# He's Expecting (ヒヤマケンタロウの妊娠)
**He's Expecting** (ヒヤマケンタロウの妊娠, *Hiyama Kentarō no Ninshin*, "Kentaro Hiyama's Pregnancy") is a 2022 Japanese live-action comedy-drama series in which an elite advertising executive discovers he is pregnant in a world where men can also carry children. It was planned and produced jointly by [TV Tokyo](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-tokyo) and Netflix as a Netflix original, streamed worldwide exclusively on Netflix, and later broadcast on TV Tokyo.[1](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/information/202104/2982.html) • [2](https://www.aoi-pro.com/jp/work/20211118/23107/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | 8 episodes of about 25–26 minutes; human drama / social comedy[3](https://www.netflix.com/jp/title/81030178) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/hes-expecting) |
| Netflix release | April 21, 2022, worldwide exclusive streaming[5](https://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0008357) |
| TV Tokyo broadcast | January 5, 2023, Thursdays 0:30–1:00 in the 木ドラ24 (Thursday Drama 24) slot[6](https://thetv.jp/program/0001025989/cast/) |
| Original work | Manga by Eri Sakai, serialized in Kodansha's BE·LOVE[1](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/information/202104/2982.html) |
| Directors | Yuko Hakoda and Takeo Kikuchi[2](https://www.aoi-pro.com/jp/work/20211118/23107/) |
| Lead cast | Takumi Saitoh as Kentaro Hiyama; Juri Ueno as his partner Aki Seto[7](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/hiyamakentaro/intro/) |
| Premise | In a world where men have been able to become pregnant for about 50 years, a successful ad man confronts the inequities and prejudice surrounding pregnancy[2](https://www.aoi-pro.com/jp/work/20211118/23107/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The story is set in a world where men have been able to become pregnant for roughly 50 years.[2](https://www.aoi-pro.com/jp/work/20211118/23107/) Kentaro Hiyama (Takumi Saitoh) is a high-performing advertising-agency man who lives by the creed of living smartly, prioritizes work, and has no fixed partner. One day he learns that he is pregnant. His partner Aki Seto (Juri Ueno), who also had not planned on becoming a parent, is equally unsettled.[7](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/hiyamakentaro/intro/)
From the day he announces the pregnancy, Kentaro experiences the stares of colleagues and society and the hardships a "pregnant woman" endures, now as a "pregnant man" (妊夫). The couple wavers together through problems surrounding modern pregnancy and childbirth before being forced to decide whether to have the baby.[5](https://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0008357) In the second episode, Kentaro, worn down by morning sickness and unable to concentrate on work, decides on an abortion, only to find that the consent form requires the partner's signature; he is also removed from command of an important project because of his recent work performance.[8](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/plus/drama/entry/2023/027288.html) The season runs toward the birth itself: in the finale, Kentaro, whose labor has begun, is rushed to hospital by ambulance for an emergency delivery.[3](https://www.netflix.com/jp/title/81030178)
## Cast and production
Takumi Saitoh plays Kentaro Hiyama and Juri Ueno plays Aki Seto. The supporting cast includes Mariko Tsutsui as Kentaro's mother Tomoko, Ryo Iwamatsu as his boss Osugi, Kazuya Takahashi as Nakajima, Shohei Uno as fellow pregnant man Miyaji, Maho Yamada as Miyaji's wife Noriko, Lily Franky as Eiichi, Gaku Hosokawa as Kentaro's junior Tanabe, and Yui Yamamoto as Koga Nana, among others.[7](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/hiyamakentaro/intro/) • [6](https://thetv.jp/program/0001025989/cast/)
The series was directed by Yuko Hakoda and Takeo Kikuchi, with scripts by Noryo Yamada, Yukiko Sode, and Chihiro Amano. AOI Pro. participated as production partner; TV Tokyo handled planning and production, with Shinichi Takahashi of Netflix's content acquisition division as executive producer.[2](https://www.aoi-pro.com/jp/work/20211118/23107/) • [7](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/hiyamakentaro/intro/)
