Kimiko Yo's career has followed a different trajectory from that of most Japanese actors. She started in theater at the age of 20 in 1976 and didn't land her first movie role until 1987. She has since made a resume of solid supporting roles but didn't gain traction as a leading lady until the dawn of the millennium, when she was in her 40s.
Yo is the subject of this week's installment of "Family History" (NHK-G, Mon., 10 p.m.), which looks at her background. Raised in Yokohama by a Japanese mother and a Taiwanese father born in mainland China, Yo knew nothing about her nationality except what was written on her alien registration card, so she learns as much from the program as we do, including the strange story of how her father and grandfather came to Japan in the first place.
'Sekai wa Kotoba de Dekite Iru" ("Words Make the World"; Fuji TV, Wed., 7 p.m.) is a quiz show that used to be broadcast after midnight and grew in popularity, so Fuji TV decided to upgrade it to prime time. It re-premieres this week with a slightly different format in a special two-hour installment.
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