It's been six years since a hospital in Kumamoto Prefecture installed its "baby hatch," a compartment where women could anonymously abandon babies with no questions asked. So far 92 infants have been placed in the compartment, which continues to be controversial.
"Konotori no Yurikago" ("The Stork's Cradle"; TBS, Mon., 9 p.m.) dramatizes some of the stories related to the compartment. Yumiko (Hiroko Yakushimaru), the chief nurse at Seiboshi Hospital, sets up the facility with the help of the hospital director, Hayami (Katsuhiko Watabiki). The women who make inquiries all have different problems — and then one day a high school girl shows up with her baby.
TV Asahi celebrates its 55th anniversary with a special two-night drama, "Olympic no Minoshirokin" ("The Olympic Ransom"; Sat. and Sun., 9 p.m.), based on a novel by Hideo Okuda.