Yakusho Koji, among Japan's most celebrated actors, has been honoured with the Far East Film Festival's Golden Mulberry Award for lifetime achievement—a honour bestowed by renowned director Wim Wenders himself. The award, presented in Udine, marks almost fifty years of commitment to Japanese cinema, during which the actor has developed an remarkably varied career encompassing television, film and theatre. Yakusho, who adopted his stage name at the suggestion of his teacher Nakadai Tatsuya to capture his desired variety of roles, characterises the accolade as "a whip of love"—a final encouragement to keep working. The recognition underscores a extraordinary transformation from...