Aya Ueto Biography: Husband, Age, Kids, Net Worth, Parents, Songs, Movies & TV Shows, Awards

Aya Ueto is a Japanese actress, singer, and television personality widely recognized for her breakout roles in film and drama, including the action blockbuster Azumi and popular series such as Hirugao and Hanzawa Naoki.

She rose to prominence as a teenager through modeling contests and idol group work before establishing herself as one of Japan’s most versatile and commercially successful entertainers.

Aya Ueto
Wiki Facts & About Data
Name:	Aya Ueto
Born:	14 September 1985 (age 40 years old)
Place of Birth:	Nerima, Tokyo, Japan
Nationality:	Japanese
Ethnicity:	Japanese
Height:	1.62 m
Religion:	Buddhism
Parents:	Mr. and Mrs. Ueto
Siblings:	Makoto Ueto, Shun Ueto
Spouse:	Hiroyuki Igarashi (2012)
Relationship:	Married
Children:	3
Occupation:	Actress, singer, television personality
Net Worth:	$8 million–15 million

Early Life and Education

Aya Ueto entered the world on September 14, 1985, in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan, to parents referred to as Mr. and Mrs. Ueto. Her father is from Suttsu, Hokkaido, and her mother is from Ishigaki Island, Okinawa; the couple later divorced.

She is the middle of three children, with older brother Shun Ueto and younger brother Makoto Ueto. She attended and later left Horikoshi High School, a school known for educating many entertainers, in order to focus on her career. She is of Japanese ethnicity, and her religious background is Buddhism.

Career

Aya Ueto began her entertainment path after winning the special jury prize at the 7th Japan Bishōjo Contest in 1997 at age eleven. She joined Oscar Promotion, trained in singing, dancing, and acting, and debuted as a member of the girl group Z-1 in 1999.

The group disbanded in 2002, after which she launched a solo music career under Pony Canyon with the single “Pureness,” followed by several studio albums and multiple Oricon top-ten singles.

Her acting breakthrough came with the role of a student with gender dysphoria in the 2001 season of 3-nen B-gumi Kinpachi-sensei, which brought critical attention and opened doors to leading parts.

She starred as the title character in the 2003 film Azumi, earning major newcomer awards and a Japan Academy Prize nomination, and continued with its sequel and a string of successful television dramas including Ace o Nerae! (2004), Attention Please (2006), and Nagareboshi (2010).

In the following years Ueto balanced high-profile film and television work with extensive commercial endorsements, earning the title of CM Queen multiple times. Notable projects include the comedy Thermae Romae (2012), the banking drama Hanzawa Naoki (2013), the romantic series Hirugao (2014) and its 2017 film adaptation, and later roles such as the upcoming Sakamoto Days (2026).

She has also released five studio albums, designed wedding-dress collections, and maintained a steady presence as a television personality while expanding into voice work and producing. Her career remains marked by consistent leading roles and commercial influence across Japanese entertainment.

Awards and Nominations

• Television Drama Academy Award – Best Actress for Ace o Nerae! (2004)
• Television Drama Academy Award – Best Supporting Actress for Nagareboshi (2010)
• Japan Academy Prize – Newcomer of the Year and Popularity Award for Azumi (2004); Best Actress nomination
• Golden Arrow Award – Newcomer of the Year (consecutive wins)
• Élan d’Or Award – Newcomer of the Year
• Japan Movie Critics Award – Newcomer of the Year

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: @_uetoaya

Personal Life

Aya Ueto, 40 years old and 1.62 m tall, married Hiroyuki Igarashi (known as HIRO of EXILE and LDH) on September 14, 2012, her 27th birthday. The couple has three children: a daughter born in 2015 and two sons born in 2019 and 2023.

Net Worth

Aya Ueto has an estimated net worth in the range of $8–15 million. Primary sources of income include long-running acting contracts in film and television, music sales and performances, extensive commercial endorsement deals (she has repeatedly been named Japan’s CM Queen), and related brand and design projects developed over more than two decades at the top of the Japanese entertainment industry.

Filmography

• Satsujinsha: Killer of Paraiso (1999)
• 3-nen B-gumi Kinpachi-sensei (2001)
• Azumi (2003)
• Ace o Nerae! (2004)
• Azumi 2: Death or Love (2005)
• Attention Please (2006)
• Thermae Romae (2012)
• Hanzawa Naoki (2013)
• Hirugao (2014 / film 2017)
• Sakamoto Days (2026)

Discography

• Ayaueto (2003)
• Message (2004)
• Re. (2004)
• License (2006)
• Happy Magic: Smile Project (2009)

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