Koichi Sato: “My Life Began on the Film Set I Visited with My Father”—And the Burden of Being the Actor’s Son

The Origins of a Leading Actor Who Represents the Japanese Entertainment World

“People often say it’s surprising, but there was a time when I didn’t have any work. I think I was around 28. I couldn’t make a living, so I tried to get a part-time job, but the president of my agency stopped me. Instead, he lent me 200,000 yen, which I used to cover rent and living expenses. There were tough times, but not once did I ever think about quitting acting.”

Speaking with firm, unwavering passion was actor Kōichi Satō (64). Since making his debut at 19 in the NHK drama Zoku Zoku Jiken: Tsuki no Keshiki, he has built a 45-year career. He has appeared in more than 130 films alone, and won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Actor twice—once for Chūshingura Gaiden: Yotsuya Kaidan (1994) and again for 64: Rokuyon — Part 1 (2016). Even now, in busy years he appears in as many as 10 works annually, and his presence only continues to grow.

It would not be an exaggeration to call him one of the leading actors of Japan’s entertainment industry. The origin of Satō’s life as an actor—his drive to keep running in this profession—lies in the film sets he visited as a child with his father, actor Rentarō Mikuni (d. 90).

“He was hardly ever home, but he often took me to the studios. I vividly remember the rows of sound stages and the sight of so many people working together to create a single production. Acting isn’t a traditional performing art passed down through families, but as a person choosing my own path in life, I’m grateful to Mikuni for letting me experience the world of film firsthand when I was little.”

In the 1960s, when as many as 500 Japanese films were being produced each year, the lively, bustling sets made a deep impression on young Satō. At the same time, he recalls how suffocating it felt to be the son of a free-spirited, unconventional actor.

“All the adults around me knew who my father was, so I was always seen through the lens of being an actor’s kid. When the parents of friends or neighbors said things like, ‘It must be hard with your father never home,’ even as a child I could sense the envy behind their sympathy—their attitude of serves him right. That’s why I never openly said I wanted to become an actor myself.”

The Feelings of a Second-Generation Actor

When Satō was in the fifth grade, his parents divorced. Mikuni later recounted on television that at the time of the separation, he took Satō to Jukkoku Pass in Shizuoka Prefecture and told him: “This is where we part. From today, we are strangers. From now on, live your life earnestly on your own.” Even so, the flame for acting that had ignited deep inside Satō never went out. Around this time, he also began going to the movie theater by himself.

“When I started elementary school, I began watching films shown on TV. But back then, there were no video players, so the only way to see classic movies was to go to the second-run or third-run theaters—the so-called revival cinemas. With my allowance in hand, I would take the bus to theaters in Shinjuku or Ikebukuro.

At first, I was moved by the scale of foreign films like West Side Story and Ben-Hur, but by the time I entered junior high, I naturally became immersed in the world of Japanese cinema. I think film shifted from something I admired to something that carried a sense of reality for me. I often watched films by famous directors like Akira Kurosawa and Tomu Uchida. I first saw The Hungry Sea (1965), starring Mikuni, at a revival screening at Ginza/Marunouchi TOEI, which closed this July.”

In his second year of high school, he left home and started living on his own. After graduation, he entered a technical school with a film program. While enrolled, he made his debut, and in 1981, he appeared in The Gate of Youth, winning the Blue Ribbon Award for New Actor. His talent quickly emerged, and he drew attention as a second-generation actor, though his feelings about that label were unexpected.

“Of course, I felt rebellious. Entering the same world meant the gaze of Rentarō Mikuni’s son only grew stronger. I’m sure I benefitted from that in some ways, but everywhere I went, people brought up Mikuni, and it was annoying. I never said it out loud, but I’m sure my attitude showed it.”

His rebellious phase in youth—words not often heard from the usually reserved Satō—spilled out frankly.

The “FRIDAY” November 14/21 combined issue (released October 31) and the paid edition FRIDAY GOLD include candid discussions about the turning point that helped him break out of his slump and the foster parent system he and his wife are engaged in.

For more details and additional photos, click below:

From the November 14/21, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”