She has recently been appearing in numerous films, radio, and television programs including the recent live action TV drama adaptation of the Jigoku Shoujo series. She has also done voice work, appearing in the recent anime OVA Kyo no Gononi as Chika Koizu. She was formerly a member of Japanese musical group Sweet Kiss before it disbanded on May 12, 2006,[1] to be replaced by the group Chase.
As a gravure idol
2005 anti-Japanese demonstrations
In May 2005, during the anti-Japanese demonstrations in China and Korea, pictures of Saaya taken by Japanese photographer Garo Aida captioned (loosely translated) "Please listen carefully to what I say my lovely Chinese brothers, please stop the riot!"[3] were posted on a Chinese forum by a third party, along with a message pleading for better bilateral relations between China and Japan.[2] Tabloid stories soon followed with raunchy headlines like "Busty 11-Year-Old Girl with F Cup Eases Cross-Strait Relations".[2] The claim that her pictures and words of peace led to a reduction in anti-Japanese attitude among the Chinese people is reputable, due to it first appearing in the pages of Shuukan Bunshun (周刊文春), a serious and conservative news weekly.[2]
Personal life
After she debuted as a gravure idol, she still lived in Fukuoka prefecture. Her best friend Yuan Sun has created a girls band named "Chase".[4]
