Takuya Kimura facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Takuya Kimura
木村 拓哉
Kimura in 2023
Born	(1972-11-13) November 13, 1972 (age 52) Tokyo, Japan
Occupation	Singer actor
Years active	1987 (1987)–present
Agent	Starto Entertainment
Spouse(s)	Shizuka Kudo ​ (m. 2000)​
Children	Cocomi Kōki
Musical career
Genres	J-pop
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
Labels	Victor Entertainment
Signature

Takuya Kimura (Japanese: 木村 拓哉, Hepburn: Kimura Takuya, born November 13, 1972) is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio host. He is a very famous Japanese star because of his acting success. He was also a popular member of SMAP, a super successful boy band in Asia. In Japan, he was known as a huge heartthrob.

His first main role in a TV show called Long Vacation in 1996 was a huge hit. It was so popular that people even made up a phrase about it, called the "Lon-bake phenomenon." He was called "The King of Ratings" because his TV shows always got super high viewership. Each show became a big event when it was on TV. Five of his most successful TV shows are among the top ten highest-rated in Japanese history. These include Hero (2001), Beautiful Life (2000), Love Generation (1997), Good Luck!! (2003), and Long Vacation (1996). He has won the Best Actor award at the Television Drama Academy Awards 11 times, which is more than anyone else! He also starred in big hit movies like Love and Honor (2006) and Hero (2007). He even voiced a character in the animated film Howl's Moving Castle (2004).

Kimura is also known for his work in the video games Judgment and Lost Judgment, where he played the character Takayuki Yagami.

Becoming a Star: His Career Journey

Music Career and SMAP

In 1987, when he was 15, Takuya Kimura tried out for Johnny & Associates. This is a talent agency that finds and trains young boys to become singers. In the autumn of 1987, twenty young boys, including Kimura, formed a group called The Skate Boys. They started as backup dancers for a famous boy band, Hikaru Genji. In April 1988, the producer Johnny Kitagawa chose six of these boys to create a new boy band called "SMAP."

SMAP became one of the most successful boy bands in Asia. They are seen as a very important group in Japan. They had 24 albums in the top 10 and 14 albums that reached number one. SMAP officially broke up on December 31, 2016.

Solo Music Projects

In 2020, Kimura released his first solo album, "Go with the Flow." This album included songs written for him by famous bands and artists like [ALEXANDROS], Superfly, and Noriyuki Makihara. The album went straight to number one on the Oricon Albums Chart when it came out. A month later, he went on a four-day tour in Tokyo and Osaka called "TAKUYA KIMURA Live Tour 2020 Go with the Flow." The concert was later released on Blu-Ray and DVD, also reaching number one on the Oricon Charts.

In May 2021, the Weibo Starlight Awards 2020 ceremony was held online. Kimura, along with his two daughters, Cocomi and Kōki, received awards. Other famous artists like Katy Perry and Taylor Swift also won awards.

His second solo album, "Next Destination," was released on January 19, 2022. This album features a song called "Mojo Drive," which was a collaboration with the famous artist Tatsuro Yamashita. Yamashita wanted to write a song that showed off Kimura's deep voice. Yamashita also wrote two other songs for the album. "Next Destination" also has songs written by other well-known artists.

From February to March 2022, he went on an eight-day tour called "TAKUYA KIMURA Live Tour 2022 Next Destination." The concert was released on Blu-Ray and DVD in August 2022. It ranked first in three video categories on the Oricon Weekly Video Rankings.

On August 14, 2024, Kimura released his third solo album, "See You There." This album has 11 songs written by famous Japanese artists. Mariya Takeuchi, known for her popular song Plastic Love, wrote "Lovers in October" for the album. She said she wanted him to sing a "boyish, heart-melting love song" because he was in his 50s.

The album quickly became number one on the Billboard Japan Weekly Album Sales chart. It sold over 56,000 copies in its first week. This made it Kimura's third album in a row to debut at the top of the Billboard Charts. In September 2024, Kimura started another eight-day concert tour called "TAKUYA KIMURA Live Tour 2024 SEE YOU THERE." The tour finished in December 2024.

