Koji Yakusho

Koji Yakusho

Born: January 1, 1956
in Isahaya, Japan
Kōji Hashimoto (橋本 広司, Hashimoto Kōji, born 1 January 1956), known professionally as Kōji Yakusho (役所 広司, Yakusho Kōji), is a Japanese actor. He is known internationally for his starring roles in Shall We Dance? (1996), 13 Assassins (2010), The Third Murder (2017), The Blood of Wolves (2018), Under the Open Sky (2020) and The Days (2023). For his performance in Perfect Days (2023), he was awarded the Best Actor award in the 76th Cannes Film Festival.

Movies for Koji Yakusho...

Hakkenden
Title: Hakkenden
Character: Bakin Takizawa
Released: October 1, 2024
Type: Movie
~ Adapted from the novel "Hakkenden" (八犬伝) by Yamada Futaro (山田風太郎)
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Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window
Title: Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window
Character: Sōsaku Kobayashi (voice)
Released: December 8, 2023
Type: Movie
This engaging series of childhood recollections tells of an unconventional school in Tokyo during World War II that combined learning with fun, freedom, and love. The school had old railroad cars for classrooms and was run by an extraordinary man – its founder and headmaster, Sōsaku Kobayashi – who deeply valued children's independence, and who was a firm believer in freedom of expression and activity.
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Perfect Days
Title: Perfect Days
Character: Hirayama
Released: November 10, 2023
Type: Movie
Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.
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Title: Vivant
Character: Nogōn Beki
Released: July 16, 2023
Type: TV
Yusuke Nogi of Ryosho's Energy Development Division said that 10 times the official down payment was mistakenly sent to GFL, a local infrastructure company involved in a solar energy plant to be built in the Balkan Republic in Central Asia. Suspected of involvement, he heads to the Balkan Republic to collect the difference of $90 million. With the cooperation of his CIA friend Sam, Nogi obtained information that the terrorist al-Zaer had laundered the full amount of the contract money into diamonds and brought it out.
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Title: THE DAYS
Character: Masao Yoshida
Released: June 1, 2023
Type: TV
Blamed by some, hailed as heroes by others, those involved with Fukushima Daiichi face a deadly, invisible threat — an unprecedented nuclear disaster.
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Father of the Milky Way Railroad
Title: Father of the Milky Way Railroad
Character: Miyazawa Masajiro
Released: May 5, 2023
Type: Movie
Biopic based on the life of poet and novelist Kenji Miyazawa, one of Japan’s most read and beloved authors of children’s stories. The story traces the genius writer’s brief but amazing life through his relationship with his loving father Masajiro, a successful pawnbroker and modern man of the Meiji era who struggles to keep up with his eccentric son’s ambitions.
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Família
Title: Família
Character: Seiji Kamiya
Released: January 6, 2023
Type: Movie
One day a young Brazilian man living in Japan crashes his car into the side of the house of a happy family. They take him in after realizing he had been beaten. As they get to know each other they find the bonds of family transcend blood and lineage.
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The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai
Title: The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai
Character: Kawai Tsugunosuke
Released: June 17, 2022
Type: Movie
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Gratitude
Title: Gratitude
Released: February 6, 2022
Type: Movie
A man wanders alone, away from his family, in search of a place to die. He runs away from the massage therapist who is supposed to heal him, and drives into the deep mountains in a car he stole on the road. He abandons his car and walks further into the forest, where he meets a strange young man.
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Belle
Title: Belle
Character: Suzu's Father (voice)
Released: July 16, 2021
Type: Movie
Suzu is a 17-year-old high-school student living in a rural town with her father. Wounded by the loss of her mother at a young age, Suzu one day discovers the massive online world "U" and dives into this alternate reality as her avatar, Belle. Before long, all of U's eyes are fixed on Belle, when, suddenly, a mysterious, dragon-like figure appears before her.
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The Supporting Actors in Byplaywood
Title: The Supporting Actors in Byplaywood
Released: April 9, 2021
Type: Movie
In a studio at the foot of Mt. Fuji, Gaku Hamada is struggling to shoot a movie with a dog in the lead role. Enter a huge cast of veteran actors who get involved in misadventures while on set.
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Under the Open Sky
Title: Under the Open Sky
Character: Mikami Masao
Released: February 11, 2021
Type: Movie
Mikami, an ex-yakuza of middle age with most of his life in prison, gets released after serving 13 years of sentence for murder. Hoping to find his long lost mother, from whom he was separated as a child, he applies for a TV show and meets a young TV director Tsunoda. Meanwhile, he struggles to get a proper job and fit into society. His impulsive, adamant nature and ingrained beliefs cause friction in his relationship with Tsunoda and those who want to help him.
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Title: Pension Metsä
Character: Tsuneki
Released: January 15, 2021
Type: TV
Tenko runs a pension alone. The pension is located in a forest in Nagano, that is full of the Japanese larch tree. She interacts with her guests, who come from all walks of life.
