Japanese Actresses
List activity
194 views
• 17 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
66 people
- Rika is an actress and variety show talent who was born in Nagasaki in October 1992, but grew up in Mie Prefecture aspiring to become a model. She has a younger brother Ryuji who followed her by fifteen year. While in her third year at junior high school she participated in a talent contest and won in 2007. Her father had sent in a photograph of her. She began acting in 2008. She was in a NHK TV serial called Futatsu No Supika in July 2009. This was a film version of the 2003 animation of the same name. She played a high school student who aspired to become an astronaut. Subsequently, she became a spokesperson for a young astronaut club. She realized her dream of modelling by appearing in many bikini photo shoots. She began publicizing the football Jleague in April 2010 until 2012. As a cast member of Hirunan Desu she participated in the Tokyo marathon in 2012, but was unable to complete it and retired. She was the Jleague's match of the day broadcaster in 2013. She was in the cheerleading girls' group called Mobcast Girl in 2013. Her appearance as the antagonist in 2013's Amacha on NHK earnt her some animosity from fans disliking her on-screen bullying of the main character. Her hobbies include watching animation at a rate of more than one a day, collecting Hello Kitty items and playing music games. She was on a 2017 TV program examining anime culture as a MC. Her favourite band is Biz. Her best friend is Gouriki Ayame. She was dating and living with actor Bishin Kawasumi. Rika is signed to Horipro management.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Sayaka Akimoto is Japanese female actor.
She started her career in the entertainment industry as a member of the Japanese pop music group, "AKB48", in 2006.
While active as a singer and dancer, she also appeared in many television series and movies as an actor.
She has performed her own action scenes and stunts for certain roles (such as for the movies Ultraman Saga and Bikuu).
After leaving AKB48 in 2014, she began pursuing her acting career in earnest.
She takes care to maintain my body, and have confidence in her core muscle strength.
Sometime She also plays Voiceover work (e.g. Japanese voice over for Guardians Of The Galaxy's "Mantis", Spring Breaks).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Aragaki, Yui is an Okinawa-born Japanese actress, model, singer, product spokeswoman, presenter and radio show host. She was born in Naha, one of US military towns of Okinawa the youngest of three sisters on June 11th 1988. She auditioned for a fashion model spot for Nikora Magazine and won the Grand Prix award at the audition. She began modelling for the magazine at age 13 and became a regular. One of her co-models, actress Enomoto Ayako, gave her the nickname 'Gakky' as a take on her surname. She moved to Tokyo at 15 and enrolled at Horikoshi High School famous for being the academic home of many budding celebrities including Seiko Matsuda. She expanded into gravure adult modelling and acting beginning the next year and at age 16. She made her acting debut in Sh15uya (a take on Tokyo Downtown district of Shibuya) in 2005. She also became quite popular as the face of Pocky in commercials. She went on to endorse Asahi, NTT and a dozen other corporate products. She has put several Newcomer and acting awards to her name since. She also expanded into voice acting in 2006 as well as movies as of 2007. Preparing additionally for her debut single and album for Warner Music Japan lead to a breakdown due to exhaustion in 2007. Other sources report that the abysmal reactions to her vocals lead to the stress. She has continued acting for the small and big screen since, however, and released more music. She also became a host for the radio program Girls Locks which lasted between 2010 and 2012. She visited The Philippines for a 24 -hour charity program in 2012. She was the female lead in the TV serial Legal High by which time she had adopted a boyish look. 2016's Nigeru Wa Haji Daga, Yaku Ni Tatsu was quite popular in Japan. She won the Tokyo Drama Awards 2017 for her role in the serial. Yui cites reading manga and karaoke as favourite pastimes. She is signed by Lespros agency.- Tokyo born Araki Yuuko came to the mortal coil as Ishii Yuko on 15.12.1993. She was born in the capital city, but lived in Kanagawa for a couple of years. She is managed by Stardust Promotion and was recruited while in fifth-grade and eleven years old at Takeshita street of Harajuku in 2004. Her debut leading film role was Ikari O Nagero in May 2008 and her first leading television serial role was Fuji Television's Love Love Alien in 2016. She became an exclusive model for the magazine Non-No. She released her first photograph book, entitled Girlfriend, in 2017. She attended both Ferris and Keisen Universities. She was adored for her fans also because she promised to reply to all messages on her blogs. She loves Momoiro Clover Z, Angerne and Morning Musume. She has been a member of the cult group Happy Science since childhood. Consequently, she has never been on a date with any man, which is perhaps ironic became the religion claims its mission is to make everybody happy.
