Akira Emoto
Born: 1948-11-03 in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan
Known For: Acting
Biography
Old good "Emo-chan" of modern Japanese cinema. Emo's father was a close friend of legendary episode player Taji Tonoyama in elementary school days. His mother's grandfather ran a shamisen store in Ginza, Tokyo. Both parents like movies and theaters. After graduating from Machinery Department of Tokyo Industrial High School, Emoto got a job at a trading company. However, he became an actor and became a student of the acting classes of the theater company "Marui", which is headed by Nobuo Kaneko, and met Yusaku Matsuda who was in the same class. In 1999, he won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Dr. Akagi. He also won the award for best supporting actor at the 7th Hochi Film Award for Dotonbori River and Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san.
Filmography
2026
- Convenience Store Kyodai as Umeda Shohei
- 無垢なる証人 as Hiroki Oyagi
- The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat
- Kyoto Hippocrates
2025
- Scandal Eve
- Rental Family as Kikuo Hasegawa
- Samurai Fury
- The Final Piece as Motoji Kanesaki
- The Boy and the Dog as Yaichi Katano
- One Last Throw as Kawato Kozo
- The Way of The Prison Guard
2024
- Shinjuku Field Hospital as Keisuke Takamine
- JK to Roppozensho as 桜木倫太郎
- Maru as Teacher
- Don't Lose Your Head! as Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu
- The God of Curling as Susumu Komiyama
2023
- Get Ready! as Hiroshi Bojo
- Umami as Salaryman
- Hard Days as Yutaka Senba
- September 1923 as Teiji Igusa
- Egoist as Yoshio Saito
- Ripples as Taro Kadokura
- Shylock's Children as Hajime Sawazaki
- Do Unto Others as Shosaku Shiba
- Yudo as regular customer
- The Innocent Game
- Touken Ranbu: The Movie -Dawn- as Fujiwara no Michinaga
- Goal of the Sky
- 満天のゴール as トクじい
2022
- Ten Count to the Future as Kenzo Ashiya
- Lost Man Found as Himself
- The New Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga: Classmates are Warriors as Yotaro Befunokami
- The Wandering Moon as Agata
- Teen Regime as Washida Tsuguaki
- Goodbye My Dear as Hiroshi Yamawaki
- A Man as Norio Komiura
- Japanese Style as Hifuji Umekoshi
- Noise as Shoji
- 混声の森
- The Setting Sun as Dr. Miyake
- No Place to Go as Bomber
- Barber Shop with a View of the Sea as 老店主
2021
- Bullets, Bones and Blocked Noses as Hadashi no Tyosuke(裸足のチョウスケ)
- The Master Plan as Kawabata
- Re: The End of the Tiny World - Half a Year Later as Kawabata
- Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai as Shop Owner
- The Great Yokai War: Guardians as old man
- Utsusemi no mori as Police Inspector Kariya Shinichi
- 祈り ―幻に長崎を想う刻―
- Girls, Guns and Gangsters: Shinji Somai & Sailor Suit & Machine Gun
- てにあまる
2020
- I Never Shot Anyone as Takashi Renjo
- Underdog: Part One as Sakuro
- Living in the Sky as Concierge Kondo
- Stardust over the Town as Kumabe Rokuzo
- Underdog: Part Two as Sakuro
- Wonderful Paradise as Homeless
- Nosari: Impermanent Eternity
2019
- It Feels So Good as Kenji's Father (voice)
- In Hand
- Villain: Perpetrator Chase Investigation as 铃本茂树
- Show Me the Way to the Station
- Banjo no Himawari
- Iwane: Sword of Serenity as Urakusai
- The Promised Land as Goro Fujiki
- They Say Nothing Stays the Same as Toichi
- Castle of Sand as Chiyokichi
- BON-UTA, A Song from Home as (voice)
- Godot of the Emotos
- Finding Light at the Darkness Festival
2018
- Segodon as Ryu Samin
- Shoplifters as Yoritsugu Kawado
- Good Doctor as Akira Shiga
- Color Me True as Tadashi Honda
- Recall as Seiji Nomura
