「李香蘭」山口淑子９４歳逝世

Yesterday the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

元女優「李香蘭」山口淑子さん死去…９４歳

2014年09月14日 13時55分

　戦時中「李香蘭」の名で一世を風靡(ふうび)した元女優で、元参院議員の山口淑子（やまぐち・よしこ、本名・大鷹淑子＝おおたか・よしこ）さんが７日午前１０時４２分、心不全で亡くなった。９４歳だった。

　告別式は近親者で済ませた。

　父親が満鉄（南満州鉄道）の社員だったため、中国で育つ。１９３８年に満映（満州映画協会）の「蜜月快車」で映画デビュー。日本人であることをふせ、中国人の美人スター「李香蘭」として売り出された。３９年に「白蘭の歌」で長谷川一夫さんと共演、同じコンビで「支那の夜」、「熱砂の誓ひ」をヒットさせた。

　戦後は「漢奸（売国奴）」の疑いで軍事裁判にかけられたが、疑いが晴れて帰国。本名の山口淑子で４８年の「わが生涯のかがやける日」で映画にも本格復帰した。６９年からはテレビのワイドショー「３時のあなた」の司会を務め、中東での取材活動にも励んだ。

　７４年には参議院議員選挙に自民党から立候補し、当選。３回当選を果たし、党婦人局長などを務めた。９２年に政界から引退した後も、「女性のためのアジア平和国民基金」の副理事長などを歴任した。

　８７年には共著「李香蘭　私の半生」が話題になり、９１年には劇団四季による「ミュージカル李香蘭」が初演された。

(試譯文)

A former actress who had gained popularity by the name of "Li Xianglan" during the wartime period, a former Councilor, Ms. Yoshiko Yamaguchi (real name Yoshiko Otaka ), passed away due to heart failure at 10:42 a.m. on the 7th. She was 94 years old.

The farewell service was only for close relatives.

Because her father was an employee of the Man Tie (the South Manchuria Railway), she grew up in China. She made her debut in the movie "Honeymoon Express" of Man Ying (Manchuria Movie Association) in 1938. Hiding the fact that she was Japanese, she was advertised on the market as a Chinese beauty star "Li Xianglan". In 1939 she costarred with Mr. Kazuo Hasegawa in "The Song of the White Orchid"; the same pair also performed in "The Night of China" and "Vow of the Boiling Sand" which were made into hit.

Although taken to the military court on suspicion of being a "Hanjian (traitor)" after the war, the suspicion was cleared and she returned to the country. She also formally returned to the movie by the real name Yoshiko Yamaguchi in 1948 in "The day which my whole life can shine". From 1969, she acted as the chairman of a variety show the "You at 3:00" in the television, and also strove for news gathering activities in the Middle East.

In 1974 at a House of Councilors election she stood as a candidate and won for the Liberal Democratic Party. She was successful in the election for three times, and acted as the head of the Party’s Women's Bureau etc. Even after retiring from the political scene in 1992, she continuously held the vice president post etc. of the "Asian Women's Fund".

The book "Li Xianglan: half of my life" which she collaborated in writing in 1987 became the center of attention, and the "Li Xianglan in Musical" by Shiki Theatre Company was first performed in 1991.

Li Xianglan was a popular name in China in the 1940s.