Actor Baijaku Nakamura (53) has his first starring role in a drama series next season. He will play the lead in "Akakabu Kenji Kyoto-hen," scheduled to air on TBS starting in January.

The drama is based on Shunzo Waku's "Akakabu Kenji" novel series about a kind public prosecutor named Shigeru Hiiragi, known for his Nagoya dialect and his love of red turnips. The novels have previously been adapted multiple times on television since 1980, with Frankie Sakai as the original star. Later adaptations had Isao Hashizume (68) playing the role of Hiiragi. Nakamura became the third actor to play the part in a two-hour drama special this past May.