Acting Career Highlights

In 1988, Kimura started his acting career in a TV show called Abunai Shonen III with his band members. He gained attention in 1993 for his role in the popular TV show Asunaro Hakusho. A scene where he hugged his co-star from behind became very famous in Japan. This type of hug was even named "asunaro daki," or "asunaro hug." Starting in 1994, many men in Japan began to copy his fashion and style. Clothes and items he wore, like his thick, black-rimmed glasses, became instant hits. This trend was called the "Kimutaku syndrome." He won an award for his acting in the movie Shoot!, which was his first film role.

He got his first main role in the TV series Long Vacation in 1996. This show, which aired on Monday nights, was a huge success and the highest-rated program that year. It became a big social event. The media even joked that "women disappear from the city on Mondays" because so many people were watching. After Kimura played a young pianist, many young men started taking piano lessons. The show's big impact is often called the "Lonvaca (ron-bake) phenomenon." This show was a major step for Kimura as an actor and helped him become even more famous.

The next year, Kimura starred with his Long Vacation co-star Takako Matsu in Love Generation. They played colleagues who argued but eventually fell in love. This show was also a hit, with high ratings. In 2000, he starred in Beautiful Life as a hairdresser who falls in love with a woman in a wheelchair. This series was a massive hit, and its final episode had over 40% of households watching.

In 2001, Kimura worked again with Takako Matsu in the legal drama Hero. He played a public prosecutor. This show became the highest-rated TV series in Japanese history. It was the only show where every episode had over 30% of households watching. Because it was so successful, there was a second season and two movies. Other TV shows he starred in, like Good Luck!!, Pride, and Engine, also got very high ratings.

In 2004, he had a supporting role in the film 2046, which was nominated at the Cannes Film Festival. Kimura walked the red carpet there for the first time. He also voiced Howl Pendragon, the main character in Studio Ghibli's animated film Howl's Moving Castle in 2004. He was the main actor in Love and Honor (2006). This film earned a lot of money, becoming the biggest hit for director Yoji Yamada and for the film company Shochiku.

In 2017, director Takashi Miike chose Kimura for the role of Manji in Blade of the Immortal. Miike felt Kimura's popularity would attract a bigger audience. Even though some of Miike's team thought Kimura might not be right for the role, Miike believed his experience made him suitable. Kimura said he faced challenges with makeup and action scenes during filming. He even got a serious injury that made it hard for him to walk for several days. Blade of the Immortal was shown at the Cannes Festival, which was Kimura's second time at the event.

In 2021, it was announced that Kimura would star in the TV show based on Frank Schätzing's environmental thriller, The Swarm.

In 2022, Kimura was announced to play the historical figure Oda Nobunaga in The Legend and Butterfly. Haruka Ayase played Nohime in this film, which celebrated Toei's 70th Anniversary in 2023. This was the first time Kimura played Nobunaga in 25 years. The film was released on January 27, 2023. In November 2022, Kimura appeared as Nobunaga at the annual Gifu Nobunaga Festival. He rode on horseback with actor Hideaki Ito. The festival attracted half a million people, more than the city's population, all hoping to see Kimura.

In 2024, Kimura returned to his role as Natsuki Obana from the TV series La Grande Maison Tokyo for its movie sequel, La Grande Maison Paris. The movie was set to premiere at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Kimura was joined by Korean actor Ok Taec-yeon from the K-Pop group 2PM. Taec-yeon said he was excited to work with Kimura, whom he admired. Kimura even dyed his hair blonde for the role, honoring Japanese chef Kei Kobayashi, who helped with the cooking scenes. To promote the movie, Kimura and co-star Yuta Tamamori made a surprise appearance at the 2025 Michelin Guide Ceremony in Tokyo. Kimura announced the three-star restaurants and presented awards. By March 3, 2025, the film had earned over 4 billion yen and attracted 2.79 million viewers. Because of its success, Grand Maison Paris is set to be released in other countries like Thailand, Hong Kong, and France.

