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
- Innocent Witness as Hiroki Oyagi
- あなたの息子ひき出します！
- Yamazaki Riverside - Over an Actor's Shoulder - as Self
- The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat
- Kyoto Hippocrates
2025
- Rental Family as Kikuo Hasegawa
- Scandal Eve
- Samurai Fury
- The Final Piece as Motoji Kanesaki
- The Way of The Prison Guard
- The Boy and the Dog as Yaichi Katano
- One Last Throw as Kawato Kozo
2024
- Shinjuku Field Hospital as Keisuke Takamine
- JK to Roppozensho as 桜木倫太郎
- Rotting
- 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
- September 1923 as Teiji Igusa
- Shylock's Children as Hajime Sawazaki
- Hard Days as Yutaka Senba
- 満天のゴール as トクじい
- Do Unto Others as Shosaku Shiba
- Egoist as Yoshio Saito
- Yudo as regular customer
- Ripples as Taro Kadokura
- Touken Ranbu: The Movie -Dawn- as Fujiwara no Michinaga
- The Innocent Game
- Goal of the Sky
2022
- Lost Man Found as Himself
- Japanese Style as Hifuji Umekoshi
- The New Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga: Classmates are Warriors as Yotaro Befunokami
- Ten Count to the Future as Kenzo Ashiya
- Teen Regime as Washida Tsuguaki
- Goodbye My Dear as Hiroshi Yamawaki
- 混声の森
- A Man as Norio Komiura
- The Wandering Moon as Agata
- No Place to Go as Bomber
- Noise as Shoji
- Barber Shop with a View of the Sea as 老店主
- The Setting Sun as Dr. Miyake
2021
- Bullets, Bones and Blocked Noses as Hadashi no Tyosuke(裸足のチョウスケ)
- Re: The End of the Tiny World - Half a Year Later as Kawabata
- The Great Yokai War: Guardians as old man
- The Master Plan as Kawabata
- Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai as Shop Owner
- Girls, Guns and Gangsters: Shinji Somai & Sailor Suit & Machine Gun
- てにあまる
- Utsusemi no mori as Police Inspector Kariya Shinichi
- 祈り ―幻に長崎を想う刻―
2020
- Underdog: Part One as Sakuro
- Underdog: Part Two as Sakuro
- I Never Shot Anyone as Takashi Renjo
- Living in the Sky as Concierge Kondo
- Stardust over the Town as Kumabe Rokuzo
- Wonderful Paradise as Homeless
- Nosari: Impermanent Eternity
2019
- In Hand
- Villain: Perpetrator Chase Investigation as 铃本茂树
- It Feels So Good as Kenji's Father (voice)
- Banjo no Himawari
- BON-UTA, A Song from Home as (voice)
- Show Me the Way to the Station
- They Say Nothing Stays the Same as Toichi
- Iwane: Sword of Serenity as Urakusai
- The Promised Land as Goro Fujiki
- Godot of the Emotos
- Castle of Sand as Chiyokichi
- 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
- Frankenstein's Love as Tsurumaru
- Silver and Gold as Hitoshi Kuramae
- A Life: A Love as Danjo Toranosuke
- Home Sweet Tokyo as [Ramen Shop Owner]
- Lu Over the Wall as Ashimoto's Grandfather (voice)
- Survival Family as Sasaki Shigeomi
- Random Lives as Hanamura
- Mukoku as Seppo Mitsumura
- The Dog Bridegroom as Kenkichi Okumura
- Neko Ninja as Kariyazaki
- Solitary Gourmet New Year's Eve Special ~Final Meal! Setouchi Business Trip~
2016
- Shin Godzilla as Ryuta Azuma : Chief Cabinet Secretary
- Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit as Sfar
- Love That Makes You Cry as Masahiko Hayashida
- Arashi no Namida
- A Grain of Wheat as Honda
- The Mohican Comes Home as Osamu Tamura
- Shippu Rondo as Masaomi Togo
- A Living Promise as Zenzo Takeda
- Black Widow Business as Jun Sakurada
- Sniper as Tatsuyuki Miyata
2015
- The Secret Lives of Kyoto Folk
- Journey to the Shore as Hoshitani
- 新 法廷荒らし 猪狩文助〜終の棲家〜
- The Big Bee as Murofushi
- Vampire in Love as Sojiro
- The Pearls of the Stone Man as Kumaji Ueda
- GARO: Gold Storm Flight as Priest Soutatsu
- Living Rights
- Present for You
2014
- The Long Goodbye as Heizo Harada
- A Woman from Ashio
- Wood Job! as Toshiro Yamane
- Time Trip App as Ryuzo Yanagita
- 0.5 mm as Takeshi Sasaki
- Sleeping Forest as Daisuke Ota
- Oh! Father as Hayashi Tomita
- Cold as Jin Ichinose
- A House on a Hill as Yoshitarō Terashima
2013
- Black Kite as Kaiun
- Hanzawa Naoki as Keiji Minobe
- Kumokiri Nizaemon
- Olympic Ransom
- Unforgiven as Kingo Baba
- The War and a Woman as client of woman
- Banana, Gloves and Whale Shark as Lawyer
- Ask This of Rikyu
- Yellow Elephant as Arechi
- Fly, Dakota, Fly!
- The Partner as Ōkuma Shigenobu
2012
- Folktales from Japan
- Platinum Town
- Ace Attorney as Saibancho (Judge)
- 疑惑
- The Life of Budori Gusuko as Narrator / Dr. Kūbō (voice)
- Casting Blossoms to the Sky as Seijiro Nose
- Humanoid Monster, Bem as Kao no nai otoko
- A Sower of Seeds as Shuzo Morikawa
- One Day in January
2011
- HUNTER - Women After Reward Money as Shogo Ooiwa
- Humanoid Monster Bem as Nameless Man
- Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet as Yoneuchi
- Karate-Robo Zaborgar as Dr. Akunomiya
- Life Back Then as Masashi Inoue
- A Honeymoon in Hell: Mr. & Mrs. Oki's Fabulous Trip as wet guy
- Ninja Kids!!!
