Akiko Kuji

Akiko Kuji was born in Ōshū, Iwate.^[3] She has the height of 166 cm (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in).^[4] She spent 18 years in Iwate Prefecture from her birth to her high school graduation. She is a graduate from Mizusawa High School and an alumna of Aoyama Gakuin University, where she majored in economics.^[2]

In 2013, she entered the entertainment industry.^[3] In March 2014, she was selected in the Asahi Kasei Group Campaign Model 2014.^[5][6] There was PR work from Ōshū city after this. In July, she debuted as an actress in a television drama in Kin Kyori Renai: Season Zero.^[2] In August she was selected in the Grand Prix at the 45th non-no model audition and became a magazine exclusive model from the November 2014 issue until April 2017.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} Until she graduated from college she belonged to Illume (Incent).^[12]

In April 2017, she joined Fuji Television as an announcer.^[13][2][14]

On 30 April 2022, she officially left Fuji Television as an announcer.^[15] On 1 May 2022, she became a freelance announcer.^[16] She also made a comeback to entertainment industry as a fashion model, tarento, and actress. She rejoined her agency, Incent during college.^[17]

Kuji has been familiar with English from a young age due to the influence of her mother, who used to teach English in high school.^{[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]}

On 26 May 2022, she announced her marriage to professional NBA player Yuta Watanabe.^[27][28][29]

On 13 April 2026, she gave birth to her first child.^[30]