Japanese actors and actresses
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- Born in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture Takei Emi was born on December 25th 1993 and went on to become a model, singer and actress. While at junior high school she determined to become a fashion model and informed her parents. She entered the annual 11th Japan Bishojo Contest in 2006 and won it. She appeared in the November, 2006 edition of Seventeen magazine, signed an exclusive contract with them in 2007 and appeared on a cover in February. She appeared in a TV serial in 2008 and expanded from there. She also took the familiar route of both becoming a singer and promoting corporate products in Japan. She married fellow singer and actor Takahiro (of Exile) in 2017. They were reported to be dating since 2015, which both actors' managements had officially denied. The two had co-starred in Senryokugai Sosakan. She was pregnant at time of marriage. Takei Emi is represented by Oscar Promotion, which charged her for "damages" for not acting and making money upon pregnancy and marriage.Senryokugai Sousakan, The Weather girl knows
- Yôsuke Eguchi was born on 31 December 1967 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins (2012), Goemon (2009) and Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno (2014). He has been married to Chisato Moritaka since June 1999. They have two children.Personal bodyguard
- Born Arai Nanao in Saitama just north of Tokyo, the thin and leggy girl began her career at age 20 in 2009 modelling for Pinky magazine and being the ring girl at matches and race girl at races. She won the semi-annual Miss TGC award at Tokyo Girls Collection owing to her style and looks and became a fashion model for the Non-No magazine. She next joined Ginger magazine and was invited to appear on television on various shows. She began acting in 2011 by appearing on Tokyo TV's Urero Mikakunin Shojo and Omo Ni Naitemasu serials. She starred in 2014's The Snow White Murder Case movie, alongside Mao Inoue, playing the company's beautiful and sexy senior employee. She is signed to Platinum Production talent agency and is in a series of films and serials now.Personal bodyguard, Siren; Ninja family (s); Miss Devil
- Actress
Yûki Amami was born on 8 August 1967 in Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress, known for Inugami (2001), Sennen no koi - Hikaru Genji monogatari (2001) and Countdown (1996).Boss, Emergency interrogation room- Hiroshi Abe was born on 22 June 1964 in Kanagawa, Japan. He is an actor, known for Still Walking (2008), Godzilla 2000 (1999) and After the Storm (2016).Shinzanmono, Sniffer, Trick
- Ryôko Yonekura was born on 1 August 1975 in Yokohama, Japan. She is an actress, known for Musashi (2003), The Negotiator: The Movie (2010) and Tenki yohou no koibito (2000).Negotiator, Doctor X
- Kuranosuke Sasaki was born on 4 February 1968 in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. He is an actor, known for Godzilla Minus One (2023), Mission Impossible: Samurai (2014) and 20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End (2008).Hancho, The weather girl knows
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Takuya Kimura was born on 13 November 1972 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for 2046 (2004), Blade of the Immortal (2017) and Love and Honor (2006). He has been married to Shizuka Kudô since 2000. They have two children.Mr Brain, Personal bodyguard, Masquerade hotel, Change, Hero, Long vacation, 10 counts to the future- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Fukuyama Masaharu is a musician, singer-songwriter, music producer, actor, radio personality and photographer from Japan. In 1987 at the age of 18, he left his hometown Nagasaki for Tokyo. The next year, artist management and entertainment company Amuse Inc. celebrated their 10th anniversary with the "Amuse 10 Movie Auditions" project. Fukuyama auditioned and won a co-lead part in the 1988 movie "Hon no 5g". Signed up with Amuse Inc., he formally made his debut as a singer-songwriter with the single "Tsuioku no Ame no Naka" in 1990.
Initial years were hard and his first few CDs did not fare well. But he was slowly creating a following for himself through regular live house performances and a few drama parts. His first break came in 1992 with the 5th single "Good Night" and its namesake - a song he wrote for the TV drama "Ai wa douda" which he also co-starred in, and which gave him his first footing into the Oricon Top 10. From then on, he was able to tie-in song-writing with various TV drama and commercials, and by 1994 achieved his first Oricon chart-topper and million-seller with his 9th single "It's Only Love/Sorry Baby".
