Hikari Mitsushima

Biography

Mitsushima was born in Kagoshima on 30 November 1985 and grew up in Okinawa City, Okinawa Prefecture. Her younger siblings are actor Shinnosuke Mitsushima, professional basketball player Kotaro Mitsushima, and her younger sister model Minami Mitsushima. Her grandfather was an American national of Italian descent.

Career

She is a graduate of Okinawa Actors School. She began her music career in 1997 as a teenage 'idol singer' in the J-pop groups Folder and Folder 5. She made her acting debut in the same year, starring as Shiori Uchiura / Little Girl in the kaiju film Rebirth of Mothra II. Her first television appearance came in 2005, when she played Elly in Ultraman Max. Her film career recommenced as Sayu Yagami in 2006's manga-adaptation thriller film Death Note, and in 2008 she starred as Yōko Ozawa in Love Exposure, a comedy-drama / art film directed by Sion Sono. Her performance in Love Exposure brought her critical attention and won her and her team several awards.

Since then, Mitsushima has had starring roles in numerous films and television dramas including 2010's Sawako Decides, written and directed by Yuya Ishii.

Mitsushima has made occasional vocal contributions to Japanese pop singles. She featured as a vocalist in the fictional band SRM on Stephanie's "Pride ~A Part of Me~", the title song for the 2009 Japanese drama film Pride. In 2017, she provided lead vocals for fictional band Doughnuts Hole's "Otona no Okite", the theme song for television drama Quartet, in which she starred as Suzume Sebuki. In the same year, she appeared as a featured vocalist in Mondo Grosso's song "Labyrinth" and starred as a dancer in the music video (over 35 million views on YouTube, as of February 2023).

Personal life

Mitsushima announced via fax through her agency that she has registered her marriage with film director Yuya Ishii on October 25, 2010. They later divorced in early 2016 citing differing lifestyle choices as the cause. In May 2016, it was revealed that she briefly dated actor Kento Nagayama.

Mitsushima announced her second marriage to model Keisuke Asano, as well as her first pregnancy, on March 30, 2026.

Filmography

Film

Rebirth of Mothra II (1997) as Shiori Uranai / Little girl

Death Note (2006) as Sayu Yagami

Death Note 2: The Last Name (2006) as Sayu Yagami

Exte: Hair Extensions (2007) as Yuriko Shiina

Shaolin Girl (2008) as Hikari Takahashi

Drop in Ghost (2008)

Love Exposure (2008) as Yōko

Pride (2009) as Moe Midorikawa

Be Sure to Share (2009) as Schoolgirl

The Wonderful World of Captain Kuhio (2009) as Haru Yasuoka

Kakera: A Piece of Our Life (2009) as Haru

Rinco's Restaurant (2009)

Sawako Decides (2010) as Sawako

Villain (2010)

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (2011) as Miho

Tormented (2011) as Kiriko

Smuggler (2011) as Tanuma Chiharu

Moteki (2011)

A Chorus of Angels (2012) as Manami

The End of Summer (2013) as Tomoko

Hello! Junichi (2014)

Kakekomi (2015) as Ogin

Animation

Cocoon (2025) as Mayu

Television

Ultraman Max (2005–2006) as Elly

Dandori Musume (2006) as Ulala

Beni no monshō (2006) as Ayako (2006)

Burokkorii (2007)

Kaette kita jikō keisatsu (2007) as Mitsuyo

Kamen Rider Den-O (2007) as Yuka Sawada

Kekkon sagishi (2007)

Shakin Kanojo (2008)

Hitomi (2008) as Junko

Make The Last Wish (2008)

Uramiya honpo reboot (2009)

IRIS (2009) /dubbed for Kim So-yeon/

Bloody Monday (2010) as Risa Kurano / Lisa

Tsuki no Koibito ~Moon Lovers~ (2010) as Anzai Rina

Moteki (2010) as Nakashiba Itsuka

Dazai Osamu tanpen shōsetsu shū 3 (2010)

Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien (2011, TV Movie) as Yoshiki Mari

Sunshine (2011)

Soredemo, Ikite yuku (2011) as Futaba

Kaitakushatachi (2012)

Woman (2013) as Koharu

Wakamono Tachi (2014) as Hikari

Awards

She has won the following awards for her performances:

Fant-Asia Film Festival

2009: Jury Prize: Best Female Performance – Love Exposure

Hochi Film Awards

2009: Best New Talent – Love Exposure, Pride, The Wonderful World of Captain Kuhio

International Drama Festival in Tokyo

2011: Best Supporting Actress – Moteki, Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien

2014: Best Actress – Woman

Kinema Junpo Awards

2010: Best Supporting Actress – Love Exposure, Pride, The Wonderful World of Captain Kuhio

Mainichi Film Concours

2010: Sponichi Grand Prize: New Talent Award (shared with co-star Takahiro Nishijima) – Love Exposure

Yokohama Film Festival

2010: Best New Talent – Love Exposure, Pride, The Wonderful World of Captain Kuhio

2011: Best Actress – Love Vibes, Sawako Decides

Japanese Film Critics Awards

2016: Best Supporting Actress – Kakekomi