Haruka Ayase

better known by the stage name , is a Japanese actress who started her career as a model in the year 2000. She has since become a leading actress in television and film. The Japan Times has referred to Ayase as "the Japanese version of Anne Hathaway". In 2018, she was named the most beautiful face in Japan.

Career

2000–2004: Early career Ayase was invited by a friend to participate in the 25th Horipro Talent Scout Caravan. She was interested as "an excuse to not attend club activities", but had nothing prepared, so she did a rabbit imitation that was popular at school. She won the Special Jury Prize, and made her debut in the entertainment world in 2000.

Her stage name was taken from the internet, with Ayase and herself choosing it from 16,000 applicants; on February 28, 2001, it was decided as "Haruka Ayase".

In addition to photo collections and weekly magazines, her popularity as a gravure idol increased with appearances on local programs such as Cosmo Angel. Her pictorial activities decreased as she began to receive attention as an actress.

Ayase made her acting debut in 2001 in part 3 of Kindaichi Shōnen no Jikenbo starring Jun Matsumoto.

In 2003, she made her first regular appearance in the serial drama Boku no Ikiru Michi.

She was selected as a cast member of Socrates in Love in 2004, for which she won Best Supporting Actress at the 42nd Television Drama Academy Awards for her portrayal of Aki Hirose, a high schooler with leukemia. The single debuted 8th on the Oricon charts.

In 2007, she starred in the television drama Hotaru no Hikari, an adaptation of the manga of the same name, with Naohito Fujiki.

Ayase made her first appearance in an NHK taiga drama with Yae's Sakura, which focuses on Niijima Yae, a warrior, educator, scholar, and nurse of the late Edo period. In 2014, the series was nominated for the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series.

After completing this work, she considered retiring. However, she reconsidered her career and decided that "taiga drama is only a stepping stone."

2015–present: Our Little Sister ～ My Ex-Boyfriend's Last Will In 2015, Ayase starred in Hirokazu Kore-eda's film Our Little Sister alongside Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, and Suzu Hirose. The film premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It was subsequently released in Japan on June 13, 2015 and premiered in London, England, on October 14, 2015, as part of the BFI London Film Festival.

In 2016, Ayase starred as Balsa, a spear wielder and bodyguard, in Guardian of the Spirit, an NHK taiga drama. The role involved stage combat. She starred in all three seasons of the drama.

In 2022, she made her "Monday 9" debut, starring in My Ex-Boyfriend's Last Will. This was her first Fuji TV serial drama since Shikaotoko Awoniyoshi around 14 years prior.

In September 2025, Ayase reunited with director Kore-eda for the science fiction film Sheep in the Box.

Personal life Haruka Ayase was born as Aya Tademaru on March 24, 1985, in Hiroshima Prefecture. Ayase has one elder brother. Her grandparents are survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

On August 31, 2021, Ayase announced on Twitter and Instagram that she had contracted the COVID-19 Delta variant. Though she was originally recovering at home, she was hospitalized after symptoms of pneumonia.

Around the spring of 2020, Ayase's personal office, a company managed by her mother, invested around in a scheme co-managed by a Hiroshima tax accountant who was a long-time acquaintance of the Ayase family. The scheme defaulted on repayments to Ayase's company in May 2021, and the accountant's son arranged for a full refund of the investment. The accountant and three others were arrested for investment law violations in November 2022. Other investors alleged that the accountant used his relationship with Ayase to solicit investments in the scheme.

Other ventures

Endorsements Ayase is a popular product spokesperson in Japan, appearing in commercials for major consumer brands such as Coca-Cola, SK-II, and KFC. She is also the main spokeswoman for Uniqlo and SK-II in Japan. Philanthropy In March 2011, she launched the awareness for raising about the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and the subsequent Fukushima nuclear disaster and invited Japanese and international celebrities to add their videos for triple tragedy in Japan. Despite Fukushima crisis, she made a call to action to support the victims of triple disaster and to raise funds in the relief effort. In conjunction, she has also created her own website for the cause. Filmography Television

Film

Japanese dub Television documentary Haruka Ayase Listen to War Experience (TBS, 2010–present)

Others 47th Japan Record Awards (TBS, 2005), host Kōhaku Uta Gassen (NHK) 63rd (2012), a judge 64th (2013), the red team captain 66th (2015), the red team captain 70th (2019), the red team captain 76th (2025), a host

Discography Singles YearSingleChart positionAlbumTotal sales20068 28,22420068 18,688200723 10,352201020

Awards and nominations

Television Drama Academy Awards Year Season Category Nominated work Result 2004 SummerBest Supporting Actress Socrates in Love 2006 WinterBest Supporting Actress Journey Under the Midnight Sun 2009 FallBest Supporting Actress Jin 2010 SummerBest Actress Hotaru no Hikari: It's Only a Little Light In My Life 2011 SpringBest Supporting Actress Jin 2 2014 FallBest Actress I'm Taking the Day Off 2017 FallBest Actress Caution, Hazardous Wife