‘30,000,000 Yen’: ‘Breaking Bad’ DNA Mixed With Public Broadcasting Values Led To Creation Of Buzzy Japanese Thriller Series

Welcome to a new year of Global Breakouts, Deadline’s strand in which, each fortnight, we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track. So we’re going to do the hard work for you.

In 2025 we begin our journey in Japan, where a landmark writers room development program has led to the creation of 30,000,000 Yen. Airing late last year, the scripted series starts by posing an age-old question: what would you do if you suddenly came across a life-changing windfall of cash? What follows is a thriller full of twists and turns, one that could be ripe for the international market as Japan looks to find its place in the modern landscape.

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Name: 30,000,000 Yen
Country: Japan
Network: NHK
Producer: NHK
For fans of: Breaking Bad, Fargo
Distributor: NEP

NHK’s 30,000,000 Yen did not materialize by accident or with any serendipity, but was the result of months and months of development and a new writers room program inspired by a course at UCLA.

NHK Program Director Keita Hosaka had just completed his UCLA study and was inspired by the long-standing American practice of using writers rooms, which was less established in his home nation of Japan. Coupled with this, he was concerned that all the best young Japanese drama writing talent was flooding to the manga, video games and comedy genres.

“The authors of manga blockbusters such as One Piece, Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) and Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) were all in their 20s when their works first began serialization,” he explains. “But for the current TV drama industry in Japan, the reality is that it is extremely rare for scriptwriters in their 20s to be employed.”

Hosaka resolved to do something about this and with a modest budget and big amount of resolve he forged the NHK Writers’ Development Room (WDR), inviting pitches from wannabe Japanese TV drama writers including those who had created stories for manga, comedy sketches, novels, theater, movies, anime and games, as well as those who had previously aspired to be screenwriters but gave up. More than 2,000 scripts were submitted — double the number of a typical NHK screenplay competition — whittled down to 42 interviewees and 10 who were put through to the final WDR.

That 10 ended with just one script, 30,000,000 Yen, led by Sakiko Yashige with a team of four scriptwriters. It aired as NHK, one of the world’s oldest public broadcasters, prepared to enter its 100th year.

Starring Yumi Adachi and Munetaka Aoki, the series follows Yuko, who works a dead-end job at a call center for complaints, while her husband Yoshimitsu is a one-hit wonder former band musician. One day, a traffic accident with a motorbike changes the family’s fortunes. Their son Junichi brings home the biker’s bag, which contains stacks of cash, but the biker turns out to have been a transporter for a criminal ring and when they discover that Yuko has pocketed their ill-gotten stash, they not only rob it back, but force her to work for them.

Hosaka was impressed by three things: the fact that the story was about “money — a universal desire in a capitalist society,” its focus on “anonymous fluid criminal groups which is becoming a major topical social issue in Japan,” and finally that the spotlight was on a middle-class family involved in nefarious activity.

“Stronger plot engines”

He had always stressed that WDR pitches should draw from foreign drama as much as local Japanese fare and felt that 30,000,000 Yen evoked huge American hits like Breaking Bad and Fargo.

“Many foreign dramas have stronger plot engines,” he adds. “We decided that it was important to pick out some foreign dramas and for everyone on the team to watch and analyze together.”

Having a whirring “plot engine” drove the scripts from start to finish but Hosaka notes that the team ran into obstacles when pondering how to make a show imbued with the values of public broadcasting, especially when it came to the finale. “As NHK is a public broadcaster, when the main character does something illegal, we have to be careful that the viewers don’t perceive it as if we are endorsing that act,” he explains. “In other words, the protagonist needs to be sanctioned for their illegal actions, but then, the ending becomes more predictable. It was really challenging to find a way to make the story compelling and satisfying for the audience, while making it permissible for public service media.”

When it came to casting, Hosaka and the creative team wanted to mix things up by combining well-known Japanese faces with those newer to the small screen. While lead Adachi has a 40-year entertainment industry career behind her, many of those cast had a theater background and had barely appeared on TV.

“The merit of using actors that are not necessarily famous is that their public image doesn’t get in the way and enables the viewers to become more immersed in the story,” adds Hosaka. “When watching a film and a famous actor appears, viewers can be taken away from the story and subconsciously start to predict things.”

All in all, Hosaka was delighted with the results, and he is hopeful more NHK team members will jump aboard the next WDR program. While NHK said 30,000,000 Yen’s ratings failed to stand out and has chosen not to supply viewing figures, the show won a Galaxy Award, with judges praising “a masterclass in storytelling, brimming with unexpected twists that keep the audience thoroughly engaged.”

Given its universal appeal and somewhat western vibe, Hosaka is hopeful that 30,000,000 Yen will sell abroad. However, he notes that the Japanese TV industry finds itself in a “difficult position” as the landscape remains bumpy.

The financing gap between public broadcasting shows and those from the likes of Netflix is getting wider, he explains, while there is “fierce competition” for below the line staff and a “shortage of young people” entering the sector. “Under such circumstances, it is inevitable that people tend to flow to dramas that have larger budgets and can pay higher fees,” he adds. “Japan is experiencing inflation and it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet the needs of viewers with the conventional budget.”

But lest we not forget this is a year of celebration for Japan’s beloved pubcaster. As NHK turns 100, the broadcaster knows it has been through thick and thin, and certainly won’t be caving anytime soon.

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