Kaho Minami
Life and Career. Kaho Minami was born on January 20, 1964 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’s drama series in 1985. Her stage play debut was as Juliet in “Romeo & Juliet” directed by Tamasaburō  Bandō, the legendary Kabuki 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” (2004), Tian Zhuangzhuang's “The Go Master” (2006), and Kazuyoshi Kumakiri's “Sketches of Kaitan City” (2010) . Other notable appearances internationally are “Oh, Lucy!” (2018) with actor Josh Hartnett, “Gensan Punch” (2021) by Filipino director Brillante Mendoza, and “Pachinko” (2022, Apple TV+ drama) based on Min Jin Lee’s original novel. Personal life. In private, Minami had married actor Ken Watanabe from 2005 until  2018. She focuses on various volunteer projects including the enlightenment activities of sharing her own experience as a breast cancer survivor. She is regarded as one of the most powerful players who influence many Japanese females.