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Wings Over Everest
Title: Wings Over Everest
Character: Jiang Yuesheng
Released: September 12, 2019
Type: Movie
An experienced mountain rescue team is tasked with recovering crucial documents from Everest’s notorious death zone
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Whistleblower
Title: Whistleblower
Released: February 1, 2019
Type: Movie
A seemingly lazy salaryman is tasked with managing a company secret.
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Title: Idaten: Tokyo Olympics Story
Character: 嘉納治五郎
Released: January 6, 2019
Type: TV
Traces Japan’s history with the Olympic games and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics for viewers before Tokyo hosts the event again in 2020. The first half tells the story of marathon runner Kanakuri Shiso, who became one of the first Japanese nationals to participate in the Olympics in Stockholm in 1912. The second half features Tabata Masaji, the coach who laid the foundations of Japanese swimming and helped bring the games to Tokyo for the first time in 1964.
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Mirai
Title: Mirai
Character: Grandfather (voice)
Released: June 16, 2018
Type: Movie
Unhappy after his new baby sister displaces him, four-year-old Kun begins meeting people and pets from his family's history in their unique house in order to help him become the big brother he was meant to be.
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The Blood of Wolves
Title: The Blood of Wolves
Character: Shogo Ogami
Released: May 12, 2018
Type: Movie
Set in 1988 in Hiroshima, Japan, prior to the enactment of the anti-organized crime law. A rumor exists that Detective Shogo Ogami has ties with the yakuza. He is partnered with Detective Shuichi Hioka and they investigate a missing person case involving a financial company employee. Conflicts between opposing yakuza groups become more serious.
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Title: Rikuoh
Character: Koichi Miyazawa
Released: October 15, 2017
Type: TV
Koichi Miyazawa runs a small, but longstanding company which makes tabi (traditional Japanese socks). He is the CEO of the fourth generation company with about 20 employees. Due to a decrease of demand for tabi, the company is struggling to keep afloat. Koichi Miyazawa thinks about launching a new product line. The new product is running shoes. For the company's surival, Koichi Miyazawa begins to develop running shoes using their accumulated knowledge for making tabi.
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The Third Murder
Title: The Third Murder
Character: Misumi
Released: September 9, 2017
Type: Movie
A lawyer tasked with defending a robbery-and-murder suspect begins developing doubts about what truly happened.
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Sekigahara
Title: Sekigahara
Character: Tokugawa Ieyasu
Released: August 26, 2017
Type: Movie
The background to and depiction of a watershed battle in Japanese history, at Sekigahara in 1600, when Tokugawa Ieyasu's Army of the East defeated the Army of the West of Ishida Mitsunari. The story includes the intrigues and shifting loyalties of the various retainers, family members, and samurai.
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Title: Ties: A Miraculous Colt
Character: Masayuki Matsushita
Released: March 23, 2017
Type: TV
Based on novel "Kizuna ~ Aru Jinba no Monogatari~” by Akihiro Shimada (published from June, 2012 to December, 2012 in horse racing portal site ‘netkeiba.com’).
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Oh Lucy!
Title: Oh Lucy!
Character: Komori / Tom
Released: March 22, 2017
Type: Movie
A lonely, chain-smoking office lady in Tokyo falls for her teacher when she decides to take English lessons. When her teacher disappears, she sets out on a journey to find him.
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Mifune: The Last Samurai
Title: Mifune: The Last Samurai
Character: Self - Actor
Released: December 2, 2016
Type: Movie
An account of the life and work of legendary Japanese actor Toshirō Mifune (1920-97), the most prominent actor of the Golden Age of Japanese cinema.
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The Emperor in August
Title: The Emperor in August
Character: General Korechika Anami
Released: August 8, 2015
Type: Movie
In July 1945, during the end of World War II, Japan is forced to accept the Potsdam Declaration. A cabinet meeting has continued through days and nights, but a decision cannot be made. The U.S. drops atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. General Korechika Anami is torn over making the proper decision and the Emperor of Japan worries about his people. Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki leads the cabinet meeting, while Chief Secretary Hisatsune Sakomizu can't do anything, but watch the meeting. At this time, Major Kenji Hatanaka and other young commissioned officers, who are against Japan surrendering, move to occupy the palace and a radio broadcasting station. The radio station is set to broadcast Emperor Hirohito reading out the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War.
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The Boy and the Beast
Title: The Boy and the Beast
Character: Kumatetsu (voice)
Released: July 11, 2015
Type: Movie
Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu who becomes his spirit guide. That encounter leads them to many adventures.
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A Samurai Chronicle
Title: A Samurai Chronicle
Character: Toda
Released: October 4, 2014
Type: Movie
A retired samurai must redeem himself for a crime that he committed earlier in his life.
