G-Men '75

G-Men '75 (Japanese: Gメン'75, Hepburn: G Men nanajūgo) was a Japanese crime drama television series, about a fictional undercover unit of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.^[2] It was created by Teruo Kondô, who had previously created the detective show Key Hunter. Tetsurō Tamba starred as Detective Superintendent Tetsuya Kuroki, and was the only actor to appear in all 355 episodes. Other starring roles were played by Yosuke Natsuki, Yasuaki Kurata, Yū Fujiki, Gō Wakabayashi and Bunjaku Han.

G-Men aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:54 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) network from May 24, 1975 to April 3, 1982. It was followed by a short-lived sequel series, premiering in 1982, along with several made-for-television films.

The story revolved around a special detective agency, the eponymous G-Men. The principal character, who spanned the entire series (and continued into the sequel and specials), was Superintendent Tetsuya Kuroki, who was portrayed by Tetsurō Tamba. Kuroki directed the members of the group.

The original cast also included Yasuaki Kurata as Detective Yasuaki Kusano, trained in karate. Gō Wakabayashi joined in Episode 105, and remained to the end of the series (and the sequel). His character, Lieutenant Goro Tachibana, replaced a detective who was written out of the script.

The series tackled a number of contemporary issues, including police corruption, the US military presence in Okinawa, euthanasia, the Sanrizuka Struggle, the disputed exclusive economic zone, and the Lockheed bribery scandals. While most of the series was set in Tokyo, cases also took characters to other parts of Japan, as well as international locales like Hong Kong, Singapore, New Caledonia, Paris, Brussels, Madrid, and Copenhagen.^[3]

Shunsuke Kikuchi wrote the opening theme songs. Various artists, including some cast members, wrote and performed the closing songs. For most years, the lyrics were by Junya Sato, set to Kikuchi's music. Veteran announcer Takayuki Akutagawa narrated the series.

• "Omokage" by Yuri Shimazaki (Episode 1-58)
• "Tsuiso" by Yuri Shimazaki (Episode 59-144)
• "Michi" by Kaori Shima (Episode 145-174)
• "Omokage" by Yuri Shimazaki (Episode 175-204)
• "Requiem" by Isao Sasaki (Episode 205-229)
• "Requiem" by Yuri Shimazaki (Episode 230-233, 235)
• "Wing" by Mari Natsuki (Episode 234, 236-248)
• "Harukanaru Tabiji" by Popla (Episode 254-306)
• "Again" by Yuri Shimazaki (Episode 307-354)

The opening sequence featured the main cast walking along a runway with a "75" placed at the bottom, with an arrow beside it, as their characters were viewed in separate close-ups (with the name of their actors accompanying).^[4] The placement of the arrow and the "75" logo were changed as the series progressed. It was intended to film the opening at Haneda Airport, but permission was not granted, so it was filmed instead at Yashio, a district of Tokyo's Shinagawa ward, and later openings at the JMSDF Tateyama Air Base.

The series aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:54 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) network from May 24, 1975 to April 3, 1982. A sequel, G-Men '82, followed, as did the specials. It had also been broadcast in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Since Hong Kong was one of the filming locations, it was very popular there.^[5]

• Tetsurō Tamba as Tetsuya Kuroki
• Gō Wakabayashi as Gorō Tachibana
• Kyoko Enami as Saeko Tsumura
• Bunjaku Han as Yoko Kagawa
• Saburō Shinoda as Hayasaka
• Kentaro Shimizu as Sawada
• Koichi Miura as Shima

• G-Men '75 Haru Dai Ikyou Satsujin no Onna (1993) Tetsuro Tamba, Masatoshi Nakamura, Mari Natsuki, Show Aikawa
• G-Men '75 Special Kaettekita Wakashishitachi (2000) Tetsuro Tamba, Nenji Kobayashi, Junichi Haruta
• G-Men '75 Special Tokyo-Hokkaido Trick Satsujinjiken (2000) Tetsuro Tamba, Nenji Kobayashi, Junichi Haruta, Raita Ryū

• DVD Selection from Toei
• G-Men '75 at IMDb
• Japanese National Bibliography 音楽録音・映像資料の部 (Audio recordings and film materials)