Hikari Mitsushima: The Life Story Behind Japan's Talented Star

Hikari Mitsushima is an actress who started twice, and that is the most interesting thing about her. She started once as a child, as a singer in a pop group in Okinawa, and she started again as an adult, as an actress in a strange, wild film called Love Exposure, and the second start was the one that made her famous. Many people who start young fade when they grow up, because the world expects them to stay young for ever. Mitsushima did the opposite. She grew up, she changed, and she came back as a different kind of performer, stronger, braver, and more honest than before.

She was born in 1985 in Okinawa, the southernmost part of Japan, a place of islands, sea, and a culture that is different from the rest of the country. She grew up there, she sang there, and she learned to perform in front of people when she was still a child. That early start gave her a confidence on stage that most actors never develop, but it also gave her a problem, because when the pop group ended, she had to decide who she was without it, and that decision took time.

Her breakthrough as an actress came in 2008, when she was twenty-two, in Love Exposure, a four-hour film about a young man who takes upskirt photographs, a girl who thinks he is her lost sister, and a religious cult. It was a wild, strange film, and Mitsushima played Yoko, a girl who is angry, funny, and fierce, and who fights back against the world around her. Her performance was a shock to audiences, because it was so full of life, so loud, and so unafraid, and it made her one of the most talked-about young actresses in Japan.

A Child Singer in Okinawa

Hikari Mitsushima was born on 30 November 1985 in Okinawa, Japan. Okinawa is a group of islands in the south, with a warm climate, a long history, and a culture that is distinct from the rest of Japan. She grew up there, in a place where the sea is always close, and where music and dance are part of everyday life. Her childhood was spent in that warm, island world, and it gave her a sense of freedom, and a love of performing, that has stayed with her.

As a child, she began to sing and dance, and she was chosen to join a pop group called Folder, and later Folder 5, a group of young singers from Okinawa who performed in Japan. She was very young, still a child, and she was suddenly performing on television, in front of large audiences, and learning the discipline of a pop star. That discipline is hard for a child. It asks for long hours of practice, for travel, for interviews, and for a smile even when you are tired. Mitsushima learned those lessons, and she learned them well, but she also learned that a pop career is not a life, and that it can end as quickly as it begins.

Folder 5 was popular for a time, but like many child pop groups, it did not last for ever. When the group ended, Mitsushima was still a teenager, and she had to decide what to do next. She could have tried to stay a singer, or she could have tried to become a television star, but she chose a different path. She chose acting, and she chose it seriously, taking lessons, taking small roles, and learning the craft from the beginning, as if she had never performed before. That choice took courage, because it meant starting again, and starting again is hard when you have already been famous.

Her Okinawan background has stayed with her, and it has shaped the way she sees the world. Okinawa is a place that has known war, that has known American bases, and that has a culture that is both Japanese and something else, something older and more island-like. Mitsushima understands that in-between feeling, and she brings it to her roles, playing women who do not quite fit, who are a little bit outside, and who have to find their own way. That outsider feeling is a central part of her acting, and it is one of the reasons her performances feel so real.

Folder 5, Fame, and Starting Again

Folder 5 was a pop group that came out of Okinawa in the late 1990s, and Mitsushima was one of its members. The group sang cheerful pop songs, danced in bright costumes, and appeared on television shows that were watched by young people across Japan. For a child, it was an exciting life, full of travel, of applause, and of attention, but it was also a tiring life, with little time for school, for friends, or for simply being a child. Mitsushima lived that life for several years, and she learned a great deal from it, about performing, about working with others, and about the pressure of being watched.

When Folder 5 ended, she was faced with a question that many child stars face. What do you do when the thing that made you famous is over, and you are still young, and you still have a whole life ahead of you? Some child stars try to hold on to their fame, and they fade slowly. Others disappear, and are never heard from again. Mitsushima did something different. She stepped back, she studied, and she began again as an actress, taking small roles and learning the craft properly.

That second start was not easy. She had to prove herself all over again, to directors who did not know her as a singer, and to audiences who did not know her as an actress. She took roles in television dramas and in small films, and she worked hard to show that she was not only a former pop star, but a serious performer. She learned to act with her face, with her voice, and with her body, in a way that was different from singing and dancing, and she learned to trust the slow work of building a character, take by take.