Since 2011, Fukuyama holds the record as the all-time best-selling male solo singer in Japan. In 2015, after 25 years in the business, his 31st single "I am a Hero" earned him his 17th Oricon Singles chart-topper and the coveted title of Male Solo Artiste with the Most Oricon No.1 Single Hits. He had already been first in the Singer-songwriter category since 2011. His single "Sakurazaka" (released in 2000) still stands as the highest selling single by a Japanese male solo artiste in Oricon history.
As an actor, Fukuyama's involvement in select movies and TV drama have also proven a great success. The TV series "Hitotsu Yane no Shita" in 1993 provided his big breakthrough in popularity not only within Japan but also in Asian countries where this drama was subsequently shown.
In 1996, at the height of his career at that time, Fukuyama took a 2 year hiatus, withdrawing from almost all entertainment activities except his 2 weekly radio shows. It was during this time that he came under the guidance of acclaimed photographer Ueda Shoji with whom he had worked previously for his CD covers. In later interviews, Fukuyama would disclose that it was more than photography that he learnt from Ueda, but a mentality and passion for work. To this day, years after his mentor's passing, all of Fukuyama's music work are still credited with thanks to Ueda Shoji.
Returning to the entertainment scene in 1998, Fukuyama has since scaled new heights in both music and acting. His lead roles in the highly popular Galileo tv series (2007, 2013) and the year-long Taiga drama Ryomaden (2010) further cemented his status within Japan and around the region.
In 2008, Fukuyama appeared in his first major leading movie, "Yougisha X no Kenshin"(Suspect X) from the Galileo franchise. The film went on to top domestic box office for 4 consecutive weeks and grossed US$54,826,455 worldwide. It was the 2nd-highest grossing non-animation local film that year. Fukuyama partnered with Kanno Yugo on the movie soundtrack, each contributing a part of it. After a 5 year break from the movie scene, he reprised his role in the second Galileo movie "Manatsu no Hoteshiki" (Midsummer's Equation) in 2013, both as lead character Yukawa Manabu and co-composer for the film's music. The movie has since opened in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and around the region.
2013 also brought him numerous Best Actor nominations in major film festivals around the world, through his performance in the Cannes-winning movie Soshite Chichi ni Naru (Like Father Like Son). He won the accolade in the Yokohama Film Festival and Takasaki Film Festival. As a singer-songwriter by primary profession, Like Father Like Son was only Fukuyama's 3rd major movie (his 2nd in terms of shooting schedule, as Midsummer's Equation was filmed after Like Father Like Son). Premiered in the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, the film won the Jury Prize and has gone on to take numerous Best Feature, Audience Choice and Special Awards in film festivals around the world. To-date, it has been released in over 40 countries or territories globally.
Fukuyama is also involved as narrator in the ongoing NHK documentary project on endangered species called "Hot Spots, The Last Paradise". The first season was co-produced with NHNZ, France Televisions, Science Channel and Animal Planet. Fukuyama did not appear in the internationally released version which was renamed "Life Force". Season 2 was released domestically between Oct 2014 to Mar 2015 and is scheduled to be aired around the region at time of writing.
Known for his deep voice and live performances, Fukuyama concerts are constant sellouts in Japan. In addition to regular nation-wide tours, he holds a series of count-down concerts almost every year, called the Daikanshasai or "thanksgiving fest". This tradition stems from 1998 whereupon resuming his music activities, he was moved by the response of his many supporters who had waited through the years without any news of a return. The Daikanshasai was his way of thanking his fans and continues to this day, having passed its 14th time running at year-end 2014. Fukuyama has mentioned on more than one occasion that concerts are invariably his "favourite part of the job".
