Breakout role in Japan came with the popular 1985 comedy Tompopo (Dandelion).
Was diagnosed with leukemia in 1989 but continued to act while undergoing chemotherapy; suffered a relapse in 1994 that kept him in the hospital for more than a year.
Made his American film debut in the 2003 epic The Last Samurai.
In 2005, began treatment for hepatitis C, contracted while undergoing blood transfusions during his first bout of leukemia.