Two-Time Winner of AFA Best Actor Award to Meet Audiences in Hong Kong
 
Hong Kong/Tokyo (March 7, 2025) — The Asian Film Awards Academy (AFAA) proudly announces that the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to internationally renowned Japanese actor Yakusho Koji, recognizing his four decades of profound contributions to cinema. The most-nominated Best Actor in Japan Academy Film Prize history, he has won the award four times. His performance in Perfect Days earned him Best Actor Award at Cannes, solidifying his reputation as a world-class actor. Now, with the AFA Lifetime Achievement Award, he marks another defining milestone in his extraordinary career.
 

The AFA Lifetime Achievement Award, the organization’s highest accolade, is given to film professionals who have made a significant impact on Asian cinema throughout their lifetime dedicated to the film industry. Yakusho will be the third Japanese recipient to receive the award, following the director Yamada Yoji at the 2nd AFA (2008) and Kiki Kirin at the 10th AFA (2016). Other notable recipients include renowned Asian filmmakers such as director Zhang Yimou (China), director and actor Sammo Hung (Hong Kong), director Lee Chang-dong (South Korea), director Hou Hsiao-hsien (Taiwan), and director Ann Hui (Hong Kong). This award not only honors Yakusho’s exceptional career but also recognizes his enduring passion for storytelling, a tribute to both his legacy and the paths he has yet to explore.
 
Upon learning that he would be given the Lifetime Achievement Award, Yakusho shared his appreciation, saying, “I was truly humbled to hear the names of the past recipients and found myself in awe of such distinguished figures. I feel deeply honored. Receiving this award motivates me to strive for even better work in the remaining years of my acting career. Thank you very much. I look forward to seeing you all on March 16.”
 
Yakusho has been nominated for the AFA Best Actor Award four times, for his performances in 13 Assassins (2010), Chronicle of My Mother (2011), The Blood of Wolves (2018) and Perfect Days (2023). He has won the award twice—for The Blood of Wolves and Perfect Days—making him one of the most awarded actors alongside Tony Leung (Hong Kong) and Lee Byung-hun (South Korea).
 
The AFA Awards Ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 16, 2025, at the Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District of Hong Kong. Yakusho Koji is expected to attend the ceremony to accept the award and will also participate in a screening event for Perfect Days on the previous day, March 15, where he will engage with fans in Hong Kong.
 
The 18th Asian Film Awards Red Carpet and Ceremony
Date: March 16, 2025 (Sunday)
Location: Xiqu Centre, West Kowloon Cultural District
Address: 88 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
This prestigious event will be streamed live on the AFAA’s official YouTube Channel (youtube.com/@AsianFilmAwardsAcademy) from 18:00 Japan Time onwards (17:00 Hong Kong Time).
 
 
YAKUSHO Koji Profile
 
Yakusho Koji came to widespread attention in NHK’s period TV drama “Tokugawa Ieyasu” in 1983, playing the role of Oda Nobunaga, a charismatic warlord of the 16th century. In 1995 he won the Best Actor Prize at the Mainichi Film Awards for his leading role in Kamikaze Taxi, directed by Harada Masato. He dominated the domestic Best Actor Awards the following year with three films in which he starred: Suo Masayuki’s Shall We Dance?, Oguri Kohei’s Sleeping Man and Hosono Tatsuoki’s Shabu Gokudo. A multitude of films in which he stars have been shown at international film festivals, including Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s Cure (1997), which earned him the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) Best Actor Award, lmamura Shohei’s The Eel (1997) which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and Aoyama Shinji’s Eureka (2001) which earned the Ecumenical Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival. He also appeared in Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), directed by Rob Marshall, and Babel (2006), directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, earning acclaim from international audiences.
 
In 2012, Yakusho received the Medal with Purple Ribbon from the emperor of Japan for his “outstanding achievements in the creative field.” The same year, he was awarded the Cut Above Award for Excellence in Film from New York’s Japan Society, and a Career Achievement Award at the Hawaii International Film Festival. Further international recognition includes the Nippon Honor Award at Nippon Connection in Germany and the Cinema Legend Award at the Singapore International Film Festival, both in 2017. In 2019 he was granted a double honor, the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award and the Best Actor Award with The Blood of Wolves at the 13th Asian Film Awards. He won his second Best Actor Award for Perfect Days at the 17th AFA in 2024. In addition, he has received prestigious Best Actor Awards from Film Madrid in Spain for Walking My Life in 2008, from Dubai International Film Festival 2011 for The Woodsman and the Rain, and from the Sitges Film Festival 2014 for The World of Kanako. At the Chicago International Film Festival, he has twice won the Best Actor Award, for Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (2001) and Under the Open Sky (2020). Recently, Perfect Days (2023), the Opening Film of the 36th TIFF, earned widespread acclaim including the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the 76th Cannes Film Festival as well the Best Actor Award for Yakusho. With numerous accolades both domestically and internationally, Yakusho Koji continues to solidify his status as one of Asia’s most distinguished actors.
 

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Asian Film Awards (AFA)
The Asian Film Awards has been held for 17 years, featuring distinguished awards such as Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor/Actress. The voting panel, composed of nominees and winners from previous years, participates annually in selecting the winners across all categories for the Asian Film Awards. Panel members also have the opportunity to attend events organised by the Academy across Asia and worldwide, engaging with industry professionals and audiences.
 
Asian Film Awards Academy (AFAA) afa-academy.com
Asian Film Awards Academy is a non-profit organisation founded by Busan, Hong Kong and Tokyo International Film Festivals with the shared goal of celebrating excellence in Asian cinema. In addition to the annual Asian Film Awards, the Academy hosts year-round events and programmes with the objectives to promote Asian films to a broader audience, expand the film market within Asia, and foster connections among film professionals in Hong Kong and beyond.