Sousuke Takaoka


Sousuke Takaoka is a Japanese actor, known for his break-out performance in the controversial movie Battle Royale.

Career

His break-out performance was in the controversial movie Battle Royale, in which he played the pacifistic Hiroki Sugimura. Takaoka then moved from muted heroics to active anti-heroism in portrayals of the grittier side of teenage violence, such as in Concrete. The film was based on the events of Junko Furuta's sadistic murder by four youths in 1988.
In 2006, for his role as the introspective Honda in Spring Snow, Takaoka gained a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Blue Ribbon Awards, a Japanese film event judged by critics.

Public image

In July 2011 Takaoka made headlines and attracted much controversy for several comments against the airing of Korean dramas on Japanese television. He stated on Twitter "I used to be indebted to Fuji TV in the past, but now I'm suspicious that they may actually be a Korean network. I'm questioning about what country I'm in as well. It offends me. If anything related to Korea is on broadcast, I just turn the TV off. It troubles me because I feel like I am being brainwashed", and "Since we're in Japan, I would like to see Japanese programs. I get scared every time I hear the word, 'Hallyu'". His comments resulted in a strong public backlash due to his previous role as a Zainichi Korean in the film Pacchigi as well as public protests against the airing of Korean dramas against Fuji TV. Due to the controversy about his statements he was reportedly dropped from his agency following his Tweets and his marriage to Aoi Miyazaki whom he stated shared his views was reportedly in jeopardy. However he later apologized for his statements and retracted his claims of Miyazaki sharing his views.

Personal life

On June 15, 2007 he married Japanese actress Aoi Miyazaki, after dating her for seven years. In December 2011, she divorced him.

Filmography

Takaoka is also a stage actor and appeared in The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh in June 2006.