is a Japanese actress of Korean descent active in film, television and commercials.

Life and career

Kaho Minami was born on January 20, 1964, in

Amagasaki file:Amagasaki Castle Tenshu 20181125.jpg, 270px, Amagasaki Castle file:Amagasaki city center area Aerial photograph.1985.jpg, 270px, Aerial view of Amagasaki city center file:Amagasaki st03s3000.jpg, 270px, Amagasaki Station is an industrial Citi ...

in Hyogo, Japan, and is of third-generation Korean descent. She graduated from Toho Gakuen College of Drama & Music in Tokyo, Japan. While attending college, Minami auditioned for the first time and got the main role in her debut film, Kohei Oguri’s ''For Kanako'' (1984). Soon after, Minami played the main role on

TBS television TBS may stand for: Entertainment * Taipei Broadcasting Station, a radio station in Taipei, Taiwan * Tokyo Broadcasting System, a stock holding company in Tokyo, Japan ** TBS Television (Japan), a television station ** TBS Radio, a radio stati ...

’s drama series in 1985. Her stage play debut was as

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist R ...

in ''Romeo & Juliet'', directed by Tamasaburō Bandō, the legendary

Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

actor. In the many decades following, she has appeared in numerous projects that span across theater, movies, television dramas, in both main and supporting roles. She starred in many films by filmmakers including Gakuryu Ishii's ''Angel Dust'' (1994), Masayuki Ochiai's Horror film ''

Infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

'' (2004),

Tian Zhuangzhuang Tian Zhuangzhuang (; born April 1952 in Beijing) is a Chinese film director, producer and actor. Tian was born to an influential actor and actress in China. Following a short stint in the military, Tian began his artistic career first as an ama ...

's ''

The Go Master () is a 2006 biopic film directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang of the renowned twentieth century Go master Wu Qingyuan, better known as Go Seigen, the Japanese pronunciation of his name. The film, which premiered at the 44th New York Film Festival, foc ...

'' (2006), and

Kazuyoshi Kumakiri is a Japanese film director. Career Kumakiri debuted with ''Kichiku'' in 1997. His 2001 film, ''Hole in the Sky'', starred Susumu Terajima and Yuriko Kikuchi. His 2004 film, ''Green Mind, Metal Bats'', screened at the International Film Fest ...

's ''

Sketches of Kaitan City is a 2010 Japanese drama film directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri and starring Mitsuki Tanimura and Ryo Kase. Cast * Mitsuki Tanimura as Honami Ikawa * Pistol Takehara as Futa Ikawa * Ryo Kase as Haruo Meguro * Masaki Miura as Hiroshi Hagiya * Takash ...

'' (2010) . Other notable appearances internationally are '' Oh, Lucy!'' (2017) with actor

Josh Hartnett Joshua Daniel Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor and producer. He first came to attention in 1997 for his role as Michael Fitzgerald in the television crime drama series '' Cracker''. He made his feature film debut in 1998 in th ...

, ''

Gensan Punch ''Gensan Punch'' is a 2021 Philippine Japanese Sports film, sports biographical film directed by Brillante Mendoza. Starring Shogen, Ronnie Lazaro and Kaho Minami, it is based on a true story that depicts Nao Tsuyama, a disabled athlete who refu ...

'' (2021) by Filipino director

Brillante Mendoza Brillante "Dante" Mendoza (born 30 July 1960) is a Filipino independent filmmaker. Mendoza is known one of the key members associated with the Filipino New Wave. Career He was born and raised in San Fernando, Pampanga. He took advertising ...

, and ''

Pachinko is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of low-stakes, low-st ...

'', a 2022 TV series by

Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...

based on

Min Jin Lee Min Jin Lee (born November 11, 1968) is a Korean American author and journalist based in Harlem, New York City. Her work frequently deals with Korean and Korean American topics. She is the author of the novels '' Free Food for Millionaires'' ( ...

's novel of the same name.

Personal life

Minami was married to actor

Ken Watanabe is a Japanese actor. To English-speaking audiences, he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in '' Letters from Iwo Jima'' and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in ''The Last Samurai'', for which he was nomi ...

from 2005 until 2018. Their divorce was announced about a year after a media outlet reported that Watanabe, who later admitted to the allegation, had been cheating on Minami. She focuses on various volunteer projects including the enlightenment activities of sharing her own experience as a

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

survivor. She is regarded as one of the most influential Japanese women.

Filmography

Film

* ''Hyōryū Kyōshitsu'' (1987) * ''Tomorrow'' (1988) * '' Tokyo: The Last War'' (1989) * '' Angel Dust'' (1994) * '' Ruby Fruit'' (1995) – Maiko * ''Open House'' (1997) * ''J Horror Theater'' (2001) * '' Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'' (2001) * ''

The Laughing Frog is a 2002 Japanese film directed by Hideyuki Hirayama. Cast * Kyōzō Nagatsuka as Ippei Kurasawa * Nene Ohtsuka as Ryoko Kurasawa * Mickey Curtis as Kiichiro Aisawa * Jun Kunimura as Akio Yoshizumi * Kitarō as Kentaro Inamatsu * Shuzo Mitamu ...

'' (2002) * ''

'' (2004) – Head nurse * ''

The Great Yokai War is a 2005 Japanese fantasy film directed by Takashi Miike, produced by Kadokawa Pictures and distributed by Shochiku. The film stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Hiroyuki Miyasako, Chiaki Kuriyama, and Mai Takahashi. The film focuses largely on creatures ...

'' (2005) * ''Night Time Picnic'' (2006) * ''

'' (2006) * ''Gegege no Nyoubou'' (2010) * ''

'' (2010) * '' Hankyu Railways: A 15-Minute Miracle'' (2011) – Yasue Ito * ''Gene Waltz'' (2011) * '' Household X'' (2011) * ''

Chronicle of My Mother is a 2011 Japanese drama film directed by Masato Harada based on a novel by Yasushi Inoue. Cast * Kōji Yakusho - Kosaku *Kirin Kiki - Yae * Aoi Miyazaki - Kotoko * Kaho Minami - Kuwako *Erina Mano is a Japanese idol singer and actress for ...

'' (2012) * ''

Kabukicho Love Hotel is a 2014 Japanese drama film directed by Ryūichi Hiroki, starring Shota Sometani and Atsuko Maeda. It was selected to be screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Plot Having lost his ...

'' (2014) * ''Masterless'' (2015) * ''And Then There Was Light'' (2017) * '' Oh Lucy!'' (2017) * ''21st Century Girl'' (2019) * ''Blue Hour'' (2019) * ''And Life Goes On: The Movie'' (2019) * ''Nōten Paradise'' (2020) * ''

'' (2021) * ''Miss Osaka'' (2022)

Television

* ''Sannen B Gumi Kinpachi Sensei'' (1985–1987) * ''Tobu ga Gotoku'' (1990), Suga * ''Genroku Ryōran'' (1999) * '' Specialist'' (2016) * ''And Life Goes On'' (2019) * ''

Kirin ga Kuru Awaiting Kirin is a 2020 Japanese historical drama television series starring Hiroki Hasegawa as Akechi Mitsuhide, a samurai and general during the Sengoku period. The series is the 59th NHK taiga drama, premiering on January 19, 2020. It is t ...

'' (2020), Miyoshino * ''Love Begins When the Money Ends'' (2020), Sachi Kuki * ''

'' (2022), Etsuko

References

External links

*
Official profile
at Hori Agency * Japanese actresses 1964 births Living people People from Amagasaki Japanese actresses of Korean descent {{japan-actor-stub