The 47th Japan Academy Film Prize ceremony was held on March 8, 2024, at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo, Japan. The night’s biggest winner was the movie Godzilla Minus One.
Other major winners included Wim Wenders for Best Director and Koji Yakusho for Best Actor, both for Perfect Days, while Sakura Ando won Best Actress for Monster.
Major Winners
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Film | — | Godzilla Minus One |
| Best Director | Wim Wenders | Perfect Days |
| Best Actor | Koji Yakusho | Perfect Days |
| Best Actress | Sakura Ando | Monster |
| Best Supporting Actor | Hayato Isomura | The Moon |
| Best Supporting Actress | Sakura Ando | Godzilla Minus One |
| Best Screenplay | Takashi Yamazaki | Godzilla Minus One |
| Best Animation | — | The Boy and the Heron |
| Best Music Score | Hiromi Uehara | Blue Giant |
Godzilla Minus One Dominates the Awards
Godzilla Minus One dominated the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize by winning eight awards, including the top honor of Best Film.
Its success was reinforced by Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe and supported by acclaimed performers such as Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka and Sakura Ando.
The film combined blockbuster appeal with an ensemble of established Japanese stars, helping it become both a critical and commercial triumph.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Film | Godzilla Minus One |
| Best Screenplay | Takashi Yamazaki |
| Best Supporting Actress | Sakura Ando |
| Best Cinematography | Kozo Shibasaki |
| Best Art Direction | Anri Jojo |
| Best Lighting Direction | Daisuke Kamei |
| Best Sound Recording | Hisashi Takeuchi |
| Best Editing | Ryuji Miyajima |
Newcomer of the Year Winners
Actors and actresses at the beginning of their careers or who had a breakthrough role during 2024. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the person’s first film.
| Winner | Film |
|---|---|
| Aina The End | Kyrie |
| Hiyori Sakurada | Koukan Uso Nikki |
| Nanoka Hara | Don’t Call It Mystery |
| Haruka Fukuhara | Ano Hana ga Saku Oka de, Kimi to Mata Deaetara |
| Somegoro Ichikawa VIII | The Legend & Butterfly |
| Soya Kurokawa | Monster |
| Fumiya Takahashi | Koukan Uso Nikki |
| Hinata Hiiragi | Monster |
Films Reviewed here That Won Japan Academy Awards
Here you will find reviews of award-winning Japanese films and my impressions of Japanese culture as portrayed in these films.
Godzilla Minus One (Action/Science fiction)
In a devastated postwar Japan, a former kamikaze pilot confronts personal trauma as a colossal monster emerges, threatening a nation already struggling to rebuild.
In Tokyo, a quiet public restroom cleaner finds meaning and fulfillment in the routines of everyday life, revealing the beauty hidden within ordinary moments.
Actors Featured here Who Won Awards
Here you will find other reviewed Japanese films that the winning actors of the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize participated in.
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Actor | Koji Yakusho | Perfect Days |
| Best Actress | Sakura Ando | Monster |
| Best Supporting Actor | Hayato Isomura | The Moon |
| Best Supporting Actress | Sakura Ando | Godzilla Minus One |
| Best Supporting Actress | Aya Ueto | Shylock’s Children |
| Best Supporting Actress | Mei Nagano | Mom, Is That You?! (Konnichiwa, Kaasan) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Minami Hamabe | Shin Kamen Rider |
| Best Supporting Actress | Keiko Matsuzaka | Till We Meet Again on the Lily Hill (Ano Hana ga Saku Oka de, Kimi to Mata Deaetara) |
Obs: at the Japan Academy Film Prize, this Supporting Actress category doesn’t just have a single winner — it can have multiple actresses awarded as “Best Supporting Actress (Excellence Awards)”, and then one of them is chosen as “Most Outstanding”, depending on the edition.