Actress Kanna Hashimoto becomes first person in 13 years to win top prize on Japan's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Japanese actress Kanna Hashimoto, 26, rang in the new year on a high note – 10 million yen's worth, to be exact. The Kingdom star became the first contestant on the revived Japanese edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which returned on Jan 1 with its first new episode in 13 years.

Dressed in a red floral kimono, Hashimoto deftly answered a series of questions and eventually reached the 12th and final one, "Which prefecture had the largest population until Tokyo took the top spot in 1897?", with her options being Niigata, Aichi, Hiroshima and Kumamoto.

Opting to use the "Phone A Friend" lifeline, Hashimoto sought the help of fellow actors Ryohei Otani and Xu Fengfan and locked in her final answer: Niigata.

The show’s host, Kazunari Ninomiya of Japanese idol group Arashi, then handed her an unturned cheque.

When she flipped it over, Hashimoto’s eyes widened as she realised – in visible shock – that it was worth 10 million yen (US$63,620), confirming she had answered correctly.

With this, Kanna Hashimoto became the first person in over 13 years to win the top prize on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?.

Following the episode's broadcast, Hashimoto took to her X page to express her shock, writing: "Won 10 million yen. It was seriously insane. The tension during the recording was incredible."

Regarded as one of the top actresses in Japan currently, Kanna Hashimoto has starred in numerous award-winning movies and TV series in a career spanning close to two decades. These include live-action adaptations of popular anime franchises such as Gintama, The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War.