Japanese news sources including Mainichi announced over the weekend that iconic Japanese singer and actor Akihiro Miwa passed away aged 91 on June 20.
Miwa lent his distinctive voice to Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle anime movies, playing wolf goddess Moro and the Witch of the Waste respectively.
A flamboyant singer, actor, author and drag queen, Miwa was a household name in Japan with a varied career spanning over seven decades. Starting out as a cabaret singer of French chanson in the 1950s, Miwa was one of the country’s first openly gay celebrities in the postwar period. As well as releasing hit songs like 1964’s Yoitomake no Uta, Miwa also played lead female roles in live action films like the titular femme fatale thief in 1968’s Black Lizard, by Battle Royale director Kinji Fukasaku.
R.I.P. Akihiro Miwa (1935–2026), legendary chanteur, actor & drag queen. Star of Terayama’s “La Marie-Vison” and Mishima’s “Black Lizard”, Miwa survived Nagasaki and championed pacifism. Miwa also voiced Moro in MONONOKE and was among Japan’s first openly gay public figures. pic.twitter.com/m53I4I3nzy
— Japan Society Film (@js_film_nyc) June 28, 2026
A survivor of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb, Miwa was strongly anti-war and critical of movements to revise the pacifistic Article 9 of the Japanese constitution. As well as voicing characters for Studio Ghibli movies, Miwa also voiced Arceus in the 2009 movie Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life.
Miwa frequently appeared on Japanese radio and TV, including weekly talk show Aura no Izumi (2005-2010), which interviewed celebrities but with a spiritual slant. He continued to perform concerts and talk shows up until 2019, when he suffered a stroke. After recovering, Miwa reprised his weekly Sunday radio spot until March 2020, and continued to make occasional TV appearances.
NTV news published a special final message from Miwa: “In this world, the only weapon we have for survival is words of love. The key to solving all of the world’s problems is love. If we have love, then there would be no war.”
美輪明宏さんの黒蜥蜴は、一度観たら忘れられない。
あの妖しさも美しさも、本当に唯一無二。pic.twitter.com/faUj0Hcwom
— TLで拾った変な宝石 (@tlhouseki311) June 28, 2026
Anime voice actors mentioned how encouraging words from Akihiro Miwa had uplifted them through their careers. Veteran VA Megumi Ogata (known for playing Sailor Uranus in Sailor Moon and Shinji Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion) commented on X that Miwa’s words had saved her many times. “This final message will also stick with me as I move forward,” Ogata said, adding that Miwa was “a truly unique person.”
Another well-known VA, Fumi Hirano (who played Lum in Urusei Yatsura), shared a clip of Miwa’s laugh making director Hayao Miyazaki crack up. She mentioned being a fan of Miwa since influential artist Junichi Nakahara started using Miwa as a model in the late 1950s. “When we finally met, (Miwa said), ‘You do such fine work.’ Taking pride in these words has enabled me to live my life like this.”
ああ、この表情・・。これもまた美輪さん。
丸山明宏さんの時代に中原淳一さんに見出された美輪さんに昔から憧れていて、ついにお目にかかれたとき
「いいお仕事なさってるわね」と。
私はその言葉を誇りにいままで生きてこられた。
老衰とはまた見事な大往生。敬服。深謝。合掌。#23club https://t.co/afFncyL5Wm
— hiranofumi 平野文です (@hiranofumi) June 28, 2026
Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima chimed in that Miwa’s passing prompted him to consider rewatching 1968’s Black Lizard or its sequel Black Rose Mansion.
Tonight, I was planning to revisit Jeannot Szwarc’s “Supergirl” (1984) for the first time in over 40 years. But after hearing of Akihiro Miwa’s passing, I’m thinking of revisiting Kinji Fukasaku’s “Black Lizard” (1968) series instead. Maybe I’ll watch, “Black Rose Mansion”… pic.twitter.com/RF58iG7VnS
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) June 28, 2026
Photo by Tomokazu Tazawa/WireImage.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.