Film & TV

Koji Yakusho’s Cannes Award Delights Shibuya Ward Mayor

AP
Koji Yakusho, winner of the award for Best Actor for “Perfect Days,” poses for photographers at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on Saturday.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:41 JST, June 1, 2023

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Mayor of Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward Ken Hasebe

Mayor of Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward Ken Hasebe expressed his excitement over Koji Yakusho winning the Best Actor award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival last week for his role in “Perfect Days,” a movie featuring the ward’s public restrooms. “I am very pleased,” Hasebe said in a comment.

The film was directed by German director Wim Wenders, an admirer of The Tokyo Toilet project, which promotes the installation of public restrooms that are pleasant to use.

Yakusho played the role of a taciturn public restroom cleaner who finds small joys in his daily life.

“The public restrooms are pleasant to use because they are cleaned daily,” Hasebe said. “I hope the film makes people think about the cleaners and care for public restrooms.”