On February 12th, NHK held a press conference titled "2026 Domestic and International Broadcast Program Changes and Key Program Casters" at the Broadcasting Center in Shibuya, Tokyo. It announced that the "Saturday Drama" slot will be revived for the first time in six months from the new fiscal year.
Hiroo Yamana, Director General of the Media Bureau, explained that one of the pillars of this revision is "strengthening our drama lineup." The first Saturday drama of the new fiscal year will be "Goodbye Hospital 2," starring Yukino Kishii and Kenichi Matsuyama, which will be broadcast in two parts.
Currently, the same time slot is broadcasting "Unsolved Cases" (General, Saturdays at 10pm), a signature series of "NHK Special," which began as a regular program in October 2025, with the station's announcer Mayuko Wakuda serving as the anchor and main narrator.
Regarding the revision, Director General Yamana explained, "We have been considering it during discussions, and as a result, we have decided to revive the Saturday drama from 10:00 on Saturdays." He added, "As for what will happen to the currently airing 'Unsolved Cases,' the second half of the revision has not yet been decided, so all I can say is that it is still undecided."
