(born February 4, 1966) is a Japanese singer and actress. She is signed to
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Entertainment operates the RC ...
.
Career
In 1981, Kyoko Koizumi participated in and won the
Star Tanjo! programme and released her first single in March 1982. She obtained several number one hits on the
Oricon charts in 1984: "Nagisa no Haikara Ningyo / Kaze no Magical", "Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge" and "The Stardust Memory", the latter holding the top spot over
the end of 1984 and
the beginning of 1985, and thereafter established herself as one of Japan's most popular pop idols, alongside rivals
Seiko Matsuda and
Akina Nakamori
is a Japanese Singing, singer and Actor, actress. She is one of the most popular and List of best-selling music artists in Japan, best-selling music artists in Japan. Akina achieved national recognition after winning the 1981 season of the tal ...
.
Her biggest hit (あなたに会えてよかった) came in 1991, which sold more than a million copies in Japan alone. Koizumi went on to release another single (優しい雨) which also sold over a million copies in 1993.
Koizumi had singles reach the Top Ten for 12 consecutive years between 1983 and 1994, a female solo artist record, until this was broken by
Namie Amuro
Namie Amuro ( ; ; born September 20, 1977) is a retired Japanese singer. She rose to prominence as a Japanese idol, teen idol, and transitioned into a leading Pop music, pop artist due to her versatility across music styles and visual presentatio ...
. In the 1990s, she released a few dance remixes on vinyl only under the Koizumix Production moniker. She has worked with
Yoko Kanno
is a Japanese composer, arranger and music producer of soundtracks for anime series, Video game, video games, Japanese television drama, television dramas and movies. She has written scores for ''Cowboy Bebop'', ''Terror in Resonance'', ''Gho ...
who composed the music for Koizumi's 1996 album, ''
Otoko no Ko Onna no Ko''. She had her first hit single in 18 years when her version of the song "Shiosai no Memorī" from the 2013
NHK
, also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee.
NHK ope ...
morning television drama ''
Amachan'', in which Koizumi also acted, reached number 2 on the
Oricon Singles Chart
The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard Single (music), singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track down ...
.
With that, Koizumi made her 6th appearance (as a special guest performer) in the annual Red and White Song Festival, having previously participated from 1984 to 1988.
From mid-90s onward, Koizumi shifted her focus onto acting. As an actress, she played in numerous dramas and movies, most notably, she was cast in two of the most successful movies in Japan ever: as the serial killer in ''
Bayside Shakedown: The Movie'' (1998) and as the witch in ''
Onmyoji'' (2001).
She starred in
Toshiaki Toyoda's 2006 film ''
Hanging Garden
A hanging garden is a form of sustainable landscape architecture that can take several different forms, such as roof gardens, but is generally defined as a garden planted at a suspended or elevated position off the ground. These gardens are crea ...
'' and
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film critic, author, actor, and a former professor at Tokyo University of the Arts (2005-2023).
Noted for his psychological films that often focus on ambiguous narratives and on their characters' i ...
's 2008 film ''
Tokyo Sonata
is a 2008 Japanese psychological drama film directed and co-written by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
It stars Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyōko Koizumi, Yū Koyanagi and Kai Inowaki as an emotionally distant middle-class family of four who all individually come to ...
''. She starred in Kurosawa's 2012 television drama ''
Penance
Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of contrition for sins committed, as well as an alternative name for the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession.
The word ''penance'' derive ...
''.
Koizumi was given the Best Actress award at the 1989
Yokohama Film Festival
The is an annual awards ceremony held in Yokohama, Japan. Ten films are chosen as the best of the year and various awards are given to personnel. The first festival, held on February 3, 1980, was a small affair by fans and film critics. In 1994, ...
for her work in the film ''
Kaito Ruby''. She won the award for best actress at the 26th
Hochi Film Award
The are film-specific prizes awarded by the '' Hochi Shimbun''.
Categories
*Best Picture
*Best International Picture
*Best Animated Picture (since 2017)
*Best Actor
*Best Actress
*Best Supporting Actor
*Best Supporting Actress
*Best New Artist ...
s for ''Kaza Hana''. She also won the award for Best Actress at the 66th
Mainichi Film Awards
The
are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by '' Mainichi Shimbun'' (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of ...
for ''
Mainichi Kaasan''.
She featured in the French-Japanese film, ''
Umami
Umami ( from ), or savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes. It is characteristic of broths and cooked meats.
People taste umami through taste receptors that typically respond to glutamates and nucleotides, which are widely present in me ...
'', directed by Slony Sow and starring
Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor. An icon of French cinema, considered a world star in the same way as Alain Delon or Brigitte Bardot, he has completed over 250 films since 1967, most of which as ...
, which was filmed in
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
, Japan and
Saumur
Saumur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France.
The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgu ...
, France.
In 2025, she hosts the
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
-original dating reality show ''
Offline Love'' alongside Takahira Kuruma and Kemuri Matsui of the comedy duo
Reiwa Roman.
Personal life
She married actor
Masatoshi Nagase
is a Japanese actor and singer. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's ''Cold Fever'' and Jim Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train (film), Mystery Train''.
Nagase was described by Todd Brown of Twitch Film as "one of t ...
in 1995, the couple divorced in 2004.