## The original manga
The drama adapts Eri Sakai's manga of the same title, serialized in Kodansha's BE·LOVE.[1](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/information/202104/2982.html) The manga's premise is that issues women still carry today, contraception, abortion, childbirth, continuing to work through pregnancy, housework, and a society supportive of child-rearing, become recognized as men's problems only once men themselves can become pregnant.[9](https://www.info.city.tsu.mie.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/002/226/18.pdf) In the manga's fictional society the male pregnancy rate is about one in ten relative to women.[9](https://www.info.city.tsu.mie.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/002/226/18.pdf) Its gender-sensitive content earned it the Sense of Gender Award special prize in Japan in 2006 and the James Tiptree Jr. Award in the United States in 2009.[9](https://www.info.city.tsu.mie.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/002/226/18.pdf) A childcare sequel, *Hiyama Kentarō no Ninshin: Ikuji-hen*, was published in two volumes by Kodansha in June 2021.[10](https://www.city.inzai.lg.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000021/21127/202502_toshoichirann.pdf)
Publication dates for the original manga differ across sources: a 2022 media-mix annual lists it as 2012,[11](https://imrc.jp/images/publish/other/2022/2022-mm-annual.pdf) while a Tsu city exhibition document lists 2013.[9](https://www.info.city.tsu.mie.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/002/226/18.pdf)
## Reception and availability
The series entered Netflix Japan's streaming-original top 10 at number 9 shortly after its April 21, 2022 release.[12](https://prtimes.jp/a/?f=d13190-20220427-7f5498d5610b733e8c5bab1ec6ce3cf4.pdf) On Filmarks it holds a user rating of 3.7 out of 5,[13](https://filmarks.com/dramas/10549/14709) and IMDb lists 3.4.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/hes-expecting) It remains available on Netflix, including the ad-supported tier.[14](https://www.justwatch.com/jp/%E3%83%86%E3%83%AC%E3%83%93%E7%95%AA%E7%B5%84/kentaro-hiyamas-first-pregnancy/%E3%82%B7%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA%E3%83%B3-1)
## References
1. [斎藤工×上野樹里 "男性が妊娠？"『ヒヤマケンタロウの妊娠』Netflixとテレビ東京が共同で企画・製作, TV Tokyo press release (2021)](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/information/202104/2982.html)
2. [ドラマ「ヒヤマケンタロウの妊娠」, AOI Pro.](https://www.aoi-pro.com/jp/work/20211118/23107/)
3. [ヒヤマケンタロウの妊娠, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/jp/title/81030178)
4. [He's Expecting, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/hes-expecting)
5. [Netflixドラマ「ヒヤマケンタロウの妊娠」キャスト・あらすじまとめ, Cinema Today (2022)](https://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0008357)
6. [ヒヤマケンタロウの妊娠の出演者・キャスト一覧, WEBザテレビジョン](https://thetv.jp/program/0001025989/cast/)
7. [〖木ドラ24〗ヒヤマケンタロウの妊娠 イントロ, TV Tokyo](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/hiyamakentaro/intro/)
8. [予期せぬ妊娠に健太郎は中絶を決めるも…第2話あらすじ, テレ東プラス (2023)](https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/plus/drama/entry/2023/027288.html)
9. [『ヒヤマケンタロウの妊娠』展示解説, 三重県津市](https://www.info.city.tsu.mie.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/002/226/18.pdf)
10. [図書一覧（ヒヤマケンタロウの妊娠育児編 上下）, 印西市](https://www.city.inzai.lg.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000021/21127/202502_toshoichirann.pdf)
11. [メディアミックス・アンニュイ 2022, IMRC](https://imrc.jp/images/publish/other/2022/2022-mm-annual.pdf)
12. [Netflix 配信オリジナル TOP10 プレスリリース, PR TIMES (2022)](https://prtimes.jp/a/?f=d13190-20220427-7f5498d5610b733e8c5bab1ec6ce3cf4.pdf)
13. [ヒヤマケンタロウの妊娠, Filmarksドラマ](https://filmarks.com/dramas/10549/14709)
14. [ヒヤマケンタロウの妊娠シーズン1, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/jp/%E3%83%86%E3%83%AC%E3%83%93%E7%95%AA%E7%B5%84/kentaro-hiyamas-first-pregnancy/%E3%82%B7%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA%E3%83%B3-1)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › East Asian web and streaming serials › Titles Cr to In*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license