Akio Yoshida
Directing
Known For

Kinoshita Kaori (Nakayama Miho), a native of Nagano, was allowed to live alone in Tokyo for two years during her junior college years. Now, with employment still unsettled, her parents are pressuring her to return to Nagano. Her friend Noriko (Sendo Atsuko) had good grades in junior college and had received a job offer from a major company, but the offer was rescinded due to her living alone. Meanwhile, Tomoko (Kawai Michiko), who dreams of becoming a reporter while job hunting, is also struggling to balance her dreams and reality. One day, Kaori visits a small company with her resume in hand, where she meets the company president, Yoshizawa (Oda Yuji). Yoshizawa accepts Kaori without even a proper interview, and despite her misgivings about the company, she soon finds herself drawn to Yoshizawa.
Graduation

The Hayashidas were a typical happy family of father, mother, two boys and two girls. Until it all changed suddenly with the untimely death of the father, Shinpei. While still mourning his passing, the children are hit by another bit of shocking news from their mother “Truth is… I'm pregnant.” The news of their mother's pregnancy at 51 sets into motion a new series of challenges for the four children, particularly for the eldest sister, Manami, who now becomes the family patriarch, forced to struggle with the pressures and responsibilities of “child rearing” and “family ties”, not to mention greater philosophical questions about the meaning of life. A moving, life-sized human drama..
Being Born.

Shinagawa Daichi used to be a good student who has now become a delinquent, while class president Adachi Hana was a delinquent who is now trying to move on. Her secret is discovered by Shinagawa, but she involves herself trying to correct his ways.
Bad Boy and Good Girl

This entertaining drama follows the fun-filled adventures of three prep-school students. Struggling with studies has become a thing of the past for these three young men, and they are ready to make the best of their free time in a world where they are no longer looked down on as fools.
Prep School Boogie

Tachibana Makoto, a manager of an omusubi cafe. One day, she meets Sanshiro, a secretary at a paper shredder company, and half a year later, they already decide to get married. But when Makoto meets Sanshiro's family, a battle begins between her and her mother-in-law. The daughter-in-law, who is a "workaholic" career woman and wife, and her mother-in-law, who is a "model full-time housewife," begin to fight against each other on their values and pride!
Wives Make the World Go Round

Patients are brought in one after the other. Being put in an environment where there is a race against time to save lives, all they can do is stand there doing nothing. Though they still have a lot to grow as a doctor and as individuals, will they be able to overcome adversity and one day be able to proudly identify themselves as being a doctor?
Resident: Story of 5 Interns

Yumi, a 23-year-old office worker, is fired from her job out of the blue. A few days later, coming from a friend's wedding and having no time to change out of her kimono, she is rushing to an interview for a job at a publishing company. Yumi stumbles into the room, looking for somewhere to change out of her kimono, and finds popular comic book writer Reijiro Sakurai is having an editorial meeting with some staff. He is planning to lock himself away at a hot spring for the next three months to concentrate on his next project. Sakurai comments that if Yumi were to join him he wouldn't mind being away for so long..., and so their adventure begins.
Always Smiling

At 55, Kan-ichi Kanzaki is the old-fashioned and overbearing father of the Kanzaki family: his wife Miyako, his son Tadashi, and his two daughters Sayuri and Suzu. Being an “oyaji,” a stubborn middle-aged man that cannot keep his opinion to himself, Kan-ichi is particularly bothered when he views what he believes to be a failure in the public’s morals. But unlike the occasional stranger, his kids have to live under his scrutiny every day, and there are plenty of family crises to draw his ire. Although he can be strict, his actions are driven by his love for his family, and one can’t help but be touched and amused by the loving efforts of such an “oyaji.”
Oyaji

Arisa is fascinated by humans. So much so that she leaves the magic world. But the broom she uses is faulty and she winds up in Japan. There she meets Joji Matsui who works at an advertising agency. Joji has been assigned by his boss Ichio Suzuki the difficult task of winning over Shiori Nomo who is in charge of corporate communications at a client. However a little word from Arisa helps Joji win over Shiori and his agency gets the opportunity to pitch. Arisa and Joji fall in love and marry. Arisa swears never to use magic again as she and Joji begin their strange witch/human married life.
Bewitched In Tokyo