- 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.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Yuma Asami was born on 24 March 1987 in Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress and director, known for Midnight Angel ~Yonaoshi Kanno Kissa~ (2011).- Yuri Ebihara was born on 3 October 1979 in Miyazaki, Japan. She is an actress, known for Tokumei kakarichô Tadano Hitoshi: Saigo no gekijôban (2008), Busu no hitomi ni koishiteru (2006) and Himawari Miyazaki rejendo (2020).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Sumiko Fuji was born on 1 December 1945 in Gobo, Japan. She is an actress, known for The Geisha House (1998), Okoma: The Orphan Gambler (1971) and Hibotan bakuto: Oinochi itadaki masu (1971). She has been married to Kikugorô Onoe since 1972. They have two children.- Fukada Kyoko was born in Kita Ward, Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress and singer. She has a younger sister and graduated from Horikoshi Gakuen, a renowned high school known for its many performing arts alumnae such as "Jun Matsumoto" and Ai Katô, in Nakano in 2000. The school is famous for its elite clientele and a number of graduates who went on to become celebrities. Fukada debuted in 1997. She first starred in the film with Jun Matsumoto and Ai Katô as Shinjuku Boy Detectives in 1998. with her appearance in the television drama Sore Ga Kotae Da! as Kazune. Her first film was Ring 2 as Kanae Sawaguchi in 1999, which was the year before she graduated from high school. She won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Newcomer for Shisha No Gakuensai in 2000. She released her first album, Dear, and her first single, The Last Fruit, in 1999. She starred in the haunting Dolls as Haruna in 2002 and was the star in the even more famous and comic commentary film Kamikaze Girls in 2004. She won the award for Best Actress at the Yokohama Film Festival for the latter film. Kyoko has continuously worked since, including in the thriller Room-mate or Fuji TV's remake serial, The Stewardess Cop , and appeared in commercials like ones for Pocari Sweat where she was a mermaid. She is signed to the Horipro talent agency. The agency announced the actress will go on a break from acting beginning May 2021 as she was diagnosed with something called adjustment disorder. Kyoko can play the Piano and clarinet.
- Haruka Fukuhara was born on 28 August 1998 in Saitama, Japan. She is an actress, known for Ressha Sentai ToQger vs. Kyoryuger: The Movie (2015), Ano hana ga saku oka de, kimi to mata deaetara (2023) and Ressha Sentai ToQger: The Movie - Galaxy Line SOS (2014).
- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Chikako Fukuyama is a model and actress well-known for her time on the Japanese reality show, Terrace House: Aloha State, the most popular show on Netflix in Japan. Chikako spent her childhood acting on the stage for NHK in Nagoya, Japan. After graduating from the University of Hawaii she joined the cast of Terrace House: Aloha State. She was then cast in the Yakuza mafia martial arts film, Bond of Justice. Chikako is based in Los Angeles, California.- Seika Furuhata was born on 8 July 1996 in Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress, known for Gintama Live Action the Movie (2017), Tokyo Ghoul (2017) and Our Dining Table (2023).
- Kumiko Goto was born on 26 March 1974 in Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress, known for City Hunter (1993), Rabu sutori o kimini (1988) and Otoko wa tsurai yo: Boku no ojisan (1989). She has been married to Jean Alesi since 1994. They have two children.
- 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).
- Kanna Hashimoto was born on 3 February 1999 in Fukuoka, Japan. She is an actress, known for Sailor Suit and Machine Gun: Graduation (2016), Gintama Live Action the Movie (2017) and Assassination Classroom (2015).
- Reika Hashimoto was born on 25 December 1980 in Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress, known for Survive Style 5+ (2004), Shinkuronishiti (2004) and Hero? Tenshi ni aeba... (2004).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Shizuoka City native Hirose Suzu was born four years following her model and actress sister, Alice Hirose. Her real name is Ooishi Suzuka, but she chose her alias to synchronize with her older sister. She played basketball at high school. She was scouted when her mother and she attended an event for Seventeen magazine for which her sister modelled. She was a model for Japan's Seventeen magazine beginning 2012. She was in an advertisement for wedding planning at age sixteen in 2014 and was rumoured to have been caught going to a love hotel with a Johnny's Junior member at age seventeen the next year. The report was denied. She began her on-screen career in 2013, but it was her role in 2015's Umimachi Diary (a.k.a. 'Our Little Sister') next to Haruka Ayase that got her noticed. The film, which was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, was nominated for multiple awards in Japan. Hirose won the Newcomer Of The Year award at the Japan Academy Awards. She was in another film by Kore-eda Hirokazu two years later, namely The Third Murder, which was also showcased at TIFF in Canada. She has been doing commercials since 2013 and even appearing in videos. She has done multiple commercials including one for a beverage called Match, which also featured her sister. She soon became the most prolific corporate advertiser in Japan. She caused controversy when she belittled film and sound technicians on a variety show. Naturally, she swiftly backtracked, which made her look unsteadfast. A reported survey reported that she was the most unpopular celebrity among twenty-something females in Japan. This survey's results, however, were never officially published. She denied reports of being in a relationship with Ryo Narita. She graduated from high school in 2017 and announced she would pursue her career and not attend college. Also in 2017, she released the obligatory CD release which comes with all Japanese actresses. This one was a cover of Ruriiro No Chikyu by Seiko Matsuda. During a radio broadcast she mentioned that her mother is quirky sometimes and told her children that their mother is a worm. When her mother objected via a message on the mobile Suzu posted the image of the message online. Her older brother Ooishi Koya was arrested for drunk driving and an accident in January of 2018. She has a pet dog. Her favourite foods are sweet potato, chives and meat. Suzu was tested and confirmed positive for COVID-19 in October of 2020. Suzu is represented by Foster agency.