Netflix’s ambitions in Japan, the world’s third-largest entertainment market, were on clear display in a production deal mentioned in passing Tuesday during the streamer’s splashy content showcase in Tokyo. Kaata Sakamoto, Netflix’s creative head in Japan, revealed that the company has recently signed a deal with local heavyweight Toho Studios to double its leased production space in the country.
“We expect to be creating up to 15 live-action titles each year at Toho Studios,” Sakamoto said.
The deal represents another characteristically assertive move by Netflix in a market where analysts believe streaming services still have significant room to grow — but within an industry landscape where studio space and top-tier talent are already perceived to be in tight supply.
Now in its 11th year in Japan, Netflix unveiled its most substantial Japanese content slate to date at a packed conference hall inside the Tokyo Midtown skyscraper complex. Outlining the streamer’s release plans for the year, Netflix’s Japanese content leaders touted 13 series, three films, eight anime titles, plus the complete World Baseball Classic, with all 47 games to be broadcast live in Japan (including games featuring the domestic team led by national heroes Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto).
Much of the presentation underscored Netflix’s confidence in Japanese storytelling as both a local growth engine and an increasingly exportable creative force. On the scripted side, the streamer’s biggest swing of the year is Human Vapor, a high-profile reboot of Toho’s classic sci-fi IP that pairs one of Japan’s most storied studios with producer/writer Yeon Sang-ho, the Korean auteur behind Train to Busan, Hellbound and Parasyte: The Grey. Positioned as a large-scale genre event, the series updates the legendary SFX property with a contemporary political and social edge, with Shun Oguri leading the cast as a detective hunting a seemingly incorporeal killer.
Beyond Human Vapor, Netflix leaned heavily into prestige dramas anchored by major domestic talent. Sins of Kujo, adapted from Shohei Manabe’s manga, casts Yuya Yagira as a morally ambiguous lawyer who defends society’s most reprehensible figures, a dark, adult-skewing legal drama. That same prestige push can be found in Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?, an original comedy starring Koji Yakusho as a once-famous actor who returns to Japan only to discover he has been completely erased from public memory — a light-hearted concept built around one of the country’s most revered screen icons.
Romance — in both conventional and unconventional forms — also figured prominently. Soul Mate, a decade-spanning love story between a Japanese man and a Korean boxer, was positioned as a tender, internationally minded drama designed to travel, while Plastic Beauty focusses on Japan’s booming cosmetic surgery industry through the clash between two female surgeons, played by Mayu Matsuoka and Riisa Naka. Elsewhere, Netflix continued its blueprint of manga and webtoon adaptations with Viral Hit, a live-action take on the hit Korean webtoon about a bullied teenager who stumbles into underground fame through viral fight videos.
Unscripted programming also remained a pillar — particularly new seasons of hits like The Boyfriend, Love Village and Badly in Love — as well as riskier propositions, such as Doors Closed, Bids Open, a secretive auction series hosted by Japanese TV icon Matsuko Deluxe.
Anime, unsurprisingly, commanded some of the loudest applause in the room. Netflix reaffirmed its deepening ties with Japan’s fabled animation sector through high-profile continuations such as Fire Force and BEASTARS, alongside ambitious new projects like Sparks of Tomorrow, a steampunk-flavored original from beloved studio Kyoto Animation. Executives repeatedly emphasized anime’s central role in Netflix’s global strategy, noting that Japanese animation has become one of the platform’s most powerful genres worldwide. The recently unveiled new partnership with influential anime outfit Studio Mappa was also briefly hyped.
Rounding out the slate, Netflix highlighted its unprecedented live-streaming of all 47 games of the 2026 World Baseball Classic in Japan — an acquisition that continues Netflix’s ambitious push into live sports and events programming in Asia, following last weekend’s Skyscraper Live spectacle in Taipei.
The company’s full 2026 Japanese slate follows.
SERIES
Sins of Kujo
Launch: April 2, 2026
A live-action adaptation of Shohei Manabe’s latest work (“Ushijima the Loan Shark”), Sins of Kujo asks: Does defending “bad people” make you a crooked lawyer? This crime drama pushes viewers to rethink everything they know about law and morality. Taiza Kujo is a lawyer who defends only society’s worst: thugs, yakuza, and ex-convicts. Often called unscrupulous by others, he wields the law as a weapon to protect the morally reprehensible, all in pursuit of his own view of justice. Yuya Yagira stars as the unconventional lawyer Taiza Kujo, with Hokuto Matsumura as the elite lawyer Shinji Karasuma, who finds himself suddenly working for Kujo. The all-star cast includes Elaiza Ikeda, Keita Machida, Takuma Otoo, Tsuyoshi Muro and more, each playing characters navigating the corrupt world of the original manga. Produced by TBS hit-maker Atsushi Nasuda, written by Nonji Nemoto, and directed by Nobuhiro Doi, Takeyoshi Yamamoto and Hiroshi Adachi, the series digs into the characters’ humanity and vividly depicts the gritty underbelly of society with striking realism.