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Title: Back of Father
Character: Aoki Sosuke
Released: July 13, 2014
Type: TV
A 10-part omnibus drama by 10 different scriptwriters on the theme of fathers and their sons and daughters.
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The World of Kanako
Title: The World of Kanako
Character: Akikazu Fujishima
Released: July 4, 2014
Type: Movie
When Kanako, a model daughter and a brilliant student, disappears, her mother asks her ex-husband, a violent former policeman, to find her. As his investigation progresses, his idealized image of Kanako cracks: the girl hides a dark life that her father can not even imagine.
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I Am Searching For Myself
Title: I Am Searching For Myself
Released: June 2, 2014
Type: Movie
Interview with actress Nana Komatsu on her debut film "The World of Kanako".
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The Kiyosu Conference
Title: The Kiyosu Conference
Character: Katsuie Shibata
Released: November 9, 2013
Type: Movie
After the forced suicide of Nobunaga Oda at the Incident at Honnō-ji, powerful figures Katsuie Shibata, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Nagahide Niwa and Tsuneoki Ikeda meet to decide on a successor. The conference would become Japan's first group made political decision. The meeting was known as the Kiyosu Kaigi.
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The Terminal Trust
Title: The Terminal Trust
Character: Shinzo Egi
Released: October 27, 2012
Type: Movie
Shinzo Egi is an asthma sufferer who does not want to be place on life support. As a last request, Shinzo Egi asks his doctor Ayano Orii if she could follow his wish. Doctor Ayano Orii is then questioned in a criminal case because of her decision.
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Chronicle of My Mother
Title: Chronicle of My Mother
Character: Kosaku
Released: April 28, 2012
Type: Movie
Best-selling novelist Kosaku Igami has made a career out of using his family as fodder for his novels, much to their dismay. When his mother, the spirited family matriarch, is diagnosed with dementia, Igami must come to terms with the toll his own behavior has taken on his increasingly distant family and resolve his own long-simmering resentments. Evocative of classic Ozu, this gorgeously wrought epic family portrait explores the tenderness and trappings of familial bonds.
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The Woodsman and the Rain
Title: The Woodsman and the Rain
Character: Katsuhiko
Released: February 11, 2012
Type: Movie
A widowed lumberjack's life is turned upside down when a film crew shooting a zombie movie asks for his help and increasingly starts to rely on him.
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Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet
Title: Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet
Character: Isoroku Yamamoto
Released: December 23, 2011
Type: Movie
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (1884-1943) was the Japanese Naval commander who was given the order to attack Pearl Harbour, an order he was duty bound to obey which went against his own personal beliefs. While this infamous attack is a low point in Japanese and US history it wouldn’t have happened if the Japanese government had listened to Yamamoto in 1939 and searched for a more peaceful way to end their war campaign, proving his many ominous presages of the outcomes of the attack to come true.
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Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai
Title: Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai
Character: Kageyu
Released: October 15, 2011
Type: Movie
A tale of revenge, honor and disgrace, centering on a poverty-stricken samurai who discovers the fate of his ronin son-in-law, setting in motion a tense showdown of vengeance against the house of a feudal lord.
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The Last Ronin
Title: The Last Ronin
Character: Magozaemon Senoo
Released: December 18, 2010
Type: Movie
16 years after the fateful "revenge of the Forty-seven Ronin," involving samurais from the Ako domain who avenged their leader and then commited seppuku (ritual suicide), the sole survivor of that incident, Kichiemon Terasaka (Koichi Sato) traverses the country on a mission. His purpose is to find the families of the fallen samurais and spread the truth of the ronin uprising.
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13 Assassins
Title: 13 Assassins
Character: Shinzaemon Shimada
Released: September 9, 2010
Type: Movie
A bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war-torn future.
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The Summit: A Chronicle Of Stones to Serenity
Title: The Summit: A Chronicle Of Stones to Serenity
Character: Morisaku Furuta
Released: June 20, 2009
Type: Movie
In 1907, a group of men climb an unconquered peak in the last unmapped region of Japan.
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Toad's Oil
Title: Toad's Oil
Character: Takuro Yazawa
Released: June 6, 2009
Type: Movie
The Yazawa family consists of the father Takuro (Koji Yakusho) - who is always busy day trading, charming wife Erumi (Satomi Kobayashi), and teenage son Tetsuya (Eita) - who dreams of becoming an astronaut. The family is also joined by Saburo Akiba (Junichi Sawayashiki), a good-natured teen recently released from a juvenile corrections facility. Then one day Tetsuya falls into a coma from a car accident. A chain of events is set to occur set-off by the father taking a phone call from an unsuspecting girl named Hikari. The father pretends to be his son Tokuya...
