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Yuji Sakamoto

さかもと ゆうじ

Sakamoto Yuji

Aliases: 大野大福 / 明井千暁
Pen Names: Oono Daifuku（Used as a pen name for some works (e.g. credited on the drama 'Otoko-yu')）,

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1967-05-12 （Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan）
Died
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Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan → Tokyo, Japan → Nakameguro, Tokyo (involved in restaurant business)

Career

Occupations
Screenwriter, Lyricist, Playwright, Professor
Active Years
1987-
Affiliations
Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media (Professor), Warp Co., Ltd. (formerly affiliated)
Influenced By
Shinji Somai, Kenji Nakagami, Makoto Shinkai

Awards

Fuji TV Young Scenario Award (1st)
1987
Work: GIRL-LONG-SKIRT ~Is it okay if I come to hate you?~
Organization: Fuji Television
Result: 受賞
Tokyo Drama Award – Best Screenplay
2010
Work: Mother
Category: 脚本賞
Organization: International Drama Festival in Tokyo
Result: 受賞
The Television Drama Academy Award – Best Screenplay
2010
Work: Mother
Category: 脚本賞
Organization: The Television / Drama Academy Awards
Result: 受賞
The Television Drama Academy Award – Best Screenplay
2011
Work: Soredemo, Ikite Yuku
Category: 脚本賞
Organization: The Television / Drama Academy Awards
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize - Newcomer (Broadcasting)
2011
Work: Soredemo, Ikite Yuku / Sayonara Bokutachi no Yochien (TV special)
Category: 放送部門
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Art Encouragement Prize)
Result: 受賞
The Television Drama Academy Award – Best Screenplay
2013
Work: The Best Divorce
Category: 脚本賞
Organization: The Television / Drama Academy Awards
Result: 受賞
Confidence Award – Drama (Best Screenplay)
2016
Work: I Will Remember This Love Someday (Itsukoi)
Category: 脚本賞
Organization: Confidence Award (Drama)
Result: 受賞
Confidence Award – Drama Annual Grand Prize (Best Screenplay)
2017
Work: Quartet
Category: 年間大賞（脚本賞）
Organization: Confidence Award (Drama)
Result: 受賞
The Television Drama Academy Award – Best Screenplay
2017
Work: Quartet
Category: 脚本賞
Organization: The Television / Drama Academy Awards
Result: 受賞
TAMA Film Award – Special Award
2021
Work: We Made a Beautiful Bouquet (awarded together with the film's production staff)
Organization: TAMA Film Festival
Result: 受賞
Tokyo Drama Award – Best Screenplay
2021
Work: Towako Omameda and Her Three Ex-Husbands
Category: 脚本賞
Organization: International Drama Festival in Tokyo
Result: 受賞
The Television Drama Academy Award – Best Screenplay
2022
Work: First Love Devil
Category: 脚本賞
Organization: The Television / Drama Academy Awards
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
2023
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Cannes Film Festival – Best Screenplay (76th)
2023
Work: Monster
Category: 脚本賞
Organization: Cannes Film Festival
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literary Prize – Drama/Scenario
2024
Work: Monster
Category: 戯曲・シナリオ賞
Organization: The Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Newport Beach Film Festival – Best Screenplay
2024
Work: Monster
Category: 最優秀脚本賞
Organization: Newport Beach Film Festival
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Tokyo Love Story

1991 TV drama

Adapted from a manga by Fumi Saimon; a romantic TV drama scripted by Sakamoto that became a major hit and social phenomenon.

LoveYouthInterpersonal relationships

Mother

2010 TV drama

A social drama that deals with maternal myths and child neglect, exploring the relationship between mother and child. Highly acclaimed domestically and internationally, with multiple remakes.

MotherhoodNeglectFamily
Adaptations
  • [TV drama (remake)] Mother (remakes in various countries)

Soredemo, Ikite Yuku

2011 TV drama

A drama with ensemble elements depicting the relationships between the families of crime victims and perpetrators and societal responses.

Victim and perpetratorRedemptionFamily

Quartet

2017 TV drama

A human drama centered on a string quartet; praised for its witty dialogue and nuanced character portrayals.

MusicSecretsInterpersonal relationships

We Made a Beautiful Bouquet

2021 Film

A realistic depiction of a young couple's meeting, love and breakup; released as a film and received widespread acclaim.

LoveGrowthPassage of time

Monster

2023 Film / Play & Screenplay

A work portraying pre-adolescent conflicts and relations with family and society. Adapted into a film and awarded international screenplay prizes.

AdolescenceFamilyComing of age

Towako Omameda and Her Three Ex-Husbands

2021 TV drama

A character-driven drama/comedy that examines marriage and family through humor and keen observation of human relationships.

MarriageFamilyReconciliation

First Love Devil

2022 TV drama

A serial drama exploring complex emotions and human relationships centered on romantic love.

LoveEmotionInterpersonal relationships

Bibliography

  • Tokyo Love Story (TV scenario collection)
  • Yuri (film scenario & original poetry)
  • Aichou - Blue Note -
  • The Children of Woogie Cook
  • Correspondence: First Love and Infidelity
  • Screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto (interview collection)

Adaptations

  • 'Mother' has been remade in South Korea, Turkey and other countries
  • 'Woman' has been remade in Turkey, France, and South Korea
  • Multiple TV dramas have been remade and broadcast across Asia

Translations of Works

  • Correspondence: First Love and Infidelity (Simplified Chinese)
  • Correspondence: First Love and Infidelity (Traditional Chinese)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Ensemble character-driven narrativesSubtle emotional tone and clever dialogueRealism that incorporates social issues
Recurring Motifs
Family and motherhoodConflicts hidden in everyday lifeReconciliation and atonement

Legacy

A screenwriter who has reshaped the grammar of Japanese television drama, with numerous international remakes and awards. Also active as an educator at Tokyo University of the Arts, he exerts multifaceted influence.

In Popular Culture

  • 'Mother' and 'Woman' remakes have been broadcast internationally, contributing to the overseas expansion of Japanese TV drama
  • His works and lines are frequently quoted, indicating deep penetration into popular culture

Quotes

  • I want to write things that spill out a little from the container called television.
    Source: Interview (Yahoo! News) (2018)
  • I have written hoping only that the characters will live on in the audience's life.
    Source: Interview / Essay (2018)

Trivia

  • Debuted after winning the Fuji TV Young Scenario Award at age 19 (1987).
  • Wrote under the alias 'Oono Daifuku' for some works (e.g., 'Otoko-yu').
  • Founded and was involved in running a restaurant in Nakameguro for about five years.
  • Won the Cannes Best Screenplay award in 2023 and later the Yomiuri Literary Prize for the same work, receiving acclaim in film as well.
  • Signed a five-year contract with Netflix in 2023 to produce series and specials.