TOKYO: Japanese actress Yuko Takeuchi, 40, has died in apparent suicide.  

She was found limp at her apartment in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on Sunday, according to investigative sources. Takeuchi was sent to a hospital and confirmed dead there, the sources said.

Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department suspects that Takeuchi committed suicide.

Takeuchi’s husband and actor, Taiki Nakabayashi, 35, found her hanging by the neck in a bedroom in the apartment around 2 a.m. (5 p.m. Saturday GMT), according to the sources. No suicide note has been found.

According to the website of her management agency, Takeuchi, a native of Saitama Prefecture, eastern Japan, appeared in a number of television dramas and movies, including the “Asuka” morning drama series broadcast by NHK, or Japan Broadcasting Corp., between 1999 and 2000.

She also appeared in “Sanada Maru,” a “taiga” yearlong historical drama series aired by the public broadcaster in 2016. She also performed in a “The Confidenceman JP” series movie released in late July.

“It came all of a sudden, and we are all stunned and saddened by the news,” the agency said, adding that it is examining the details of the incident.

JIJI Press