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1-50 of 114
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Koji Yakusho is an acclaimed and famed Japanese actor who has appeared in many notable films, including Tampopo, Unagi and Babel, but may be best known internationally for his role in Shall We Dance, which at the time of its release was Asia's biggest film export. He was born in the southern city of Nagasaki as Koji Hashimoto, but moved to Tokyo and began working in the city's municipality from which he borrowed his alias. Yakusho means 'government office.' While at acting school he met actress Saeko Kawatsu whom he soon married in 1982. He picked up stage roles, moved to a TV serial on Japan's national broadcaster NHK in 1983 and had his first major break playing a mostly silent role in the avant-garde food drama Tampopo. Koji has collaborated with director Kurosawa Kiyoshi several times, won the Best Actor Award at the Japanese Academy Awards more than once and been nominated for it and other awards even more often. He directed Gaman No Abura in 2009. In 2023, he received the Best Actor award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival for his lead role in Wim Wenders' Perfect Days.- Writer
- Producer
Kazuo Ishiguro was born on 8 November 1954 in Nagasaki, Japan. He is a writer and producer, known for Living (2022), Never Let Me Go (2010) and The Remains of the Day (1993). He has been married to Lorna Anne MacDougall since 1986. They have one child.- Riisa Naka was born on 18 October 1989 in Higashisonogi, Nagasaki, Japan. She is an actress, known for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), Summer Wars (2009) and Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City (2010). She has been married to Akiyoshi Nakao since 18 April 2013. They have one child.
- Actress
- Script and Continuity Department
- Soundtrack
Keiko Tsushima was born on 7 February 1926 in Nagasaki, Japan. She was an actress, known for Seven Samurai (1954), Shiosai (1975) and Kyatsu o nigasuna (1956). She died on 1 August 2012 in Tokyo, Japan.- 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.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Fumihiko Tachiki was born on 29 April 1961 in Nagasaki, Japan. He is an actor, known for Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997), Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time (2021) and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006).- Writer
- Director
- Music Department
Born in Sasebo where U.S. Navy's harbour is located. Raised there till his high school days. After graduation, he came up to Tokyo and lived in Fussa, near the base of U.S. Army. He wrote the novel, "Kagirinaku Tomei ni chikai Blue", from a decadent life there. It won the Akutagawa Prize, the most authoritative literary prize in Japan. Since then, he has wrote many novels, essays, scenarios. Compared with his great fame in literary world, his career as a director hasn't brought him a commercial success so far.- Actor
- Music Department
- Executive
Akihiro Miwa was born on 15 May 1935 in Nagasaki, Japan. He is an actor and executive, known for Princess Mononoke (1997), Howl's Moving Castle (2004) and Black Lizard (1968).- Hayato Tani was born on 9 September 1946 in Nagasaki, Japan. He is an actor, known for Takeshi's Castle (1986), Kii Hantâ (1968) and The Transgressor (1974). He has been married to Kikko Matsuoka since 1981.
- Hiroaki Iwanaga was born on 23 November 1979 in Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Japan. He is an actor, known for Kamen Rider Movie War Mega Max: Kamen Rider vs. Kamen Rider Fourze & OOO (2011), Kamen Rider OOO (2010) and Kamen Rider × Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen (2012).
- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Guitar Wolf was born on 22 September 1963 in Nagasaki, Japan. He is an actor and composer, known for Men in Black II (2002), Wild Zero (1999) and The Sore Losers (1997).- Writer
- Director
- Editor
Hashiguchi Ryosuke directed 8mm-films while still at secondary school. In 1989 his short film "A Secret Evening" won the grand prix at the Pia Film Festival. In 1992 he made his first feature "The Slight Fever of a 20-year old", which was screened in Berlin and broke box-office records at one of the cinemas it was screened in in Japan.- Actress
- Executive
- Soundtrack
Tomoyo Harada was born on 28 November 1967 in Nagasaki, Japan. She is an actress and executive, known for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (1983), Sôshun monogatari (1985) and Watashi wo ski ni tsuretette (1987). She has been married to Ed Tsuwaki since May 2005.- Nobuaki Fukuda was born on 18 December 1950 in Nagasaki, Japan. He is an actor, known for Silence (2016), Tiger & Bunny the Movie: The Beginning (2012) and Ergo Proxy (2006).
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Katsuhisa Hôki was born on 29 October 1946 in Nagasaki, Japan. He is an actor, known for Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018), Guilty Crown (2011) and .hack//G.U. Vol.3//Redemption (2007).- Kazuko Shirakawa was born on 20 September 1947 in Nagasaki, Japan. She is an actress and writer, known for Afternoon Affair: Rear Window (1972), Powerful Sex Biography: I Give You Death (1972) and After Life (1998).
- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Shungiku Uchida was born on 7 August 1959 in Nagasaki, Japan. She is an actress and writer, known for Your Mom Is a Bitch! (2010).- Art Department
- Writer
- Animation Department
Charles Brubaker was born in Japan in 1989. He has been cartooning all throughout his life. After graduating from the University of Tennessee at Martin, he started cartooning professionally, having sold comics to MAD Magazine and SpongeBob Comics. From 2016 to 2019 he worked as a storyboard artist on "Pencilmation". He has also created comics "Ask a Cat" and "The Fuzzy Princess". In 2020, he began producing his own animation. He lives in Tennessee.- 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.
- Hideo Higashikokubaru was born on 16 September 1957 in Nagasaki-ken, Kyushu, Japan. He is an actor, known for Ultraman Saga (2012), Getting Any? (1994) and An Adolescent (2001). He was previously married to Kazuko Katô and Kimiyo Katahira.
- Kyôji Kokonoe was born on 16 February 1910 in Nagasaki, Japan. He was an actor and writer, known for In the Realm of the Senses (1976) and Kanhasshû: Ôtone no taiketsu (1957). He died on 2 July 1985 in Japan.
- Kiwako Harada was born on 21 May 1965 in Nagasaki, Japan. She is an actress, known for His Motorbike, Her Island (1986), Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) and The Drifting Classroom (1987).
- Koumei Nakamura was born on 24 November 1947 in Shimabara City, Nagasaki, Japan.
- Kazuhiro Nakata was born on 19 March 1958 in Nagasaki, Japan. He is an actor, known for .hack//SIGN (2002), .hack//Quarantine (2003) and .hack//Mutation (2002).
- Animation Department
- Art Director
- Art Department
Nizô Yamamoto was born on 27 June 1953 in Goto City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. He was an art director, known for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) and Perfect Blue (1997). He died on 19 August 2023 in Hanno City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan.