Chisato Morishita

Biography

Chisato Morishita (森下千里, Morishita Chisato; born 1 September 1981) is a Japanese politician, former gravure idol, tarento, actress and race queen from Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Her popularity as race queen opened the doors for her singing and acting career. She has been Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Environment within Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet since 2025. She is also a member of the House of Councillors representing Tohoku PR since 2024. In 2004, she portrayed Zero Suit Samus in a series of commercials for Metroid: Zero Mission in Japan. She also wrote a "Play Diary" for the Metroid: Zero Mission official site, which was a strategy guide for the first part of Zero Mission, and also contributed signed flyers and standees, which were distributed as rewards for a speedrun contest. In 2019, Morishita retired from the entertainment industry.

== Political career == In April 2021, Morishita was elected Chief of the 5th Election District Branch in the Miyagi Prefecture for Japan's Liberal Democratic Party. She ran on that district during the House of Representatives election on 31 October, but lost to Jun Azumi from CDP. On 27 October 2024, she ran again in the general election, and she was elected at second place in the Tohoku proportional representative block constituency. On 21 October 2025, Morishita was appointed as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Environment (under Minister of the Environment Hirotaka Ishihara) by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. In the 2026 Japanese general election, fueled by the popularity of Sanae Takaichi, a "giant killing" was achieved by defeating Jun Azumi, the Secretary-General of the Centrist Reform Alliance.

== Filmography ==

=== TV series === 2002: Omiai Hourouki (NHK) 2002: Kamen Rider Ryuki as Megumi Asano 2010: Genya (WOWOW) 2011: Kamen Rider OOO (cameo)

=== TV movies === 2006: The School of Water Business (NTV)

=== Anime films === 2006: Bleach: Memories of Nobody

=== Movies === 2003: The Locker 2003: Suicide Manual 2004: The Locker 2 as Yuna 2005: Mail 2005: Gurozuka as Ai 2006: Kamen Rider Kabuto: God Speed Love as Shura Hokuto 2007: Tsubaki Sanjuro 2009: Long Caravan 2009: Departed to the Future 2014: High Kick Angels as J Rose

== References ==