is a Japanese former actor, known for his break-out performance in the controversial movie '' Battle Royale''.

Career

His break-out performance was in the controversial movie '' Battle Royale'', in which he played the

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

ic Hiroki Sugimura (Boy #11). Takaoka then moved from muted heroics to active

anti-hero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...

ism in portrayals of the grittier side of teenage violence, such as in ''

Concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

''. The film was based on the events of

Junko Furuta was a Japanese high school student who was abducted, raped, tortured and then subsequently murdered. Her case was called the , due to her body being discovered in a concrete drum. The abuse was mainly perpetrated by four male teenagers (Hiros ...

's sadistic murder by four youths in 1988. In 2006, for his role as the introspective Honda in ''Spring Snow'', Takaoka gained a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the

Blue Ribbon Awards The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan. The awards were established in 1950 by which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers. In 1961, the six major Japanes ...

, a Japanese film event judged by critics.

Public image

In July 2011, Takaoka made headlines and attracted much controversy for several comments against the airing of Korean dramas on Japanese television. He stated on Twitter "I used to be indebted to Fuji TV in the past, but now I'm suspicious that they may actually be a Korean network. I'm questioning about what country I'm in as well. It offends me. If anything related to Korea is on broadcast, I just turn the TV off. It troubles me because I feel like I am being brainwashed", and "Since we're in Japan, I would like to see Japanese programs. I get scared every time I hear the word, ' Hallyu'". His comments resulted in a strong public backlash due to his previous role as a

Zainichi Korean comprise ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan or who have become Japanese citizens, and whose immigration to Japan originated before 1945, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South ...

in the film ''Pacchigi'' as well as public protests against the airing of Korean dramas against

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...

. Due to the controversy about his statements he was reportedly dropped from his agency following his tweets and his marriage to Aoi Miyazaki whom he stated shared his views was reportedly in jeopardy. However, he later apologized for his statements and retracted his claims of Miyazaki sharing his views.

Personal life

On June 15, 2007, he married Japanese actress

Aoi Miyazaki is a Japanese actress. She is known for her roles in ''Nana'' and '' Virgin Snow''. Career Miyazaki started working in the entertainment industry at the age of four. Initially she appeared mostly in commercials, magazine advertisements, and a ...

, after dating her for seven years. In December 2011, she divorced him. On August 3, 2020, he announced his retirement from acting. in 2021, he then became a boxer

Filmography

*'' Battle Royale'' as Hiroki Sugimura (2000) *''

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

'' as Manabu Mizuuchi (2001) *'' Akashia no michi'' (2001) *'' Red Shadow'' (2001) *'' Blue Spring'' (2001) *'' 17-sai'' (2003) *''

Spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

'' (2004) *''

'' as Tatsuo Oosugi (2004) *''

Break Through! is a 2005 Japanese film directed by Kazuyuki Izutsu. Plot Romeo, A.K.A. Kosuke Matsuyama (Shun Shioya), is a second-year high school student. A nice, normal, nonviolent type, he suddenly finds himself in the middle of a rampaging crowd of Kor ...

'' as An-sung Lee (2004) *'' Tetsujin 28: The Movie'' (2005) *'' Spring Snow'' as Shigekuni Honda (2005) *'' Sugar and Spice'' as Yano (2006) *'' How to Become Myself'' (Ashita no watashi no tsukurikata) as Hiroyuki Tamura (2007) *''

Heat Island An urban heat island (UHI) is an urban or metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities. The temperature difference is usually larger at night than during the day, and is most apparent w ...

'' (Hîto Airando) (2007) *''

Crows Zero , also known as ''Crows: Episode 0'', is a 2007 Japanese action film based on the manga ''Crows'' by Hiroshi Takahashi. The film was directed by Takashi Miike with a screenplay by Shōgo Mutō, and stars Shun Oguri, Kyōsuke Yabe, Meisa Kuroki, ...

'' as Izaki Shun (2007) *'' Roulette in the Blue Sky'' (Aozora no ruretto) (2007) *'' GS Wonderland'' (2008) *'' Rookies the Movie: Graduation'' (Rookies: Sotsugyô) (2009) *''

Crows Zero 2 is a 2009 Japanese action film directed by Takashi Miike with a screenplay by Shogo Muto. It is the second film based on the manga ''Crows'' by Hiroshi Takahashi, and a direct sequel to 2007's ''Crows Zero''. The film stars much of the cast fro ...

'' (Kurôzu zero II) (2009) *'' Be Sure to Share'' (Chanto Tsutaeru) (2009) *''

Saru Lock is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoki Serizawa. It was adapted into a television drama in 2009 and a live action film in 2010. A reboot series titled ''Saru Lock Reboot'' began serialization in Shonen Gahosha's ''Yo ...

