Yukie Nakama Seen Cruising Through a Luxury Neighborhood—The New Chapter the Beloved Actress Has Opened as a Mother

Her passion for her latest drama

On a certain autumn night with light drizzle beginning to fall, a station wagon drove through one of Tokyo’s most prestigious residential districts. At the wheel was a beautiful woman who occasionally showed a stern expression—actress Yukie Nakama (46).

“The car driven by Nakama entered a narrow side street and stopped in front of a building. It seemed to be a pickup—she retrieved someone who appeared to be a family member, then started the car again and drove back the way she came.” (witness)

Debuting as an actress in 1994 with the drama Aoi Natsu (Okinawa TV), Nakama moved to Tokyo the following year and joined the long-established talent agency Production Ogi. In 2000, she shot to fame through her breakout performance as a genius magician in the drama TRICK (TV Asahi). The drama series Gokusen (Nippon TV), which began airing in 2002, became her signature work, reaching a peak rating of 32.5%.

“In her 20s, Nakama was known for comical roles such as in Gokusen and TRICK, but in her 30s she expanded her range, playing a warm, compassionate mother in the 2022 NHK drama Chimudondon.

More recently, she was praised for opening a new frontier with her chilling, psychopathic performance in the NHK Ōokuseries. Playing the granddaughter of the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, Nakama portrayed a woman involved in fierce power struggles, eliminating her obstacles one by one without dirtying her own hands. Her uncanny performance became a hot topic on social media and within the industry.” (sports newspaper entertainment reporter)

In her private life, Nakama married actor Tetsushi Tanaka (59), her co-star from the TBS drama Joshi Deka! – Female Detective, in 2014. In 2018, she gave birth to twin boys. Although she scaled back her work around the time of childbirth, she has appeared increasingly in public in recent years. She is currently appearing in the Fuji TV drama Chiisai Koro wa, Kamisama ga Ite (“When I Was Small, There Was a God”).

“This series is a family drama written by Yoshikazu Okada, known for many acclaimed works such as Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi (Fuji TV) and Naku na, Harachan (Nippon TV).

It’s a home comedy centered on a ‘family preparing for divorce,’ and Nakama plays the wife of lead actor Yukiya Kitamura (51). Because Nakama herself is a wife and mother, she seems to deeply empathize with the story, enthusiastically studying the script and throwing herself into the role.” (drama production insider)

After experiencing marriage and motherhood, Nakama continues to broaden her range as an actress.