- Evil and The Mask as Detective Aida
- Oz Land as Boss
2017
- Home Sweet Tokyo as [Ramen Shop Owner]
- Silver and Gold as Hitoshi Kuramae
- Frankenstein's Love as Tsurumaru
- Lu Over the Wall as Ashimoto's Grandfather (voice)
- A Life: A Love as Danjo Toranosuke
- Survival Family as Sasaki Shigeomi
- Random Lives as Hanamura
- Mukoku as Seppo Mitsumura
- The Dog Bridegroom as Kenkichi Okumura
- Solitary Gourmet New Year's Eve Special ~Final Meal! Setouchi Business Trip~
- Neko Ninja as Kariyazaki
2016
- Shin Godzilla as Ryuta Azuma : Chief Cabinet Secretary
- Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit as Sfar
- Arashi no Namida
- Love That Makes You Cry as Masahiko Hayashida
- A Grain of Wheat as Honda
- Black Widow Business as Jun Sakurada
- The Mohican Comes Home as Osamu Tamura
- Sniper as Tatsuyuki Miyata
- Shippu Rondo as Masaomi Togo
- A Living Promise as Zenzo Takeda
2015
- The Secret Lives of Kyoto Folk
- Journey to the Shore as Hoshitani
- The Big Bee as Murofushi
- 新 法廷荒らし 猪狩文助〜終の棲家〜
- Vampire in Love as Sojiro
- GARO: Gold Storm Flight as Priest Soutatsu
- Living Rights
- The Pearls of the Stone Man as Kumaji Ueda
- Present for You
2014
- A Woman from Ashio
- Wood Job! as Toshiro Yamane
- The Long Goodbye as Heizo Harada
- 0.5 mm as Takeshi Sasaki
- Time Trip App as Ryuzo Yanagita
- Sleeping Forest as Daisuke Ota
- A House on a Hill as Yoshitarō Terashima
- Oh! Father as Hayashi Tomita
- Cold as Jin Ichinose
2013
- Kumokiri Nizaemon
- Hanzawa Naoki as Keiji Minobe
- Black Kite as Kaiun
- Unforgiven as Kingo Baba
- The War and a Woman as client of woman
- Olympic Ransom
- Ask This of Rikyu
- Yellow Elephant as Arechi
- Banana, Gloves and Whale Shark as Lawyer
- Fly, Dakota, Fly!
- The Partner as Ōkuma Shigenobu
2012
- Folktales from Japan
- The Life of Budori Gusuko as Narrator / Dr. Kūbō (voice)
- Ace Attorney as Saibancho (Judge)
- Platinum Town
- 疑惑
- Humanoid Monster, Bem as Kao no nai otoko
- A Sower of Seeds as Shuzo Morikawa
- Casting Blossoms to the Sky as Seijiro Nose
- One Day in January
2011
- HUNTER - Women After Reward Money as Shogo Ooiwa
- Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet as Yoneuchi
- Humanoid Monster Bem as Nameless Man
- Karate-Robo Zaborgar as Dr. Akunomiya
- Life Back Then as Masashi Inoue
- Ninja Kids!!!
- A Honeymoon in Hell: Mr. & Mrs. Oki's Fabulous Trip as wet guy
- In His Chart as Doctor
- Shikei Kijun as Kyusaku Tsushima
2010
- Absolute Zero as Sosuke Kagami
- Mori no Asagao as Keizukuri Hukahori
- Hutch the Honeybee
- Sakurada Gate Incident as Magojiro Kaneko
- Villain as Yoshio Ishibashi
- Heaven's Story as Souichi
- Naze Kimi wa Zetsubo to Tatakaeta noka
- Golden Slumber as Hodogaya Yasushi
- A Crowd of Three
- Haru's Journey as Michio Nakai
- After the Flowers as Soan Nagai
- Postcard as Yukichi Morikawa, the Father-in-Law
- The Lightning Tree as Kakunoshi Enokido
- A Lone Scalpel as Matsuo Okawa
- Ekeb of Dekye as Soichi Yanagimachi
- Cast Me If You Can as Homeless guy
2009
- Clouds Over the Hill as 乃木知幸介
- Rain Fall as Tatsu Ishikura
- John Rabe as Matsui Iwane
- Boku to Mama No Kiiroi Jitensha as Shotaro
- April Bride as Teishi Nagashima
- Yona Yona Penguin as Jii (voice)
- Asahiyama Zoo Story: Penguins in the Sky as Itsuro Usui
2008
- Ties of Shooting Stars as Togami Masayuki
- ICHI
- Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit as Counselor
- Your Friend
- Happy Flight as Saito
- The Chasing World as Doctor
- All Around Us as kunimasa Yasuda
- The Most Beautiful Night In The World as Journalist
- The Cycling Genius Is Coming!
