Katsuaki Setoguchi

Katsuaki Setoguchi (born September 9, 1973) is a Japanese television drama producer and serves as an executive officer at TBS Holdings. As of June 23, 2025, he was appointed President and Representative Director of THE SEVEN Inc., a subsidiary of the TBS Group. His current positions also include an executive officer in charge of Human Resources Strategy, a role he assumed on January 1, 2024, as well as a part-time lecturer for Rikkyo University’s Global Leadership Program since 2023.

He was born in Kagoshima Prefecture. During high school, he participated in the basketball club at Kagoshima Prefectural Tsurumaru High School. After graduating from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Economics, he joined TBS Television in 1996. Following his entry, he initially worked as a staff member on variety shows and then became involved in television drama production starting in 1997.

In 1998, he was transferred to the Programming Department of the Program Division, and later, in 2001, he returned to the Drama Department to begin working as a producer. On December 7, 2004, he took on the surname "Obuchi" after marrying Yuko Obuchi, a politician and a fellow new hire at TBS at the time.

His awards include the Encouragement Award for Producers at the Elan d’Or Awards in 2008, and in 2009, he was selected for "Next Generation Asia" by the American entertainment industry magazine Hollywood Reporter. In 2010, he produced the highly-rated program "TBS 60th Anniversary: 99 Years of Love ~ Japanese Americans," which is regarded as a culmination of modern Japanese historical drama, scripted by Kōji Hashida and directed by Katsuhiro Fukuzawa.

Throughout his career, he was promoted to Deputy Director of the Programming Department, returned to drama production in 2015, and on July 1, 2019, was promoted to Head of the Programming Department. Subsequently, he became Director of the Programming Department from July 2020. With his appointment as an executive officer in 2024, he took on responsibilities related to Human Resources Strategy and was also appointed as an officer of TBS Holdings.

In terms of personality, he is sometimes called the "Highest-Rated Man" due to his involvement in many hit productions. His works include "Boys Over Flowers" and "The Great Family," and in 2008, the term "Around Forty" was awarded the Japan Record Award’s grand prize as a buzzword. During his time at the television station, he was involved in the planning of programs like "Hanzawa Naoki" and "VIVANT."

In his personal life, after marriage, he took the surname Obuchi, his wife being Yuko Obuchi, a politician from the Liberal Democratic Party.