Osawa Takao to star in FujiTV drama SP "Tokyo ni Olympic wo Yonda Otoko"

Osawa Takao plays the lead character Fred Wada Isamu in the upcoming FujiTV drama SP "Tokyo ni Olympic wo Yonda Otoko" which will be shown at 9pm on 11 October. Fred was a Japanese-American who had contributed greatly in helping Tokyo secure the hosting rights of the 1964 Olympics and the drama SP will be based on the intensive research compiled by writer Takasugi Ryo on what Fred had done for the hosting bid.

Fred was a successful businessman who owned a supermarket business in Los Angeles and even offered his house as a hostel for Japanese swimmers who were in the US to take part in the National Swimming Championships there. As such, he was widely regarded as a great contributor to the sporting interaction between US and Japan in the modern era.

Filming began in mid July split between Tokyo and New Zealand where the cast and crew spent 10 days there. Co-stars include Tokiwa Takako who plays Fred's wife Masako, Katsuji Ryo and Nakao Akiyoshi who play swimmers taking part in the swimming championships and staying at Fred's place and Nishida Toshiyuki who plays Tabata Masaji, the chairman of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) that got Fred to help in the Olympic bid.

Source: Sanspo