Like K-dramas, J-dramas also have various and interesting themes, such as Japanese police detective dramas that investigate murder cases and other criminal cases. This is one of the most popular themes among fans and probably the most loved.
Japanese detective tv shows are pretty much perfect for someone who likes suspense and mystery but are not as suspenseful as Japanese thriller dramas. It will be more comfortable to watch because someone mixes it with the comedy genre.
Here, we have compiled a list of the 14 best Japanese detective series that solve complicated cases. Here below is the list, read to the end!
Best Japanese Detective Dramas List
1. Tokusou 9 Season 5
Tokusou 9 Season 5 is the latest Japanese detective show that was released in 2022 with 10 episodes. The storyline follows the members of a special investigation team. It will depict the new lives of the characters, Asawa Michiko, Komiyama Shiho, and Murase Kengo.
Meanwhile, there is Mitsuya Shohei belongs to a new department, SSBC, within the Metro Police Department (MPD). His character is a bright but slightly spontaneous young man who is difficult to despise. He will support the special investigation alongside the members of the special investigation team.
2. Red Eyes: Kanshi Sousa-han
It tells of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Investigative Support Analysis Center which handles criminal investigations using big data, such as footage collected from around five million surveillance cameras from across the country.
Fushimi Kyosuke is a former Prefectural Police First Investigation Division detective who becomes a special investigator after his girlfriend is murdered by a serial killer.
The rest of the team is Shimabara Yuri, an expert profiler who was once a university professor of criminology, a single mother who previously joined the Self-Defense Forces, and a young genius hacker. They seem like a dream team, but each is a criminal with a dark past.
This is one of the best Japanese detective dramas released in 2021 with 10 episodes. You can watch it on Prime Video and Apple TV.
3. Higanbana: Keishicho Sosa Nana ka
Nagisa Kinomiya is a woman who works as a detective for the 7th Investigation Division. The team consists of female detectives and they search for female criminals and help female victims.
Nagisa Kinomiya herself has a special ability, namely being able to hear other people’s thoughts. He can also suppress other people’s emotions by using a headset.
But he only uses his abilities only when working on a case, Nagisa Kinomiya can hear the voices of criminals and victims who are left behind. This Japanese detective series was released in 2016 with 10 episodes.
4. Alibi Kuzushi Uketamawarimasu
The series storyline follows Tokino Mitani, a woman who runs a watch shop located on a street far from the city center. He is 20 years old and inherited the watch shop from his grandfather.
What most people don’t know is that he is also a very good private investigator and offers alibi-breaking services. He could solve someone’s fake alibi using logic based on time and watches and he was paid 5,000 yen for the service.
Meanwhile, Yoshiyuki Saji is an elite police officer trying to uncover corruption within the police department. But that instead caused Yoshiyuki Saji to receive a demotion to the rural police station.
He didn’t give up and started moving there alone, leaving his wife and child behind. He stays in the boarding house, where Tokino Mitani lives, but finds himself at odds with the other detectives there.
Yoshiyuki Saji struggles to solve a case, and he hears about Tokino Mitani’s abilities as an alibi cracker. He doesn’t want to ask for his help because of his pride as a cop but ends up asking for his help in a case.
This tv show stars Hamabe Minami and Yasuda Ken. This is one of the best Japanese detective comedy dramas released in 2020 and has 7 episodes.
5. Kizoku Tantei
This is a story about “Kizoku” (“Aristocrat”) a man who works as a private detective for a hobby. No one knows his age, address, or anything about his family.
Servicing, cutting, and investigations in his office are actually carried out by his employees including his butler, maid, and driver. He was just having fun talking to the women involved in this case.
Meanwhile, Takatoku Aika is a woman who works as a private detective. He competes with Detective Aristocrat to solve cases and his reputation. This Japanese detective tv show was released in 2017 with 11 episodes.
6. Crazy Rain
Once, on a rainy night, four detectives gathered at the house where the murders occurred. They are the friendly Iguchi, Watanabe, the languid Imae, and the serious Kiyota meant to be stalking from the house.