By the mid-2000s, she was beginning to be noticed as an actress, and people in the Japanese film world were starting to take her seriously. She had not yet had a breakthrough, but she had built the skills she would need when it arrived, and she had built a reputation as a hard worker who was willing to start again, and to learn. That reputation would soon be rewarded, in a way that would surprise everyone, including Mitsushima herself.

Love Exposure and a Performance That Shook Japan

In 2008, Mitsushima was cast as Yoko in Love Exposure, a film directed by Sion Sono, one of the most unusual directors in Japan. The film was nearly four hours long, and it told the story of Yu, a young man who is forced by his priest father to confess his sins, and who becomes an expert at taking upskirt photographs. He meets Yoko, a girl who believes that Yu is her lost sister, and who is herself a member of a religious cult. It was a wild, funny, violent, and deeply strange film, and it asked Mitsushima to play a girl who is angry, who fights, and who refuses to be a victim.

She played Yoko with a force that shocked audiences. She shouted, she fought, she laughed, and she cried, and she did it all with an energy that made the film feel alive. Yoko was not a gentle girl. She was a fierce girl, a girl who had been hurt, and who had decided to fight back, and Mitsushima played that fierceness without apology. Her performance was praised by critics, and the film became a cult success, shown at festivals around the world, and loved by audiences who had never seen anything like it.

Love Exposure was a breakthrough for Mitsushima because it showed that she was not a former pop star trying to act. She was an actress, and a fearless one, willing to take on a role that was strange, difficult, and unlike anything else in Japanese cinema. She won awards for her performance, including the Best Actress award at the Yokohama Film Festival, and she became known as one of the most exciting young actresses in Japan. She was twenty-two years old, and she had reinvented herself, from a child singer to a serious actress, in a single film.

The film also changed the way people saw her. She was no longer only the girl from Folder 5. She was Yoko, the fierce, funny, angry girl from Love Exposure, and that image stayed with audiences. It was a heavy image to carry, but Mitsushima carried it well, because she did not try to repeat Yoko again and again. She chose different roles, different characters, and she let each one show a new side of her talent.

A Fearless Career in Film and Television

After Love Exposure, Mitsushima worked steadily in Japanese film and television, taking on a wide range of roles that showed her range. She appeared in films that dealt with family, with love, and with the lives of ordinary people, and she played women who were strong, women who were funny, and women who were struggling. Each role was different, and each one asked her to find a new way of playing a character. That variety was important to her, because she did not want to be trapped as Yoko for the rest of her life.

She also worked in television dramas, taking leading roles that were watched by large audiences in Japan. Those roles kept her visible to the Japanese public, and they gave her a chance to play characters over many episodes. She played mothers, wives, and women who were trying to find their way in a difficult world, and she brought the same energy to those roles that she had brought to Yoko, even when the stories were quieter and more ordinary.

In film, she took on roles with respected directors, and she worked in films that were shown at festivals around the world. She played a woman in a historical drama, a woman in a modern love story, and a woman in a film about the lives of people in Okinawa, her home. That last kind of role was particularly important to her, because it allowed her to return to her roots, and to tell stories about the place where she grew up, with an honesty that only someone from Okinawa could bring.

During these years, she also became known for her willingness to take risks, to play characters who are not likeable, and to do work that is not always commercial. That willingness is a sign of an actress who cares about the work itself, not only about fame or money. She chose roles that challenged her, and she let the challenge make her better, even when the film was not seen by many people. That attitude has earned her the respect of directors and of other actors, who know that she will give her best to any role.

Marriage, Change, and a Life in the Open

Mitsushima was married to the film director Yuya Ishii, and their marriage and later divorce were discussed in the Japanese press. She has also been linked to other people in the film world, and her private life has been more public than that of some other actresses. That openness is part of who she is. She is not an actress who hides behind a perfect image. She is a person who lives openly, who makes mistakes, and who keeps going, and that honesty is part of what makes her performances feel real.

She has spoken, in interviews, about her life, about her work, and about the difficulty of being a woman in the Japanese film world. She has talked about the pressure to be beautiful, to be young, and to be perfect, and about how she has tried to resist that pressure, by choosing roles that are real, and by being herself, even when that self is not perfect. That honesty has made her a role model for some young women in Japan, who see in her a woman who is not afraid to be herself.

Her life has changed over the years, as she has grown older, and as she has taken on new roles, both on screen and off. She has become a mother, and that experience has changed her work, giving it a new depth, and a new understanding of what it means to care for another person. She has played mothers on screen, and she has played them with a truth that comes from life, not only from imagination, and that truth has made her later performances warmer and more grounded.