- Kochi on the island of Shikoku was bombed from the air and razed to the ground by the USA during 1945, but Kochi castle still stands as a historical point of interest. More recently the city has acted as the birth place of short-haired tomboyish singer and actress Hirosue Ryoko. She signed up for the corporate Clearasil/P&G cosmetics' model contest in 1994 when she was 14 and subsequently made her television debut the following year singing on the TK Music Camp program. She began acting for television. She had moved to Kanagawa as a teenager where she had an aunt. By 1997 she was nominated for and won the Best Supporting Actress prize at the 14th Television Drama Academy Awards. She would go on to garner multiple awards for her work on both the small and big screen in the next decade. She released multiple singles and full-length albums of pop music during this time. She enrolled in Waseda University in 1999, but did not graduate. She appeared in the Tokyo-shot French film Wasabi in 2001 where she recited her French lines without understanding them. Hirosue married model Okazawa Takahiro on January 17th, 2004 and gave birth to their son three months later. The marriage actually lasted four years. The relationship though had lasted two since the wedding. She became a single mother at the age of 27. She worked less during her marriage and pregnancy, but had the occasion to appear on screen with Yu Aoi in Hana & Alice in 2004. She had the occasion to work with Yu again in Flowers in 2010. She played alternately an understanding/betraying/compromising wife in Departures in 2008, which won the 81st Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film. She married Izutsu Jun, a candle artist and candle shop owner, in late 2010. She had previously dated Nagai Masaru rumours be believed. They had met in Haiti in March of 2010 participating in earthquake relief there. They have two children. Nonetheless she was caught visiting actor Takeru Sato overnight at his place. Reportedly, she was living alone as she had requested to do during her first marriage, which had lead to that divorce. She cites karaoke and watching movies as favourite pastimes. Like the usual array of celebrities Hirosue fronts for corporate and material goods like NTT, Shiseido and Coca Cola.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Minako Honda was born on 31 July 1967 in Tokyo, Japan. She was an actress, known for Passenger: Sugisarishi hibi (1987), Dandy to Watashi (1991) and Matthew's Best Hit TV (2001). She died on 6 November 2005 in Tokyo, Japan.- Actress
- Editor
In mid-2006, Honda was scouted by seven different people on the same day, which became the reason behind her entering the entertainment industry. She then made her debut as an exclusive model to the magazine "Seventeen" in the same year. In 2007, she switched magazines, being an exclusive model for Love Berry.
From January 2010 onwards, she switched again to Non-no and is still an exclusive model to the magazine.
On August 25, 2011, Honda appeared on the popular TBS program Akashiya Sanma's "I've Always Liked You" as the person that Oriental Radio's Shingo Fujimori liked, and from then on her television appearances increased greatly.
In November 2012, she made her film debut by starring in the film Fashion Story: Model (2012).
Her best seller theatrical feature is her next film work The Rakugo Movie (2012). She played a girl who wants to be an author of novels, and accidentally she meets a man(Takayuki Yamada as The Man) who foresees fortunes of people. The Rakugo Movie (2012) successfully and historically got ranked as the #1 bestseller DVD Movie (the ranking range includes the total sales of foreign DVD cinemas) in Japan by Oricon Inc. Moreover, on October 22, 2013. And it is the first film which her acting was shown at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California, 2012.
She now keeps her acting works in TV networks and film industries.- Horikita Maki (born Marina Hara) was born in Tokyo the eldest of three sisters in 1988. She was a tomboy growing up and by the time of her retirement also had short hair as she was older. In-between she was an attractive actress, model and corporate product endorser with longer hair between 2003 and 2017. She was awarded the Newcomer Award at the Japan Academy Awards for her role as a student boarder in Always: Sunset On Third Street. She also won a Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Kurosagi. Hanazakari No Kimitachi E in contrast garnered her the Best Actress award. Horikita's management announced her marriage to actor Koji Yamamoto on the 22nd August, 2015. The actor and actress had become a couple while playing lovers in the stage production of Arashi Ga Oka (Wuthering Heights) in May of that year and officially begun dating in June. They were also in Atashinchi No Danshi. She announced her pregnancy in the middle of 2016 and gave birth to their child in December, 2016. She announced her retirement from the entertainment industry on February, 28 2017. She stated her desire to take care of her family and thanked her fans for a "wonderful fourteen years." She has photobooks, magazine covers and multiple corporate endorsements to her name.
