Nagiko Tono’s Passing Announced — She Was Last Seen in an Unexpected Place

It was the result of an accident and not a suicide

Actress Nagiko Tono’s death was announced by her relatives via her blog on July 17. She was 45 years old.

On July 4, it had been reported that an unidentified body was found in her home, but it was later confirmed to be Tono.

“According to investigators, on the afternoon of July 3, a report from someone concerned prompted police and emergency responders to rush to Tono’s apartment in Tokyo, where a body was discovered inside. Due to the severe condition of the body, it took time to confirm the identity through DNA testing and contacting relatives,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

Fourteen days passed between the discovery and the announcement. No suicide note was found in the room, and from the beginning, the police had determined based on the state of the body that there was no foul play involved. Her family’s statement also included:

“According to the current police assessment, it was the result of an accident and not a suicide.”

It appears to have been an accidental death.

Tono rose to fame in 1999 after playing the heroine Moe Tokiwa in the NHK morning drama Suzuran. In 2001, she won the Newcomer Award from the Japan Film Critics Association for the movie Dark Summer in Japan – False Accusation, steadily building her career as an actress.

At the same time, she gained popularity for her outspoken personality on variety shows such as Out x Deluxe (Fuji TV) and Barairo Dandy (TOKYO MX). She also publicly revealed that she had been undergoing treatment for eating disorders and alcohol dependence.

“In her blog post updated on June 26, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with depression. She also shared that she began working as a child actress at age six and had suffered abuse and neglect from her mother,” said a women’s magazine reporter.

Tono experienced three marriages and divorces, none of which lasted long.

In response to a hateful comment: “That’s so cruel, it makes me want to cry.”

It was in July 2014 that our magazine unexpectedly spotted her in a surprising place. On the 1st of that month, Tono tearfully announced her second divorce at a press conference—but that same day, she appeared at the restaurant owned by her just-divorced ex-husband.

“Around 9 p.m., Tono-san was sitting alone at the counter. She sipped a cocktail and addressed her ex-husband with, ‘Hey, Master,’ which left a strong impression. He responded with a smile. They got along so well, you wouldn’t have believed they had just announced their divorce days before. But I remember her back looked very lonely,” said a reporter who witnessed the scene.

Even so, Tono remained proactive when it came to love. After her third divorce in 2023, she got engaged again.

“She broke it off just a month later. On a show where she was a regular, she said the breakup was because her fiancé forgot to exchange LINE messages with her at least once a day. Still, she bounced back quickly—she said she reopened her matching app just an hour after the breakup and went on dates with three different men within a week,” noted the same women’s magazine reporter.

When a co-star asked,

“Don’t you ever think, ‘Maybe I should change too’ after all that?”

Tono sharply replied:

“Not at all.”

Though she held firmly to her principles in love, she also showed vulnerability. In a blog post titled Verbal Abuse, she confessed:

“It’s so cruel, it makes me want to cry,”

revealing how deeply she was hurt by harsh comments from haters.

Until the very end, her beloved cat “Shu-kun” stayed by her side. In the family’s public statement, they shared:

“Even during her life, she lived each day earnestly for her precious cat.”

Indeed, he seemed to be her reason for living. Fortunately, Shu-kun is now safe:

“The cat that the deceased treasured during her life has been safely rescued and is now living healthily in a safe and secure environment. Please rest assured.”

Nagiko Tono, an actress and talent who showed many sides throughout her career—knowing we’ll no longer see her again is unbearably sad. May she rest in peace.