The Movie'' (2010) *''

Sankaku (Triangle) is a 2010 Japanese film directed by Keisuke Yoshida. It was released on 26 June 2010. Cast * Sousuke Takaoka as Momose * Erena Ono as Momo * Tomoko Tabata as Kayo * Yuko Oshima is a Japanese actress and former member of Japan ...

'' (2010) *'' Zatoichi: The Last'' (2010) *'' 13 Assassins'' (2010) *''

What a Wonderful Life!! What or WHAT may refer to: * What, an interrogative pronoun and adverb * "What?", one of the Five Ws used in journalism Film and television * ''What!'' (film) or ''The Whip and the Body'', a 1963 Italian film directed by Mario Bava * '' What ...

'' (Wararaifu!!) (2011) *''

Bokura ga Ita is a Japanese romance manga series written and illustrated by Yuki Obata. The story follows the relationship between Motoharu Yano and Nanami Takahashi, starting from their teenage years and continuing into their early twenties. It was seria ...

'' as Masafumi Takeuchi (2012) *''Dare to Stop Us'' as

Nagisa Oshima NaGISA (Natural Geography in Shore Areas or Natural Geography of In-Shore Areas) is an international collaborative effort aimed at inventorying, cataloguing, and monitoring biodiversity of the in-shore area. So named for the Japanese word "nagisa ...

(2018)

TV

* ''

Taiyō no Kisetsu (2002) is a Japanese drama TV miniseries which first aired on July 7, 2002. It starred Hideaki Takizawa and was directed by Nobuhiro Doi. The program was a remake of an earlier film of the same name, released in 1956. Plot summary Tatsuya (Takizawa), ...

'' (Season of the Sun) (2002) * ''

Proof of the Man is a Japanese film from 1977 directed by Junya Satō, starring George Kennedy and Yūsaku Matsuda. It was produced by Haruki Kadokawa. Plot A young black man from New York named Johnny Hayward (Joe Yamanaka) receives a sum of money. He buys ne ...

'' (Ningen no Shomei) (Fuji TV / 2004) * ''

Slow Dance A slow dance is a type of partner dance in which a couple dance slowly. Slow Dance or Slow Dancing may also refer to: Albums * ''Slow Dance'' (Anthony Phillips album), 1990 * ''Slow Dance'' (Jeremy Jay album), 2009 * Slow Dance (Southside John ...

'' (Fuji TV / 2005) * ''

Tokyo Tower is a communications and observation tower in the Shiba-koen district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, built in 1958. At , it is the second- tallest structure in Japan. The structure is an Eiffel Tower-inspired lattice tower that is painted white and i ...

'' (2007) * '' Kaze no hate'' (NHK / 2007) * ''

Mop Girl is a television drama series based on the novel of the same title by ; it recounts the adventures of Momoko Hasegawa, played by Keiko Kitagawa, who possesses the ability to travel back in time upon contact with belongings of a deceased person wit ...

'' (Moppu Gāru) (TV Asahi / 2007) * ''

The Negotiator ''The Negotiator'' is a 1998 American action thriller film directed by F. Gary Gray. It stars Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey as two expert hostage negotiators and Chicago police lieutenants. The film was released in the United States on Jul ...

'' (TV Asahi / 2008) * '' Rookies'' (TBS / 2008) * ''

'' (NTV / 2009) * ''

Real Clothes Real may refer to: Currencies * Brazilian real (R$) * Central American Republic real * Mexican real * Portuguese real * Spanish real * Spanish colonial real Music Albums * ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000) * ''Real'' (Bright album) (2010) ...

'' (Riaru kurôzu) (Fuji TV / 2009) * '' The Negotiator 2'' (Koshonin 2) (TV Asahi / 2009)

Theatre work

Takaoka is also a stage actor and appeared in ''

The Lieutenant of Inishmore ''The Lieutenant of Inishmore'' is a black comedy by Martin McDonagh, in which the 'mad' leader of an Irish National Liberation Army splinter group discovers that his cat has been killed. It has been produced twice in the West End and on Bro ...

'' (Wee Thomas) by

Martin McDonagh Martin Faranan McDonagh (; born 26 March 1970) is a British-Irish playwright, screenwriter, producer, and director. Born and brought up in London, he is the son of Irish parents. He is known as one of the most acclaimed modern playwrights whose ...

in June 2006.E+ Theatrix: interview with the cast/crew of The Lieutenant of Inishmore
*''

Pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...

'' (2003) *'' Bent'' (2004)

References

External links

* *
News at Manilla Bulletin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takaoka, Sosuke 1982 births Living people Japanese male film actors Japanese male stage actors Japanese male television actors Male actors from Tokyo Anti-Korean sentiment in Japan 21st-century Japanese male actors Former Stardust Promotion artists