Jasper Pääkkönen gets the lead role in an international series filmed in Tampere

Jasper Pääkkönen is standing in a winter landscape, dressed in a warm jacket and leaning on a metal railing. A brick building can be seen in the background and snowflakes are floating on the ground. — Jasper Pääkkönen plays Jon Llan, a detective who hunts a serial killer in Shadows of the Rising Sun.

A Finnish-Japanese detective series is now being filmed in Tampere. Jasper Pääkkösi is joined by Japanese Anne Watanabe in the second leading role.

A Finnish-Japanese series *Shadows of the Rising Sun* is currently being filmed in Tampere.

The serial killer hunter series is co-written by Finns and Japanese.

Anne Watabane in a white polo shirt. — Anne Watanabe, who plays Detective Aki Suzumiyata, is also known in Japan as a model and singer. She is the daughter of Hollywood actor Ken Watanabe.

“Finland represents cold and snow”

– The weather has been kind to us. In Japan, Finland represents cold and snow, so in that sense it has started well. Lake Pyhäjärvi and Lake Näsijärvi are already well on ice, Aalto says.

Aalto does not yet reveal more specific filming locations in Tampere, but promises that iconic locations will be seen.

– In some places, even barefoot people have to wonder where it is.

The series is filmed not only in Finland but also in Japan. The different cultures of the countries are also visible in the descriptions and in the plot of the story itself.

– Work cultures are fundamentally different. What is taken for granted in Finland is not so for foreigners. Communication and speaking style is different.

Aalto says that the script team has used cultural differences as inspiration in the plot of the series itself.

The series will be available in 2026

International large-scale productions often require years of ground work. This time things have progressed quite quickly quickly.

– The project started about a year and a half ago in Los Angeles. Since then, we have visited Japan with various formations and from there we have visited here, Hynninen told Yle earlier.

The series \”Shadows of the Rising Sun\” will be shown in Finland on Nelonen Media’s Ruutu service in 2026. In Japan, the series will be shown on the WOWOW channel, which is Japan’s first pay channel focused on entertainment.

The series is financed by, among others, the city of Tampere and Business Finland with their production incentives.

*The story was edited at 1:53 p.m.: Added Erna Aalto’s comments.*