Ken Watanabe Explained

Ken Watanabe
Birth Date:21 October 1959
Birth Place:Hirokami (now part of Uonuma), Niigata, Japan
Occupation:Actor
Years Active:1979present

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 nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Among other awards, he has won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Actor twice, in 2007 for Memories of Tomorrow and in 2010 for Shizumanu Taiyō. He is also known for his roles in Christopher Nolan's films Batman Begins and Inception, as well as Memoirs of a Geisha, and Pokémon Detective Pikachu.

In 2014, he starred in the reboot Godzilla as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa, a role he reprised in the sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. He lent his voice to the fourth and fifth installments of the Transformers franchise respectively, and , as Decepticon-turned-Autobot Drift. In 2022, he starred in the HBO Max crime drama series Tokyo Vice.

He made his Broadway debut in April 2015 in Lincoln Center Theater's revival production of The King and I in the title role. In 2015, Watanabe received his first Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical at the 69th Tony Awards for his role as The King. He is the first Japanese actor to be nominated in this category.[1] Watanabe reprised his role at the London Palladium in June 2018.[2] [3]

Early life

Watanabe was born on October 21, 1959, in the mountain village of Koide in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. His mother was a school teacher and his father taught calligraphy.[4] Due to a number of relocations for his parents' work, he spent his childhood in the villages of Irihirose and Sumon, both now part of the city of Uonuma, and in Takada, now part of the city of Jōetsu. He attended Niigata Prefectural Koide High School, where he was a member of the concert band club, playing trumpet, which he had played since childhood.

After graduation from high school, in 1978 he aimed to enter Musashino Academia Musicae, a conservatory in Tokyo. However, he had never received a formal musical education, and his father became seriously ill when he was in junior high school and was unable to work, which meant that his family could no longer afford to pay for his music lessons.[5] Because of these problems, Watanabe was forced to give up his intention of entering the conservatory. He said of the decision: "I had to give up my musical aspirations. I realised I had no talent as a musician. But I still wanted to find a way to be creative, so I decided to try acting".[5]

Career

Japanese roles

After graduating from high school in 1978, Watanabe moved to Tokyo to begin his acting career, by enrolling in the drama school run by the Engeki-Shudan En theatre troupe.[5] While with the troupe, he was cast as the hero in the play Shimodani Mannencho Monogatari, directed by the acclaimed Yukio Ninagawa.[5] The role attracted critical and popular notice.

In 1982, he made his first TV appearance in Michinaru Hanran (Unknown Rebellion), and his first appearance on TV as a samurai in Mibu no koiuta. He made his feature-film debut in 1984 with MacArthur's Children.

Watanabe is mostly known in Japan for playing samurai, as in the 1987 Dokuganryu Masamune (One eyed dragon, Masamune) the 50-episode NHK taiga drama. He played the lead character, Matsudaira Kurō, in the television jidaigeki Gokenin Zankurō, which ran for several seasons. He has gone on to garner acclaim in such historical dramas as Oda Nobunaga, Chūshingura, and the movie Bakumatsu Junjo Den.

In 1989, while filming Haruki Kadokawa's Heaven and Earth, Watanabe was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. He returned to acting while simultaneously undergoing chemotherapy treatments, but in 1991 suffered a relapse.

As his health improved his career picked back up. He co-starred with Kōji Yakusho in the 1998 Kizuna, for which he was nominated for the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2002, he quit the 'En' theatre group where he had his start and joined the K Dash agency. The film Sennen no Koi (Thousand-year Love, based on The Tale of Genji) earned him another Japanese Academy Award nomination.

In 2006, he won Best Lead Actor at the 30th Japan Academy Film Prize for his role in Memories of Tomorrow (Ashita no Kioku), in which he played a patient with Alzheimer's disease.

