Who are the highest-paid actresses for dramas?

Japanese tabloid “Shukan Jitsuwa” was able to gather some info on Japanese actresses during Golden Week and recently published a detailed list of the current market situation.
The list ranks the actresses in relation to the minimum fee they get paid for appearing in a drama series per episode. In addition to the fee, reporters also managed find out the potential ratings that are expected from them by TV stations. Of course, the market value changes depending on the actress’ popularity and her recent success, but right now Yoshitaka Yuriko seems to be the most expensive actress one can cast for a drama.
Check out the list below for more details!
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Current (Minimum) Fees per Drama Episode and Potential TV Ratings of Japanese Actresses
01 – 28,444 USD – 12.1% – Yoshitaka Yuriko
02 – 25,970 USD – 12.5% – Ayase Haruka
03 – 24,734 USD – 12.0% – Ueno Juri
04 – 24,734 USD – 11.4% – Matsushita Nao
05 – 22,260 USD – 11.3% – Kanno Miho
06 – 19,787 USD – 11.2% – Ueto Aya
07 – 19,787 USD – 10.0% – Fukada Kyoko
08 – 19,787 USD – 09.8% – Fukatsu Eri
09 – 19,787 USD – 09.7% – Amami Yuki
10 – 19,787 USD – 04.7% – Shinohara Ryoko
11 – 18,550 USD – 11.5% – Kitagawa Keiko
12 – 18,550 USD – 06.9% – Nakama Yukie
13 – 18,550 USD – 06.6% – Yonekura Ryoko
14 – 18,550 USD – 00.1% – Fujiwara Norika
15 – 18,550 USD – 00.1% – Matsushima Nanako
16 – 17,313 USD – 10.9% – Toda Erika
17 – 17,313 USD – 10.3% – Shibasaki Kou
18 – 17,313 USD – 10.1% – Maki Yoko
19 – 17,313 USD – 09.6% – Aibu Saki
20 – 17,313 USD – 09.4% – Suzuki Kyoka
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The list clearly shows that a high fee doesn’t equal high potential ratings. For example, Shinohara Ryoko gets paid a lot but still has to prove her profitability after a longer break from acting and a bad decision to make her comeback via a Kimura Takuya drama. On the other hand, women like Fujiwara Norika and Matsushima Nanako simply get paid a lot just because they’re worth it, not because they’re outstanding actresses that can attract a high number of people.
It should also be taken into consideration that sheer success doesn’t determine one’s market value. The relationships between the agencies and TV stations are a highly influential factor as well. TV stations can’t try lowering the fee if the popularity of an actresses suddenly decreases; it would hurt their relationship with her agency and future collaborations.
Looking at Yoshitaka’s current value, it’s interesting to know that by the beginning of the year, she started out with a minimum fee of $18,550 USD. However, her recent exposure in the “GANTZ” movies and her extremely popular CM for Suntory’s whiskey brand, “Torys Highball“, boosted her potential rating as well as her market value. Only Ayase Haruka has a higher potential rating.
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Other young and popular actresses that didn’t make it into the top 20:
23 – 16,077 USD – 11.6% – Sasaki Nozomi
24 – 16,077 USD – 03.2% – Miyazaki Aoi
26 – 14,840 USD – 10.4% – Inoue Mao
27 – 14,840 USD – 10.2% – Maeda Atsuko (AKB48)
Unfortunately, Nagasawa Masami, once high up on that list, didn’t manage to make it into the top 50 with her fee of at least 12,367 USD, but a potential rating of only 0.01%.
Of course, all figures published by a tabloid magazine should be taken with a grain of salt.
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Source: Shukan Jitsuwa via Entame-Scoop