But what they don’t know is that one of them over there is a bad detective. When hidden secrets begin to unfold, who will survive to the end?
One of the best Japanese crime/detective dramas was released in 2020 with 4 episodes.
7. Kinkyu Torishirabeshitsu 4
This investigative Japanese drama tells about the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department which decides to disband the Kintori special interrogation team.
The team will be disbanded in 100 days, in September 2021, but the Kintori members are still carrying out their duties. They are currently trying their best for the team. It was released in 2021 and this Japanese detective show has 9 episodes.
8. Strawberry Night Saga
It tells the story of Himekawa Reiko who becomes an assistant inspector in the Tenth Homicide Section at the young age of 27 even though she is not on the career path.
As the only female section head of the First Investigation Division, she leads the Himekawa Team armed with intuition, ideas, and dramatic energy. With that, they have solved many challenging cases.
Meanwhile, Kikuta Kazuo is a sergeant who becomes his subordinate and is older than him. She was initially skeptical of Himekawa when she was transferred to the team. However, she gradually becomes aware of Himekawa’s competence and charm, and a special feeling begins to grow.
This is one of the best Japanese detective investigation dramas released in 2019 and has 11 episodes.
9. A Corpse is Buried Under Sakurako’s Feet
Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru is a Japanese investigative drama whose plot follows the story of two unlikely couples.
Both demonstrated in their own way that bones can tell how someone died, but only people can know how they lived. This tv show was released in 2017 with 10 episodes.
10. Hanzai Shokogun
Muto Takashi is a former police detective who uses illegal means to solve cases that are difficult for the police to handle.
Meanwhile, Kaburagi Wataru is a police detective and friend of Muto, and their boss, Tamaki, is in charge of special missions given to Muto.
Hanzai Shokogun is one of the best Japanese detective dramas was released in 2017 with 8 episodes.
11. Unnatural
Unnatural is a case-of-the-week medical mystery show whose main theme is the changing reality caused by the imminent death of a loved one.
Mysteries and exhilarating human drama unfold against the backdrop of the “unnatural death institution,” or “UDI.” When the body of a young man is brought to the UDI lab one day; the cause of death was attributed to ischemic heart disease.
But the victim’s parents are confused by the strangeness of their son’s death and turn to medical coroner Mikoto, to find the real reason.
Together with his lab technician partner, Yuko Shoji, and rookie medical recorder, Rokuro, they examine the body for possible drug poisoning and then learn that a female colleague of the deceased man has just died suddenly.
This investigative drama series was released in 2018 with 10 episodes. You can watch this J-drama on Viki.
12. Ishi Tsubute
Ishi Tsubute is one of the old detective Japanese dramas released in 2017 with 8 episodes. It tells the story of a secret Foreign Ministry fund uncovered in a scandal that rocked the government and the bureaucracy.
Detective Kizaki of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Second Investigation Division fights against the organization and begins to unearth the truth of this case. What was the shocking crime of the foreign ministry bureaucrat called the “three villains”?
13. Voice: 110 Emergency Control Room 2
Tells the story of Detective Higuchi Shogo and Emergency Command Center Leader Tachibana Hikari who continue to work together to save victims and catch criminals as quickly as possible.
They will face evil villains, but those villains are no ordinary bad guys. The villain shows the explosive anger that some young people have toward society.
Younger people perceive criminal behavior as not just a crime but as representative of themselves. This Japanese detective show was released in 2021 with 10.
14. SICK’S – Jo no Shou
The series’ storyline follows a pair of police detectives as they track down a criminal with a special ability (SPEC). However, since the previous incident, the MPD Public Security special division for resolving cases involving unknown circumstances (Mishou) has ceased to exist.
Instead, there was now an exclusive special division (Tokumu) as part of the Cabinet Information Research Office which only handled cases involving SPEC holders led by Nonomura Koutarou’s younger brother, Nonomura Koujirou.
This is one of the best Japanese detective comedy dramas that was released in 2018 with 142 episodes (a lot).
Those were the top lists of the best Japanese detective dramas that you must watch at least once. Thanks for reading this article, have a nice day!
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