Ueto chosen to play Ri Kouran

Aya Ueto has been selected for the lead role for a special TV Tokyo drama. The drama is tentatively titled “Ri Kouran,” which is the Japanese reading of “Li Xianglan,” the Chinese name of Yoshiko Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi was born in 1920 and debuted as an actress and singer in China in 1938. She returned to Japan after the war and continued her acting career. In the 1950s, she expanded her career to the U.S., where she became known as Shirley Yamaguchi. She later served on the House of Councillors for many years.

Ueto will leave for China on the 22nd to begin filming, and the shoot is expected to take about two months. The drama will be aired in two parts on consecutive nights next spring.

Source:
Sponichi Annex