Directors: Nobuhiro Doi, Takeyoshi Yamamoto, Hiroshi Adachi
Writer: Nonji Nemoto
Cast: Yuya Yagira, Hokuto Matsumura, Elaiza Ikeda, Keita Machida, Takuma Otoo, Tsuyoshi Muro
3 Straight to Hell
Launch: April 27, 2026
Japan’s most famous fortune-teller, Kazuko Hosoki, once held the nation in her thrall. Was she a savior… or a devil? Wealth, fame and romance: she had it all. But what shocking, untold past was she hiding? Kazuko Hosoki swept Japan with her Six-Star Divination practice, issuing ominous, blunt warnings like the “Great Calamity Period” and “You’ll go to hell.” Rising from post-war poverty, she became a key figure in Tokyo’s nightlife and the “Queen of Ginza,” before dominating television and publishing as a fortune teller whose books set a Guinness World Record. Her ascent, however, was clouded by accusations of fraudulent business practices and rumored connections to the criminal underworld. Spanning 60 years from the mid-20th century to the early 21st, the series offers an unfiltered look into the awe-inspiring struggles and insatiable desires of a truly enigmatic woman. Erika Toda portrays Hosoki, while Sairi Ito plays Minori Uozumi, a writer tasked with ghostwriting Hosoki’s autobiography.
Directors: Tomoyuki Takimoto, Norichika Ohba
Writer: Manaka Monaka
Cast: Erika Toda, Sairi Ito, Toko Miura, Eita Okuno, Kentaro Tamura, Ayumu Nakajima, Gaku Hosokawa, Toma Ikuta
Soul Mate
Launch: May 14, 2026
After inadvertently destroying the life of his best friend, Ryu Narutaki abandons everything and leaves Japan. He nearly dies at a church in a foreign country before being saved by a Korean boxer named Johan Hwang. Both men carry deep, unhealed wounds, and as their lonely souls gravitate toward one another, it becomes clear that they are soul mates. Their journey takes them through Berlin, Seoul and Tokyo, spanning unforgettable pain, suffering and ultimately joy. Soul Mate is a tender romance between two young men unfolding over the course of 10 years. Hayato Isomura stars as Ryu, opposite Ok Taec-yeon of 2PM as Johan. The series is written and directed by Shunki Hashizume.
Writer/Director: Shunki Hashizume
Cast: Hayato Isomura, Ok Taec-yeon
Viral Hit
Launch: May 28, 2026
Bullied high school student Kota Shimura struggles under the weight of his mother’s medical bills and relentless abuse at school. His bleak existence shifts when a fight with a classmate is accidentally streamed online and goes viral. Realizing that fighting can be profitable, Kota launches a streaming channel and begins clawing his way out of despair. Based on the hit South Korean webtoon Viral Hit, the live-action adaptation stars Ouji Suzuka as Kota, with Ai Mikami as his junior Aki Yashio and Araki Sugou as the idiosyncratic Toru Kaneko.
Director: Hideki Takeuchi
Writer: Yuichi Tokunaga
Cast: Ouji Suzuka, Ai Mikami, Araki Sugou, Mieko Harada, Nana Asakawa
Human Vapor
Launch: 2026
A team of Japanese and Korean creators reboot Toho’s legendary SFX film with an entirely original story centered on the Human Vapor, an uncanny being capable of terrorizing the nation. When a guest commentator explodes on live television in an unimaginable crime, the world is thrust into shock. The series is written and executive produced by Yeon Sang-ho and directed by Shinzo Katayama. Shun Oguri stars as the detective pursuing the Human Vapor, alongside Yu Aoi, Suzu Hirose, Kento Hayashi and Yutaka Takenouchi.
Director: Shinzo Katayama
Writers: Yeon Sang-ho, Ryu Yong-jae
Cast: Shun Oguri, Yu Aoi, Suzu Hirose, Kento Hayashi, Yutaka Takenouchi
S&X
Launch: 2026
Ichito Shimotori is a sex therapist who treats patients struggling with intimate anxieties they cannot share with anyone else. Despite prejudice and ridicule, he approaches each case with sincerity — while hiding anxieties of his own. Based on Kisei Tada’s manga S and X, the series explores desire, self-esteem and modern relationships through an earnest and empathetic lens. Kento Nakajima stars as Shimotori.
