
Asahi: Foreign talent agency boss a big deal in showbiz
Tack a map of the world on the wall. Close your eyes and throw a dart at it. No matter where it lands, Motoko Inagawa can identify the country, however minuscule. As president of a major talent agency, she has 4,300 foreigners from 128 countries registered at her office. Think of a gaijin you recall seeing on a television program, from an NHK drama to your favorite inane variety show, and it's likely the performer is represented by Inagawa
...Every night, from midnight to dawn, she went to Roppongi to hunt for a gaijin that would meet her clients' needs. Sometimes she carried a script with her, to reassure prospective talent that she wasn't a lunatic or a middle-aged woman trying to hook up with a gaijin...One night she dragged a very tall black American back to her house to spend the night to ensure he would make it to the set the next morning...more...