She continues to work, to choose roles, and to surprise her audience. She is not an actress who stays in one place. She keeps moving, keeps learning, and keeps changing, and that movement is the reason her career has lasted. She started as a child singer, she became a fearless actress, and she is still becoming, still growing, and still finding new ways to tell a story.

A Talented Star Who Refused to Stay the Same

Today, Hikari Mitsushima is regarded as one of the most talented actresses in Japan, and her story is often told as an example of what can happen when a person is willing to start again. She started as a pop singer, she lost that fame, and she built a new career as an actress, through hard work, through courage, and through a willingness to take on difficult roles. That second start is rarer than the first, and it is more impressive, because it takes a different kind of strength to begin again when you have already been known.

Her legacy is not only the list of her films. It is the way she has shown that a person can change, that a child star can become a serious actress, and that a woman can be fierce, funny, and vulnerable, all at the same time. She has played women who fight, women who love, and women who refuse to give up, and she has played them with an energy that has made audiences care. That energy is her gift, and it is a gift that has lasted for more than twenty years.

She is still working, still choosing roles, and still giving performances that are worth watching. She is still brave, still honest, and still willing to take on a role that other actresses might refuse. That bravery is her trademark, and it is the reason her name is still spoken with respect, in Japan and around the world. Her story is a reminder that it is never too late to start again, and that a second beginning can be even better than the first.

Okinawa on Screen and the Stories She Carries

Mitsushima’s home, Okinawa, is a place with a story that is different from the rest of Japan, and she has carried that story with her throughout her career. Okinawa was once a separate kingdom, it was the site of a terrible battle in the Second World War, and it is now home to American military bases, and to a culture that is both Japanese and something else, something older, warmer, and more island-like. A person who grows up in Okinawa understands that in-between feeling, and Mitsushima brings it to her roles, playing women who do not quite fit, who are a little bit outside, and who have to find their own way in a world that does not always understand them.

She has taken on roles in films that deal with Okinawa, with its history, and with the lives of people who live there, and she has played those roles with an honesty that only someone from Okinawa could bring. She understands the sea, the heat, the music, and the sadness of a place that has known war, and she lets that understanding show in her performances, in the way she speaks, in the way she moves, and in the way she looks at the camera, as if she is looking at home. Those roles are important to her, because they allow her to tell stories about her own place, and to share those stories with audiences who may never have visited Okinawa.

Her Okinawan background also gives her a different view of Japan, a view from the south, from the edge, rather than from the centre in Tokyo. That view is valuable, because it reminds audiences that Japan is not only Tokyo, and that there are many Japans, many cultures, and many stories, within a single country. Mitsushima’s work helps to tell those stories, and to give a voice to people who are often overlooked, and that is a contribution that goes beyond acting, into the realm of cultural memory, and of truth.

Music, Memory, and a Second Voice

Music has been a part of Mitsushima’s life since she was a child, first as a singer in Folder 5, and later as an actress who understands the power of a song. She has spoken about the music she loves, about the songs that shaped her, and about the way a song can bring back a memory, of a place, of a person, and of a time that has passed. That understanding of music is visible in her acting, in the way she listens, in the way she moves to a rhythm, and in the way she lets a scene breathe, as if it were a song, with verses, and choruses, and pauses.

She has also worked in films where music is central, where a character sings, or dances, or listens to a song that changes her life, and she has brought her own musical experience to those roles, making them feel real, because she knows what it is like to stand on a stage, to sing, and to be watched. That knowledge is a gift, and it is one that many actors do not have, because they have never performed music in front of a live audience, and they do not understand the vulnerability, and the joy, of that experience.

In recent years, she has continued to explore music, through her work, through her collaborations, and through her own listening, and she has shown that a performer who began as a singer never truly stops being a singer, even when she becomes an actress. The voice stays, the rhythm stays, and the love of a song stays, and those things shape every role she plays, giving her performances a musical quality, a sense of timing, and a sense of flow, that is hard to describe, but easy to feel, when you watch her on screen.

Her films have been shown at festivals around the world, from Tokyo to Berlin, and audiences in those places have responded to her energy, to her fearlessness, and to the honesty of her performances. A film festival audience is a tough audience, because it has seen many films, and it knows when a performance is real, and when it is not. Mitsushima’s performances have passed that test, again and again, and that is a sign of a talent that travels well, across languages, across cultures, and across borders, without losing its power.