In 2025, the Japanese entertainment company Shochiku announced that Kimura and Chieko Baisho would star in director Yoji Yamada’s new film, Tokyo Taxi. This movie is a Japanese version of the 2022 French-Belgian film Driving Madeleine. Tokyo Taxi is a main part of Shochiku’s 130th anniversary celebration. It also marks Kimura’s reunion with Yamada after 19 years.

Television Shows and Hosting

As a member of SMAP, Takuya Kimura co-hosted a weekly variety show called SMAPxSMAP for 20 years. This show welcomed many international stars like Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga, as well as Japanese guests. The show ended when SMAP broke up on New Year's Eve 2016. He has also made guest appearances in other shows and on many variety shows.

Since 2003, Kimura has hosted an annual variety show called Santaku with comedian Sanma Akashiya. This show celebrates the start of a New Year.

In 2018, he started hosting an online variety show called Kimura-saaan! on the GYAO! app. On this show, he did different activities based on requests from listeners of his radio program Kimura Takuya Flow. The program ended in 2023. However, in January 2024, he started a YouTube channel as a continuation of the web series. He posts new videos and old videos from GYAO! on his channel. By February 2025, Kimura had over 1.45 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.

Gaming Roles

When the action game Judgment was being made, the creators at Sega thought about using a famous actor for the main character, Takayuki Yagami.

The game's creator, Toshihiro Nagoshi, was worried that people might think they made the character less tough because Kimura was so popular. But Kimura was open to the team's ideas and worked with them to make the character just right. Sega was very happy with Kimura's performance. They noted that he needed very few retakes during recording. Some lines were changed to fit Kimura's way of speaking better, but the writers made sure these changes didn't change Yagami's personality. The game's dialogue was recorded in order, so players could hear Kimura's voice change as Yagami's character grew. Kimura enjoyed working on the game.

Kimura played Yagami again in the sequel to Judgment, called Lost Judgment, which came out on September 24, 2021. He announced the sequel with Nagoshi at an event called "Judgment Day." In an interview, Kimura said he was surprised when actresses on TV and movie sets would quietly tell him they had played the first Judgment game.

Because Kimura is so popular, Japanese players often call the Judgment series Kimutaku ga Gotoku (キムタクが如く, lit. "Like KimuTaku"). This is a fun reference to the Yakuza series' Japanese title Ryū ga Gotoku (龍が如く, lit. "Like a Dragon").

Personal Life

Takuya Kimura married singer Shizuka Kudo on December 5, 2000. They have two daughters: Cocomi, born on May 1, 2001, and Mitsuki, born on February 5, 2003.

Other Ventures

Product Endorsements

As a member of SMAP, Kimura and his bandmates were once spokespeople for the company SoftBank. He is also well known for being the face of the Japanese men's grooming brand GATSBY. Kimura has been a brand ambassador for many other famous brands, such as Suntory, Levi's, LINE, and Nikon. He also starred in a series of ads for Toyota with Takeshi Kitano and Hugh Jackman. In these ads, Kimura and Kitano played historical figures, while Jackman played the explorer Marco Polo. Kimura also worked with Beyoncé as a brand ambassador for the Japanese fashion brand Samantha Thavasa.

As of 2021, Kimura is the current brand ambassador for McDonald's in Japan and the car manufacturer Nissan. In 2021, he worked with Ray-Ban to create two special lines of Ray-Ban Aviators and Wayfarers, which had his initials engraved by hand.

Filmography

Kimura Takuya's costume in Hero

Film Roles

Television Roles (as actor)

Television Roles (as personality)

Radio Shows

Theatre Performances

Video Game Roles

Discography

Solo Albums

• Go with the Flow (2020)
• Next Destination (2022)
• See You There (2024)

Concert Tours

• TAKUYA KIMURA Live Tour 2020 Go with the Flow (February 2020)
• TAKUYA KIMURA Live Tour 2022 Next Destination (February–March 2022)
• TAKUYA KIMURA Live Tour 2024 SEE YOU THERE (September–December 2024)

Awards and Recognitions

See also

In Spanish: Takuya Kimura para niños