Miki Nakatani

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Expand Japanese Template:Wikidata image is a Japanese actress and singer who began her professional career as a member of the girl group Sakurakko Club. Nakatani focused on acting after her departure from the band, making her debut on the popular television drama Under the Same Roof.

She relaunched her music career under the tutelage of producer Ryuichi Sakamoto in 1996, releasing three albums: Shokumotsu Rensa (1996), Cure (1997) and Shiseikatsu (1999). Her best-known songs include "Mind Circus" and "Suna no Kajitsu", which peaked at number ten on the Oricon charts.

As an actress, Nakatani has received six Japan Academy Awards for her roles in When the Last Sword Is Drawn (2002), Memories of Matsuko (2006), and Zero Focus (2009), among others. She is most known internationally for her role as Mai Takano in the Japanese horror film franchise Ring. Nakatani played Jun Shibata on the television drama Keizoku, which spawned a special and a film.

Biography

From 1998 to 1999, Nakatani starred in a trio of horror films – Ring, Rasen, and Ring 2 – followed by a lead role in Hideo Nakata's Chaos in 2000. That same year, she reprised her television role as Jun Shibata in the mystery film Keizoku.

In 2005, she co-starred in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's horror film Loft with Etsushi Toyokawa, and portrayed the love interest Hermes in Densha Otoko.

For her performance in the title role of Matsuko Kawajiri in Tetsuya Nakashima's 2006 film Memories of Matsuko, she won the Best Actress award at the 31st Hochi Film Award, the Asian Film Award for Best Actress, and the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

Nakatani appeared in François Girard's Silk. She co-starred in Isshin Inudo's Zero Focus with Ryōko Hirosue and Tae Kimura.

As a singer, she collaborated several times with Ryuichi Sakamoto from 1996 to 2001.

As a spokesperson and model, she has appeared in several promotion campaigns, including over 70 television commercials for Ito En's Oi Ocha green tea. Nakatani speaks Japanese, French, and English.

In 2018, Nakatani announced her marriage to German musician Thilo Fechner, a viola player with the Vienna Philharmonic.

Filmography

Film

• Berlin (1995) – Kyoko
• Daishitsuren (1995)
• Ring (1998) – Mai Takano
• Rasen (1998) – Mai Takano
• Ring 2 (1999) – Mai Takano
• Chaos (2000) – Satomi Tsushima
• Keizoku (2000) – Jun Shibata
• When the Last Sword Is Drawn (2003) – Nui
• River of First Love (2004) – Satuki Kato
• The Hotel Venus (2004) – Wife
• Rikidozan (2004) – Aya
• Strings (2004) – Zita
• Thirty Lies or So (2004) – Takarada
• Train Man (2005) – Hermes
• Loft (2005) – Reiko Hatuna
• Dead Run (2005) – Akane
• Memories of Matsuko (2006) – Matsuko Kawajiri
• Christmas on 24 July Avenue (2006) – Sayuri Honda
• Silk (2007) – Madame Blanche
• Happy Ever After (2007) – Yukie Morita
• Flavor of Happiness (2008) – Takako Yamashita
• Zero Focus (2009) – Sachiko
• Sweet Little Lies (2010)
• Hankyu Railways: A 15-Minute Miracle (2011) – Shoko
• Genji Monogatari: Sennen no Nazo (2011) – Shikibu Murasaki
• Himawari & Puppy's Seven Days (2013)
• Real (2013) – Eiko Aihara
• The Kiyosu Conference (2013) – Nene
• Ask This of Rikyu (2013) – Souon
• The World of Kanako (2014) – Rie Azuma
• A Stitch of Life (2015)
• First Gentleman (2021) – prime minister Rinko Sōma
• The Legend and Butterfly (2023) – Kagamino

Television

• Under the Same Roof (1993) – Aiko Mifune
• Oda Nobunaga (1998) – No-Hime
• Woman Doctor (1999)
• Unsolved Cases (1999) – Jun Shibata
• Eien no Ko (2000) – Yuki Kusaka
• Manatsu no Merry Christmas (2000) – Haru Hoshino
• Prince Shotoku (2001) – Tojiko no Iratsume
• R-17 (2001)
• Otosan (2002)
• Believe (2002)
• Jin (2009) – Miki Tomonaga/Nokaze
• Beautiful Rain (2012) – Akane Nishiwaki
• Gunshi Kanbei (2014) – Teru
• Ghostwriter (2015) – Risa Tono
• IQ246 (2016) – Tomomi Morimoto
• Kataomoi (2017)
• Followers (2020) – Limi Nara
• One Day: Wonderful Christmas Ado (2023) - Kikyo Kurauchi

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

All produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		JPN Oricon
	Released: 4 April 1996 Label: For Life Formats: CD, digital download, streaming	5
Cure	Released: 4 April 1997 Label: For Life Formats: CD, digital download, streaming	7
	Released: 10 November 1999 Label: Warner Music Japan Formats: CD	11

Remix albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		JPN Oricon
Vague	Released: 4 April 1997 Label: For Life Formats: CD	-

Compilation albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		JPN Oricon
Absolute Value	Released: 21 August 1998 Label: For Life Formats: CD	18
Pure Best	Released: 27 August 2001 Label: For Life Formats: CD	-
Miki	Released: 12 November 2001 Label: Warner Music Japan Formats: CD	50

Singles

Single	Year	Label	Chart
	1993	BMG Rooms	-
"Mind Circus"	1996	For Life	20
"Strange Paradise"			30
	1997		10
			28
			36
	1999	Warner Music Japan	14
			18
	2000		22
)	2001		26

Videography

Live albums

No.	Release	Title	Formats
1st	21 May 1997	Butterfish	DVD, VHS

Video-clip albums

No.	Release	Title	Formats
1st	21 August 1998	Completeness	DVD, VHS
2nd	25 October 2000	Kowareta Kokoro	VHS
3rd	27 February 2002	Air Pocket	VHS

External links

• Template:Official
• Template:Trim/ Template:PAGENAMEBASE at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidata
• Template:PAGENAMEBASE at the Japanese Movie Database Template:In langTemplate:EditAtWikidata
• Template:PAGENAMEBASE discography at Discogs