The broadcaster of the world’s longest-running cartoon has said it will have to switch to reruns from next week due to disruption to production caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Based on a manga series by Machiko Hasegawa, Sazae-san is one of the longest-running TV shows in history, with more than 2,500 episodes — each consisting of three separate stories.
A Fuji TV spokesperson tells Reuters that this is the first time the broadcaster has had to resort to reruns since 1975, when Japan was dealing with the fallout from a global oil shock.
Sazae-san is, of course, not the only weekly Japanese TV show experiencing disruption due to COVID-19.
Fuji TV and Netflix’s popular reality drama Terrace House, for instance, has been off the air for a month, though it’s returning today with just a single panelist in the studio to present the pre-recorded footage.