- In His Chart as Doctor
- Shikei Kijun as Kyusaku Tsushima
2010
- Absolute Zero as Sosuke Kagami
- Villain as Yoshio Ishibashi
- Naze Kimi wa Zetsubo to Tatakaeta noka
- Golden Slumber as Hodogaya Yasushi
- Mori no Asagao as Keizukuri Hukahori
- Hutch the Honeybee
- The Lightning Tree as Kakunoshi Enokido
- Sakurada Gate Incident as Magojiro Kaneko
- Haru's Journey as Michio Nakai
- Heaven's Story as Souichi
- Ekeb of Dekye as Soichi Yanagimachi
- A Lone Scalpel as Matsuo Okawa
- A Crowd of Three
- After the Flowers as Soan Nagai
- Postcard as Yukichi Morikawa, the Father-in-Law
- Cast Me If You Can as Homeless guy
2009
- Clouds Over the Hill as 乃木知幸介
- April Bride as Teishi Nagashima
- John Rabe as Matsui Iwane
- Rain Fall as Tatsu Ishikura
- Boku to Mama No Kiiroi Jitensha as Shotaro
- 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
- All Around Us as kunimasa Yasuda
- Happy Flight as Saito
- The Chasing World as Doctor
- The Taste of Fish as Shojiro Sanada
- The Most Beautiful Night In The World as Journalist
- Your Friend
- Teacher and Three Children as Yoshio Ichikawa
- The Cycling Genius Is Coming!
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 Go Master as Kensaku Segoe
- The Shadow Spirit as mimasaka koushirou
- Prodigy as Hisashi Kikuna
- Three for the Road
- Starfish Hotel as Mr. Trickster
2006
- Love and Glory as Hideyoshi Toyotomi
- Memories of Matsuko as Tsunehiro Kawajiri
- Tokumei! Keiji Dongame
- Japan Sinks as Professor Fukuhara
- The Happiness
- It's Only Talk
- The Summer of Stickleback
2005
- Haru and Natsu as Kotaro Nakayama
- The Great Yokai War
- The Lakeside Murder Case as Tomoharu Fujima
- The Suspect: Muroi Shinji as Seigo Tsuda
- Scrap Heaven as Detective Yabuta
- Tetsujin 28: The Movie as Yunosuke Otsuka
- For the coming day
- Love Is Five Seven Five as Grandfather
2004
- 竜馬がゆく
- River of First Love as Hidejiro Tasaki
- The Hunter and the Hunted as Neko
- Zebraman as Kitahara the Crab Man
- Chicken Is Barefoot
- Drugstore Girl as Koji Nabeshima
- The Motive as Yoshifumi Katakura
- Moon & Cherry as Sakamoto
- Takada Wataru Teki as Self
- Winning Pass
2003
- Zatoichi as Pub Owner
- Water Boys as Mama (of a bar)
- Doppelgänger as Murakami
- Love & War of a Samurai
- Worst by Chance as Shigeharu Kaneshiro
- Owl
- Farewell, Kuro as Shuzo Hanazono
- Samurai Resurrection as Nobutsuna Matsudaira
- Teacher's suitcase as Sensei/Matsumoto Harutsuna
- Hana as Hiroshi Torigoe
2002
- AIBOU: Tokyo Detective Duo as Hyoue Yarikura
- The Private Detective Mike
- Mibu Gishiden: Shinsengumi de Ichiban Tsuyokatta Otoko
- September 11 as Sakichi Furuhashi (segment "Japan")
- 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
- As the River Flows
- Another Heaven as Doctor Akagi
- The Whispered City as Toyohashi, sculptor
- The City of Lost Souls as Kuwata
1999
- Genroku Ryoran as Genshiro
- Kaizokuban Bootleg Film as Tatsuo
- Out - Tsumatachi no Hanzai
- Round About Midnight as Totsuka
- Will to Live as Doctor
- 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
- The Wind Detective - From Tokyo! as Zenzo Tajima
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
- Manhattan Kiss
- Sumo Do, Sumo Don't as Professor Tokichi Anayama
- Yamai wa kikara: Byôin e ikô 2
1991
- Taiheiki as Moronao Kô-no
- A Naive History of the Bakumatsu Era as Kogoro Katsura
- Dance till Tomorrow
- Goodbye Mama
- The Last Frankenstein as Prof. Sarusawa
1989
- Fancy Dance as Masoho's boss
- Beijing Watermelon as Mr. Teramoto
- Harimao as Army Major
- Battle Heater as Riichi Hama
- Mottomo Abunai Deka as Maeo
- Tora-san Goes to Vienna as 坂口兵马
1988
- あそびにおいでョ!
- あじさい色のレディ
- Angel Guts: Red Vertigo as Yakuza
- The Silk Road
- The Yen Family as Shinichi Amemiya
- 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
- Location as Konno
- Make-Up as Kikuo Tsutano
1983
- Amagi Pass
- Double Bed as Tôru Yamazaki
- Legend of the Cat Monster as Ryohei Shimura / Joji Tamura
1982
- Suspicion as Shigekazu Akitani
- Lovers Lost as Ishizuka
- The Man from Shimizu
- Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san as 近藤
1981
- Sailor Suit and Machine Gun as Detective Kuroki
1979
- Masked Crusader, Mr. Jirenman as Kantarô Iwata
- Fujio Akatsuka's Gag Porno: In the Mood Once Again as Daigorô Hatayama
- Shimo-ochiai Yakitori Movie