Takashi Yamazaki

is a Japanese filmmaker and visual effects supervisor. Known for his blockbusters featuring advanced visual effects, he is considered a leading figure in the Japanese film industry. Yamazaki is the recipient of multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, eight Japanese Academy Awards, five ''Nikkan Sports'' Film Awards, two Hochi Film Awards, and an Asian Film Award. His films have collectively grossed over worldwide.

Yamazaki found employment at visual effects and animation studio Shirogumi in 1986, and has remained there throughout his career. His first directorial features were the science fiction films ''Juvenile'' (2000) and ''Returner'' (2002), for which he became known as the "Japanese James Cameron". He later gained further notice in Japan by directing film adaptations of popular anime, novels, and manga, including ''Always: Sunset on Third Street'' (2005), ''Space Battleship Yamato'' (2010), ''The Eternal Zero'' (2013), and ''Stand by Me Doraemon'' (2014); the latter two films both earned a total of nine awards at the 38th Japan Academy Film Prize. Yamazaki's career later advanced with ''The Great War of Archimedes'', ''Dragon Quest: Your Story'', ''Lupin III: The First'' (all 2019), and ''Stand by Me Doraemon 2'' (2020).

His 2023 ''kaiju'' epic, ''Godzilla Minus One'', became the most successful Japanese ''Godzilla'' film of all time and one of his highest-grossing films. Yamazaki and the visual effects team also became the first Japanese crew ever to receive the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. In 2024, Yamazaki was included in Gold House's annual list of 100 Most Impactful Asians. He is currently working a sequel to ''Godzilla Minus One'' and his Hollywood debut. Provided by Wikipedia