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Ekiro
Title: Ekiro
Character: Det. Yobuno
Released: April 11, 2009
Type: Movie
An employee of a bank goes missing following his retirement from the bank. Veteran detective Yobuno (Koji Yakusho), who is set to retire himself, is charged with the investigating the missing person case. Det. Yobuno quickly finds more mysterious as he delves into the case, but a woman named Keiko Fukumura (Eri Fukatsu) surfaces who may hold the key to case.
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Gelatin Silver, Love
Title: Gelatin Silver, Love
Character: Client
Released: March 7, 2009
Type: Movie
The story of a photographer who becomes obsessed with a mysterious woman who lives in the apartment opposite his.
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Tokyo Sonata
Title: Tokyo Sonata
Character: Robber
Released: September 27, 2008
Type: Movie
A young boy takes interest in piano while his family begins to disintegrate around him after his father loses his job.
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Paco and the Magical Book
Title: Paco and the Magical Book
Character: Onuki
Released: September 13, 2008
Type: Movie
There once was a hospital where patients and even doctors & nurses were all weird. Above all, Onuki, a patient who built up his company all by himself from scratch, is a super cranky old man. One day, he meets up a girl called Paco, who cannot retain memory beyond one day due to a car accident. She is reading the same picture book everyday. Onuki starts bonding with Paco after some incident, and begins to doubt his way of living. He starts wanting to do something for Paco with his remaining life, and comes up with a brilliant idea. This pleases Paco, but their fate is?
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Walking My Life
Title: Walking My Life
Character: Yukihiro Fujiyama
Released: October 27, 2007
Type: Movie
A 48-year-old company chief, Yukihiro Fujiyama (Koji Yakusho) goes to a hospital. There he discovered that he has got terminal lung cancer and will die within half a year. He declines any treatment and decides to go to see some people he has not met for years, to write farewell letters to his family, relatives and friends...
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The Sin
Title: The Sin
Released: October 18, 2007
Type: Movie
A housewife was killed by a falling fire extinguisher, which a boy of seven years dropped from the top floor of an apartment. The offender, however, was not accused because he was too young. Ten years later, a series of murders occur, which target young girls only. It is the boy accused of killing the housewife who comes up in the couse of investigation, while the son of the murdered mother is the witness of a new murder. When the two families of the offender and of the victim meet again, two opposite morals conflict with each other – one is to crack down on the sin beyond the law and another is to disapprove the retaliation.
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Silk
Title: Silk
Character: Hara Jubei
Released: September 14, 2007
Type: Movie
Based on the best-selling novel by Alessandro Baricco, this visually stunning film tells the story of a French trader who finds unexpected love far away from home.
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Argentine Hag
Title: Argentine Hag
Character: Satoru Wakui
Released: March 24, 2007
Type: Movie
After the death of her dearest mother, her serious-minded father goes missing, leaving their only daughter Mitsuko. Six months later, it turns out that he is at Yuri's house, who is rumored to be an eccentric and is commonly known as Argentine hag.
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Retribution
Title: Retribution
Character: Noboru Yoshioka
Released: February 24, 2007
Type: Movie
A detective investigates a series of murders. A possible serial killer might be on a rampage, since they all are in the same vicinity and by the same method, but as the evidence points toward the detective as the prime suspect, a ghost in red follows him, and he begins to question his identity. His realization of what seems to have really happened results in something much more sinister and larger in scope, and it leaves his psyche scarred.
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I Just Didn't Do It
Title: I Just Didn't Do It
Character: Masayoshi Arakawa
Released: January 20, 2007
Type: Movie
A young man is falsely accused of molesting a high-school girl on a train. He is arrested and charged, and goes through endless court sessions, all the while insisting that he is innocent.
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Babel
Title: Babel
Character: Yasujiro Wataya
Released: October 26, 2006
Type: Movie
In Babel, a tragic incident involving an American couple in Morocco sparks a chain of events for four families in different countries throughout the world.
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Suite Dreams
Title: Suite Dreams
Character: Heikichi Shindo
Released: January 14, 2006
Type: Movie
New Year's Eve at a posh hotel and all should be shipshape. It is not. There is the traditional party, an official ceremony, entertainment and a special dinner planned and yet there is trouble everywhere. An Animal is on the loose, a politician to protect, a prostitute to handle, a bellhop to focus and a few things more.
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Memoirs of a Geisha
Title: Memoirs of a Geisha
Character: Nobu
Released: December 6, 2005
Type: Movie
In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.
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Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean
Title: Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean
Character: Masami Shin'ichi
Released: March 5, 2005
Type: Movie
A drama set during World War II where a submarine carrying a secret weapon attempts to stop a planned third atomic bombing of Japan. Based on Harutoshi Fukui's novel Shuusen no Lorelei.
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University of Laughs
Title: University of Laughs
Character: Mutsuo Sakisaka
Released: October 30, 2004
Type: Movie
In pre-war Japan, a government censor tries to make the writer for a theater troupe alter his comedic script. As they work with and against each other, the script ends up developing in unexpected ways.