Island Songs and the Music She Never Left Behind

Okinawa has its own music, and it is different from the music of Tokyo. The islands have songs that are slower, warmer, and older, songs that were sung long before pop groups and television, and a child who grows up in Okinawa hears those songs at festivals, at family gatherings, and in the streets. Mitsushima grew up with that music around her, and it gave her an ear for rhythm that she later brought to acting. A scene, like a song, has a beat, and an actress who understands music knows when to speak, when to wait, and when to let a silence last a little longer. That sense of timing is in her work, in the way she pauses before a line, and in the way she lets a moment breathe.

Her pop years also taught her something that many actors never learn, which is how to stand in front of a crowd and not be afraid. A singer on a stage has nowhere to hide. The audience is looking, the music is playing, and the next note has to come. Mitsushima learned that courage as a child, and she carried it into Love Exposure, where Yoko shouts and fights in front of a camera that never looks away. The voice is different, and the songs are gone, but the courage is the same, and it is the reason her performances feel alive. She learned to perform before she learned to act, and that order matters, because it gave her a confidence that cannot be taught in a classroom.

My Take:

I want to start with the idea of starting again, because that is what Hikari Mitsushima’s story is really about, and it is an idea that means a great deal to me. She was a child singer, she was famous, and then that fame ended, and she had to decide who she was without it. Many people in that situation would give up, or would try to hold on to the past, or would become bitter about losing what they once had. Mitsushima did none of those things. She stepped back, she learned to act, and she came back as a different person, stronger and braver than before. I find that inspiring, because it tells me that a life does not have to be a single story. It can have a second chapter, and that second chapter can be better than the first.

I think about Love Exposure, and about the girl she played in that film, Yoko, a girl who is angry, who fights, and who refuses to be a victim. I remember watching that film and thinking, this actress is not afraid of anything. She shouts, she fights, she laughs, and she does it all with an energy that makes the screen feel alive. That fearlessness is rare, and it is valuable, because many actors are afraid to be loud, afraid to be angry, and afraid to show a side of themselves that is not pretty. Mitsushima is not afraid of those things, and I admire her for it, because it takes courage to be fierce on screen, especially for a woman, in a world that often tells women to be gentle and quiet.

What I admire most about her is her willingness to change. She was a pop singer, then she was an actress, then she was Yoko, then she was a mother, then she was a woman in a historical drama, and each time she changed, she did it fully, without holding on to the last version of herself. That willingness to change is a hard thing to learn, because we all like to stay where we are comfortable, and we all like to be known for one thing. Mitsushima shows us that change is not a loss. It is a growth, and it is a sign that a person is still alive, still learning, and still willing to try something new.

I also think about Okinawa, and about growing up on an island, far from Tokyo, in a place with its own culture, its own history, and its own sense of being different. Mitsushima grew up in that place, and she carries it with her, in the way she speaks, in the way she moves, and in the way she sees the world. I think that island background gives her a sense of being an outsider, and that outsider feeling makes her performances feel real, because she plays women who do not quite fit, who are a little bit outside, and who have to find their own way. I find that moving, because many of us feel like outsiders, and it is good to see an actress who understands that feeling, and who plays it with honesty.

I reflect on her time in Folder 5, and on what it must have been like to be a child pop star, to travel, to perform, and to be watched by strangers, when you are still a child. That must have been both exciting and tiring, and it must have taught her a great deal about the entertainment world, about its joys and its pressures. I wonder whether she looks back on those years with fondness, or with sadness, or with a mixture of both, and I think it is probably a mixture, because a childhood spent performing is a childhood that is both special and strange. She survived it, and she came out of it with a strength that many child stars do not have, and I respect her for that survival.

There is a part of her story that makes me think about women in Japan, and about the pressure they face to be beautiful, to be young, and to be perfect. Mitsushima has resisted that pressure, by choosing roles that are real, by playing women who are angry, tired, and flawed, and by being herself, even when that self is not perfect. I admire that resistance, because it is easy to give in to pressure, and hard to stand up to it, especially when the pressure comes from an entire industry. She has stood up to it, and she has shown other women that they can do the same, and that is a valuable contribution, not only to film, but to life.