Director: Shogo Kusano
Writer: Tomoko Yoshida
Cast: Kento Nakajima
Plastic Beauty
Launch: 2026
Set in Japan’s aesthetic medicine industry, Plastic Beauty follows gifted surgeon Fumi Numata, whose shift from lifesaving surgery to cosmetic medicine puts her at odds with celebrity surgeon Rin Tohyama. Through clashes between the two and the stories of patients pursuing physical perfection, the series explores the emotional and societal pressures behind the beauty boom. Mayu Matsuoka and Riisa Naka star.
Director: Yuki Saito
Writer: Junya Ikegami
Cast: Mayu Matsuoka, Riisa Naka
Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?
Launch: 2026
Screenwriter Kankuro Kudo reunites with producer Akira Isoyama for an original comedy about the desire for recognition. Koji Yakusho stars as Gen Takasegawa, a celebrated actor who returns to Japan after years abroad — only to discover he has been completely forgotten by the world. Stripped of fame, family and money, Gen attempts an unlikely comeback.
Writer: Kankuro Kudo
Directors: Fuminori Kaneko, Takuya Sakaue, Atsushi Watabe
Cast: Koji Yakusho
Quiztopia
Launch: 2026
Set in an alternate Japan, Quiztopia centers on a government-sanctioned quiz show where winners have any wish granted — and losers face severe punishment. Based on the cult manga Kokumin Quiz, the series stars Takayuki Yamada as the charismatic host KK, whose mastery of spectacle keeps the nation enthralled as resistance brews beneath the surface.
Director: Teruyuki Yoshida
Writers: Magy, Teruyuki Yoshida
Cast: Takayuki Yamada
FILMS
This Is I
Launch: February 10, 2026
This Is I is a moving, genre-defying film that brings to life the true story of Ai Haruna and Dr. Koji Wada, a pair who challenged convention and changed each other’s lives. The film follows Kenji Onishi, a young person who dreams of becoming an idol but struggles with identity under society’s judgmental gaze. Kenji’s life changes after meeting Dr. Wada, a compassionate physician who becomes an advocate for people living with gender dysphoria. After Dr. Wada performs his first gender-affirming surgery, Kenji embraces life as Ai Haruna. Together, they form a powerful bond, supporting one another through loneliness, societal backlash and the search for dignity and authenticity. Chosen through a rigorous audition process, 18-year-old Haruki Mochizuki stars in his first leading role, with Takumi Saitoh delivering a standout performance as Dr. Wada. The film encourages viewers to live for the present.
Director: Yusaku Matsumoto
Writer: Masahiro Yamaura
Cast: Haruki Mochizuki, Tae Kimura, Seiji Chihara, Ataru Nakamura, Kaito Yoshimura, MEGUMI, Shido Nakamura, Takumi Saitoh
My Crazy Feminist Girlfriend
Launch: 2026
Based on Min Ji Hyoung’s hit Korean novel, My Crazy Feminist Girlfriend follows a man whose first love reenters his life after seven years — now a fiercely committed feminist, unwavering in her beliefs. What follows is a clash of romance and principles, where neither “love” nor “rights” is up for compromise. Dubbed the feminist version of My Sassy Girl, the novel sparked online debate and earned passionate support for its candid look at modern relationships. Mei Nagano stars as the unapologetically feminist ex-girlfriend, whose emotional honesty collides with a man who once thought he knew her best. Director Keiichi Kobayashi brings a nuanced touch to this story of reunion, old wounds and evolving identities.
Writer/Director: Keiichi Kobayashi
Cast: Mei Nagano
One Year to Live, Buy a Man
Launch: 2026
Based on Toriko Yoshikawa’s award-winning 2021 novel, One Year to Live, Buy a Man follows Yui Katakura, a frugal 40-year-old woman who has deliberately avoided romance, marriage and childbirth. After being diagnosed with cancer and told she has just one year left to live, Yui unexpectedly feels relief — freeing herself from the need to save money. Her life shifts when Sena, a struggling pink-haired nightclub host, asks to borrow money, prompting Yui to “buy” him for 720,000 yen. What begins as an odd arrangement gradually becomes a warm, unconventional bond — and an unpredictable love. The film stars Ko Shibasaki and Eiji Akaso in a tender meditation on life and how to live it.
