Public broadcaster NHK has selected Haruna Kawaguchi, 24, to play the role of 16th-century warlord Oda Nobunaga’s wife, Kicho, or Nohime, as a replacement for Erika Sawajiri, in NHK's historical drama series "Kirin ga Kuru,” beginning in January 2020.

Sawajiri, 33, had already filmed 10 episodes but after her arrest last week on suspicion of possessing the synthetic drug MDMA and her admission that she had used marijuana, LSD and cocaine over the past 10 years, NHK decided to drop her from the series.

Kawaguchi will start filming in early December, according to sources. NHK commented, “We thought that as a skilled actress, she would be able to express the strength and nobleness of a warlord’s daughter, and therefore asked her to play the role.”

All scenes in the first 10 episodes in which Sawajiri appears will be filmed again using Kawaguchi.

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