I think about her work in television, and about the way she plays mothers and wives, and I notice a warmth in those performances that was not there in her early work as Yoko. That warmth comes, I think, from her own life, from becoming a mother, and from learning what it means to care for another person. A woman who has a child sees the world differently, and she brings that difference to her roles, and it makes them deeper, richer, and more human. I think that is why her later work feels so grounded, because she is not playing a mother from imagination alone. She is playing a mother from life, and that makes all the difference.

If I could say one thing to a young person reading this story, it would be to learn from Mitsushima’s example and to not be afraid to start again. If the thing that made you famous ends, if the job you loved is over, if the life you planned does not work out, do not give up. Step back, learn something new, and begin again, even if it is hard, even if it takes time, and even if people do not understand. Mitsushima did that, and she built a second career that was better than the first, and I believe that anyone can do the same, if they are willing to be brave, and to be patient with themselves.

I also think about the future, and about what Mitsushima will do next, and I hope she keeps changing, keeps taking risks, and keeps surprising her audience. I hope she plays more women who fight, more women who love, and more women who refuse to give up, because she plays those women with a truth that is hard to find elsewhere. She has already given us a remarkable career, from a child singer in Okinawa to a fearless actress in Tokyo, and I believe she will give us more, because she is still curious, still brave, and still willing to start again, whenever life asks her to.

I also think about Okinawa, and about what it means to grow up on an island, far from the centre, in a place with its own history, its own music, and its own sense of being different. Mitsushima grew up in that place, and she carries it with her, in the way she speaks, in the way she moves, and in the way she sees the world. I think that island background gives her a sense of being an outsider, and that outsider feeling makes her performances feel real, because she plays women who do not quite fit, who are a little bit outside, and who have to find their own way. I find that moving, because many of us feel like outsiders, and it is good to see an actress who understands that feeling, and who plays it with honesty, rather than hiding it.

Another thought that stays with me is about the music she made as a child, and about what it must have been like to sing in front of large audiences when you are still a child, to travel, to perform, and to be watched by strangers. That must have been both exciting and tiring, and it must have taught her a great deal about the entertainment world, about its joys and its pressures. I wonder whether she looks back on those years with fondness, or with sadness, or with a mixture of both, and I think it is probably a mixture, because a childhood spent performing is a childhood that is both special and strange, and she survived it, and came out of it with a strength that many child stars do not have.

I think about the cult in Love Exposure, and about the way that film deals with religion, with belief, and with the way people can be drawn into groups that promise them love, and give them control instead. Mitsushima’s character, Yoko, is drawn into such a group, and she fights against it, and her fight is a powerful one, because it shows a young woman who refuses to be controlled, who thinks for herself, and who chooses her own path, even when that path is hard. I admire that fight, because it is a fight that many young people face, in different forms, and it takes courage to stand up to a group, and to say, I will think for myself.

I also reflect on what her career says about second chances, and about how our culture often treats a second chance as a failure, as if starting again means that you failed the first time. Mitsushima’s life proves the opposite. Her second start, as an actress, was not a failure. It was a new beginning, and it was better than the first, because it was chosen, not given, and because it was built on hard work, on learning, and on a willingness to be a beginner again. I think that is a hopeful message for anyone who feels that they have missed their chance, or that their best years are behind them. Your best years may still be ahead, if you are willing to start again.

I wonder what she will do next, and I hope she continues to take on roles that are strange, difficult, and unlike anything else, because she is at her best when she is playing a character who is fierce, funny, and unafraid. I hope she returns to Okinawa on screen, and tells more stories about her home, because those stories matter, and because she is the right person to tell them. She has already given us a remarkable career, from a child singer to a fearless actress, and I believe she will give us more, because she is still curious, still brave, and still willing to start again, whenever life asks her to.

I also think about the way her work is still discovered by new viewers, who watch Love Exposure for the first time, and who see Yoko, a girl who fights back, and who feel a shock, and a joy, and a sense that they have seen something they have never seen before. That discovery is a gift, because it means that Mitsushima’s work will keep finding new audiences, in new places, and in new times, and that her fierce performance will keep speaking to people who are willing to be surprised, and to be moved, by a film that is unlike any other.

I think about her child, and about the life she is building as a mother, a life that is private, and warm, and far from the cameras that once followed her as a young singer. That private life is a kind of success that is easy to overlook, because it does not win awards, and it does not make headlines, but it is the success that matters most, a home, a family, and a sense of peace. I hope she knows how valuable that is, and I hope she protects it, because fame fades, but a good home lasts, and a good life, lived bravely, is a life well lived.