Director: Hiroki Kazama
Writer: Yoshikazu Okada
Cast: Ko Shibasaki, Eiji Akaso
UNSCRIPTED
The Boyfriend Season 2
Launch: January 13, 2026
A new group of men heads to snowy Hokkaido for another season of love, friendship and growth. The Boyfriend, which debuted in 2024 as Japan’s first romance reality series featuring gay men, struck a chord for its candid conversations and emotionally honest relationships. Expanding beyond romance to focus on friendship and self-discovery, the series broadened the possibilities of the genre. In a dramatic shift from Season 1’s summery beach setting, the “Green Room” relocates to wintry Hokkaido, where 10 men from increasingly diverse backgrounds search for connection and understanding. Unexpected encounters include the return of contestants from Season 1 who failed to find love. As the season unfolds, the participants again navigate the delicate line between romance and friendship.
Studio hosts: MEGUMI, Chiaki Horan, Thelma Aoyama, Durian Lollobrigida, Yoshimi Tokui
Doors Closed, Bids Open
Launch: 2026
Matsuko Deluxe makes her Netflix debut with a secret, members-only veiled auction series. One of Japan’s most beloved television personalities — and a perennial favorite-host winner — Matsuko brings her sharp insight and commanding presence to a forbidden auction staged in a mysterious underground space. Only a select group of bidders is invited into this exclusive social club, where the items up for auction remain shrouded in secrecy. What exactly is being sold — and why — unfolds behind closed doors.
Host: Matsuko Deluxe
Love Village Season 3
Launch: 2026
Singles aged 35 to 60 search for the last love of their lives in the third season of Love Village, now set against the dramatic backdrop of Mount Fuji. The romance reality series follows adults seeking their “final love” while living together in a traditional Japanese house. Since its 2023 debut, the show has resonated for its raw portrayals of participants shaped by divorce, grief, illness and major life decisions. Season 3 relocates to a communal home at the foot of Mount Fuji, where a new group once again opens their hearts in pursuit of connection.
Studio hosts: Atsushi Tamura, Becky
Badly in Love Season 2
Launch: 2026
The unapologetically raw romance reality series returns faster than expected. Badly in Love brings together societal outcasts — individuals who have lived beyond conventional rules and etiquette — in search of love and redemption. Season 1, which premiered in December 2025, featured contestants ranging from a former biker gang leader and an ex-yakuza member to a show dancer and martial artist, winning attention for its unfiltered emotion. Season 2 moves to a new setting overlooking the blue seas of Okinawa, introducing a fresh lineup of participants gathered through nationwide auditions. As they experience romance, regret, atonement and lifelong bonds, the series continues to challenge norms and redefine authenticity in the reality genre.
Creator/producer: MEGUMI
LIVE EVENTS
2026 World Baseball Classic
Dates: March 5–18, 2026
All 47 games
The world’s premier international baseball tournament returns in 2026, with 20 countries and regions competing across 47 games hosted in four cities, including Tokyo. From electrifying performances by the sport’s biggest stars to unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat matchups and dramatic comeback victories, the World Baseball Classic delivers some of the most unforgettable moments in the game. Every pitch, hit and historic turning point will be live-streamed on Netflix in Japan.
ANIME
Fire Force Season 3 Part II
Launch: January 10, 2026 (APAC only)
The final chapter of Fire Force begins as Shinra and his fellow Special Fire Force members battle to save the world one last time. Based on Atsushi Ohkubo’s hit manga, serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine from 2015 to 2022 and selling more than 20 million copies, the anime debuted in 2019, followed by a second season in 2020. Season 3 unfolds in two parts — the first in April 2025 and the second in January 2026 — bringing the scorching dark fantasy to its explosive conclusion. Set in a world plagued by spontaneous human combustion, the series follows Shinra Kusakabe, a boy branded a “Devil” after surviving a deadly fire, as he joins an elite force tasked with battling monstrous Infernals and uncovering the mystery behind the phenomenon.
Director: Tatsuma Minamikawa
Series composition & screenplay: Sei Tsuguta
Animation production: david production
Cast: Gakuto Kajiwara, Yusuke Kobayashi, Kazuya Nakai, Kenichi Suzumura
Love Through a Prism
Launch: January 15, 2026
Beloved manga creator Yoko Kamio (Boys Over Flowers) delivers an original coming-of-age romance set at an art academy in London at the dawn of the 20th century. The series follows Lili Ichijoin as she pursues her dream of becoming a painter while navigating youthful romance and self-discovery. Written by Kamio herself and directed by Kazuto Nakazawa (B: The Beginning, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 anime sequence), the series is produced by WIT Studio, which brings the period setting and emotional arc to life with sweeping animation and expressive character work.
