Aya Ueto

Aya Ueto (上戸 彩, Ueto Aya, born September 14, 1985) is a Japanese actress, singer and television personality. In 1997, Ueto participated in the seventh Japan Bishōjo Contest, where she won the special jury prize. Soon thereafter, Ueto joined the talent agency Oscar Promotion and began taking singing, dancing and acting lessons. In 1999, she formed the girl group Z-1 with three fellow Japan Bishōjo Contest participants. The group disbanded in 2002 and later that year, Ueto signed with Pony Canyon and released "Pureness", her debut single as a lead artist. She has since released five studio albums which have spawned ten Oricon top-ten singles. At the age of thirteen, Ueto made her acting debut in the 1999 thriller Satsujinsha: Killer of Paraiso. In 2001, Ueto appeared in the sixth season of the TBS drama 3-nen B-gumi Kinpachi-sensei. Her portrayal of a high school student with gender dyspho...