His "We're Bros Tour 2009: Michishirube" tour set a personal record in concert audience participation, with upto 500,000 attending 36 performances in 12 major concert arenas around the country. In May the same year, to kick-start his 20th anniversary activities, Fukuyama had brought forward the traditional year-end Daikanshasai to prelude his nation-wide Michishirube tour, performing in the Budokan solo for the first time. As a token of gratitude to his fans for the past 20 years, ticket prices were set at an unprecedented low of JPY3,939, playing on the Japanese pronunciation of 3939 for "thank you thank you". All 4 shows totaling 60,000 seats were sold out in a matter of minutes. That same summer, he returned to his hometown Nagasaki for two outdoor concerts at the Mount Inasa Park. At the same time, 50,000 local residents were invited to a simultaneous free live broadcast viewing at the Big N baseball stadium nearby. It was reported that an estimated 80,000 people were brought in by the concerts for those 2 days alone (both from local surrounding regions and overseas), contributing to an estimated economic impact of JPY1.5 billion (equiv to USD16.5 million) for the city's tourism income.
In 2011, Fukuyama furthered his audience record with the "We're Bros Tour 2011: The Live Bang!" tour. 52 performances in 18 major concert arenas resulted in a total attendance in excess of 600,000. Not included in this number was a special outdoor concert which was added in the Okinawa Nishihara Marine Park as an extension of the Tour.
2014 marked a number of concert firsts for Fukuyama - his first nation-wide Dome tour, his first overseas concert tour, and his first Men's Night and Ladies' Night gender specific concerts. Between April and May, the "We're Bros Tour 2014" was held in 5 of the country's biggest concert domes (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sapporo) and the Saitama Super Arena, with 14 sell-out performances bringing in total audience numbers in excess of 500,000.
In June, he extended the tour to Taiwan and Hong Kong, holding one show in the Taipei Arena and 2 in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, allowing many overseas fans to see him live in concert for the first time. An estimated 12,000 attended the show in Taiwan and 11,000 in Hong Kong. The overseas concerts were met with critical acclaim from public and industry reviewers alike. Taiwan satellite TV network TVBS Senior Reporter Michael Chang applauded it as one of the few which can set the standards of excellence for concerts in the Taipei Arena. Hong Kong Skypost Assistant Chief Editor Elaine Tang wrote that she had never experienced such level of electricity in Hong Kong concerts before, and that this was the way a concert should be. Movie producer/director Peter Tsi described it as a performance which resonated with him and moved him deeply.
In the summer of 2015, after 25 years in the business, Fukuyama embarked on his first ever stadium concerts. All shows at the Osaka Yanmar Stadium (50,000 capacity) and Yokohama Nissan Stadium (70,000 capacity, the nation's largest) were fully sold out, reaching a total audience count of 240,000 in just 4 days. The summer tour would end with a return trip to his hometown Nagasaki for 2 outdoor shows at Mount Inasa Park. Again, sold out within minutes, the homecoming concert was broadcast live not only to cinemas across Japan, Hong Kong and in Taiwan, but also free for public viewing at the Nagasaki Seaside Park. To celebrate his 25th anniversary, JR Kyushu converted one of their fully operational limited express trains into a travelling tribute to Fukuyama. The Fuku! Kamome express runs daily on the Hakata-Nagasaki route and others, between August 23 and October 16, 2015.Galileo, Suspect X- Yoshitaka Yuriko was born in Tokyo on 22.07.1988. She entered the entertainment profession when she was scouted in Harajuku in Tokyo when she was sixteen. Since then she has played a string of roles in both the small and the big screen in roles as diverse and ranging from being the kindest girl ever in The Story Of Yonosuke to being a loose wench in Snakes And Earrings. She won several newcomer awards for both roles. Her delicate features and long hair have afforded her both serious roles and love interest fantasy roles. While filming Snakes.. she was involved in a traffic accident and broke her jaw landing her in the hospital. She had to interrupt filming for weeks. Before those she had a fun role in the film Tenten that should sit well with mayonnaise lovers the world over. By 2010 she had already climbed to the top of Oricon's Most Promising Actress annual poll. She co-hosted the 65th annual Enueichikei Koohaku Uta Gassen New year's show on NHK in 2014. She spent nine months travelling next and managed to visit South Korea, the USA and the Philippines where she also studied English. Yuriko is managed by the Amuse agency and has pushed Suntory Whiskey and Panapp ice cream among other products.Snake and earrings, Galileo; Yurigokoro (s)
- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Ko Shibasaki was born on August 5, 1981 in Tokyo. Her real name is Yukie Yamamura (Ko Shibasaki is a main character of her favorite manga). She started her career at 14 when her talent was discovered by a star agent. She has worked in many TV shows and commercials, starting to become more famous thanks to her excellent performance in the movie Battle Royale (2000) as Mitsuko Soma. She has reached a star status not only in Japan, but all over East Asia. She has also been singing since 2002, releasing her first single, "Trust My Feelings". However, her singing skills were only recognized with her second single, "Tsuki no Shizuku", a song used for the movie Yomigaeri (2002) that was one of the best J-Pop hits of 2003. She is considered one of the glamorous queen of drama, earning millions of yens and going out with bad boys.Galileo- Minami Hamabe was born on 29 August 2000 in Ishikawa, Japan. She is an actress, known for Godzilla Minus One (2023), Shin Kamen Rider (2023) and Let Me Eat Your Pancreas (2017).Alibi Kuzushi; The promise neverland (S); A school where students can start over (S)
- Born in Tokyo, Japan Tsuchiya Tao received her first break in Tokyo Sonata, which would go on to become a popular movie and even win the Un Certain Regard - Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008. Prior to that she had appeared in a 2007 commercial for Gamesoft. She was chosen for the commercial after auditioning at 2005's Super Heroine Audition Miss Phoenix. Renbutsu Misako won the contest, Sekido Yuki and Mizutani Riho were runners-up, but Tao ranked third, alongside Takagi Koto and Kawaharada Maari, which accorded her a management contract. She attended an all-girl high school. She continued to act in movies and on television including the Rurouni Kenshin adaptation where she played a boyish heiress to a dojo and in NHK's Mare in 2015 where they reportedly picked her out of over 2,000 auditioning actresses. She was romantically linked to co-star Yamazaki Kento in 2016 and 2017, but a relationship was not confirmed. They remained silent after being photographed together outside a barbecue restaurant late one night. She was awarded the Newcomer Of The Year award at the 39th Japan Academy Prize in 2016 for her role in Orange. She has a blog she updates daily. It became news when one day in 2016 she did not update it with a post. She was the dancer in Sia's Arrive video and sang the theme song for the Ballerina anime in 2017. Tao has had surgery for ankyloglossia in order to speak and enunciate better. She lists playing the flute, piano and shamisen as well as dancing as skills and loves to ski, read and watch films. Her younger brother is actor Tsuchiya Shimba who is two years younger than her. She herself is two years younger than her sister. Her given name was inspired by a dream her mother had while pregnant, which included a girl with the unusual name Tao. Tao means 'Phoenix,' which she took as an omen when auditioning in 2005.Alice in borderland (Usagi)
- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Introduced in May 2010 through the Hagane No Onna (Woman Of Steel) drama serial and the Tokyo Disney Sea commercial of 2011, Kasumi's first big break came through a role in her first feature film 2011's Gyaru Basara. Her older sister is gravure idol Airi Arimura and her favourite activities are cooking and going for a stroll. She has become in-demand and has several projects lined up stretching over two years into the future.
Kasumi Arimura gained popularity by appearing in a Shitsuren Chocolatier (2014) and topped the list of most expect talents.Flying colors- Yuki Mamiya is an Japanese actress. She is best known for The Torture Club (2014) and Wet Woman In The Wind (2016).
In The Torture Club she played the role of Yuuri Kobashi based on the Manga written by Makoto Fukami.
In Wet Woman In The Wind she performed several nude scenes.
