Kaho Minami

Kaho Minami is a Japanese actress who works across film, television, theater, and commercial projects. Born on January 20, 1964, in Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan, she is of third-generation Korean descent. She pursued higher education in Tokyo, graduating from the Toho Gakuen College of Drama & Music.

Minami began her professional acting journey while still a college student when she successfully auditioned for her first feature film. She secured the leading role in Kohei Oguri's 1984 release, For Kanako. Shortly after her movie debut, she stepped into a lead role for a television drama series broadcast by TBS in 1985. Her early career also featured a stage debut playing Juliet in a production of Romeo & Juliet directed by Kabuki performer Tamasaburō Bandō.

Over the subsequent decades, Minami built an extensive body of work involving both primary and supporting parts across multiple entertainment mediums. Her filmography includes prominent roles in Gakuryu Ishii's Angel Dust (1994), Masayuki Ochiai's horror production Infection (2004), Tian Zhuangzhuang's The Go Master (2006), and Kazuyoshi Kumakiri's Sketches of Kaitan City (2010).

In addition to her work in domestic Japanese media, Minami has participated in several international projects. She appeared alongside Josh Hartnett in the 2017 film Oh, Lucy! and took part in the 2021 movie Gensan Punch, directed by Filipino filmmaker Brillante Mendoza. She was also cast in the 2022 Apple TV+ television series Pachinko, an adaptation of the novel by Min Jin Lee.

In her personal life, Minami was married to actor Ken Watanabe from 2005 until 2018. Their marriage ended in divorce following public reports and subsequent admissions regarding Watanabe's infidelity. Beyond her acting career, Minami engages in volunteer initiatives, which include advocacy and educational outreach drawing from her personal background as a breast cancer survivor.