- 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. - Misaki Itô was born on 26 May 1977 in Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan. She is an actress, known for Ju-on: The Grudge (2002), Umineko (2004) and James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (2003).
- Rika Izumi, previously known as Chisaki Hama, was born on October 11, 1988 in Kyoto, Japan. She's best known as the girl genius Sailor Mercury in Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003). She was the youngest cast member out of the Sailor Soldiers. Like her cast mates, she's a model turned actress. Besides acting, she also sings & plays the saxophone. Prior to her success in Sailor Moon, she did other work such as idol specials on TV & modeling for various magazines. Afterwards, she decided to step out of the lime light. She returned to modeling in June 2008. She's now represented by Stardust Promotion.
- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Meiko Kaji was born on March 24, 1947 in the Kanda area of Tokyo, Japan. Following graduation from the Yakumo Academy High School in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan in 1965, Kaji first began acting in films in the mid-1960's under her real name of Masako Ôta. She was given the stage name Meiko Kaji by director Masahiro Makino. Meiko achieved her greatest enduring cult cinema popularity with her fierce portrayals of various tough outlaw characters which include young rebellious delinquents in the Stray Cat Rock series, the lethal Sasori from the Female Prisoner Scorpion pictures, and, most famously, the ruthless and driven titular assassin in the Lady Snowblood films. Kaji won a plethora of awards for her stand-out performance in Double Suicide of Sonezaki (1978). In the 1980's Meiko started acting more on television. Moreover, Kaji has also eked out a career as a singer: She not only sang the haunting theme song "Flower of Carnage (Shura No Hana)" for Lady Snowblood (1973) and the theme song "Urami-Bushi" for Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972), but also has recorded and released several albums and singles. ("Flower of Carnage (Shura No Hana)" and "Urami-Bushi" were both featured on the soundtracks to Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), respectively.) In addition, Meiko has turned down offers to act in Hollywood movies because she believes she can't give a good performance in a language other than Japanese.- Mirei Kiritani's an actress, model, singer, writer & news anchor in Japan. She was born in Chiba Prefecture. She has been acting on the small and big screen since 2006. She has also been anchoring News Zero on NTV every Tuesday since 2012. She was a model for Seventeen Magazine prior to becoming an actress. She has been on TC Candler's The 100 Most Beautiful Faces' list. She issued a single called Sweet & Bitter in 2012, which was issued in Japan through Epic. Kiritani won the Nail Queen 2014 Award at the Tokyo Nail Expo. She played the lead role in the film Koisuru Vampire and also the lead role in the series Atelier in 2015. She starred in the serial A Girl And Three Sweethearts in 2016 with actor Shôhei Miura. They married in July 2018.
- Keiko Kitagawa, very commonly known as Sailor Mars in the live action series of Sailor Moon, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (PGSM), is a seventeen magazine model turned actress and singer. Born on August 22nd 1986 in Hyogo Perfecture, Japan, Keiko has a lived an unexpected life. From growing up in Kobe and losing many friends in the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake to being uncertain about her childhood dream of being a doctor. Fortunately, fate had other plans for Keiko when she was scouted by a talent agency who recognized her as a born star. Approval from her parents was not an easy task because their main concern was her studies and having her graduate from a university. In the end, Keiko proved to be victorious winning Miss Seventeen 2003 and landing a modeling contract until 2006. During that time, Keiko won the role of Rei Hino aka Sailor Mars in the live action series of Sailor Moon, her first acting role. After that famous role, she starred in a numerous of movies. One in particular was Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, in which she had a small role but had a chance to come to the United States for filming and premiers. This journey to the US prompted her to study the English language and now she is fluent in English. Keiko continues her studies and is majoring in Commercial Science at Meiji University in Tokyo. In 2007 she is working on 5 new projects and one of them is a new drama series, Mop Girl now playing on Asahi TV.
- Shiori Kitayama is known for Ikarete iru? (2016), Joshikô (2016) and Kamen Teacher the Movie (2014).
- The Japanese actress, model and singer Kuroki Meisa was born in Okinawa, Japan, which is the southernmost Japanese prefecture, on May28, 1988. She was scouted when she was in junior high school and began her career as a model for the traditional women's magazine, JJ Magazine. Like Shimabukuro Hiroko she attended Okinawa Actors School from which she graduated in 2007. She began her career in 2004 on stage and subsequently had a role in Fuji TV's Medaka. She would go on to win the Television Drama Academy Award and TV Life Drama Grand Prix for Best Supporting Actress in for her role in the Fuji TV's drama, Ninkyo Helper, in 2009. Like most Japanese celebrities she also began singing and contributed to the soundtrack to the movie Crows Zero as well as act in it. Two full-length albums followed. Likewise, she does advertisements and commercials for corporate products including Epson, Armani and Uniqlo. She is managed by Sweet Power.
