Sayuri Kokushō, born December 22, 1966 in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, is a Japanese singer and actress. She began her career as an original member of the idol group Onyanko Club, making her professional debut on April 1, 1985. Kokushō's solo career started with the single "Valentine Kiss" released on February 1, 1986, which reached number 2 on the Oricon charts and won the Japan Gold Disc Award for Best Single of the Year. Her debut album Pep Talk followed later that year. Throughout her career, Kokushō released several albums including BALANCE OF HEART, TRANSIT, and SUMMERSNOW. Notable singles include "夏を待てない" ("Summer Can't Wait") and "ガラスの森" ("Glass Forest"). In 2006, "Valentine Kiss" was found to be the most popular Valentine's Day song in Japan. Kokushō has also appeared in films such as Eureka (2000) and television shows like Sukeban Deka II: The Legend of the Girl In The Iron Mask. She attended Shimizugaoka High School in Kure, Hiroshima due to her father's transfer within the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. While in high school, she represented the Chūgoku region in the 3rd Miss Seventeen Contest in 1984 and was scouted by a representative from CBS Sony. She moved to Tokyo after becoming a beauty model for Shiseido and made her television debut on Yūyake Nyan Nyan ("Sunset Meow Meow") as a founding member of Onyanko Club.