Erika Sawajiri

At 38 years old, Erika Sawajiri has this physical status:

Erika Sawajiri (, Sawajiri Erika, 1986) is a Japanese actress, singer, and model born in Japan.

She is best known for her role in 1 Litre of Tears, a Japanese television drama in 2005, in which she plays a girl who died from the intractable disease spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD).

In Kazuyuki Izutsu's Break Through! she was named Best Newcomer at the 29th Japan Academy Film Prize for her role as an ethnic Korean girl living in Japan.

(Pacchigi!)

At the 36th Japan Academy Film Prize for her appearance in Helter Skelter, she was named Best Actress in a Leading Role. Sawajiri had signed with the Avex brand for talent management and music on September 10, 2010. She was previously managed by the Stardust Promotion Talent Agency until her deal was terminated in late 2009 and she was affiliated with Sony Music Entertainment Japan for her early career, performing under the name Kaoru Amane and later, simply Erika.

Early life

Erika Sawajiri was born in Nerima, Tokyo, to a Japanese father and an Algerian (Kabyle, raised in France) mother, and she is the youngest of three children. Her father owned 16 racehorses, including Edonokoban (), giving her ample opportunities to participate in horseback riding as a child. When she was nine years old and returned to school when she was in her third year of junior high school, only to die from cancer that year. When she was in her first year at high school, her second eldest brother died in a traffic accident. Her eldest brother is a retired actor. Her mother was the owner of a Mediterranean restaurant where she occasionally assisted.

Personal life

As early as October 2007, Sawajiri dated Tsuyoshi Takashiro. After nearly three months in London with Takashiro, she returned to Japan on March 29, 2008. She attended a language school and has since become fluent enough in English to handle everyday conversations in London. Sawajiro married Takashiro at Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi on January 20, 2009, and they announced their marriage on January 7. They announced divorce on December 28, 2013, at the press conference.

Sawajiri was arrested on suspicion of unlawfully smoking MDMA at her house on November 16, 2019. She has reportedly admitted to using opioids for the past ten years, including marijuana, LSD, and cocaine. Sawajiri pled guilty to the charges and acknowledged that she had been using drugs since she was 19 years old during her felony trial on January 31, 2020. The Tokyo District Court sentenced her to 18 months in jail, with a three-year suspension.

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Career

In 1999, Sawajiri passed the Stardust audition after graduating from elementary school. She became part of the idol girl group Angel Eyes and began modeling for junior fashion magazines such as Cutie and Nicola. She later won the grand prize for the 2001 Seikore and became a regular on the BS news program Harajuku Launchers. In 2002, Sawajiri started her career in film as well as extending her modeling career as a gravure idol. Her first film was Mondai no nai Watashitachi.

Sawajiri became one of Fuji TV's Visual Queens in 2002. On the NTV variety show The Yoru mo Hit Parade, she became a regular from April till late June, shortly after leaving the program for the CX news program Chou VIP Fortune no Tobira from mid-June till late August. In November, she was on the CBC variety show Bijou Dokyuu and TBS show B-1. She was cast in the TBS TV drama Hotman. Her most notable role was in 1 Litre of Tears in 2005 when she portrayed a girl with the degenerative disease spinocerebellar degeneration.

Sawajiri first started her music career under the name "Kaoru Amane", the name of her character in her last drama, the TV adaptation of A Song to the Sun. The single went into number 1 in its second and fourth week. It was certified Triple Platinum for cell phone downloads of 750,000. On July 16, 2007, Erika released her debut single under the name "Erika", "Free". The single was immediately ranked on its first day as number one on the Oricon Charts. "Free" was certified Platinum for cell phone downloads of 250,000. Oricon stated that she is the only artist in 39 years to get their first two single hit number one since Hiroko Yakushimaru in 1983.

Sawajiri had planned to attend the 12th Busan International Film Festival on October 6, 2007, but she cancelled. Sawajiri and her mother both stated on separate occasions that she would return to Japan and make a comeback as soon as late summer 2009. In 2012, Sawajiri was originally scheduled to star in the live action film version of Space Battleship Yamato but was replaced by Meisa Kuroki.

In 2013, Sawajiri won Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 36th Japan Academy Awards for her performance in Helter Skelter.

After Sawajiri's November 2019 arrest, she was replaced in the television drama Kirin ga Kuru with Haruna Kawaguchi. She later stated in January 2020 that she had no plans on continuing her career. In February 2020, Avex ended their contract with her.

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