Nor is he, as a profile in The Japan Times put it last year, the country’s “flag-bearer in the world of entertainment.” At least, that is, according to Ken Watanabe.

Watanabe, who grew up in the city of Uonuma, was a fan of the early Godzilla films. Now he’s able to appreciate the larger role the monster plays in Japanese culture.

RASCOE: Japanese actor Ken Watanabe plays the role of Hiroto Katagiri, a police detective frustrated by his department's inability to fight crime. And he joins us now from Osaka, Japan. Ken, welcome.

Ken Watanabe, the Oscar-nominated actor who is a star of the Emmy-buzzed HBO/Max drama series Tokyo Vice — he plays Hiroto Katagiri, a detective in the organized crime division of the Tokyo ...

In theaters May 16, 2014, an epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure pits the world’s most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s ...

By Elaine Lies TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese actor Ken Watanabe, an Academy Award nominee for his performance in the movie "The Last Samurai" and lauded in the recent Broadway revival of " ...

Watanabe (Godzilla: King of Monsters, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu) has lent his voice to the titular character Kensuke in the upcoming film, portraying the hostile and elderly Japanese soldier.

Watanabe earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Samurai leader Katsumoto who fights alongside Cruise’s prisoner of war to curb the Westernization of 19th century Japan. “The Last Samurai” is ...