International films

Watanabe was introduced to most Western audiences in the 2003 American film The Last Samurai, set in 19th Century Japan.[6] [7] His performance as Lord Katsumoto earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.[8]

Watanabe appeared in the 2005 film Memoirs of a Geisha, playing Chairman Iwamura. That same year, he also played the decoy of Ra's al Ghul in Christopher Nolan's Batman film reboot, Batman Begins. In 2006, he starred in Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima, playing Tadamichi Kuribayashi. He has voiced Ra's al Ghul in the Batman Begins video game. He has filmed advertisements for American Express, Yakult, Canon and NTT Docomo. In 2004, he was featured in People Magazines 50 Most Beautiful People edition. In 2009, he appeared in The Vampire's Assistant. In 2010, he co-starred in Inception, where he stars as Saito, a mark-turned-benefactor businessman of the film's heist team.

In 2014, he starred in two Hollywood blockbusters Godzilla and .[9] In 2019, he starred in two other Hollywood blockbusters Pokémon Detective Pikachu and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

In 2023, he returned to work with director Gareth Edwards again in the science fiction action film, The Creator.

Television

Watanabe appears in Tokyo Vice, a television series[10] based on the non-fiction book by Jake Adelstein and written for television by J.T. Rogers. The ten-part series was produced by HBO Max and is distributed by HBO Max and in Japan by Wowow.[11] Tokyo Vice stars Ansel Elgort as Adelstein, an American journalist who embeds himself into the Tokyo Vice police squad to expose corruption.[12] [13] Ken is currently starring in the NHK World Japan's comedy You're a Genius!.

In April 2019, it was announced that Warner Bros. International Television Production and TV Asahi were teaming up to remake The Fugitive (1993). Watanabe is set to star in the upcoming remake, taking place in present-day Tokyo just before the opening of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The broadcast date has yet to be announced.[14]

Personal life

In 1983, Watanabe married his first wife, Yumiko. The couple had two children, a son, Dai Watanabe (born 1984), who is an actor, and a daughter Anne Watanabe (born 1986) who is an actress and fashion model. In September 2005, following two years of arbitration, he and Yumiko were divorced. In August 2008, Dai had his first child, a son, making Ken a grandfather at the age of 48. A daughter was born to Dai in March 2010. In May 2016, Watanabe's daughter gave birth to twin girls. In November 2017 she gave birth to a son, giving Watanabe five grandchildren altogether.[5]

He met his second wife, Kaho Minami, when they were both acting in a suspense drama for TV Tokyo. They married on 3 December 2005. The marriage was announced by their agencies on 7 December,[15] just after they had attended a New York City premiere of his film Sayuri together.[16]

Watanabe formally adopted Minami's son from her previous marriage to director Jinsei Tsuji, and for a time the three of them lived in Los Angeles. In order to increase the amount of time the family could spend together, considering Ken's work requiring him to travel so much, they later returned to Japan. Initially Minami and Ken did not hold a wedding ceremony, but in 2010 they announced that they had held a ceremony on August 1 in Los Angeles.[17]

On May 17, 2018, Minami's agency announced that she and Watanabe had divorced after he had admitted to having an extramarital affair.[18] [19]

In June 2023, Watanabe remarried for the third time,[20] a woman who is 21 years his junior, after dating for 9 years.[21]

Philanthropy

On March 13, 2011, he launched a YouTube page to raise awareness about the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and the subsequent Fukushima nuclear disaster and invited celebrities to add their videos of the triple tragedy in Japan.[22] In his video in English, he made a call to action to support the victims of triple disaster and to raise funds in the relief effort.[23] In conjunction amidst the Fukushima crisis, he has also created his own website for the cause.[24]

Health issues

In 1989, Watanabe was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. The cancer returned in 1994, but he later recovered.[25]

In 2006, Watanabe revealed in his autobiography Dare? - Who Am I? that prior to commencing work on The Last Samurai, it was discovered that he had contracted hepatitis C from a blood transfusion he received while undergoing treatment for his leukemia.[5] At a press conference held on May 23, 2006, he said he was in "good" condition but was still undergoing treatment.[26]