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Fireflies: River of Light
Title: Fireflies: River of Light
Character: Mr. Takiguchi
Released: June 5, 2004
Type: Movie
After finally passing his teacher's exam, Miwa (Yukiyoshi Ozawa) devoted himself to teaching in a rustic primary school. He struggles to get through to his students, until he creates a class project to raise fireflies to fly over it once again. All students, even the reserved girl Hikari (Risako Sugaya), become passionately involved in the project. However, it brings them into conflict with parents and the school, one problem after another stands in his way.
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Tokyo: Level One
Title: Tokyo: Level One
Character: Governor of Tokyo
Released: March 13, 2004
Type: Movie
Panic occurs when the Governor of Tokyo proposes to attract a nuclear power plant to Tokyo.
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The Lakeside Murder Case
Title: The Lakeside Murder Case
Character: Shunsuke Namiki
Released: January 22, 2004
Type: Movie
Three couples are staying at a lakeside cottage with their children. They want them to prepare intensely for a prestigious high school's entrance exam with the help of a private tutor. One night, one of the wives confesses to her husband that she has killed his mistress.
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The Hunter and the Hunted
Title: The Hunter and the Hunted
Character: Detective Jin
Released: January 17, 2004
Type: Movie
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Doppelganger
Title: Doppelganger
Character: Michio Hayasaki
Released: September 27, 2003
Type: Movie
Hayasaki is an inventor working on an Artificial Body. It is not going well and he is stressed out and on the verge of being fired from the research division of his company. His doppelgänger appears to help him out of the rut he has created for himself.
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The Choice of Hercules
Title: The Choice of Hercules
Character: Atsuyuki Sassa
Released: May 11, 2002
Type: Movie
When radicals from Japan's Red Army took a woman hostage in the resort town of Karuizawa, Nagano in 1972, Officer Atsuyuki Sassa was put in charge of diffusing the situation. But the task had its challenges. Upon arriving in mountainous Nagano, Sassa had to compete with freezing winter temperatures, conflicting opinions between the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and the Nagano Prefectural Police, as well as public opinion to gain entrance to the lodge that held the single woman captive.
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Title: The Life of Bangaku
Character: Ajigawa Bantake
Released: March 5, 2002
Type: TV
Bandaku Ajikawa (Koji Yakusho) is a ronin who lost his parents when he was young and is lonely for the rest of his life. His swordsmanship is top-notch, he hates lying and has an honest personality... Produced by Eizou Kyoto, this drama is to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Director Kon Ichikawa.
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Warm Water Under a Red Bridge
Title: Warm Water Under a Red Bridge
Character: Yosuke Sasano
Released: November 3, 2001
Type: Movie
A down-and-out businessman travels to a seaside town, where he meets a woman with unusual sexual powers.
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Pulse
Title: Pulse
Character: Ship Captain
Released: February 3, 2001
Type: Movie
In the immense city of Tokyo, the darkness of the afterlife lurks some of its inhabitants who are desperately trying to escape the sadness and isolation of the modern world.
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Séance
Title: Séance
Character: Sato
Released: August 7, 2000
Type: Movie
A psychic housewife and her husband accidentally find a kidnapped girl. But instead of informing the police, they hatch a scheme to get famous by working with the police as a psychic consultant to "find" the girl. And then, things start to go terribly wrong.
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Title: The Password is "Courage"
Released: July 6, 2000
Type: TV
Tomashi village is a small village, well known for its abundance of nature and beautiful surroundings. When a development company called Funamushi plans to build an industrial waste treatment facility in the area, the villagers are unhappy with the effects it will have on the environment, and seek an injunction. The village chief goes to Tokyo and finds a young lawyer to represent them in court, the one lawyer in the city who has actually lived in the village. The man, however, knows of the company's crafty lawyer, Tanomo Aboshi... Tarō Akihito, a once highly renowned actor who happens to play a lawyer in a TV drama, is mistaken for a real lawyer by the villagers in a freak coincidence. He finally works up his courage to begin the fight, and they convince him to represent them.
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Eureka
Title: Eureka
Character: Makoto Sawai
Released: May 18, 2000
Type: Movie
In rural Japan, the survivors of a tragedy converge and attempt to overcome their damaged selves, all while a serial killer is on the loose.
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Dora-heita
Title: Dora-heita
Character: Koheita Mochizuki
Released: May 13, 2000
Type: Movie
A new magistrate in the town of Horisoto—widely reputed to be the most lawless township in Japan, uses guile and his opponents' own misperceptions and prejudices to defeat his enemies and uproot corruption.
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Charisma
Title: Charisma
Character: Goro Yabuike
Released: November 10, 1999
Type: Movie
A seasoned detective is called in to rescue a politician held hostage by a lunatic. In a brief moment of uncertainty, he misses the chance for action. Leaving his job and family without explanation, he makes his way to a mountain forest, encountering a peculiar tree called Charisma.
