Actress Pinko Izumi’s New Book, “It Might Be Nice to Go Out Standing Tall,” to Be Released on May 29

Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd. (head office: Kami-Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Hideyuki Komiya) will release actress Pinko Izumi’s latest book, “It Might Be Nice to Go Out Standing Tall: Pinko, 78, and the Words I Want to Leave Behind,” on Friday, May 29. In this book, Pinko Izumi, who has remained active on the front lines of entertainment for many years, speaks about memories of her family, the entertainment industry, the shape of marriage, and what lies ahead. Readers are invited to discover her own approach to life: turning misfortune into good fortune. In an excerpt from the introduction, Izumi says she is still quickly criticized whenever anything happens and never imagined that her life would remain this way even after turning 60. Having long lived on television as a woman described as “loud,” “scary,” “sharp-tongued,” and “someone who talks a lot,” she admits that, as a human being, she still feels down when people say things about matters she did not do. She explains that people no longer speak about the dead, and even remarkable people may stop being discussed after a year. Now at her age, she wants to clearly leave behind what she has to say. This, she says, will be the final time she truly gathers and records her life. The book is organized into four chapters: “Memories of Family: Leaving a Home Where I Had No Place,” “The Entertainment World That Lifted Me Up,” “Marital Love and Reality: Our Shape,” and “Growing Older, and What Comes Next.” Topics include her childhood, her path into entertainment, meeting her close friend Toshiyuki Nishida, the major opportunity brought by “Oshin,” encouragement from Mitsuko Mori, “Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari,” love and marriage, women’s happiness, and thoughts on the time before and after death. Pinko Izumi is an actress born on September 11, 1947. She debuted at age 18 as a musical comic storyteller and gained attention in 1975 as a reporter on Nippon TV’s wide show “TV Sanmen Kiji Weekender.” This led to numerous drama appearances and expanded her career. Her representative works include “Oshin” and “Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari.” She continues to work across television dramas, stage productions, films, lectures, and other fields. Book details: Title: “It Might Be Nice to Go Out Standing Tall: Pinko, 78, and the Words I Want to Leave Behind”; release date: Friday, May 29, 2026; price: 1,760 yen including tax; author: Pinko Izumi; format: softcover in shiroku-ban size; publisher: Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd.