Junichi Okada

Junichi Okada (岡田 准一, Okada Jun'ichi, born November 18, 1980) is an actor, fight choreographer[1] and a former member of Japanese boy band V6.

Junichi Okada
Born (1980-11-18) November 18, 1980
Hirakata, Osaka, Japan
Occupations
  • Singer
  • rapper
  • actor
Years active1995 (1995)–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2017)​
Children1
Musical career
Genres
LabelsAvex Trax
Formerly ofV6

Music career

In the summer of 1995, Okada participated in Johnny's Pre-School, part of the NTV program Tensai, Takeshi no Genki ga Deru Terebi (天才・たけしの元気が出るテレビ!!). He passed the audition and joined Johnny & Associates at the age of 14. After being in Johnny's for only a short period of three months, he made his debut as the youngest member of the idol group V6. Unlike the rest of the members in the group, he did not have much experience as Johnny's Jr. The first time that he had been on a music program was only after the debut of V6. Their debut song was "Music For the People".

Okada can play the guitar, as well as the piano. His mother is a piano teacher. His voice is in the middle range, and hence his solos usually include slower ballads. Recently, he has been given longer solos in V6 songs, such as "Way of Life".[2] He also reveals that during V6's 2008 concert Vibes, he was directing most of the lightning, staging, and costumes.[3]

Acting career

Dramas

Beside being a V6 member, Okada is an accomplished actor with eleven movies, in eight of which he plays the lead, and sixteen dramas, in four of which he plays the lead. In a Shounen Club Premium interview on May 7, 2009, he revealed that it was the Japanese drama Kisarazu Cat's Eye that caught the attention of viewers and directors, and made them aware of his acting ability.[3] The success of the drama led to the making of two movie sequels, Kisarazu Cat's Eye: Nihon Series and Kisarazu Cat's Eye: World Series. His other notable dramas include Tiger & Dragon, a comedy drama about rakugo, a form of Japanese comedy acted only by one person telling that story.[4] and SP (also known as Security Police), an action suspense drama about a team of security police bodyguards in charge of protecting important people in the government. With Shinichi Tsutsumi as his co-star, the drama drew in overall ratings of 15.35% despite its Saturday 11:00 p.m. (JST) time slot;[5] its special episode broadcast in 2008 also received a viewership rating of 21.5%.[6]

After several years of "drama hiatus", it has been announced in 2012 that Okada would play the main character, Kuroda Kanbei, in the 2014 NHK historical drama, Gunshi Kanbei (軍師官兵衛), set to air in January of that year. Kanbei was a man of ambition who served as the chief strategist under Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the Sengoku period.[7]

Movies

He made a big leap in his movie career with Tokyo Tower in 2005. In the movie he portrayed a young college student torn between his love for a lady twenty years his senior and the views society has on these kinds of relationship.[8] After that came Hana, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. In the movie, Okada portrayed Sōza, a samurai uninterested in killing his enemy and focused on what he could do today to be a better person instead. The movie earned him a nomination for the Blue Ribbon Awards, but he declined this nomination.[9] Nevertheless, he was awarded the Ishihara Yujiro New Actor Award at Nikkan Sports Film Award for his role in Hana.[10] Recently, he has been involved in movies such as Flowers in the Shadows, portraying a young man in debt because of pachinko,[11] and Otonari (おとなり), an unconventional love story between two neighbors who have never met each other and only follow the other person's life through the sounds they hear from the other side of the wall.[12]

In 2012, Okada played the role Shibukawa Shunkai, an astronomer who invented the Jōkyō calendar used for many decades, in the movie Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer directed by Yōjirō Takita.[13] The director has previously won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Departures, in 2009.[14] Later that year, it was announced that Okada would appear in another film set for a spring 2013 release, The Eternal Zero, directed by Takashi Yamazaki. The film follows the journey of a kamikaze pilot named Kyuzo Miyabe, a man described as a coward who volunteered to die for his country.[15]

