On June 22nd, actress Ayase Haruka (26) made an appearance at the announcement for the NHK Taiga Drama for 2013, “Yae no Sakura”. There, it was announced that she will play the role of Nishijima Yae, a “female warrior”. Fukushima, one of the areas which were affected by the earthquake, has been decided as the setting for the drama. The original script will be written by Yamamoto Mutsumi, also the script writer for drama, “Gegege no Nyoubo”. Naito Shinsuke, the chief producer, commented, “After the earthquake and the tsunami back in March, I decided to write about the hearts and bonds of the Japanese people. I want to be able to encourage the people who were affected by the earthquake to stand up and get back on their feet.” Haruka Ayase added, “I hope this drama will become a work of art that will help people of Japan to cheer up and give people a little bit of warmth in their hearts.” Her starring role, Nishijima Yae, was born in a household part of Aizu Domain and participated in the Boshin War as a part of the Aizu Clan. During Meiji era, she marries Nishijima Jo or Joseph Hardy Neesima, who worked and taught Christianity as an educator. NHK’s Taiga Drama in 2012 will star Matsuyama Kenichi as the lead role. Source & Photo: Nikkan Sports, Tokyohive
