• Also at the festival, Japanese screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto received the best screenplay award for "Monster," a film by Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda.

CANNES (France): Japanese actor Koji Yakusho won the best actor award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on Saturday for his role in “Perfect Days,” directed by Wim Wenders of Germany.

Also at the festival, Japanese screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto received the best screenplay award for “Monster,” a film by Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda.

It is the first time that a Japanese actor has earned the best actor award at Cannes, one of the “Big Three” film festivals, since 2004, when Yuya Yagira became the first Japanese to win the award for his role in “Nobody Knows,” directed by Koreeda.

“I’ll take this (trophy) home. Thank you,” Yakusho, 67, voiced his joy with a smile at the award ceremony, after expressing his gratitude for the staff, costars and his wife.

“Perfect Days” was filmed entirely in Tokyo by Wenders. The movie depicts thoughts held by a public restroom cleaner of few words, played by Yakusho. It has not been decided when the movie will premiere in Japan.

Yakusho has featured in many hit movies, including “Shall We Dance?”  He starred in “The Eel,” winner of the 1997 Palme d’Or, the highest prize at Cannes, directed by Shohei Imamura of Japan.

Koreeda picked up the best screenplay trophy at the ceremony in place of Sakamoto, 56, who had returned to Japan.

It is the second time that a Japanese has won the award for best screenplay at Cannes, after Japanese movie director Ryusuke Hamaguchi and scriptwriter Takamasa Oe shared the best screenplay award for their “Drive My Car” at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

According to Koreeda, Sakamoto said in an email that he is happy to be a part of the team for “Monster.” Sakamoto also said that he wrote the screenplay for one lonely person and that he is thrilled to be recognized for such work.

Sakamoto is known for his realistic portrayal of characters and skillful dialogue.

“Monster” depicts the ripples caused by trouble between elementary school boys from the perspectives of the children, a mother and a teacher. It will hit screens in Japan on Friday.

This year’s Palme d’Or went to French director Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall.”

JIJI Press