Yuki Saito (斉藤由貴)

Overview

Yuki Saito (born September 10, 1966, in Minami-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture) is a Japanese actress, singer, lyricist and narrator. She is represented by Toho Entertainment and records for Victor Entertainment. After debuting in 1985 with the single "Sotsugyō" and rising to top-idol status, she grew into one of Japan's most respected actresses across film, television and stage. In recent years, her songs have been re-evaluated amid the overseas city pop boom.

Career

Early years and the 1980s

Saito led the manga club at her high school. In 1984 she was a finalist in the first Toho "Cinderella" audition and won the Grand Prix at the third Miss Magazine contest run by Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine, launching her entertainment career. She made her TV debut in October 1984 in an instant-ramen commercial.

She made her singing debut in February 1985 on Canyon Records with "Sotsugyō," which peaked at No. 6 on the Oricon chart, making her one of the few idols to chart with a debut single. "Sotsugyō," "Hatsukoi" and "Jōnetsu" were written by Takashi Matsumoto, composed by Kyohei Tsutsumi and arranged by Satoshi Takebe, and are often regarded as a trilogy. She notched twelve consecutive top-10 hits from her debut (excluding special releases). Her debut album was AXIA. In April 1985 she took her first lead role in a TV drama as Saki Asamiya in Fuji TV's Sukeban Deka, which made her a top idol, and in December Shinji Somai's Yuki no Danshō: Jōnetsu opened, earning newcomer awards.

In 1986 she played the heroine of NHK's morning drama Hanekonma, which averaged around 40% in ratings. Her March 1986 single "Kanashimi yo Konnichi wa" became a hit as the first opening theme of the anime Maison Ikkoku, and at the 37th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen she made her first appearance and, at 20, became the youngest-ever host of the Red Team. Her album Garasu no Kodō and single "Aozora no Kakera" gave her first No. 1 spots on the weekly Oricon chart.

In 1987 she was the first Cosette in Toho's Japanese production of Les Misérables, winning the 25th Theatre Newcomer Award, and starred in the film Totto Channel. She won the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role at the 11th ceremony for Koisuru Onnatachi and Totto Channel, and again the next year for Sayonara no Onnatachi and Yūshun ORACIÓN. She also hosted the Fuji TV talk show Saito-san Chi no Okyaku-sama.

The 1990s

From 1988 she serialized "Unmei no Onna: Femme Fatale" in the magazine Gekkan Kadokawa, expanding into poetry, fiction, essays and illustration. In 1989 she wrote a commentary for Yasutaka Tsutsui's Chakusō no Gijutsu. Her April 1989 cover of Yōsui Inoue's "Yume no Naka e" (theme of the drama Shōnan Monogatari) reached No. 2 on the Oricon weekly chart and ranked 14th for the year, becoming her biggest hit; she again led the Red Team at that year's Kōhaku. Her July 1990 album MOON was her first self-produced work, with all lyrics written by her, and she wrote all the lyrics for 1991's LOVE. In 1990 she won the Yokohama Film Festival Best Actress award for Hong Kong Paradise. The 1993 drama Dōsōkai, which seriously treated homosexuality, drew wide attention. She married Nobuyasu Isarai in 1994, and they have one son and two daughters. In 1995 she starred in Kōki Mitani's play Kimi to Nara: Nobody Else But You, and in 1998 reunited with Shinji Sōmai for the film Ah, Spring, which topped the 1999 Kinema Junpo Best Ten and won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival. Her lyrics for the musical Roman Holiday (1998) earned the 1998 Art Festival Award.

The 2000s

In 2001 she played poet Misuzu Kaneko in the play Sora no Kaasama, winning the 27th Kikuta Kazuo Theatre Award, and served as narrator of the music program Christmas no Yakusoku from 2001 to 2016. In 2006 her comedic turn in the drama Wagahai wa Shufu de Aru won acclaim; that year she formed the duo Yanake with Mitsuhiro Oikawa, released Kateinai Date and resumed singing after seven years. In 2007 she sang the opening and ending themes of the anime Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette. On March 8, 2008 she held her first solo concert in 13 years at PARCO Theater; it sold out immediately with an added show, and she has performed steadily since.

The 2010s

In February 2011, to mark her 25th anniversary, she released Nanimo Kamo Kawaru to Shite mo, her first new album in 16 years, with anniversary concerts at PARCO Theater. In 2014 she co-starred with Masami Nagasawa in the two-woman play Murasaki Shikibu Diary. For her 30th anniversary in 2015 she released ETERNITY (March 11), her first album of jazz standards, and held concerts at Theater Creo. She appeared in NHK's taiga drama Sanada Maru in 2016. In 2017 her role as a toxic mother in Okaasan, Musume o Yamete mo Ii desu ka? earned the Confidence Award for Best Supporting Actress and she received the 8th Iwatani Tokiko Special Award. In 2018 she won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Third Murder, her first Blue Ribbon since her newcomer award 32 years earlier, plus the Tokyo Sports Film Award. In 2019 she appeared in Kioku ni Gozaimasen!, Honeybees and Distant Thunder and Saigo no Bansan, among others.

The 2020s

In 2020 she won Best Supporting Actress at the 34th Takasaki Film Festival for Saigo no Bansan and held 35th-anniversary concerts. In May 2020 the single "Saito Yuki - Night Tempo presents The Showa Groove" was released. On February 21, 2021 she released the self-cover album Suikyōkyoku, produced by Satoshi Takebe, followed by a Billboard Live tour. In the 2022 revival of the musical Cinderella Story, her eldest daughter Rin Mizushima took the lead role. In February 2023 Nanimo Kamo Kawaru to Shite mo was reissued; in October LOVE received its first vinyl release, and songs such as "Straw Hat no Natsu Omoi" have been re-appreciated amid the city pop boom. In February 2025 she released Suikyōkyoku: Dainigakushō, and for her 40th anniversary held her first nationwide hall tour in 36 years, "40th Anniversary Tour 'Mizube no Tobira' Single Best Collection," with a live album released in September. She and her husband divorced in December 2024.

Musical style

At the height of the idol era Saito won fans with a modest, refined image. Her music is rooted in kayokyoku, built on collaborations with Takashi Matsumoto, Kyohei Tsutsumi and Satoshi Takebe, and is classified as city pop and J-pop. From the 1990s she showed a poetic side by writing her own lyrics, and her output ranges from the jazz-standard album ETERNITY to the self-cover Suikyōkyoku. She has also written lyrics for musicals and for other artists.

Personal life

Saito is well known as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is famous for not working on Sundays. Her hobbies include poetry, reading and illustration.