The 98th Kinema Junpo Best Ten Awards were announced in Japan in early 2025, continuing the long-standing tradition of Kinema Junpo, one of the country’s most influential and historic film magazines.
The standout winner of the 98th edition was All the Long Nights (2024), which secured the position of Best Japanese Film No.1.
Other major awards included Yuumi Kawai winning Best Actress for her performances in Desert of Namibia and A Girl Named Ann. She was recognized across multiple categories, signaling her rising prominence in Japanese cinema.
Major Winners
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Film | All the Long Nights | |
| Best Director | Sho Miyake | All the Long Nights |
| Best Screenplay | Sho Miyake | All the Long Nights |
| Best Actor | Hokuto Matsumura | All the Long Nights |
| Best Actress | Yuumi Kawai | Desert of Namibia / A Girl Named Ann |
| Best Supporting Actor | Masaki Suda | Cloud |
| Best Supporting Actress | Yuumi Kawai | A Girl Named Ann |
| Best New Actor | Soya Kurokawa | Cloud |
| Best New Actress | Yui Suzuki | Renoir |
| Best Animation Film | Look Back |
All the Long Nights Dominates the Awards
All the Long Nights (2024) secured the position of Best Japanese Film No.1. The film also dominated across major categories, with Sho Miyake winning Best Director and Best Screenplay.
And Hokuto Matsumura receiving Best Actor for his performance. This strong presence across multiple categories made it the central highlight of the year’s selection.
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Film | All the Long Nights | |
| Best Director | Sho Miyake | All the Long Nights |
| Best Screenplay | Sho Miyake | All the Long Nights |
| Best Actor | Hokuto Matsumura | All the Long Nights |
Newcomer Awards 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.
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best New Actor | Soya Kurokawa | Cloud |
| Best New Actress | Yui Suzuki | Renoir |
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.
A young woman in modern Japan drifts through unstable relationships and uncertain work, struggling to find identity and emotional stability. As her life grows increasingly unmoored, her search for connection becomes both intimate and self-destructive.
A young woman shaped by hardship and abandonment struggles to survive on the margins of society, slowly uncovering fragile moments of hope and connection as she searches for a way to reclaim her identity.
Actors Featured here Who Won Awards
Here you will find other reviewed Japanese films that the winning actors of The 98th Kinema Junpo Best Ten Awards participated in.
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Actor | Hokuto Matsumura | All the Long Nights |
| Best Actress | Yuumi Kawai | Desert of Namibia / A Girl Named Ann |
| Best Supporting Actor | Masaki Suda | Cloud |
| Best Supporting Actress | Yuumi Kawai | A Girl Named Ann |
| Best New Actor | Soya Kurokawa | Cloud |
| Best New Actress | Yui Suzuki | Renoir |