In 2016, while on a break from performing in a Broadway production of The King and I, Watanabe was diagnosed with stomach cancer.[5] He subsequently announced on February 9, 2016, that he would postpone scheduled performances in order to undergo the necessary treatment.[27] Due to the early diagnosis, surgery was successfully able to remove the cancer.[5]

Filmography

Films

YearTitleRoleNotes
1984 MacArthur's ChildrenTetsuo Nakai
1985 Kekkon Annai Mystery Funayama Tetsuya / Masakazu Sekine
Tampopo Gun
1986 The Sea and Poison Toda
1998 Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald Raita Onuki, Truck Driver
Kizuna Detective Sako Akio
2000 Space Travelers Sakamaki
2001 Genji: A Thousand-Year Love Fujiwara Michinaga / Fujiwara Nobutaka
2002 Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS Ōkubo
2003 The Last Samurai Katsumoto Moritsugu Hollywood debut
T.R.Y. Masanobu Azuma
2005 Memoirs of a Geisha Chairman Ken Iwamura
Batman Begins Ra's al Ghul's Decoy
Year One in the North Hideaki Komatsubara
2006 Memories of Tomorrow Masayuki Saeki
Letters from Iwo Jima
2009 The Unbroken Hajime Onchi
Mr. Hibernius Tall
2010 Shanghai Captain Tanaka
Inception Mr. Saito
2012 Hayabusa: The Long Voyage Home Professor Yamaguchi Junichiro
2013 Unforgiven Jubei Kamata
2014 Godzilla Dr. Ishiro Serizawa
Drift (voice)[28]
2015 Sea of Trees Takumi Nakamura
2016 Rage Yōhei Maki
2017 Drift (voice)
2018 Isle of Dogs Head Surgeon (voice)
The Samurai of TsushimaThe Emperor of Japan (voice)
Bel Canto Katsumi Hosokawa
2019 Detective Pikachu Lt. Hide Yoshida Also dubbed for himself in Japanese
Godzilla: King of the Monsters Dr. Ishiro Serizawa
2020 Fukushima 50 [29]
2023 Kensuke's Kingdom Kensuke Voice role
The Creator Harun [30]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1983 Taiyō ni Hoero! Yūji Shimizu Episode 574
1984 Sanga Moyu Takeshi Kusuda Taiga drama
1986 Hanekonma Genzō Onodera Asadora
1987 Dokuganryū Masamune Taiga drama
1989 Oda Nobunaga TV movie
1990–1992 Baian the Assassin Baian Fujieda
1991 Takeda ShingenNarrator[31] TV movie
1993–1994 Homura Tatsu Taiga drama
1995–2002 Gokenin Zankurō Zankurō Matsudaira
2000 Ikebukuro West Gate Park Inspector Yokoyama
2001 Chūshingura 1/47 Cameo, TV movie
Hōjō Tokimune Hōjō TokiyoriTaiga drama
2004 Suna no Utsuwa Shūichirō Imanishi
2009–2011 Saka no Ue no Kumo Narrator[32] Taiga special drama
2018 Segodon Taiga drama
2019 An Artist of the Floating World Masuji Ono TV movie
2020 The Fugitive Kazuki Kakurai Mini-series
2022 - 2024 Tokyo Vice Hiroto Katagiri Also executive producer
2024 Ikitoshi Ikerumono Sho Naruse[33] TV movie
2025 Berabou Tanuma Okitsugu[34] Taiga drama