The drama is about a cold-hearted corporate warrior who is involved in a car accident, and how he and the woman who loves him so earnestly struggle with the aftermath of the accident and regain the love in their twisted hearts.
Kimi to Deatte kara

While working in the leisurely atmosphere at a food company's factory, Futaro is asked to return to their corporate headquarters by his good friend. Unfortunately, he finds himself assistant to Izumi, a highly demanding expert on Italian food culture. Futaro gets off to a rocky start with his new female boss, and always seems to be saying or doing the wrong thing. He also doesn't seem to be particularly suited to his new position on the Italian Restaurant Project, considering he doesn't even like tomatoes! But Futaro may still have a few tricks left up his sleeve that he can use to win over Izumi and find success in his new job.
Who Do You Think You Are?

He didn’t even like children, yet without warning, the handsome, single newscaster finds himself playing the role of father to three impertinent daughters. His entire image of the roles of the sexes gets turned upside down as he makes the transition from a swinger into a caring parent.
Daddy, the Newscaster

Shin'ichi Sakurai is married to Kanako and they have a daughter named Kaori. Both, Shinichi and Kanako received only a middle-school-level education. Even though they don't have much money, they are a happy family. At work, though, Shin'ichi experiences effects of only having a middle school education. One day, Shin'ichi sees Kaori’s poor score for a national test. He freaks out and decides to improve Kaori's education. Thus, 41-year-old Shin'ichi begins studying with Kaori and instructs her for the upcoming middle school entrance exam.
Grade A Reversal

Tamon is a young white-collar worker who has spent his entire young career as an athlete, and is accustomed to an all male environment. After retiring from sports, he enters a firm, only to be assigned to the personnel department. Upon arriving, he finds that he is to be trained by the strong-willed Kyoko, and that he is to work on a project to help raise the status of women and awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace, putting him in completely new territory. While gradually coming to terms with his job, he finds himself slowly falling for Kyoko, and being the only one aware of her well guarded secret.
Dear Woman

Three tales raise unsettling questions about the central qualities of being human. In one, a father is torn between love for his son and the desire for revenge, while a second examines the twisted love of a teacher for his female colleague. The third story delves into the complex affections hidden within a bully.
The Loss of Humanity

Three close friends realize, at the age of 40, that maybe it's time to think seriously about getting married. Employed by an advertising agency, each struggles with his own weakness-one consistently strikes out with women, while the second can't seem to break his attachments to his mother, and the third is an unabashed playboy. This adult comedy exposes the humorous views and sobering misconceptions of marriage by single men today.
Middle-aged Bachelors

Looking for a job, Hana gets work at the Andrews Department Store, but her boss hates her and gives her impossible work to do. Her bubbly nature and creativity soon bring success to every job she is assigned though, and the president even wonders if her mysterious charm can rally the company and pull them out of their financial difficulties. But the President and Ryou, his straight-laced son, have different ideas about running the company. Perhaps if she finds true love for Ryou, she can soften his hard heart. Anything seems possible with Hana's never-ending optimism, which is the basis for this heart-warming and humorous story of the power of positivity!
Pretty Girls

A junior high school teacher marries a much younger woman despite his teenaged daughter’s disapproval. Her step-mother is now the sex idol for many of the boys in her school.
Mama Is an Idol

8 short stories comprise this anthology movie, based on the Tales of Terror TV series. The segments are, in order: The Night Watchman (directed by Akio Yoshida), Wisps of Smoke (Kosuke Suzuki), Gloves (Hirohisa Sasaki), The Weight (Kosuke Suzuki), Full-Length Mirror (Ryuta Miyake), Line of Sight (Keisuke Toyoshima), The Promise (Keita Amemiya) and Hisao (Shun'ichi Hirano).
Tales of Terror from Tokyo and All Over Japan: The Movie

College freshman Ryohei joins a new university, forms a tennis-club circle, and navigates love and friendship as the group confronts ambition and darker secrets beneath their glow.