Taipei, Oct. 8 (CNA) The Japanese hit drama "Hanzawa Naoki," one of the most-watched TV series in recent decades in Japan, premiered in Taiwan on Monday and drew over 550,000 viewers on its first night, local media reported Tuesday.

The final show of the 10-episode series, which is based on novels by Jun Ikeido, received a dazzling 42.2 percent audience share in Japan's Kanto area, the highest in the region in 30 years.

The series scored a 0.94 rating on its first day in Taiwan, higher than that for "Kaseifu no Mita," a Japanese drama played by actress Nanako Matsushima that was a hit in Taiwan and the most-viewed drama of 2011 in Japan, according to local media.

"Hanzawa Naoki" stars actor Masato Sakai as the lead character, a banker who has to face many unreasonable demands from his superior, including an order to grant an unsecured loan of 500 million yen (US$5.15 million) to a local company.

The loan later went bad, and Sakai's character was forced to take the blame.

In the show, the character challenges upper management and retaliates when he feels wronged.

His signature lines in the series, such as "if I am wronged, I will hit back, twice as hard!" have already become popular phrases in Japan and Taiwan.

The series, produced by Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc., will be broadcast on Videoland Japan channel Monday through Friday until Oct. 18.

(By Christie Chen)
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