The novel "Kanryotachi no Natsu" by Saburo Shiroyama is being turned into a live-action drama series on TBS this summer. The show will feature a strong lineup of well-established actors, led by Koichi Sato.

"Kanryotachi no Natsu" ("The Summer of the Bureaucrats") was originally serialized and later published in book form during the 1970s. The story focuses on Japan's economic boom following World War II. Sato plays Shingo Kazakoshi, a bureaucrat in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, which was critical to the nation's recovery.

With modern bureaucrats developing a negative public image and calls increasing for government reform, TBS producer Hideki Isano felt it was time to create a drama based on the novel, which showed the ability of dedicated bureaucrats to effectively shape the country's economic success. Isano said he also hopes to find some hint of a way out of the current recession.

Aside from Sato, the cast includes Kinya Kitaoji, Masato Sakai, Katsumi Takahashi, Katsunori Takahashi, Shiro Sano, Masahiko Nishimura, Tetta Sugimoto, Kazue Fukiishi, Yoshiko Tokoshima, and Tomiyuki Kunihiro.

Broadcast is set for Sundays at 9:00pm, beginning in July.