Netflix boosted its slate of Japanese broadcaster content material this week, unveiling a deal to stream a rolling library of NHK drama titles and a separate pickup of Nippon TV’s long-running selection hit Monday Late Present for world catch-up viewing.
Starting June 22, six NHK dramas will land on Netflix within the first wave of an ongoing rollout. The slate spans the three pillars of NHK’s signature drama manufacturing: the community’s Taiga collection, sweeping historic epics historically aired throughout Japan’s Sunday-night slot; its morning serial dramas (generally known as asadora), 15-minute weekday installments which were a fixture of Japanese every day life since 1961; and Drama 10, the late-evening primetime block identified for tackling modern social points.
The primary batch of reveals contains the Taiga collection Strategist KANBE; the morning serial Mampuku; three Drama 10 titles — Descending Tales: A Life in Rakugo, The Science Membership and Tokyo Salad Bowl; and the premium drama My Household. Subsequent titles will roll out throughout the rest of the yr and into early 2027.
Netflix has been steadily constructing partnerships with Japan’s main broadcasters lately, however the NHK deal is a very noteworthy drama-library acquisition. NHK’s drama output is a mainstay of mainstream Japanese popular culture: its Taiga collection have aired constantly since 1963 and stay among the many most generally watched productions within the home business, whereas the community’s morning serials have launched the careers of a number of generations of Japanese stars.
“By bringing works nurtured by Japan’s broadcasters over many years to viewers in more than 190 countries and regions, Netflix will continue to champion Japan’s outstanding entertainment culture on the world stage,” the streamer stated in a press release.
Individually, Netflix has acquired world catch-up streaming rights to Nippon TV’s Monday Late Present (Japanese title: Getsuyo kara Yofukashi, or “staying up late even on Monday night”), the streamer’s second pickup of a Nippon TV weekly selection collection following Golden SixTONES. Episodes started streaming Might 21.
Now in its fifteenth yr on the air, Monday Late Present airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on Nippon TV and constantly leads its time slot amongst 13- to 49-year-olds. The present is constructed round comedic deconstructions of road interviews on hyper-local topics, hosted by SUPER EIGHT idol Shingo Murakami and the veteran TV persona Matsuko Deluxe. A single 2026 episode drew greater than 2.49 million views on nationwide catch-up platform TVer, in response to figures provided by the community.
“The true charm of this show lies in how it delightfully shatters expectations of what Japanese people are like,” stated Kensuke Sawada, the present’s producer at Nippon TV, in a press release. “It shines a light on ordinary citizens with extraordinary personalities, as well as unique facets of Japan that we’re eager to share with the world, all delivered with plenty of humor.”
Netflix’s content material director Rie Sawaoka, who oversees the streamer’s Japan content material slate, stated in a press release that Monday Late Present had cultivated a notable abroad following regardless of an absence of official international distribution. “We’re excited to partner with Nippon TV to introduce this uniquely Japanese iconic show to Netflix members around the world,” she stated.
The dual bulletins come as Netflix continues to deepen its investments in Japanese content material. Japan is among the few mature streaming markets globally with important room left for subscriber progress, and Netflix has continued to experiment and put money into live-action titles with robust native attraction — whereas ready and hoping for the primary Squid Sport-style world breakout.