Discography
As of 2023, Koizumi released 27 original albums, 22 compilation albums, 40 physical singles, 10 digital singles and 17 home-videos.
Singles
Digital singles
Studio albums
EPs
Soundtrack albums
Live albums
Remix albums
Compilation albums
Digital albums
Home video
Filmography
Film
* ''Seito shokun!'' (1984), Naoko Kitashiro
* ''
The Adventures of Milo and Otis'' (1986)
* ''
Kaitō Ruby'' (1988)
* ''
Bayside Shakedown: The Movie'' (1998), Manami Hyuga
* ''Kyohansha'' (1999)
* ''Kaza Hana'' (2000)
* ''
Onmyoji'' (2001)
* ''
Blue Spring'' (2001)
* ''Rockers'' (2003)
* ''
What the Snow Brings'' (2005)
* ''
Hanging Garden
A hanging garden is a form of sustainable landscape architecture that can take several different forms, such as roof gardens, but is generally defined as a garden planted at a suspended or elevated position off the ground. These gardens are crea ...
'' (2005)
* ''
Survive Style 5+'' (2005)
* ''
Tears for You'' (2006)
* ''
Love My Life'' (2006)
* ''Yajikita Dochu Teresuko'' (2007)
* ''
Sakuran
, is a Japanese manga series by Moyoco Anno. The manga is about a girl who goes through different names throughout the story and becomes a , or high ranking (courtesan).
North American publisher Vertical Inc published it in English in July 2 ...
'' (2007)
* ''
Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad'' (2007)
* ''
Adrift in Tokyo'' (2007)
* ''
Gu-Gu Datte Neko de Aru'' (2008)
* ''
Tokyo Sonata
is a 2008 Japanese psychological drama film directed and co-written by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
It stars Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyōko Koizumi, Yū Koyanagi and Kai Inowaki as an emotionally distant middle-class family of four who all individually come to ...
'' (2008)
* ''Mother Water'' (2010)
* ''
Bayside Shakedown 3: Set the Guys Loose'' (2010), Manami Hyuga
* ''
Mainichi Kaasan'' (2011)
* ''Kako: My Sullen Past'' (2016)
* ''
Before We Vanish'' (2017)
* ''Eating Women'' (2018), Atsuko
* ''
Umami
Umami ( from ), or savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes. It is characteristic of broths and cooked meats.
People taste umami through taste receptors that typically respond to glutamates and nucleotides, which are widely present in me ...
'' (2022), Taya
* ''Plastic'' (2023)
* ''Silence of the Sea'' (2024), Anna Tamura
* ''Bushido'' (2024)
* ''Belonging'' (2024)
* ''I Ai'' (2024)
* ''Shinji Muroi: Not Defeated'' (2024), Manami Hyuga
Television
* ''Toge no Gunzo'' (1982), Tsuru
* ''Ato wa Neru Dake'' (1983)
* ''Anmitsu Hime'' (1983)
* ''Shojo ni Nani ga Okotta ka'' (1985)
* ''Hanayome Ningo wa Nemuranai'' (1986)
* ''Aishiatteru Kai'' (1989)
* ''Ashita wa Atashi no Kaze ga Fuku'' (1989)
* ''Papa to Natchan'' (1991)
* ''Anata Dake Mienai'' (1992)
* ''Chance'' (1993)
* ''Aisuru to Iu Koto'' (1993)
* ''Boku ga Kanojo ni Shakkin wo Shita Riyu'' (1994)
* ''Mada Koi wa Hajimaranai'' (1995)
* ''Melody'' (1997)
* ''Kamisan Nanka Kowakunai'' (1998)
* ''Owari no Nai Dowa'' (1998)
* ''Renai Kekkon no Rule'' (1999)
* ''Koi wo Nannen Yasundemasu ka'' (2001)
* ''Shiritsu Tantei Hama Mike'' (2002)
* ''Kawa, Itsuka Umi e'' (2003)
* ''Manhattan Love Story'' (2003)
* ''Sensei no Kaban'' (2003)
* ''Suika'' (2003)
* ''Yasashii Jikan'' (2005)
* ''
Sailor Suit and Machine Gun'' (2006)
* ''Hatachi no Koibito'' (2007)
* ''
Second to Last Love'' (2012–25)
* ''
Penance
Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of contrition for sins committed, as well as an alternative name for the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession.
The word ''penance'' derive ...
'' (2012)
* ''
Amachan'' (2013), Haruko Amano
* ''Totto TV'' (2016), narrator
* ''Kangoku no Ohimesama'' (2017), Kayo Baba
* ''
Idaten'' (2019), Mitsuko
* ''
First Love'' (2022)
* ''
Extremely Inappropriate!'' (2024), herself
* ''
Offline Love'' (2025), herself as co-host
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koizumi, Kyoko
1966 births
Living people
Japanese idols
Japanese women pop singers
Japanese film actresses
Japanese television actresses
People from Atsugi, Kanagawa
Actresses from Kanagawa Prefecture
Singers from Kanagawa Prefecture
Singing talent show winners
20th-century Japanese actresses
21st-century Japanese actresses
20th-century Japanese women singers
20th-century Japanese singers
21st-century Japanese women singers
21st-century Japanese singers