Masaharu Fukuyama

Born in Nagasaki in 1969, Masaharu Fukuyama—widely known as Masha—stepped into the J-pop arena at the start of the 1990s. Steady acclaim followed for years, driven by his recurring appearances on “sexiest” rankings alongside the appealing pop and rock melodies he largely composed himself. In addition to his recording career, he built a parallel presence as a television actor and commercial spokesperson for Panasonic, Apple, Dunlop, and Toshiba, while also working as a radio host, producer, and recognized photographer.

His first release arrived in 1990 with the single “Tsuioku no Ame no Naka” and the BMG album Dengon. Three further albums followed between 1991 and 1992, and he made his television debut in 1991, yet widespread recognition came only in 1992 through the single “Good Night,” which gained extensive airplay via its connection to the drama Ai wa Dou Da, where he appeared as himself. That same year he completed his first major tour, solidifying his fan base, and launched a radio program that continued until 1998. By 1993 his fifth album, Calling, reached the top of the Oricon chart and moved 450,000 copies, earning him an invitation to the year-end television special Kohaku Uta Gassen, long viewed as the pinnacle of achievement for Japanese pop artists. The 1994 double-sided single “It’s Only Love/Sorry Baby” became his first of several million-selling releases, while the album On and On also topped the charts; afterward he reduced his studio output for the remainder of the decade, issuing only Sing a Song in 1998, though his singles maintained strong sales and he appeared in multiple television dramas.

Returning to music with renewed focus at the beginning of the 2000s after moving to Universal, he achieved massive success with the single “Sakura Zaka,” which surpassed two million copies sold, while the accompanying album peaked at number two and added another 870,000 units. In 2000 he also served as a photographer for TV Asahi during the Sydney Olympics and revived his radio show. The 2003 single “Niji/Himawari/Sore ga Subete Sa,” linked to the drama Water Boys, held the number-one position for five weeks, yet the next studio album did not appear until 2006, when “Go-nen Mono” again claimed the top spot. In 2007 he took his first television drama role in four years in Galileo, winning Best Actor at the Japanese television drama awards, and formed the band KOH+ with series co-star Kou Shibasaki. KOH+ released two singles across 2007 and 2008, after which Fukuyama resumed solo activity with the 2009 album Zankyo, which once more debuted at number one. He inaugurated his own photography gallery in Nagasaki in 2008 and assumed the lead role in the 2010 season of the long-running historical Taiga drama series.