Stage

Dubbing

Awards and nominations

YearOrganizationAwardWork(s)Result
198711th Elan d'or AwardsNewcomer AwardHimself
199922nd Japan Academy Film PrizeBest Supporting ActorKizuna[36]
200225th Japan Academy Film PrizeBest Supporting ActorSennen no Koi Story of Genji
200326th Japan Academy Film PrizeBest Supporting ActorHi Wa Mata Noboru
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association AwardsBest Supporting ActorThe Last Samurai
2004Academy AwardsBest Supporting Actor
Saturn AwardsBest Supporting Actor
Blue Ribbon AwardsSpecial Award
Broadcast Film Critics Association AwardsBest Supporting Actor
Golden Globe AwardsBest Supporting Actor
Las Vegas Film Critics Society AwardsBest Supporting Actor
Phoenix Film Critics Society AwardsBest Supporting Actor
Satellite AwardsBest Supporting Actor
Screen Actors Guild AwardsBest Supporting Actor
Television Drama Academy Awards (Winter)Best Supporting ActorSuna no Utsuwa[37]
200631st Hochi Film AwardsBest ActorMemories of Tomorrow
Nikkan Sports Film AwardsBest Actor
2007Blue Ribbon AwardsBest Actor[38]
30th Japan Academy Film PrizeBest Actor[39]
Fujimoto PrizeSpecial Prize[40]
Kinema Junpo AwardsBest Actor[41]
200934th Hochi Film AwardsBest ActorShizumanu Taiyo[42]
201033rd Japan Academy Film PrizeBest Actor[43]
201437th Japan Academy Film PrizeBest ActorUnforgiven
2015Tony AwardsThe King and I
2016Grammy AwardsBest Musical Theater Album[44]
41st Hochi Film AwardsBest ActorRage
2019Olivier AwardsThe King and I
202144th Japan Academy Film PrizeBest Supporting ActorFukushima 50