Her film debut was Hello, My Dolly Girlfriend (2013).Sweet Whip, Wet girl in the wind, The crawler in the attic; The Key - Anna Yamada was born on 8 January 2001 in Saitama, Japan. She is an actress, known for Hiraite (2021), Sumika Sumire (2016) and Missions of Love (2018).10 counts to the future
- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Born Fujima Takako in Tokyo in 1977, she found herself in a family of actors and actresses including her kabuki artist father, uncle and brother, a sister who would act in movies and would eventually marry a man from the entertainment industry. Her mother Norika is a businesswoman. Her niece is a kabuki actress. Her sister's husband is also an actor. She appeared on the theatre stage at age sixteen and an NHK serial called Kura at seventeen. She hosted the annual New Year's Eve NHK show Koohaku Uta Gassen at nineteen. She debuted her single Ashita, Haru Ga Kitara on the same program the year after. She became a full-fledged singer from thereon releasing regular albums and going on tour for her soft pop music. She has worked with Universal Music. She attended Asia University, but dropped out. She further branched out with a photo essay book in 2003. She was the winner of the Best Actress Of The Year award at the 29th Hochi Film Award and the 28th Japan Academy Prize both for the samurai film, The Hidden Blade. She married guitarist Sahashi Yoshiyuki in 2007 and gave birth to a daughter in 2015. She had met her husband working on the 2001 song Hana No Youni ('Like A Flower') and they had toured together. They had apparently become a couple in 2004. He is sixteen years older. That was his second marriage as he had divorced in 1998. These two facts angered her father, but she forged ahead and simply skipped having a wedding party. Being married her name became Sahashi Takako. She had earlier been connected to actor Oizumi Yo. For her traditional Japanese dance she uses the name Matsumoto Kouka. 2009's Villon's Wife garnered her several awards as did that same year's Confessions. She left the Papado management agency in 2011 and opened her own agency. She did voice acting for the dub of Frozen and sang for the Japanese version in 2014. She was again on Koohaku Uta Gassen in 2017. She has continuously appeared on stage and, like most Japanese celebrities, endorsed corporate products like beverages, financial services and cosmetics. She is reportedly quarter Korean. She plays the piano and cites tofu as her favourite food. She used to have feminine long her, but beginning her tenth year singing she cut her hair and adopted a boyish look.Quartet, Confession, Masquerade hotel, long vacation- The short-haired Mitsushima Hikari was born in Okinawa, which is Japan's southernmost prefecture and mostly occupied by the American military since World War II. Mitsushima's grandmother was French-American. Her siblings are a model, a basketball player and an actor. Hikari began her entertainment career in the band Folder and all-girl Folder 5 between 1997 and 2003. before beginning acting intermittently. She did some gravure modelling. She began taking on consistent acting roles in 2009 with Pride and Sion Sono's exotic Love Exposure. Her performance in Love Exposure won her accolades. Hikari starred in the comedy Sawako Decides (2010), which was written and directed by Yuya Ishii, whom she subsequently married in late 2010. They divorced less than six years later. Hikari won the award for Best Actress at the Fantasia Film Festival. The film itself won the award for Best Feature.10 count to the future, Quartet
- Yutaka Takenouchi was born on 2 January 1971 in Chofu, Japan. He is an actor, known for Shin Godzilla (2016), Between Calmness and Passion (2001) and Shin Kamen Rider (2023).Long vacation, Suteki na san taxi, Boss, Heavens coin (takumi)
- Aya Asahina was born on 6 October 1993 in Sumoto, Japan. She is an actress, known for Alice in Borderland (2020), Girl Gun Lady (2021) and Red Shoes (2022). She has been married to Kenjirô Yamashita since 26 July 2021.Alice in Borderland (Kuina)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Ayaka Miyoshi is a Japanese singer, actress and model signed to Amuse. She was scouted when she was in the third grade. In 2008 she passed the Nico Petit auditions and became their model until 2010. In April 2010 she became a member of the idol group Sakura Gakuin and its subunit SCOOPERS until her graduation at the end of March 2012. She is a model for the Japanese version of "Seventeen" magazine.Alice in borderland (Ann); Knuckle Girl (s)- She was born in Tokyo on October 9th, 1998 and began her career - a small role at age six aside - at age nine in the WOWOW satellite channel's Soratobu Taiya mini-serial. She has been active ever since on both the small and large screens including in scene-stealing performances in Have A Song On Your Lips and Before We Vanish. She has also done voice acting, appeared in music videos and jumped into the corporate commercial realm and pushed vitamins, noodles, MOS Burger and more. Not bad for a girl who worried her parents at a very young age for being too shy. Yuri is signed to the Amuse talent agency.Alice in borderland (Akane)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rikka Ihara was born on 2 June 1999 in Osakasayama, Japan. She is an actress, known for Meiji Tokyo Renka (2019), Nightmare Resort (2023) and Stay Evil (2024).Sumo do sumo dont (honoka)- Miyuu Teshima is known for Alice in Borderland (2020), Hide & Sniff (2020) and Watch Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (2022).Sumo do summo dont (saki)
- Born in 1986, Satomi began acting professionally in 2003 at age 17 and has not looked back since. Satomi began her acting career in 2003 when she starred in the drama Kimi wa petto (2003), starring Jun Matsumoto and Koyuki. She has devoted equal time to television serials and the world of movies and in the process won several awards such as Best Actress at both the 27th Japan Academy Prize and 46th Blue Ribbon Awards for My Grandpa.
