Award-winning Japanese actress Yuko Takeuchi has been found dead at her residence in Tokyo. She was 40.
Police has started investigating and suspect the mother of two took her own life, media reports say.
She is said to have been found by her actor husband Taiki Nakabayashi at their home in Shibuya Ward. Her death was confirmed at hospital, reports BBC.
Ms Takeuchi was a renowned actress in Japan. She appeared in many films and TV series during her career.
Female Sherlock Holmes role was played by her 2 years back in HBO series Miss Sherlock, which was broadcast in several countries including the US.
She also won best actress in a leading role category three years in a row, from 2004 to 2007, in the Japanese Academy Awards.
Along with her long list of acting credits, Ms Takeuchi’s warm, smiling, woman-of-the-people image made her popular with advertisers, Variety Magazine reports.
Although suicide has not been confirmed in Ms Takeuchi’s case, it has been the reason of death for a number of Japanese talents recently, including the actress Sei Ashina earlier this month, actor Haruma Miura in July and wrestling star Hana Kimura in May.
Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world although figures have dropped since preventative measures were introduced in 2015, as stated by WHO.
