Source: Toei Co., Ltd. Official Site: aibou-movie.jp (Japan)

PARTNERS: THE MOVIE III (??-???III- ???????? ??????, Aibo Gekijo-ban III - Kyodai Misshitsu! Tokumei-Gakari Zekkai no Koto e) comes to theaters across Japan on April 26, 2014. Toei will release the film during Golden Week as part of TV Asahi`s 55th anniversary celebration. The film is the fifth theatrical release in the ongoing franchise based on Yasuhiro Koshimizu`s AIBOU: TOKYO DETECTIVE DUO (??, Aibo) -- aka PARTNERS -- Japan`s top-rated crime drama which has aired on TV Asahi since 2002. The first big screen adventure, PARTNERS: THE MOVIE (??-???-??????42.195km ????????????, Aibo gekijo-ban: Zettai zetsumei! 42.195km Tokyo Biggu Shiti Marason), was a box office smash in 2008 and was quickly followed by the spin-off CSI FILES (?????????????????, Kanshiki: Yonezawa Mamoru no Jikenbo, 2009). The direct sequel PARTNERS: THE MOVIE II (?? ??? II, Aibo gekijo-ban II) was released in 2010, and the second spin-off, AIBOU SERIES: X DAY (?????? XDAY, Aibo Shirizu X DAY), debuted in 2013. PARTNERS: THE MOVIE III stars Yutaka Mizutani as detective Ukyo Sugishita of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police`s (MPD) Special Task Unit, a role he has played since the first season of AIBOU: TOKYO DETECTIVE DUO. Co-star Hiroki Narimiya joined the series as Sugishita`s latest partner, Tooru Kai, in the 11th season (2012-2013) and now makes his first appearance in the PARTNERS films. The two leads are joined by series regulars Koji Ishizaka, Suzuki Anju, Kazuhisa Kawahara, Ryosuke Otani, Takashi Yamanaka, Atsushi Yamanishi, Seiji Rokkaku and Satoshi Jinbo. Newcomers to the franchise include Tsuyoshi Ihara (GAMERA: GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE, 13 ASSASSINS), Yumiko Shaku (GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA, THE TIGER MASK), Toru Kazama (MASKED RIDER THE FIRST, MW) and Shin Takuma (RETURN OF GODZILLA, GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA). The film takes the characters away from the streets of Tokyo and to a mysterious island in the Pacific Ocean. Much of the movie was shot in Okinawa with state-of-the-art 4K digital cameras.

Mineaki Kai (Koji Ishizaka) of the National Police Agency directs the Special Task Unit to investigate a reported accidental death -- a man died after being kicked by a horse -- on Phoenix Island, a privately-owned isle 300km off the coast of Tokyo. Task Unit Director-General -- and Ukyo Sugishita`s former partner -- Takeru Kanbe (Mitsuhiro Oikawa) assigns the case to Sugishita and Tooru Kai. Arriving on the island, Sugishita and Kai meet with its owner, Michihiko Wakasa (Shin Takuma), the president of Wakasa Industries. They also encounter a group of ex-Japanese Self-Defense Force soldiers who are using the island as a training camp and view the detectives as uninvited guests. And when Sugishita discovers evidence that the "accidental" death is actually a homicide, he and Kai find their own lives are now danger... The events in the film will be set up in PARTNERS: THE MOVIE III - INTRODUCTION (?? -???III- ??, Aibo Gekijo-ban III - Joshoo), a four-part story that will be available from the NTT Docomo mobile service starting March 29, 2014.

CREDITS

PARTNERS: THE MOVIE III ??-???III- ???????? ??????, Aibo Gekijo-ban III - Kyodai Misshitsu! Tokumei-Gakari Zekkai no Koto e (Aibou Theatrical Version III - Behind Closed Doors! Special Task Unit to the Isolated Island) Japanese Theatrical Release: April 26, 2014 Running Time: 114 Minutes Cast Ukyo Sugishita: Yutaka Mizutani Tooru Kai: Hiroki Narimiya Takeru Kanbe: Mitsuhiro Oikawa Mineaki Kai: Koji Ishizaka Tsukasa Muro: Tsuyoshi Ihara Shimako Takano: Yumiko Shaku Takao Watanuki: Toru Kazama Michihiko Wakasa: Shin Takuma Sachiko Tsukimoto: Suzuki Anju Etsuko Usui: Sei Matobu Kenichi Itami: Kazuhisa Kawahara Shinsuke Miura: Ryosuke Otani Keiji Serizawa: Takashi Yamanaka Rokuro Kakuta: Atsushi Yamanishi Mamoru Yonezawa: Seiji Rokkaku Kanji Uchimura: Ryuji Katagiri Teruo Nakazono: Ryo Ono Haruki Okochi: Satoshi Jinbo Mikoto Kobe: Mitsuhiro Oikawa Shuji Taga: Dai Watanabe Staff Director: Seiji Izumi Writer: Yasuhiro Koshimizu Music: Yoshihiro Ike Production: Toei Tokyo Studio, Toei TV Production "Partners -The Movie III-" Partners: TV Asahi, Toei, Trisam, Shogakukan, Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, Nagoya Broadcasting Network, Kinoshita Group, Hokkaido Television Broadcasting, Hiroshima Home Television, Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting, Top Coat Distributor: Toei © 2014 "Partners -The Movie III-" Partners

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For more information on the AIBOU: TOKYO DETECTIVE DUO franchise, please see the previous coverage here on SciFi Japan:

• AIBOU SERIES: X DAY