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Jubaku: Spellbound
Title: Jubaku: Spellbound
Character: Hiroshi Kitano
Released: September 18, 1999
Type: Movie
When a major bank is caught paying off a corporate extortionist, the media and prosecutors begin to dig, breaking open a money-and-favours scandal that threatens to rock the entire structure of business and government to its core. While the bank's top executives continue to vacillate, a quartet of middle-management reformers, led by straight-arrow Kitano (Koji Yakusho), decide to stage a boardroom coup and install a new, clean management team. With the aid of a hotshot news anchor (Miho Wada) and a hard-nosed prosecutor (Kenichi Endo), heads begin to roll.
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Tadon and Chikuwa
Title: Tadon and Chikuwa
Released: December 5, 1998
Type: Movie
A film based on two short stories by Shiina Makoto. Tadon is the story of a cab-driver who spends his days listening to his passengers' conversations. Chikuwa is about a writer who faces a creativity bottleneck.
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License to Live
Title: License to Live
Character: Fujimori
Released: November 7, 1998
Type: Movie
Yutaka was fourteen years old when he was run over by a car and fell into a coma. Now, ten years later, he wakes up and realizes that his family is not intact anymore: father, mother and sister live at different places. Yutaka decides to re-open the pony farm that his family once ran.
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Bonds
Title: Bonds
Character: Takaaki Ise / Tetsuro Haga
Released: June 6, 1998
Type: Movie
Tetsuro Haga is a troubled gangster, living under the assumed identity Ise for ten years, to escape jail for gunning down his cruel adoptive father. His life begins to unravel when a journalist following him takes an interest in the wife of a boyhood chum, and the wife of another close friend takes an interest in Ise. A couple of murders later, Ise/Haga goes on the run and also sets out for revenge.
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Yukon
Title: Yukon
Character: Takayuki Iwabuchi
Released: January 10, 1998
Type: Movie
Takayuki Iwabuchi, a former yakuza member with a tattoo of Kisshoten on his back. Although he has a criminal record, he is currently working as a driver at a hearse transportation company. One day, a young man visits the company and asks Takayuki to transport the body of his fiancé, Sawa, who had unexpectedly passed away, to her hometown in a rural area of Takamatsu, Shikoku. Takayuki decides to go to Shikoku with the young man, However, the man disappears when leaving to take a call while they are stopped at a rest area near Setoo Bridge. Left alone, Takayuki arrives at Sawa's home village after much searching. He then tells Sawa's bereaved family about the situation at her parents' house. There, he learns of the tradition of posthumous marriage, or 'Yukon', from the village elder...
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Cure
Title: Cure
Character: Kenichi Takabe
Released: December 27, 1997
Type: Movie
A wave of gruesome murders is sweeping Tokyo. The only connection is a bloody X carved into the neck of each of the victims. In each case, the murderer is found near the victim and remembers nothing of the crime. Detective Takabe and psychologist Sakuma are called in to figure out the connection, but their investigation goes nowhere...
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Bounce Ko Gals
Title: Bounce Ko Gals
Character: Oshima
Released: October 18, 1997
Type: Movie
Filmed somewhat in documentary style, it follows three girls over the span of one day and night in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. Jonko runs a group of high school girls involved in paid dating, Raku is a street dancer, and Togo was brought up in the US and back in Japan for one year wants to escape to New York. Their contact with the world of talent scouts and yakuza places them in danger.
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Title: Middle-aged Bachelors
Released: July 6, 1997
Type: TV
Three close friends realize, at the age of 40, that maybe it's time to think seriously about getting married. Employed by an advertising agency, each struggles with his own weakness-one consistently strikes out with women, while the second can't seem to break his attachments to his mother, and the third is an unabashed playboy. This adult comedy exposes the humorous views and sobering misconceptions of marriage by single men today.
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The Eel
Title: The Eel
Character: Takuro Yamashita
Released: May 12, 1997
Type: Movie
A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After his release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking to almost no one except for an eel he befriended while in prison.
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Lost Paradise
Title: Lost Paradise
Character: Shoichiro Kuki
Released: May 10, 1997
Type: Movie
Kuki is a veteran newspaper reporter who has been shuffled off to a book-development branch and finds escape in an illicit relationship with Rinko. Together they find the passion no longer present in their marriages.
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Shabu
Title: Shabu
Released: May 28, 1996
Type: Movie
Makabe is a yakuza who is addicted to 'shabu' (a slang refers to stimulant drug). He lives as if he wants to destroy himself. He steals a mistress of the boss of a big yakuza syndicate by force. He takes over the yakuza group he belongs to, by killing the old boss. When he tries to use 'shabu' as the main finacial resource of his group, it leads to the serious confrontation with another big yakuza syndicate.
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Sleeping Man
Title: Sleeping Man
Character: Kamimura
Released: February 3, 1996
Type: Movie
Ever since an accident in the mountains outside town, Takuji's slept in a coma; his neighbors care for him as new events occur every day.
