Tokiko Kato

Tokiko Kato
Background information
Born
Tokiko Kato (加藤 登紀子, Katō Tokiko)

(1943-12-27) December 27, 1943 (age 82)
OriginHarbin, Manchukuo
GenresChanson, pop, Kayōkyoku, new wave, folk
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Years active1966–present
LabelsPolydor Records
Universal Music Group

Tokiko Kato (加藤 登紀子, Katō Tokiko; born December 27, 1943) is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist, actress and activist.

She was born in Harbin, Manchukuo, to Japanese parents. She graduated from the University of Tokyo. She worked as a visiting professor at Josai International University. Her career and personal life became deeply intertwined with Japan's radical 1960s student and peace movements. 1972 she married Toshio Fujimoto, leader of the student movement, who was in jail.

While being held hostage by hijackers on All Nippon Airways Flight 857, Kato used her cell phone to keep in contact with police during the hijacking.

In the late summer of 2023, as geopolitical tensions simmered between China and Japan, she staged a concert for peace in Harbin,.

Discography

Album

Singles

Live and collaborations

Filmography

Films

  • Izakaya Chōji (1983) as Shigeko
  • Hachikō Monogatari (1987) as Tamiko
  • Hana no Kisetsu (悲しき天使) (1990)
  • Porco Rosso (1992) as Madame Gina (voice)
  • Open House (1998) as Tokiko
  • Ori Ume (折り梅) (2002)
  • Mokuyo Kumikyoku (木曜組曲) (2002) as Eiko
  • Let's Talk About the Old Times (2022) as herself

Television

  1. Walkers: maigo no otona-tachi (ウォーカーズ〜迷子の大人たち) (4 episodes, 2006) as Michiyo Yamashita
  2. Tōfu Pro-Wrestling (豆腐プロレス, Tōfu puroresu) (2017) narration

References

  1. ↑ Official profile Archived May 31, 2011, at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese)
  2. ↑ "Tokiko Kato". Birthday Donation. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  3. ↑ Chira, Susan. "Tokiko Kato's Songs Reach for Intimacy With Her Audience - New York Times". New York Times. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Japanese singer helps bust hijacking". UPI. June 22, 1995. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  5. ↑ "A Song for Peace: A Japanese Singer's Homecoming in Harbin Resonates Across a Troubled Past". DawatMedia24. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  6. ↑ Demizu, Shotaro; Shimbun, Yomiuri. "Singer Tokiko Kato Returns to Harbin for Homecoming Performance; 1st Performance Since 1981". The Japan News. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  7. ↑ Kaneko, Maya (September 29, 2025). "China-born Japan singer's peace message resonates with local audience". Japan Wire by KYODO NEWS. Archived from the original on September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  8. ↑ Tokiko Kato, The Internet Movie Database
  9. ↑ "時には昔の話を 森山周一郎 声優と呼ばれた俳優". eiga.com. Retrieved October 22, 2022.