PRESENTERS from Japan

Top 2

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Japanese Presenters of all time. This list of famous Japanese Presenters is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Ai Iijima (1972 - 2008)

With an HPI of 45.72, Ai Iijima is the most famous Japanese Presenter.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages on wikipedia.

Ai Iijima (Japanese: 飯島 愛, Hepburn: Iijima Ai, October 31, 1972 – December 17, 2008) was a Japanese media personality, writer, activist and actress who was an AV idol early in her career, starring in more than 100 films. She later became the hostess on the nighttime television program, Gilgamesh Night, and transitioned away from AV work. After ending her career in adult videos, Iijima released a musical single Naisho DE Ai! Ai! (ナイショ DE アイ!アイ!) in July 1993 and soon became a regular on daytime TV talk shows. Iijima became involved in campaigns to educate the public about HIV/AIDS, a cause that few Japanese celebrities were willing to undertake. On December 24, 2008 at about 3:30 p.m. (JST), Iijima was found dead in her 21st floor Tokyo apartment. Pathology examination showed she had died of pneumonia shortly after retiring from the public eye.

2. Masahiro Nakai (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 39.76, Masahiro Nakai is the 2nd most famous Japanese Presenter.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Masahiro Nakai (中居 正広, Nakai Masahiro, born August 18, 1972) is a Japanese television host, actor, news presenter, radio personality. He was the leader of the now defunct boy band SMAP, which had been the best-selling boy band in Asia. While working as a member of a boy band, he worked extensively as a television presenter, hosting many of his own talk shows, variety shows, music shows, news programs, and several Olympic games as a sportscaster. His conversational method and technique has been critically praised, establishing himself as one of the most well-respected, iconic hosts in the Japanese entertainment industry. He is the host of six weekly television programs and one radio program. Since his first major role in the drama television series, Aji Ichimonme (1995), he has had a successful acting career, both in television and film. He has starred in many high-rated television series such as, Densetsu no Kyoushi (2000), Shiroi Kage (2001), Suna no Utsuwa (2004), and Ataru (2012), and a blockbuster film, Watashi wa Kai ni Naritai (2008). He is credited for changing the Japanese entertainment industry, becoming the first non-comedian celebrity to have a career as a television host and expanding the capacity of a boy band. He is one of the wealthiest and highest-paid celebrities in Japan, identified as the highest tax payer in the Japanese entertainment industry by the Japanese National Tax Bureau in 2003.