toward the loved ones they left behind. The top-tier cast includes Masami Nagasawa, who plays the lead character Minako, alongside Kentaro Sakaguchi, Ryusei Yokohama, Shinobu Terajima, Tetsushi Tanaka, Lily Franky, and Nana Mori. Yojiro Noda (RADWIMPS), renowned for the music behind one of Japan's most popular anime films, Your Name, composed both the theme song and the entire soundtrack of this film.

City Hunter is a live-action movie adaptation of the legendary manga, which was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1985 to 1991, selling more than 50 million copies in all. Ryohei Suzuki takes on the starring role as the iconic "City Hunter."

Setting new benchmarks in Japanese entertainment

Through collaborating with emerging creators such as Sho Tsukikawa (Yu Yu Hakusho), Kan Eguchi and Tomoki Kanazawa (Sanctuary) and Yusuke Ishida (Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead), we discovered stories that hadn't been told, and which we turned into compelling entertainment for our audience. These significant investments in local production will ensure that the future of Japan entertainment remains vibrant and ground-breaking.

To help creators realize their creative visions, we've been actively improving the local production environment and structure. For example, we introduced "Respect Training" workshops across all production sites to foster a shared understanding of "respect" and create an environment where the cast and crew can have peace of mind in creating their works of art.

As we look forward to celebrating 10 years in Japan next year, we continue with our "local first" approach of bringing fresh, new stories to our Japanese viewers. In doing so, we're thrilled to continue introducing the world to the 'paradise of imagination' that is Japan.