I also think about the sea in Okinawa, and about how the sea is always there, in the background of her life, in the sound of waves, in the smell of salt, and in the feeling of being on an island, surrounded by water, and by sky. That sea is a part of who she is, and it is a part of her work, in the way she moves, in the way she breathes, and in the way she looks at the camera, as if she is looking at a horizon that never ends. I find that image beautiful, and I will carry it with me, long after I finish writing about her.

I will remember Hikari Mitsushima as an actress who started twice, and who made the second start count. I will remember Yoko’s fierce, funny anger in Love Exposure, and the many other women who followed, women who were strong, women who were vulnerable, and women who were real. She is not the loudest actress in Japan, and she is not the most famous, but she is one of the most fearless, and I think that is a better thing to be. A famous actress is remembered for a moment. A fearless actress is remembered for a lifetime, and Mitsushima has built a lifetime of work that is worth remembering.

I want to say more about the length of Love Exposure, because four hours is a long time for an actress to stay fierce, and Mitsushima stayed fierce for all of it. A short film asks an actor for one strong scene. A four-hour film asks for stamina, for a performance that does not fade in the third hour, and for a character who can still surprise the audience near the end. Yoko does surprise us, again and again, because Mitsushima never lets her settle into one mood. She is angry, then funny, then frightened, then brave, and each change feels earned, because the actress has the energy to keep changing. That energy is not a trick. It is the result of years of performing, of singing as a child, and of learning to give everything she has, even when she is tired.

I also think about what her second start means for people who are not actresses, because most of us will face a moment when the thing we were known for comes to an end. A job ends, a shop closes, a team breaks up, and we have to decide whether to hold on to the past or to begin again. Mitsushima’s story tells me that beginning again is possible, and that it does not have to be a smaller life. Her second career was bigger than her first, and it was hers in a way the first one never was, because she chose it as an adult, with her eyes open. I try to remember that when I feel stuck, and I hope other people remember it too, because a closed door is not always the end of the story.

And I think about Okinawa one more time, because I admire the way she carries her home with her without making a speech about it. She does not tell the audience that she is from Okinawa. She shows it, in the way she moves, in the warmth of her voice, and in the roles she chooses, roles about people who live on the edge of Japan and who see the country from the outside. That quiet pride is a lesson in itself. You do not have to shout about where you come from. You only have to let it shape your work, and people will feel it, even if they have never visited the place. Mitsushima does that, and her work is better for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Hikari Mitsushima?

Hikari Mitsushima is a Japanese actress born on 30 November 1985 in Okinawa. She began as a child singer in the pop group Folder 5, and later became known as an actress for Love Exposure in 2008. She is regarded as one of the most talented actresses in Japan.

What was Folder 5?

Folder 5 was a Japanese pop group from Okinawa, in which Mitsushima sang as a child. The group performed cheerful pop songs and appeared on television. When the group ended, Mitsushima stepped back and began again as an actress, taking small roles and learning the craft.

What is Love Exposure about?

Love Exposure is a 2008 film directed by Sion Sono, nearly four hours long, about a young man who takes upskirt photographs and a girl named Yoko who believes he is her lost sister. Mitsushima played Yoko, a fierce, angry girl who fights back. Her performance won awards and made her famous as an actress.

Where was Hikari Mitsushima born?

Hikari Mitsushima was born on 30 November 1985 in Okinawa, Japan. Okinawa is a group of islands in the south, with a warm climate and a distinct culture. Her island background has shaped her acting and her sense of being an outsider.

What other films has Mitsushima acted in?

After Love Exposure, Mitsushima worked in many Japanese films and television dramas, playing mothers, wives, and women in historical and modern stories. She has worked with respected directors and has taken on a wide range of roles, from fierce to gentle.

Is Mitsushima also a singer?

Yes, Mitsushima began her career as a singer in Folder 5 as a child, before she became an actress. Singing and dancing were her first forms of performing, and they gave her a confidence on stage that she later brought to acting.

Why is Mitsushima called fearless?

Mitsushima is called fearless because she takes on strange, difficult roles, including Yoko in Love Exposure, and because she is willing to play women who are angry, flawed, and not always likeable. She also started her career again as an adult, after her pop fame ended, which took great courage.