- The Taste of Fish as Shojiro Sanada
- Teacher and Three Children as Yoshio Ichikawa
2007
- 愛の流刑地 as 北冈耕造
- Tokyo Towers: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad as Doctor from Sasazuka Clinic
- Life Can Be So Wonderful as Haeo
- The Shadow Spirit as mimasaka koushirou
- Three for the Road
- The Go Master as Kensaku Segoe
- Prodigy as Hisashi Kikuna
- Starfish Hotel as Mr. Trickster
2006
- Memories of Matsuko as Tsunehiro Kawajiri
- Love and Glory as Hideyoshi Toyotomi
- Tokumei! Keiji Dongame
- Japan Sinks as Professor Fukuhara
- It's Only Talk
- The Summer of Stickleback
- The Happiness
2005
- Haru and Natsu as Kotaro Nakayama
- The Great Yokai War
- The Lakeside Murder Case as Tomoharu Fujima
- Tetsujin 28: The Movie as Yunosuke Otsuka
- The Suspect: Muroi Shinji as Seigo Tsuda
- Scrap Heaven as Detective Yabuta
- For the coming day
- Love Is Five Seven Five as Grandfather
2004
- Drugstore Girl as Koji Nabeshima
- 竜馬がゆく
- Chicken Is Barefoot
- Zebraman as Kitahara the Crab Man
- Moon & Cherry as Sakamoto
- River of First Love as Hidejiro Tasaki
- The Hunter and the Hunted as Neko
- The Motive as Yoshifumi Katakura
- Takada Wataru Teki as Self
- Winning Pass
2003
- Zatoichi as Pub Owner
- Water Boys as Mama (of a bar)
- Worst by Chance as Shigeharu Kaneshiro
- Doppelgänger as Murakami
- Samurai Resurrection as Nobutsuna Matsudaira
- Owl
- Love & War of a Samurai
- Hana as Hiroshi Torigoe
- Farewell, Kuro as Shuzo Hanazono
- Teacher's suitcase as Sensei/Matsumoto Harutsuna
2002
- AIBOU: Tokyo Detective Duo as Hyoue Yarikura
- The Private Detective Mike
- September 11 as Sakichi Furuhashi (segment "Japan")
- Mibu Gishiden: Shinsengumi de Ichiban Tsuyokatta Otoko
- KT as Hiroshi Uchiyama
- Barber's Sorrow as Sakaguchi
2001
- Waterboys as Mama
- Prince Shotoku as Anahobe no miko
- Kaza-hana as Hot Spring Inn Owner
- Turn as Matsubara
2000
- Nagisa as Priest Shinto
- The City of Lost Souls as Kuwata
- As the River Flows
- Another Heaven as Doctor Akagi
- The Whispered City as Toyohashi, sculptor
1999
- Genroku Ryoran as Genshiro
- Kaizokuban Bootleg Film as Tatsuo
- Out - Tsumatachi no Hanzai
- Will to Live as Doctor
- Round About Midnight as Totsuka
- The Nagaharu Yodogawa Story: A Cineaste's Life in Kobe as Matashichi
1998
- Yanchakure as 水嶋钦一
- Dr. Akagi as Dr. Fuu Akagi
- Love Letter
1997
- The Eel as Tamotsu Takasaki
- The Key as Soichiro Anzai
- Abduction as Chief Superintendent Tachibana
- Body and Soul as Sekiya/Reiko's lover-Aya's ex
1996
- Shall We Dance? as Detective Miwa
- The Rainbow Seeker
- Free and Easy 8 as Yukawa
1995
- Eighth Shogun Yoshimune as Tokugawa Munenao
- Maborosi as Yoshihiro
1994
- Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla as Major Akira Yuki
- The Friends as Nagatomo
1993
- Private Lessons II as Oba
- Family Court Judge as Shibuya Naomasa
- I Can Hear the Duck Singing
- When Cinema Reflects the Times: Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Edward Yang as Narrator (voice)
- Sky Cannot Be This Blue ... (Director)
1992
- Yamai wa kikara: Byôin e ikô 2
- Sumo Do, Sumo Don't as Professor Tokichi Anayama
- Manhattan Kiss
1991
- Taiheiki as Moronao Kô-no
- Goodbye Mama
- Dance till Tomorrow
- A Naive History of the Bakumatsu Era as Kogoro Katsura
- The Last Frankenstein as Prof. Sarusawa
1989
- Beijing Watermelon as Mr. Teramoto
- Fancy Dance as Masoho's boss
- Battle Heater as Riichi Hama
- Tora-san Goes to Vienna as Hyoma Sakaguchi
- Harimao as Army Major
- Mottomo Abunai Deka as Maeo
1988
- Angel Guts: Red Vertigo as Yakuza
- The Silk Road
- あそびにおいでョ!
- The Yen Family as Shinichi Amemiya
- あじさい色のレディ
- Revolver as Keisuke Mineya
1987
1985
- I Want To Live Once More: Shinjuku Bus Fire Incident as Hirofumi Maruyama
- Capone Cries a Lot as Ushiemon
- The Second Is a Christian as Kumashiro
- Congratulatory Speech as Yasuhei Higashida
1984
- 水曜ドラマスペシャル
- Make-Up as Kikuo Tsutano
- Location as Konno
1983
- Double Bed as Tôru Yamazaki
- Amagi Pass
- Legend of the Cat Monster as Ryohei Shimura / Joji Tamura
1982
- Suspicion as Shigekazu Akitani
- Lovers Lost as Ishizuka
- Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san as Kondo
- The Man from Shimizu
1981
- Sailor Suit and Machine Gun as Detective Kuroki
1979
- Fujio Akatsuka's Gag Porno: In the Mood Once Again as Daigorô Hatayama
- Shimo-ochiai Yakitori Movie
- Masked Crusader, Mr. Jirenman as Kantarô Iwata