Article: Top 10 Japanese Actors Who Are Widely Appreciated For Their Rhetoric In English

People are conditioned to believe that success is synonymous with having English proficiency. We are not the ones to defend or oppose this notion, yet some celebrities are much appreciated globally for their ability to speak English fluently. There is never a time when Japanese actors have not impressed their fans with their oratory skills in English. Global fans get thrilled when their favorites speak in English, which becomes pride in itself. Here are the top 10 Japanese actors admired for their rhetoric in English.

10. Yuki Furukawa

Yuki Furukawa is a polished actor, guitarist, model, and dancer. He moved to Canada at seven years of age with his family and lived there for eleven years. Furukawa returned to New York at 16 and returned to Japan at 19. He is proficient in both English and Japanese. He gained popularity in the T.V. series “Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo” and its sequel “Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in Okinawa.”

9. Kamishiraishi Mone

Born in Kagoshima, Mone’s family lived in Mexico due to her father’s work, becoming fluent in English and flexible in speaking basic Spanish. She is well known for her voice acting as Miyamizu Mitsuha in the movies “Kimi no Na Wa” in 2016 and “Tenki no Ko” in 2019. In 2012, she entered her musical career with “The King and I.” She also gained her intentional attention in 2016 as the lead female character in Makoto Shinkai’s anime film “Your Name.”

8. Shioli Kutsuna

Deadpool actress Shioli Kutsuna is a Japanese-Australian actress widely celebrated for her roles RanMori in the movie Written Challenge, Minami Maho in Beck, and Yukio in Deadpool 2. She is proficient in Japanese and English as she was born in Australia. She is the winner of the Judge's Prize at the 2006 Japan Bishijo Contest. In 2012, she was given the Best New Actress title of 2011 by film magazine Kinema Junpo.

7. Kiko Mizuhara

Audrie Kiko Daniel, known professionally as Kiko Mizuhara, is an American-born model, actress, singer, and designer who has lived in Japan since childhood. As an American-born, it is apparent that she is fluent in her oratory in English. Mizuhara had her acting debut in the 2010 film “Norwegian Wood” as Midori, based on the novel of the same name by Haruki Murakami. Since then, she has been a part of many Japanese films and dramas. She also had a supporting role in Mika Ninagawa’s “Helter Shelter,” based on Kyoko Okazaki’s award-winning manga of the same name.

6. Junko Abe

Formerly known by her stage name Jun Yoshinaga, Junko Abe is a Japanese actress and model. After her breakthrough role in the Palm, D’Or nominated film Futatsume no Mado; fans expected her to become a star. Still, she chose to go to the United States for a year and study English and drama at New York University. After her return, she worked in several productions, most notably The Blood of Wolves.

5. Nijiro Murakami

Son of actor Jun Murakami and Uo, Nijiro Murakami is also an actor and a voice artist. He is well known for his films like Still the Water. Murakami also appeared in the most recent Netflix series, Alice in Borderland. As a voice actor, he is best known for voicing Shishigami in the anime adaptation of the manga series Inuyashiki. Nijiro chose to speak in English at a news conference at the Cannes Film Festival, which is very rare for any Japanese actor, let alone a teenager, thus suggesting he has ambitions beyond his comfort.

4. Kei Hosogai

Besides being an actor, Kei Hosogai is a well-known musician associated with GMB production. When he was 6-9 and 11-23 years old, he lived in the United States of America, primarily in Seattle, Washington, and the state of Hawaii. He was the instrumentalist for the Japanese rock band Cocoa Otoko.

3. Go Jibiki

Born on May 7, 1976, in Tokyo, Japan, Go Jibiki spent his childhood in Singapore and New York due to his father’s business and thus learned to speak English fluently. Soon after he returned to Japan, Jibiki started to learn acting. He also joined the theatrical company “Wakakusa” when he was 14. He appeared in the film “April Story” in 1998. He practices Taijutsu, an ancient Japanese martial art. He has been under training from his master Tetsuzan Kuroda for about 16 years.

2. Ken Watanabe

Watanabe is one of the famous actors in the Japanese industry who made it to an international audience with his 2003 American film “The Last Samurai.” Though he has bettered his ability to communicate in English, very few, know that he has been criticized for his English-speaking skills. The Daily News said the actor’s English “is a work in progress, so sometimes his lines and lyrics are blurry.” As a child, he had no intentions of learning the language seriously until 2003 when he appeared in the martial arts movie “The Last Samurai.” Although he struggled with his English initially, with all the hard work and patience, he has become fluent in this language.

1. Hiroyuki Sanada

Hiroyuki Shimosawa, professionally known as Hiroyuki Sanada, is best known to his international audience for his roles as Genbu in “Ninja in the Dragon’s Den” and Seibei Lguchi in “The Twilight Samurai,” and Ujio in “The Last Samurai.” Since he grew up in Japan, Sanada’s first language is Japanese. He learned English to play roles in American and British movies and hence became fluent in this language. His first major Hollywood appearance was in The Last Samurai. He also appeared in the HBO series “Westworld” from 2018 to 2020.