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Shall We Dance?
Title: Shall We Dance?
Character: Shohei Sugiyama
Released: January 27, 1996
Type: Movie
A bored Japanese accountant sees a beautiful woman in the window of a ballroom dance studio. He secretly starts taking dancing lessons to be near her, and then over time discovers how much he loves ballroom dancing. His wife, meanwhile, has hired a private detective to find out why he has started coming home late smelling of perfume.
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Kamikaze Taxi
Title: Kamikaze Taxi
Character: Kazumasa Kantake
Released: April 29, 1995
Type: Movie
A young foot soldier in the yakuza seeks revenge when his prostitute girlfriend dies after a session with a high-ranking Japanese politician with a taste for torture. He sets out on a 'kamikaze' mission to kill his bosses and the politician; along the way, he acquires the aid of a taxi driver who has recently returned to Japan after living in South America for several decades and is struggling to cope with poverty and the prejudices of native-born Japanese.
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History of Jirocho Shimizu
Title: History of Jirocho Shimizu
Released: March 3, 1995
Type: Movie
A historical chivalric drama with tears and laughter, telling the story of Jirocho Shimizu's family, his confrontation with Katsuzo Kurokoma's family, right up to the final battle on the Tenryu River to avenge Ishimatsu Mori.
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Osaka Gokudo Senso: Shinoidare
Title: Osaka Gokudo Senso: Shinoidare
Released: June 13, 1994
Type: Movie
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Title: Hana no Ran
Released: April 3, 1994
Type: TV
The story takes place during the Muromachi period of Ancient Japan, in the midst of the Ōnin War. The main character in the series is Tomiko Hino, a historical figure with a bad reputation because of her actions to rebuild Kyoto after the Ōnin War.
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Title: Hacchōbori Torimono Banashi
Released: November 17, 1993
Type: TV
A jidaieki drama where a hard-nosed doshin, Shinpachiro Kariya, takes on difficult cases with exquisite teamwork under the supervision of a young magistrate.
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Dark Society in the East
Title: Dark Society in the East
Character: Ryosuke Kano
Released: May 15, 1993
Type: Movie
A story about the activities of Southeast Asian Mafia gangs in Shinjuku. Ryosuke Kano is an ex French Foreign Legion soldier and is now a cocaine smuggler and dealer. He is acquainted with Larry, a Japanese American, but he turned out to be an undercover cop from New York.
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Crimson Lotus
Title: Crimson Lotus
Released: February 13, 1993
Type: Movie
Sakura and Kenzo are married. Both think they can live a happy marriage, despite the fact that she cannot have children and he does not want to give up her relationship with her lover Yoko.
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Title: サハリンの薔薇
Released: November 24, 1991
Type: TV
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Title: Takeda Shingen
Character: Takeda Shingen
Released: January 1, 1991
Type: TV
During the 16th Century Japan was involved in the Sengoku Period, an era of Civil Wars and the powerful Warlords who fought them. One of the earliest and strongest of these men was the Great Lord TAKEDA Shingen. A tremendous military genius, his battles are the stuff of legend.
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Title: Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen
Released: October 4, 1990
Type: TV
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Aurora Borealis
Title: Aurora Borealis
Character: Genzo
Released: August 3, 1990
Type: Movie
The story of a man and a wolf-dog in East Siberia during the early 1900s.
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Another Way: D-Kikan-Joho
Title: Another Way: D-Kikan-Joho
Released: September 17, 1988
Type: Movie
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Title: 「愛に燃える戦国の女」−豊臣家の人々より−
Released: April 2, 1988
Type: TV
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The Great Department Store Robbery
Title: The Great Department Store Robbery
Released: December 26, 1987
Type: Movie
Katsuyo plans her last gang robbery.
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Title: Lethal Three
Released: October 22, 1987
Type: TV
A wandering samurai, ronin, and ninja; meet by chance repeatedly and reluctantly team up to solve the problems of innocent villagers along the way.
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Title: Chotchan
Character: 神谷容
Released: April 6, 1987
Type: TV
The 38th NHK Asadora. Based on the autobiography of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's mother.
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Tampopo
Title: Tampopo
Character: Man in White Suit
Released: November 23, 1985
Type: Movie
In this humorous paean to the joys of food, a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside shop selling ramen noodles. The widowed owner, Tampopo, begs them to help her turn her establishment into a paragon of the "art of noodle-soup making". Interspersed are satirical vignettes about the importance of food to different aspects of human life.
