On Monday, it was confirmed that TBS is working on a live-action adaptation of Osamu Akimoto's long-running comedy manga "Kochira Katsushikaku Kameari Kouenmae Hashutsujo," known by the abbreviation "Kochikame." The drama series, set for this summer, will star SMAP's Shingo Katori (32).

"Kochikame" has been serialized in Shonen Jump since 1976, with more than 130 million tankoubon copies sold so far. It has been adapted to anime, theater, and even a live-action film, but this will be the first drama series based on the comic.

The drama revolves around the misadventures of Kankichi Ryotsu (Katori), an officer stationed at a police box in front of Kameari Park in Tokyo's Katsushika ward. Each story is expected to be contained within a single episode. The show will feature many of the manga's well-known characters, including Neruo Higurashi, the policeman who only works once every four years at the time of the Summer Olympics.

Shonen Jump announced the drama in the latest issue that went on sale June 1, which featured Katori on the cover. He is actually the first Japanese person to grace the magazine's cover, though foreign celebrities have appeared on it three times before.

The "Kochikame" drama will air in TBS's Saturday 7:56pm time slot, which is currently home to the series "MR.BRAIN," starring fellow SMAP member Takuya Kimura. The first episode will air in August.