Personal life

Okada is known for being reserved. He does not meet with many people within the agency.[16] In an interview on Shounen Club Premium, Okada said that when he was little, whenever his name was called up to read something in class, he would feel like vomiting and purposely avoided school on those days. Within V6, he is also the most quiet person. He enjoys carpentry and has carved wooden bears for children.[17]

He married Aoi Miyazaki on 23 December 2017.[18]

In May 2018, it was announced that he and his wife are expecting their first child. He is the fourth member of V6 to be a father.[19]

Announced via fax message, his son was born in October 2018. [20]

During the Johnny's press conference celebrated October 2, 2023, comments were said about his leaving the office in November. Office vice-president and former V6 co-member Yoshihiko Inohara asked for discretion, and to wait for an official comment by the person himself.[21][22] The news was confirmed the same day. Okada is to leave Johnny's on November 30.[23]

Martial arts practitioner

In 2010, Okada had reported in a press conference that he is certified to teach Jeet Kune Do and Kali in Japan, the latter was used by him as his main martial art when the SP series was filmed.[24] Trained under USA Shooto instructor Yorinaga Nakamura.[25]

While filming for The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill, Okada trained for a fight scene using jiu-jitsu. He continued training under jiu-jitsu artist Tomoyuki Hashimoto (CARPE DIEM), getting a brown belt in 2022. Okada participated for the first time in a public match in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Master 2023 in Las Vegas, USA, on 31 August 2023, in the Master 3 Brown Belt Light Featherweight Division,[26][27] winning his first round, but losing on the quarterfinals against Andrew Steve Slackta.[28][29]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Director Notes Ref.
2003 Cosmic Rescue Azuma Sawada Shinsuke Sato Lead role
Kisarazu Cats Eye: Nihon Series Kōhei Tabuchi (Bussan) Fuminori Kaneko Lead role
Hard Luck Hero Takashi Asai Sabu Lead role
2005 Tokyo Tower Toru Kojima Takashi Minamoto Lead role
Fly, Daddy, Fly Soon-Shin Park Izuru Narushima Lead role
Hold Up Down Koichi Sawamura Sabu Lead role
2006 Hana Sōzaemon Aoki (Sōza) Hirokazu Kore-eda Lead role
Kisarazu Cats Eye: World Series Kōhei Tabuchi (Bussan) Fuminori Kaneko Lead role
Tales from Earthsea Prince Arren (voice) Gorō Miyazaki Lead role
2008 Flowers in the Shadows Shin'ya Yuichiro Hirakawa Lead role [30]
2009 Romantic Prelude Satoshi Nojima Naoto Kumazawa Lead role [31]
2010 SP: The Motion Picture Kaoru Inoue Takafumi Hatano Lead role [32]
2011 SP: The Motion Picture II Kaoru Inoue Takafumi Hatano Lead role [32]
From Up on Poppy Hill Shun Kazama (voice) Gorō Miyazaki Lead role [33]
2012 Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer Shibukawa Shunkai (Santetsu Yasui) Yōjirō Takita Lead role [34]
2013 Library Wars Atsushi Dōjō Shinsuke Sato Lead role [35]
The Eternal Zero Kyūzō Miyabe Takashi Yamazaki Lead role [36]
2014 A Samurai Chronicle Shōzaburō Dan'no Takashi Koizumi Lead role [37]
2015 Library Wars: The Last Mission Atsushi Dōjō Shinsuke Sato Lead role [38]
2016 Everest: The Summit of the Gods Makoto Fukamachi Hideyuki Hirayama Lead role [39]
Fueled: The Man They Called Pirate Tetsuzō Kunioka Takashi Yamazaki Lead role [37]
2017 Reminiscence Detective Atsushi Shikata Yasuo Furuhata Lead role [37]
Sekigahara Ishida Mitsunari Masato Harada Lead role [37]
2018 Samurai's Promise Shinbei Uryū Daisaku Kimura Lead role [37]
It Comes Nozaki Tetsuya Nakashima Lead role [37]
2019 The Fable Akira Satō Kan Eguchi Lead role [40]
2021 The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill Akira Satō Kan Eguchi Lead role [40]
Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai Hijikata Toshizō Masato Harada Lead role [41]
2022 Hell Dogs Shōgo Kanetaka Masato Harada Lead role [42]
A Life of Climber Narrator Hiroaki Takeishi Documentary [43]
2023 Hard Days Kudō Michihito Fujii Lead role [44]