She is known to Japanese television drama audiences for her portrayal as Saeko Takahashi in the Shitsuren Chocolatier (2014). she gained popularity by appearing in a Shitsuren Chocolatier (2014) with Jun Matsumoto in 2014. She was the most searched for actress on Yahoo Japan in 2014 following roles like Shitsuren Chocolatier.Unnatural, Incite Mill (s) - Actress
- Soundtrack
Yukie Nakama was born on October 30, 1979 in Urasoe. She's 1 of the few Japanese celebrities that have been able to break free from their teeny-bopper image & emerge as 1 of the country's most popular as well as respected actresses.
She appeared in small roles until"Love & Pop (1998)." She was a gravure idol for a few years until she got the lead role as Sadako for Ring 0: Birthday, which became her big break.
Afterwards, she starred in several TV dramas, most notably Trick , which demonstrated her talent in comedic roles. It was such a hit, it was picked up for 2 more seasons. However, the TV series Gokusen, cemented her as 1 of Japan's most bankable & popular actresses.
Notable movies include Ring 0: Birthday , Trick Movie, G@me, Shinobi: Heart Under Blade & Oh Oku.
She has also proven her bankability through commercial endorsements such as Nissin, Glico, Lotte, Asahi, Shiseido & au by KDDI. She's 1 of the most watched celebrity endorsers, becoming a regular face at billboards & subway stations. She has even served as spokesperson for the Japanese Tax Agency & Japan Railways.
She's managed by Production Ogi.Gokusen, Trick, And then there were none (s), Ghost mama soususen; Game (s)- In the past fifteen years Nozomi Sasaki has gone from an unknown quantity to something of a phenomenon thanks to her physical attributes and talent. She has leveraged the adoring looks of the fans, commentators and advertisers to a career in big screen films, TV serials, endless number of commercial work, Public relations assignments, photo books, music albums and adult (gravure) and fashion modelling. Sasaki was born in the northern prefecture of Akita and proudly carried the local dialect 'akitaben' as she began modelling at the age of fourteen and all the way through her becoming a popular name. Speaking of which, she has often chosen to stylize her name simply as Nozomi. She is often featured within or on the cover of magazines with fans praising her slim build, legs, eyes and smile. After dating several celebrities, including a member of the boy band Arashi, Nozomi Sasaki announced her engagement to comedian Watabe Ken on NTV's live variety program Gyoretsu No Dekiru Horitsu Sodanjo on April 9 of 2017. The couple had been dating for two years. They subsequently married in April 2017. She gave birth to a boy in September 2018. Subsequently multiple reports emerged of his cheating during their courtship and subsequently. She is signed to the Top Coat Group agency.
- Sei Shiraishi was born on 10 August 1998 in Kanagawa, Japan. She is an actress, known for I's (2018), Prince of Legend (2019) and Ooku (2023).Miss Devil
- Anna Sawai was born in New Zealand. She is an actress, known for Ninja Assassin (2009), F9: The Fast Saga (2021) and Shōgun (2024).
- Moeka Hoshi was born on 23 August 1995 in Chiba, Japan. She is an actress, known for Shōgun (2024), Anata no koibito godatsu-shimasu. (2024) and The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8 (2020).