- Shioli Kutsuna was born in Australia, but moved to Japan at age 14 in order to pursue a career in acting.
Shioli won the 11th Japan Bishojo Contest in 2006. This award honors the most beautiful young girl in Japan. Her first role came the following year when she was a member of the cast of 3 Nen B Gumi Kinpachi Sensei 8, which was a TBD TV school drama. Two years later she achieved a main character role for the serial Tsugumi Nitobe in 7 Mannin Tantei Nitobe. In that year she also appeared in her first movie, Guardian Angel. Her appearance in Back Pages garnered her the 85th Kinema Junpo Award for Best Actress in 2010.
Shioli graduated from Horikoshi High School in Tokyo in 2011, but dropped out of Asia University, where she was starting Arts, in 2013 in advance of her third year due to the pressures of acting, thus breaking an earlier vow to persist no matter what.
She has won several other awards since her earlier ones including 9th Clarino Beautiful Legs Award in the teen category in 2011 and Newcomer Of The Year, which came in 2014, some five years after she began her career, at the 37th Japan Academy Prize. She was one of four girls on the road in Petaru Dansu and was cast in the Hollywood production for a Deadpool sequel, scheduled for release in 2018.
It was reported that she was dating actor Shôta Matsuda in 2013. Shioli has done quite a bit of corporate advertising for companies such as Epson, MOS Burger and Pocky and others. She suffered some blow-back for the Pocky work due to the popularity of her predecessor, Yui Aragaki. She is represented by Oscar Promotion. - Nanako Matsushima has starred in leading roles in Japan for over 20 years. She began her career as a fashion model while still in her teens. By 1996, she played the heroine in NHK Japan's serial TV drama "Himawari", catapulting her to stardom. Since then she has played leading roles in numerous hit TV dramas and has captivated audiences with her performances. Among her film credits is the main character in "Ring", a movie that sparked a boom in the horror genre, and a role that was later reprised by Naomi Watts in a Hollywood remake.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Aya Matsuura was born on 25 June 1986 in Himeji, Japan. She is an actress, known for Yo-Yo Girl Cop (2006), The Quiz Show (2008) and Ao no hono-o (2003). She has been married to Keita Tachibana since 4 August 2013.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Keiko Matsuzaka was born on 20 July 1952 in Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress, known for The Sting of Death (1990), Fall Guy (1982) and Lovers Lost (1982).- Minatozaki Sana was born on 29 December 1996 in Osaka, Japan. She is an actress, known for Twice: Fancy (2019), Twice: Feel Special (2019) and Twice: What Is Love? (Japanese Version) (2019).
- She started her career playing innocent girl-next door types in movies and TV dramas, but shocked the Japanese public in the early 90s by starring in the movie Erotic Liaisons, and then by appearing nude in a photo book titled, "Santa Fe". As a result, the conservative NHK network dropped her from one of its programs. Though NHK and some of the public expressed outrage at the time, it wasn't enough to prevent nearly two million copies of the book from being sold.
The new-found fame was responsible for her relationship with the sumo star, but it also caused the break-up as being a "sumo wife" would have likely turned her into nothing more than a famous housewife.
After the break-up things got very grim. Rie allegedly attempted suicide by cutting her wrists, and then struggled with alcoholism and anorexia. In 1996 she checked into a clinic in LA to combat her eating disorder.
Since then she has eased back into dramas and motion pictures, and is one now looked up to by many young Japanese women for her ability to overcome her struggles in life. - Nao Nagasawa was born on 5 January 1984 in Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress and producer, known for Kamen Rider Movie War Ultimatum: Kamen Rider vs. Kamen Rider Wizard & Fourze (2012), GoGo Sentai Boukenger vs. Super Sentai (2007) and Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger: 10 Years After (2013). She has been married to Koji Nakata since 22 February 2014. They have three children.
- 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.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Nikaido Fumi has been active in the movie industry a dozen years and already has as many nominations and wins to her name. She was born in American outpost Okinawa in 1994 and first appeared on screen in 2009. She had won an award celebrating young actresses for the film Himizu at the Venice Film Festival by 2011. She was also newcomer of the year at the 36th Japan Academy in the same year. Nikaido was scouted by Sony Music Artists at age twelve after her photograph appeared in the Okinawan edition of Picture Book Of Beautiful Girls, which is a free publication that features local amateurs as models. Coincidentally, she had dreamt of being an actress. This afforded her the opportunity to pitch products in advertisements as early as 2007. She also took advantage of her physique to do modelling for Nicola magazine. She commuted between Okinawa and Tokyo for work until moving to Tokyo for high school. More recently she has expressed a dislike for acting in serials and stated that she wants to act in movies only. Nikaido enrolled in Keio university of Tokyo, where she resides, and studied management and English. Her father is a Tokyo native cook and her mother is an Okinawan who took her to the cinema often. Her favourite foods are turnip and steak. No word on whether she likes them together or if she prefers to consume these separately.- Nanase Nishino was born on 25 May 1994 in Osaka, Japan. She is an actress, known for The Blood of Wolves II (2021), Shin Kamen Rider (2023) and XxxHolic (2022). She has been married to Yuki Yamada since 29 March 2024.