TV dramas
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1995 V no Honoo Junichi Okada
1997 D×D Toranosuke Kihara
1998 Pu-Pu-Pu Jump Kazuya Omine Lead role
1999 Shin Oretachi no Tabi Shinroku Kumazawa
Dear Friend Yuuji Yamamuro TV movie
2000 Mona Lisa no Hohoemi Takuro Okajima
Oyaji Tadashi Kanzaki
2001 Chūshingura 1/47 Chikara Oishi TV movie
Hanran no Voyage Kunpei Sakaue
2002 Love Quotient Ryuji
Kisarazu Cat's Eye Kōhei Tabuchi (Bussan) Lead role [36]
2003 The Eldest Boy and His Three Elder Sisters Ichiro Kashiwakura [45]
2005 Taika no Kaishin Nakatomi no Kamatari Lead role, miniseries [46]
Fuyu no Undokai Kikuo Kitazawa Lead role, TV movie [47]
Tiger & Dragon Ryuji Yanaka (Kotatsu) [37]
2006 Niji wo Kakeru Ōhi Yi Un Miniseries [48]
2007 SP Kaoru Inoue Lead role [36]
2014 Gunshi Kanbei Kuroda Kanbei Lead role; Taiga drama [36]
2015 Library Wars: Book of Memories Atsushi Dōjō Lead role, TV movie [38]
2019 The Great White Tower Gorō Zaizen Lead role, miniseries [49]
2023 What Will You Do, Ieyasu? Oda Nobunaga Taiga drama [50]

TV anime
Year Title Role Network Notes Ref.
2019 Crayon Shin-chan Gorō Zaizen TV Asahi Episode 997 [49]

Other television
Year Title Network Notes Ref.
2012–present The Profiler NHK BS-P As host [51]
2013 64th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen NHK As a judge [52]

Japanese dub
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2004 Thunderbirds Alan Tracy

Awards and nominations
Year Organization Award Work(s) Result
200232nd Television Drama Academy Awards (ja)Best ActorKisarazu Cat's EyeNominated[53]
20059th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand PrixBest Supporting ActorTiger & DragonWon[54]
200619th Nikkan Sports Film AwardsIshihara Yujiro New Actor AwardHana Yori mo Naho, Kisarazu Cat's Eye: World SeriesWon[55]
200856th Television Drama Academy AwardsBest ActorSPWon[56]
201427th Nikkan Sports Film AwardsBest ActorThe Eternal Zero, A Samurai ChronicleWon[57]
39th Hochi Film AwardsBest ActorThe Eternal ZeroWon[58]
201557th Blue Ribbon AwardsBest ActorA Samurai ChronicleNominated[59]
38th Japan Academy Film PrizeBest ActorThe Eternal ZeroWon[60]
Best Supporting ActorA Samurai ChronicleWon[60]
83rd Television Drama Academy AwardsBest ActorGunshi KanbeiWon[61]
201740th Japan Academy Film PrizeBest ActorFueled: The Man They Called PirateNominated
201860th Blue Ribbon AwardsBest ActorReminiscence, SekigaharaNominated
27th Tokyo Sports Film AwardsBest ActorSekigaharaNominated
41st Japan Academy Film PrizeBest ActorNominated
43rd Hochi Film AwardsBest ActorSamurai's PromiseNominated
201973rd Mainichi Film AwardsBest ActorNominated
42nd Japan Academy Film PrizeBest ActorNominated
202134th Nikkan Sports Film AwardsBest ActorBaragaki: Unbroken Samurai,
The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill		Nominated[62]
46th Hochi Film AwardsBest ActorNominated[63]
202264th Blue Ribbon AwardsBest ActorWon[64]
47th Hochi Film AwardsBest ActorHell DogsNominated[65]

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