artist
3Wada, Akiko
Personal Information
Akiko Wada, widely known by her nickname "Akko," was born Kim Bok-Ja on April 10, 1950, in Higashinari-ku, Osaka. A Japanese singer and television personality of Korean descent, she followed the common practice among Zainichi Koreans of maintaining a legal Korean name alongside a Japanicized everyday name, Fukuko Kaneumi. Standing at 174 cm (5' 8.5"), her above-average stature earned her the moniker "jotei," which translates to "empress." Currently represented by the HoriPro entertainment agency, Wada has contributed to various media projects. She provided the voice for Koopa in the animated film Super Mario Bros.: Peach-Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!, marking the character's first vocal portrayal. In the music industry, she collaborated with the group m-flo on the track "HEY!", featured on their 2005 album Beat Space Nine. Beyond her entertainment career, Wada joined fellow figures Takeshi Kitano, Ken Shimura, and Nobuyoshi Kuwano in publicly and sharply criticizing television star Masashi Tashiro following his arrest for voyeurism.