- Mariya Nishiuchi was born on 24 December 1993 in Fukuoka, Japan. She is an actress, known for Cutie Honey: Tears (2016), The Land of Rain Trees (2015) and Switch Girl!! (2011).
- 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.
- 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.- Shiraishi is a well-known actress, model and Youtuber. She was a member of Japanese idol girl group Nogizaka46 since 2011 and she left the group in 2020. She is born and raised in Gunma, Japan. She has become idol sine 2011 and started her model career since 2013.
After graduating from High School, Shiraishi pursued her studies in a music college as she desired to be a singer. Later on, one of her teachers persuaded her to audition for Nogizaka46.
Her idol career started when she was accepted to be one of the 1st Generation members in Nogizaka46, on 21 August 2011. Her career as a model started as she participated in Girls Awards 2012 Autumn/Winter. Then,she served as a model for fashion magazines Ray and LARME in 2013, she quit those jobs in 2018. Now she is still working actively in fashion magazine as model. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Kiki Sukezane is a Japanese actress, active both in America and Japan. Born in Kyoto to a family with historical samurai ancestry, Kiki was inspired to learn English and studied abroad in South Dakota. Upon returning to Japan and graduating, Kiki attended acting school in Tokyo before moving to Los Angeles. While honing her sword fighting skills, she booked her first major role as Katana Girl/Miko Otomo in NBC's Heroes Reborn. Following her first major success, Kiki has stayed active in the industry, booking roles in various television shows and films including Lost in Space (Netflix), Westworld (HBO), Earthquake Bird (Netflix), and lead character, Yuko Tanabe, in The Terror: Infamy (AMC.)- Actress
- Soundtrack
The Tokyo-born Tabe Mikako, who has two older brothers, is an actress with roles on stage and the big and small screens. She began her career in 2002 at the age of thirteen by signing with a management office. She took up the role of Marina Moon in the Sailor Moon musicals. She was in movies by 2005 and garnered her first award for her role in Hinokio for which she won Newcomer Of The Year by the Japan Movie Critics and Blue Ribbon Awards. This role, featuring a robot, likely remains her more famous one although Fish Story has become a minor cult film since release. Like most Japanese celebrities she has done advertising for products like chips, chocolate, cider, etc. Makiko likes the colour pink, watching movies and jazz. She has stated that she would like to be married by age 30 and has been rumoured to have dated Masato Sakai (now married) and Kengo Kora (who was also in Fish Story) among others. She is handled by Hirata Office.- Actress
Yûna Taira was born on 12 November 1998 in Kobe, Japan. She is an actress, known for ReLIFE (2017), Mumon: The Land of Stealth (2017) and Hanii (2018).- Actress
- Writer
Ritsuko Tanaka was born on 17 July 1977 in Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress and writer, known for Eagle and Falcon (2014), July 7th, Sunny Day (1996) and NMB48 Geinin! The Movie: Owarai seishun gâruzu! (2013).- 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.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1985, Aya Ueto received her first break in August 1997 when, at the age of 11, she won the Special Jury Prize at the 7th All-Japan Bishoujo Contest. After this initial success, she tried her hand at both acting and singing, appearing in various minor TV drama roles, as well as a low budget action movie, and formed a short-lived pop quartet, "Z-1", with other winners of the Bishoujo Contest. After her passionate portrayal of a high school student with Gender Identity Disorder in the 6th series of the long-running classroom drama Kinpachi sensei, Mr. Kinpachi in Class 3B (1979), endeared her to the Japanese nation, she was able to pursue a solo music career with her first single, "Pureness", released in August 2002. It was this performance that also convinced cult movie director Ryûhei Kitamura to cast her in the title role of Azumi (2003). With the film's release date coinciding with the sale of her debut album "AYAUETO" in the spring of 2003, Aya was set for super-stardom. Her famous smile has since earned her increasing numbers of commercial contracts and magazine covers - all important exposure for any idol - combined with starring roles in a number of popular television dramas have meant she is rarely out of the limelight and has cemented her position as one of Japan's top entertainers.- Maimi Yajima was born on 7 February 1992 in Saitama, Japan. She is an actress, known for Black Angels (2011), Black Fox: Age of the Ninja (2019) and Daughter of Lupin (2019).
- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Hiroko Yakushimaru was born on 9 June 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress, known for Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), Operetta tanuki goten (2005) and W no higeki (1984). She was previously married to Kôji Tamaki.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Momoe Yamaguchi was born January 17, 1959 in Ebisu, Shibuya-ku Tokyo Japan. Her mother named her Momoe which means 100 blessings, wishing her that she will live a fortunate life. For the first four years of her life, she was brought up by her grandparents and she still has fond memories of them. In 1966 she, her mother and sister moved to Yokosuka-shi where she attended primary and secondary school. In 1972, Momoe entered a TV talent search program called "Star Tanjo". She finished as a runner up to the grand champion, but 11 record companies expressed their desire to sign her up. Momoe signed up with Hori Production - a talent agency specializing in young singers and TV personalities. She moved to Tokyo to attend singing lessons and attend middle school. She made her record debut in April 14, 1973 with a song "Toshigoro", but her big break came with her second single "Aoi Kajitsu" which was composed by her teacher Shunichi Tokura, and lyricist Kazuya Senke. She became a nationally celebrated star throughout the '70s. In 1974, she met her future husband, Tomokazu Miura, who was a budding actor of 22, at the time in a location shooting for a commercial. Her career and popularity grew as she produced one hit single after another and starred in a TV drama franchise now known as "Akai (which means red in Japanese) series" due to all the title of the series starts with "Akai ...". In 1979 Tomokazu Miura popped a question to marry him in Hawaii. Momoe accepted and told him that she would retire from business after they got married. In October 1980, Momoe had her farewell concert in Budokan arena. She was married to Tomokazu Miura in Reinan Church in Akasaka Tokyo in November 19, 1980. Momoe now lives with her husband Tomokazu and two sons in Tokyo. She has retired from show business since 1980 and has not had any movie or TV drama series appearances since then.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Veteran Japanese actress Yoshinaga Sayuri was born in Shibuya, Tokyo as World War II drew to a close. She graduated from Tokyo's Waseda University and later married director Okada Taro. She signed with the famous Nikkatsu Studio and has starred in films like Foundry Town ('Kyupora No Aru Machi'), Makioka Sisters ('Sasame-Yuki'), Kabe and About Her Brother ('Ototo') among others for the aforementioned company and others. In the process Yoshinaga has won many awards including Japan Academy Prizes and starred in films that have won international accolade including Special Grand Prix at the Montreal World Film Festival for Cape Nostalgia ('Fushigi Na Misaki No Monogatari') and Cannes Film Festival's Blue Ribbon Awards for the aforementioned Foundry Town. Among her other valuable contributions Yoshinaga has been a supporter of the anti-nuclear movement and has played a hibakusha ('atomic bomb survivor') on TV and has contributed to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Her pacifism has lead her to numerous appearances and public interactions in her fight against war and militarism. She has been reciting poetry by residents and survivor from Nagasaki and Hiroshima and lent her support to the people of Okinawa who fight and oppose the Tokyo Central government and the US military station and expansion in Okinawa. Yoshinaga Sayuri is often considered the most notable Japanese actress.- 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.
- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Actress
Drive thirty minutes north from Fukuoka City off the Fukuoka Highway and near the city lies the unassuming town of Koga. Yui Yoshioka was born here. Here lived a shy girl with her mother who played alone and liked to listen to music and sing. Her parents had divorced and her father has died since. She began writing poems and songs at junior high school and eventually determined to make her dream a reality when in the hospital ill one day. Receiving advice from a local amateur band she dropped out of high school, began attending a music school part-time and began performing on the sidewalk near Fukuoka City's Tenjin subway station among other places. Upon advice by her instructors at school Yui participated in the Sony Music Japan's SD Audition in March 2004. She was accorded top scores and received a deal as reward. Her debut single was issued by an independent in December of that year and was called It's Happy Line/I Know. In the process she was developing what would later become known as Yui-Go ('Yui-Language'), which is nothing more than a string of not necessarily related English words. Fuji Television hired her to write music for its serial, Fukigen Na Gene. The singer/songwriter contributed songs to the films Hinoko and Bleach and released her debut album, From Me To You, in 2006. It debuted on the Japanese charts. She appeared in the film Song Of The Sun in the summer of the same year. Playing the main character she also performed her own music. That year the Japan Academy awarded her the Best Newcomer prize. Her sophomore album, Can't Buy Me Love, was released in 2007. This one landed at position number one. She contributed more music to films and soundtracks and issued a live DVD called Thank You My Teens. More commercial endeavours followed as well as a 2008 album, I Loved Yesterday. Next came My Short Stories, but no live activities followed. She focused on writing and extraneous collaborations instead. Another album, entitled Holidays In The Sun, also landed atop of the Japanese charts. She attended a charity concert for the Fukushima disaster in 2011 and released an album called How Crazy Your Love. She staged her first show outside Japan in Hong Kong that year. Amidst all the success she announced another - this time longer - hiatus in 2012. She was back in 2013 with a new band, dubbed Flower Flower and more rocking than her previous work, but several appearances were cancelled due to what she described as "panic attack." She had a shotgun wedding in 2015 and gave birth to twins boys. Live work continued in 2017, but her marriage of two years did not when she obtained a divorce from the construction worker she had married. She did keep her twins however. Yui cites movies, music and badminton as favourite pastimes.- Ishida Yuriko was born in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. Her family moved to Tokyo soon after. She travelled to and lived in Hyogo Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture and Taiwan as a child due to her father's work. During elementary school she participated in the Junior Olympics as a swimmer. She returned to Tokyo at age fifteen. She was scouted to model while at high school. She graduated from Kagawa Junior College's Institute Of Nutrition. She did a commercial for ANA for Okinawa in 1987. Her TV debut came in 1987 and she has been prolific since. She was in a TV serial called Umi No Gunsei ('Sea's Constellation') and movie Kanashi Iro Yanen ('Sad Colours') in 1988. She and her sister opened their own agency in 1999. She won the Japan Academy Awards prize for Best Supporting Actress for the film Kita No Zeronen in 2005. She is a writer and actress who has equal number of voice acting, serial and movies to her credit. Her sister is Ishida Hikari who is also an actress. She won the 91st Television Drama Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress award for Nigeru Wa Haji Da Ga Yaku Ni Tatsu in 2016. Ishida maintain a short masculine haircut. She cites swimming, strolling, taking baths, writing and reading as favourite pastimes. Yuriko is a writer who has some eight books to her name. She has a dog and two cats as of 2017.