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Ken Watanabe Receives 2015 Tony Nomination for "The King and I". crunchyroll.com. April 29, 2015. May 1, 2015. May 1, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150501203432/http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/04/29-1/ken-watanabe-receives-2015-tony-nomination-for-the-king-and-i. live.
  2. Web site: Details confirmed for The King and I at the London Palladium in 2018. LondonTheatre.co.uk. Will. Longman. November 17, 2017. November 17, 2017. August 2, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200802235649/https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/details-confirmed-for-the-king-and-i-at-the-london-palladium-in-2018. live.
  3. Web site: The King and I. londonboxoffice.co.uk. November 17, 2017. November 17, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171117175502/https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/king-and-i. live.
  4. News: Japanese Cruise. USA Today. William. Keck. February 24, 2004. May 7, 2010. December 7, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091207091453/http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2003-12-11-watanabe-ken_x.htm. live.
  5. Web site: Lee . Ann . 'Each little thing in my life is precious': Ken Watanabe on cancer, childhood and Hollywood cliches . The Guardian . May 19, 2022 . May 20, 2022 . May 20, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220520001913/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/19/ken-watanabe-cancer-childhood-hollywood-cliches-last-samurai-tokyo-vice . live .
  6. Web site: The Last Samurai - Ken Watanabe Interviews. Rebecca Murray. About.com Entertainment. January 28, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20150906183942/http://movies.about.com/cs/thelastsamurai/a/smkw120103.htm. September 6, 2015. dead.
  7. Web site: Corkill. Edan. From Hollywood to Hirohito. The Japan Times. July 6, 2013. The Japan Times, Ltd.. February 19, 2014. July 24, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160724065044/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/07/06/people/from-hollywood-to-hirohito/. live.
  8. News: Watanabe nominated for Academy Award. CNN. February 12, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120214050315/http://articles.cnn.com/2010-08-18/entertainment/ken.watanabe_1_theatrical-actor-ken-watanabe-roles?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ. February 14, 2012. mdy-all.
  9. News: John Goodman, Ken Watanabe to Voice Autobots in 'Transformers: Age of Extinction'. Variety. May 8, 2014. Justin Kroll. January 28, 2016. August 30, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150830222413/http://variety.com/2014/film/news/john-goodman-ken-watanabe-to-voice-autobots-in-transformers-age-of-extinction-1201175957/. live.
  10. News: Ken Watanabe Joins Ansel Elgort in 'Tokyo Vice' at HBO Max. Variety. September 12, 2019. Will Thorne. September 13, 2019. September 13, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190913205323/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/ken-watanabe-ansel-elgort-tokyo-vice-hbo-max-1203334132/. live.
  11. Web site: Japan's Wowow Boards Michael Mann's 'Tokyo Vice' as Co-Producer as Production Resumes This Week. November 23, 2020. December 1, 2020. February 3, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220203195517/https://deadline.com/2020/11/japans-wowow-coproduce-michael-mann-tokyo-vice-production-resumes-1234620667/. live.
  12. News: Ansel Elgort to Star in Drama Series 'Tokyo Vice' at WarnerMedia Streaming Service. Variety. June 6, 2019. Joe Otterson. September 13, 2019. November 2, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191102193215/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/ansel-elgort-tokyo-vice-warnermedia-streaming-service-1203235293/. live.
  13. News: Ansel Elgort to Star in Drama Series 'Tokyo Vice' at WarnerMedia Streaming Service. Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. June 6, 2019. Nellie Andreeva. September 13, 2019. April 13, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200413111620/https://deadline.com/2019/06/warnermedia-streamer-orders-tokyo-vice-drama-series-ansel-elgort-endeavor-content-1202628306/. live.
  14. News: Ken Watanabe to Star in Japan Edition of 'The Fugitive'. Variety. April 24, 2019. Schilling. Mark. 2020-02-08. May 14, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200514035543/https://variety.com/2019/tv/asia/ken-watanabe-japan-edition-the-fugitive-1203195287/. live.
  15. News: Actors Watanabe, Minami tie knot. The Japan Times. The Japan Times, Ltd.. 8 December 2005. 18 May 2018. May 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180518201457/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2005/12/08/national/actors-watanabe-minami-tie-knot/. live.
  16. Web site: 'Memoirs of a Geisha' New York City Premiere - Inside Arrivals. Getty Images. 6 December 2005. 18 May 2018. May 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180518202357/https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/event/memoirs-of-a-geisha-new-york-city-premiere-inside-arrivals-75104179#/ken-watanabe-and-his-newlymarried-wife-japanese-actress-kaho-minami-picture-id105585041. live.
  17. News: Ken Watanabe to appear in Docomo ad with Darth Vader. 21 May 2018. Japan Today. 2 September 2010. May 21, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180521191502/https://japantoday.com/category/entertainment/ken-watanabe-to-appear-in-docomo-ad-with-darth-vader. live.
  18. News: Ken Watanabe of 'Last Samurai' fame divorces his actress wife. The Asahi Shimbun. 19 May 2018. The Asahi Shimbun Company. 19 May 2018. May 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180519220659/http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201805190030.html. dead.
