Kōji Yakusho

Biography

Kōji Yakusho was born on 1 January 1956 in Isahaya, Nagasaki, Japan. His birth name is Kōji Hashimoto. He is one of Japan’s most acclaimed actors, with a career spanning film, television, and theatre. Before becoming an actor, he worked at the Chiyoda Ward Office in Tokyo, and his stage name “Yakusho” comes from the Japanese word for a government office.

Yakusho began acting professionally on stage in the late 1970s and gained early recognition through the historical television drama Tokugawa Ieyasu (1983). He later appeared in films such as Tampopo (1985), The Eel (1997), Cure (1997), Lost Paradise (1997), and Eureka (2000).

He achieved international fame with Shall We Dance? (1996), which brought him numerous Best Actor awards. He subsequently appeared in internationally recognized productions including Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), Babel (2006), 13 Assassins (2010), The Third Murder (2017), and The Blood of Wolves (2018).

One of the highlights of his career came with Wim Wenders' Perfect Days (2023). Yakusho played Hirayama, a Tokyo public-toilet cleaner whose quiet daily life forms the heart of the film. His performance earned him the Best Actor Award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, as well as the Japanese Academy Award and Asian Film Award for Best Actor.

Yakusho has also worked as a director. In 2009, he made his directorial debut with Toad's Oil (Gama no Abura), in which he also starred. His career has earned numerous national and international honors, establishing him as one of the most respected actors in Japanese cinema.