- Marie Iitoyo is a Japanese actress, best known for her roles as Kanae Hiiragi in Love You as the World Ends (2021) and Yayoi Ulshade/Kyoryu Violet in Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger (2013), as well as playing the female lead in the Japanese dub of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019), re-dubbing Kathryn Newton's performance as Lucy Stevens. She began her modeling career in 2008, before moving on to acting in 2012, with an appearance in Future Diary: Another World (2012).
- Actress
Yûna Taira was born on 12 November 1998 in Kobe, Japan. She is an actress, known for ReLIFE (2017), Mumon: The Land of Stealth (2017) and Hanii (2018).- Sayaka Isoyama was born on 23 October 1983 in Hokota, Japan. She is an actress, known for Chouseishin Gransazer (2003), Tag (2015) and Chikan Otoko (2005).
- 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.
- She was born in Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan on June 3, 1987. Her father Nagasawa Kazuaki was a professional football player and on Japan's national team who later became a coach for Jubilo Iwata. She won the Toho Cinderella contest in 1999 and joined the entertainment business in 2000 with the film Crossfire. At twelve she was the youngest winner of the contest ever. She attended the celebrity mill Horikoshi High School of Tokyo. As with most Japanese celebrities the shorthaired Nagasawa has acted in a mixture of feature-length films and television serial, done adult gravure modelling and released the obligatory single, in this case Sailor Suit And Machine Gun in which she also acted in 2006. She had also immediately jumped into the product promotion game and promoted hot sauce among other products. She won the Best Supporting Actress Prize (again the youngest ever) at the 28th Japanese Academy Awards for Crying Out Love, In the Centre Of The World in 2005. Her role in the 2011 film Moteki heralded her arrival as an adult. She was connected to Arashi's Ninomiya Kazunari for several years. She was next romantically linked with Iseya Yusuke. They had met on the set of Onna Nobunaga in 2012. She went through an inexplicable slump around 2013, but made a comeback as a voice actress in the role of the sexy Miki in the pan-Asian hit Kimi No Na Wa. She became a spokeswoman for Taiwan Tourism in Japan for 2017 and 2018. Masami collects stickers.
- Actress
- Editor
Kumamoto City-born Shimada Yoko is best known in the west as Mariko from the 1980 mini-series Shogun. The lady-in-waiting role created an interest in Japan and its culture overseas and introduced Japanese history to foreign audiences. She won the Golden Globe For Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series - Drama category and was nominated for a Prime-time Emmy Award for her work on the serial in 1981. Shimada, who spoke some English for the serial, had been acting for years prior to Shogun however. She began learning ballet since age three and wanted to become a ballerina until her high high school days. Her family had moved to Tokyo when she was eight. She obtained an agent and began acting while in junior high school. The TV serial Zoku Hyouten made her famous beginning 1970. She released a nude photo book, called Kir Royal, in 1992. She was 39 and the photo book became a bestseller shifting half a million copies. At 57 she starred in an 'AV' pornography video called Mikkai in 2011. This was a tribute to her body even at that age. Shimada has a reservation for a space burial.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Mallory is a multi-ethnic (Japanese, Chinese, Filipino and Hawaiian- American) singer, songwriter, actress, director and performer. She began her acting career with a lead role in the Nickelodeon series, Just For Kicks, a recurring on Lincoln Heights and The Secret Life of an American Teenager just to name a few. Most recently, she recurred on the hit show, "How To Get Away with Murder", starring award winning, Viola Davis, "Married" on FX Channel and a featured spot on, "Jane The Virgin". She also just finished her EP Album entitled, "This Is Mallory", and is a combination of soul, jazz and R&B.