Director: Kazuto Nakazawa
Original story & character concepts: Yoko Kamio
Animation production: WIT Studio
Cast: Atsumi Tanezaki, Koki Uchiyama, Yuki Kaji, Megumi Han, Yohei Azakami, Sumire Uesaka
Cosmic Princess Kaguya!
Launch: January 22, 2026
Shingo Yamashita makes his feature-length directorial debut with this visually lush anime film about two girls who form a bond through song in the dreamlike virtual realm of Tsukuyomi. The film’s music is crafted by an ensemble of renowned Vocaloid producers, led by ryo (supercell), alongside kz (livetune), 40mP, HoneyWorks, Aqu3ra and yuigot. Produced jointly by Studio Colorido and Yamashita’s Studio Chromato, the film blends striking imagery with live-music-driven storytelling for a uniquely immersive experience.
Director: Shingo Yamashita
Animation production: Studio Colorido, Studio Chromato
Cast: Yuko Natsuyoshi, Anna Nagase, Saori Hayami
BAKI-DOU: The Invincible Samurai
Launch: February 26, 2026
Picking up after the legendary father-son showdown, this new chapter in the Baki saga adapts Keisuke Itagaki’s Baki-Dou, originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Champion. With no worthy opponents left, Baki and the underground fighters grow restless — until a plan is devised to resurrect Miyamoto Musashi, Japan’s greatest swordsman. Produced by TMS Entertainment, the series brings an unprecedented clash between a revived samurai and the strongest modern fighter to life with ferocious animation and relentless intensity.
Director: Toshiki Hirano
Series composition: Tatsuhiko Urahata
Animation production: TMS Entertainment
Cast: Nobunaga Shimazaki, Akio Otsuka, Naoya Uchida, Rikiya Koyama
STEEL BALL RUN: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Launch: March 19, 2026
The iconic saga continues with an adaptation of Steel Ball Run, Hirohiko Araki’s landmark manga arc set in the 19th century. The story follows Johnny Joestar, a former jockey left paraplegic, who joins forces with the enigmatic Gyro Zeppeli in the world’s first cross-continental horse race across North America. Directed by veterans of the franchise and animated by david production, the series brings one of JoJo’s most ambitious arcs to life, expanding the mythos of the Joestar bloodline.
Series director: Toshiyuki Kato
Series composition: Yasuko Kobayashi
Animation production: david production
Cast: Shogo Sakata, Yohei Azakami, Kaito Ishikawa, Rie Takahashi
BEASTARS Final Season Part 2
Launch: March 2026
The final chapter of BEASTARS moves into its concluding phase as tensions between carnivores and herbivores reach a breaking point. Based on Paru Itagaki’s award-winning manga, the CG-animated series follows Legoshi, Haru and Louis as they confront Melon’s destabilizing schemes and their own inner conflicts. Produced by Studio Orange, the long-awaited second half of the final season brings the acclaimed coming-of-age drama to a close.
Director: Shinichi Matsumi
Screenplay: Nanami Higuchi
Animation production: Orange
Cast: Chikahiro Kobayashi, Sayaka Senbongi, Yuki Ono, Akio Otsuka
The Ramparts of Ice
Launch: April 2026
Based on Kocha Agasawa’s popular manga, this gentle coming-of-age drama centers on Koyuki Hikawa, a socially withdrawn high school student who keeps emotional distance from others. Her quiet life begins to change after an outgoing classmate attempts to break through her self-imposed barriers, drawing her into an awkward yet heartfelt group dynamic. The series explores youth, vulnerability and connection through a restrained, emotionally observant lens.
Director: Mankyu
Series composition: Yasuhiro Nakanishi
Animation production: Studio KAI
Cast: Anna Nagase, Fuka Izumi, Shoya Chiba, Satoshi Inomata
Sparks of Tomorrow
Launch: July 2026
Kyoto Animation presents a striking alternate-history anime set in an early 20th-century Kyoto shaped by steam-powered technology. The story follows a boy hardened by loss and a devout girl burdened by regret as they uncover the mysteries of the 20th Century Electrical Catalog, a vision of a future that might yet be reclaimed. With impressionistic backgrounds and expressive animation, the series explores grief, faith and revolution through a deeply emotional lens.
Director: Minoru Ota
Series composition: Tatsuhiko Urahata
Animation production: Kyoto Animation
Cast: Yuma Uchida, Sora Amamiya
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