Sayaka Yoshino

Sayaka Yoshino (吉野 紗香, Yoshino Sayaka) is a Japanese award winning model, acclaimed actress, and media persona. Often regarded by the media as the original genre definer of the popular mixture of a teen fashion & high fashion model, media idol, actor and media persona originally known in Japan as "Chaidoru" (a word play on child and idol), she has appeared in numerous television drama's, hundreds of prime time shows, award-winning & cult classic films, roles in acclaimed theater and record setting internet drama productions.

Born in Tokyo and raised in both Tokyo and Chiba, Yoshino as a child wondered how children appeared on TV programs, until she learnt that to be cast she would need to a talent agency / agent. Without her parents foreknowledge, she sent out applications (including a school yearbook photograph of herself) to agencies advertised in newspapers until one responded with a request to meet and interview in person. As a young girl not able to travel to the meeting alone, Yoshino informed her mother and was escorted to the agency interview of which she was later offered to join.

Yoshino began her career in 1994 after being selected in a public audition by a talent agency that she applied herself. After gaining popularity as a model appearing in fashion magazines, winning reader polled contests, and being cast in spoken roles for television commercials, she was cast in the first feature film Maborosi by film director Koreeda Hirokazu. At about the same time she began appearing as a guest actress on television drama's and started to take on more extended roles in other feature films. Yoshino was cast in character designer and director Keita Amemiya's fantasy - action film, Moon Over Tao and again in Koreeda's second feature film, After Life, of which garnered critical acclaim both in Japan and abroad. ^[1] Yoshino's growing popularity defined a new phenomenon, as a young multi-faceted idol, which the media coined "Chaidol" (combining the words "child" and "idol").^[2]

Yoshino is known as an avid dog lover and animal rights advocate. She has participated in charity events promoting social awareness of dog shelters and independently promoted animal rights through her webcast show "Hello From Earth" focusing on dog shelters seeking to find foster families.^[3][4] Yoshino has also used her webcast show to focus on Fair Trade and has participated in public Fair Trade events.^[5] She has also shared that she is currently developing her own ethical / sustainable fashion brand.

Since Yoshino had not finished her high school studies due to difficulty juggling her commitments as an actress / TV personality and a student, she later worked to complete the requirements to receive the Certificate for Students Achieving the Proficiency Level of Upper Secondary School Graduates (similar to the GED in the United States). Throughout her studies, she publicly shared her progress and personal feelings on the subject on her internet blog, and successfully received the certificate of completion of Upper Secondary School Graduates (High School) and made news headlines.^[6][7]

In 2012, it was announced that Yoshino had married her partner / boyfriend (a U.S. citizen) in 2010.^[8][9]

In April 2017, it was announced Yoshino held a wedding ceremony after having registered her union with her husband 7 years before. Images of her as a bride and a message of gratitude was made public.^[10]

On 20 March 2021, she announced on her blog that she gave birth to their first child, a baby boy on 15 February.^[11]

Oricon (notable / often among the most regarded media data sites / companies in Japan) displays a publicly available record of Sayaka Yoshino since the year 2000 appearing in over 400 television programs and drama's often prime time. https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/200797/tv/

Oricon however, does not appear to account nor list regional and or later national broadcast through regional outlet programming such as those for Osaka, Fukuoka or other major regional broadcasting outlets including cable TV programming. Some notable regular prime time programs appearances and spot appearances are verified through Oricon and or listed on Japanese media, interviews or magazine photography bios of Ms. Yoshino are:

• Oha Suta (TV Tokyo, Oha Girl: Member Number 5)
• Animal Wonders (TBS)
• Discovery of the World’s Mysteries! (TBS)
• P-Stock (Fuji TV)
• Sotoroke (Yomiuri TV)
• Q-To Science (Osaka TV / TBS)
• Koi Boy Koi Girl (Fuji TV)
• Ai no Apron (Apron of Love) – TV Asahi
• TV Champion (TV Tokyo)
• Otoru Sanma Goten (NTV)
• Sekai Ururun Taizaiki (MBS / TBS)
• Hakkutu Aru Aru Daijiten(Fuji TV)
• Mayonaka No Oukoku (NHK)

Additionally, Ms. Yoshino is known to have been very prominent in television appearances in the mid-late 1990s, possibly more so than her appearances in the 2000s and to date as some of the above television above (such as Sotoroke, P-Stock, or Oha Suta when Ms. Yoshino appeared on Oha Suta when the show began in 1997).

While records of television show programming appearances previous to the year 2000 are not encompassing nor readily available in either English or Japanese media, nor available in online resources, nor television station programming records through searches within the station's sites. Additional verifiable sources for television programming appearances during the mid-late 1990s and or the 2000s and to date, would be valuable (note humbly to the Wikipedia community or greater web community or otherwise, if such we may be able to provide).

• Sayaka Yoshino at IMDb