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Title: 宮本武蔵
Character: Miyamoto Musashi
Released: April 4, 1984
Type: TV
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Title: 水曜ドラマ 宮本武蔵
Character: 宮本武蔵
Released: April 4, 1984
Type: TV
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The Fir Trees Remain
Title: The Fir Trees Remain
Released: December 1, 1983
Type: Movie
The 21-year-old feudal on Sendai, Tsunamune Date, was prohibited to go out in the daytime for his misbehavior during his short stay in Edo. On the next day, his 4 attendants were killed one after another. Sakai Utanokamike, the Rozyu, is turned out to be involved in this scheme, and the aim is to destroy the Date family. Tsunamune's brother Munekatsu Date who is willing to take over the family doesn't know the real purpose of Utanokami and helps him. Munesuku Harada gets to know the whole picture of the incident and takes action alone for the sake of protecting the Date family, leaving his own family. His lonely fight continues for 10 years and he got in danger in Utanokamike's house, and...
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Title: Momi no Ki wa Nokotta: Ranshin
Released: December 1, 1983
Type: TV
A human drama based on the "Date Riots".
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Title: Tokugawa Ieyasu
Character: Oda Nobunaga
Released: January 9, 1983
Type: TV
The story chronicles the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
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The Legend of Sayo
Title: The Legend of Sayo
Released: December 17, 1982
Type: Movie
Sayo has just celebrated her sixteenth birthday when she attends a temple festival. On her way back she sees a large cherry tree which is infamous for the legend of dead white horse. When her fiancé returns from war and visits her he comes across a white horse which he takes in. The man also does not see himself engaged anymore as his family has lost its wealth.
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The Law of Hell
Title: The Law of Hell
Released: August 30, 1982
Type: Movie
At a restaurant called Anrakutei on an island is a wasteland surrounded by moat and swamp. The owner Ikuzo manages the restaurant with his daughter. It’s customers who have a dark past have utmost respect for Ikuzo. One day, a half-dead man Tomijiro comes to the restaurant. This is the beginning of Ikuzo’s terrible fight.
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Himeyuri no Tô
Title: Himeyuri no Tô
Character: Ootaka
Released: June 26, 1982
Type: Movie
A remake of the 1953 film of the same name.
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Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather
Title: Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather
Released: June 5, 1982
Type: Movie
Onimasa is the egocentric boss of a small yakuza clan on Shikoku Island, whose criminal duties conflict with his self-image as a chivalrous samurai. His struggles with his boss, the Shikoku Godfather, and the tumultuous life of his adopted daughter, Matsue, form the backdrop of this epic tale of justice, obedience, and bloody vengeance.
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Willful Murder
Title: Willful Murder
Character: Journalist
Released: November 7, 1981
Type: Movie
The president of the Japanese National Railways is found dead during a period in which train service is plagued by numerous layoffs, strikes and shutdowns. The government says that the president was murdered; the police claim it was a suicide. A quizzical reporter follows the case for years, but the basic question remains unanswered: was the victim killed by members of the burgeoning Communist movement in Japan, or was the death stage-managed by the authorities in hopes of discrediting the Communists?
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Title: Kinagashi Bugyō
Released: May 1, 1981
Type: TV
Koheita, a newly appointed magistrate, never shows his face in the magistrate's office, instead spending his time in the 'Horisoto', a den of evil where anything goes, from theft to prostitution to murder. However, this man is about to clean up the city in an unconventional way!
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Title: The Battle of Port Arthur: Will Love Die?
Released: January 7, 1981
Type: TV
An epic of love and death that depicts how soldiers and ordinary people lived and fought during the Russo-Japanese War, when Japan's very existence was at stake in the face of the great power of Russia.
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Twelve Months
Title: Twelve Months
Character: Young soldier
Released: March 15, 1980
Type: Movie
A young queen requests a bouquet of snowdrop flowers for New Year's Day in exchange for a reward. One greedy woman sends her stepdaughter, whom she does not like, to look for the flowers in a cold forest, knowing the task will be impossible for her. The girl almost freezes to death in the forest, but she is rescued by the spirits of the Twelve Months, who create spring around her. The girl is able to deliver the bouquet to the queen, but others want a share of the reward.
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Hunter in the Dark
Title: Hunter in the Dark
Character: Kuwano
Released: June 17, 1979
Type: Movie
Yataro Tanigawa, a one-eyed hired assassin, impresses yakuza boss Gomyo Kiyoemon with his skill. Gomyo hires Tanigawa as his bodyguard, or yojimbo, to protect him during an inter-clan conflict. Tanigawa quickly rises in stature in the clan, but finds his boss's enemies almost overwhelming.
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Title: Golden Horse Awards
Character: Self
Released: October 31, 1962
Type: TV
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards (Chinese: 台北金馬影展; pinyin: Táiběi Jīnmǎ Yǐngzhǎn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-pak Kim-má iáⁿ-tián) is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is usually held in November or December in Taipei, although the event has also been held in other locations in Taiwan in recent times
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坂本龍一 芸術は長く、人生は短し
Title: 坂本龍一 芸術は長く、人生は短し
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
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Title: 顔に降りかかる雨
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: TV