TV Man Union was founded by a team of 25 producers and directors on February 25, 1970, to explore the possibilities of television and what the medium meant to each of them. It was Japan’s first independent TV production company. It has created TV programming in every genre from dramas and documentaries to quiz shows. It has also produced movies, music, and even works for the stage. Every year, TV Man Union wins multiple prestigious prizes on the domestic awards circuit for TV shows aired in Japan.

TV Man Union always produced programming with a global perspective. In the 1970s, when it was still rare for Japanese to travel abroad, their crews ventured overseas to film on location as we started making TV shows that acquainted Japanese audiences with the wider world. In 2003, we purchased the program format for the worldwide hit show Test the Nation from its Dutch creator Eyeworks. We pitched the format to one of Japan’s major broadcasters, TV Asahi, and produced the Japanese version.