Asuka Hana

In Promise of Death, (Shi to no Yakusoku), the 2021 Fuji TV Japanese adaptation of Appointment with Death, Asuka Hana is the parallel character of Amabel Pierce. Like Pierce, Asuka is a travelling companion of Uesugi Honami, the parallel of Lady Westholme. Here, however, the character is not a retired governess but an editor. She is assisting Uesugi in writing her autobiography.

Asuka Hana's role in the adaptation matches that of Amabel Pierce fairly closely. Like Pierce she is highly suggesting and obliging. Uesugi uses her to establish an alibi and fake time of death of Mrs Hondo by claiming that she saw, from a distance, Mrs Hondo attacking a tengu (a mythical creature dressed in white) beating him with her cane. Asuka and Uesugi were interviewed together by the police after the murder of Mrs Hondo. When Uesugi recounted the incident, the suggestible Asuka agreed with it. Suguro (Poirot) later tested Asuka to demonstrate her suggestibility. In this case, he claimed to see a three-legged crow (a Yatagarasu). Asuka also agreed that she had seen it.

In the original, Amabel Pierce saw Carol Boynton throwing something into a stream (this turned out to be a box containing a syringe). This role is not given to Asuka in the adaptation. Hondo Kyoko (the Carol Boynton parallel) is caught trying to bury a syringe, but she is caught by the police and this is because Suguro had asked them to watch the family members.

The part of Asuka Hana is portrayed by Nagano Satomi.