  19. Web site: Ken Watanabe and Kaho Minami divorce after cheating scandal. Arama!. 19 May 2018. 19 May 2018. May 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180519204514/https://aramajapan.com/news/ken-wantanbe-and-kaho-minami-divorce-after-cheating-scandal/88334/. live.
  20. Web site: 2023-06-30 . 渡辺謙さんが再婚「のんびりとやってまいります」…18年に南果歩さんと離婚 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230703082936/https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/culture/20230630-OYT1T50210/ . July 3, 2023 . 2023-07-03 . 読売新聞オンライン . ja.
  21. Web site: Watanabe Ken remarries a woman 21 years his junior . 2024-06-10 . tokyohive.
  22. Web site: kizuna311. YouTube. April 12, 2012. June 29, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120629182759/http://www.youtube.com/user/kizuna311?feature=watch. live.
  23. Web site: "kizuna311" a message from Ken Watanabe. YouTube. April 12, 2012.
  24. Web site: Kizuna – Unity and Hope. Together we will prevail and overcome.. Kizuna311.com. April 12, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120328054457/http://kizuna311.com/english.html. March 28, 2012. mdy-all.
  25. Web site: Freydkin. Donna. Watanabe opens 'a box of painful memories'. USA Today. February 10, 2016. July 26, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230726143351/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-06-14-ken-watanabe_N.htm. live.
  26. Web site: May - 2006 - Japan Zone. January 28, 2016. September 21, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150921174944/http://www.japan-zone.com/news/2006/05/index.shtml. live.
  27. News: Tony-nominated actor Ken Watanabe battling stomach cancer. February 9, 2016. Associated Press. Mark Kennedy. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20161112174114/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/67b381d5004443cfb2f4cc7262afcf3d/tony-nominated-actor-ken-watanabe-battling-stomach-cancer/. November 12, 2016.
  28. Web site: John Goodman And Ken Watanabe Join The Autobot Voice Cast in Michael Bay's 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction'. Bay. Michael. Michael Bay. May 8, 2014. May 8, 2014. April 11, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160411112554/http://michaelbay.com/2014/05/08/john-goodman-and-ken-watanabe-join-the-autobot-voice-cast-in-michael-bays-transformers-age-of-extinction/. dead.
  29. News: Shackleton. Liz. Japan 2011 earthquake, tsunami drama 'Fukushima 50' leads Kadokawa slate (exclusive). 28 August 2019. Screen Daily. Media Business Insight Limited. 14 May 2019. August 28, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190828150546/https://www.screendaily.com/news/japan-2011-earthquake-tsunami-drama-fukushima-50-leads-kadokawa-slate-exclusive/5139322.article. live.
  30. News: Ken Watanabe Replaces Benedict Wong In Gareth Edwards' Film 'True Love' For New Regency. Matt. Grobar. 10 February 2022. Deadline Hollywood. February 11, 2022. May 25, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220525002824/https://deadline.com/2022/02/ken-watanabe-replaces-benedict-wong-in-gareth-edwards-true-love-1234931071/. live.
  31. Web site: TBS新春大型時代劇スペシャル「武田信玄」. May 9, 2020. TBS.
  32. Web site: スペシャルドラマ 坂の上の雲. ja. Special drama - Clouds on the slope. NHK. September 16, 2019. August 2, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200802205358/https://www2.nhk.or.jp/archives/tv60bin/detail/index.cgi?das_id=D0009010573_00000. live.
  33. Web site: 妻夫木聡×渡辺謙がテレ東ドラマSP「生きとし生けるもの」で共演、脚本は北川悦吏子. February 29, 2024. Natalie.
  34. Web site: べらぼう ~蔦重栄華乃夢噺~:25年大河 田沼意次役に渡辺謙 染谷将太、片岡愛之助も出演 宮沢氷魚が初の大河ドラマ. October 5, 2023. Mantan-web. October 5, 2023.
  35. Web site: ランボー 4Kレストア版. October 5, 2021. HMV. October 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211005222522/https://www.hmv.co.jp/artist_%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%83%9C%E3%83%BC_000000000101734/item_%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%83%9C%E3%83%BC-4K%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%82%A2%E7%89%88_10419173. live.
  36. Web site: Awards for Ken Watanabe. IMDB. March 7, 2010. July 2, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170702035943/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0913822/awards. live.
  37. Web site: Drama Academy Awards. Tokyograph. March 7, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100129125836/http://www.tokyograph.com/info/Drama_Academy_Awards. January 29, 2010. mdy-all.
  38. Web site: Blue Ribbon Awards: 'Hula Girl' Aoi on top. January 24, 2009. Tokyograph. March 7, 2010. May 19, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100519081246/http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-378. live.
  39. Web site: Another win for 'Hula Girl' at Japan Academy Awards. February 16, 2007. Tokyograph. March 7, 2010. December 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101207104036/http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-483. live.
  40. Web site: TBS producer wins Fujimoto Prize. June 8, 2007. Tokyograph. March 7, 2010. October 29, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091029071259/http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-1187. live.
  41. Web site: Kinema Junpo announces Best 10. January 9, 2007. Tokyograph. March 7, 2010. April 20, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090420142136/http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-323. live.
  42. Web site: 34th Hochi Film Awards. November 28, 2009. Tokyograph. March 7, 2010. May 31, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100531125512/http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-5514. live.
  43. Web site: 33rd Japan Academy Awards. March 6, 2010. Tokyograph. March 7, 2010. March 10, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100310065832/http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-5881. live.
  44. Web site: 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees. The GRAMMYs. January 28, 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141207032519/http://www.grammy.com/nominees. December 7, 2014.