Biographie
Akiko Iwase was born and raised in Tochigi, Japan. After completing high school, she pursued higher education in the United States, graduating from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Upon finishing her studies, Akiko returned to Japan and launched her acting career in Tokyo, where she has since performed on stage, in films, and on television.
In 2008, she established her own theater company, "Bion," where she works as an actor, writer, and producer. Since its inception, "Bion" has produced one or two shows annually. In 2017, Akiko received the Best Actor and Best Script Writer awards at the Kamome One-Act Play Festival, a prestigious national competition in Japan.
Her international film debut was in "The Forest" (2016), directed by Jason Zada. She later appeared in the Netflix film "Earthquake Bird" (2019), directed by Wash Westmoreland and produced by Ridley Scott, acting alongside Oscar winner Alicia Vikander. Akiko also featured in "Minamata" (2020), directed by Andrew Levitas. At its Berlin International Film Festival premiere, she took part in the press conference and walked the red carpet with Johnny Depp, Bill Nighy, and Hiroyuki Sanada. Additionally, Akiko stars in the acclaimed TV series "Tokyo Vice," appearing as the mother of the main character, Sato, in both seasons.
As a writer, she has authored numerous plays and several TV dramas, including the well-known Japanese detective series "Tokuso 9." Her debut in screenwriting and film production came in 2021 with the mid-length film "Lunar Maria," followed by the feature film "A Matter of Sharing" in 2023.
