His made his directing debut with Maria no ibukuro (Maria's Stomach, 1990). His next film Za Chugaku kyoshi (The Games Teachers Play, 1992) brought him an award for Best Directro from the Japanese Film Professionals’ Association. Then he made the drama Ningen kôsaten: Am (Human Scramble: Rain, 1993), while his next film, the adventure drama Gakkô no kaidan (School for Ghosts, 1995) brought him great success. Afterwards he made its sequel in 1996 and part four in 1999 (part three was directed by Shûsuke Kaneko). In the meantime, he directed the awarded drama Ai o kou hito (Begging for Love, 1998), which won the Japanese Academy’s Award for Best Film and Best Director in 1999. After this he continued working and directing dramas Taan (Turn, 2001) and Warau kaeru (A Laughing Frog, 2002), crime drama Out (2002), historical adventure film Makai tenshô (Samurai Resurrection, 2003), crime film Lady Joker (2004), comedy Shaberedomo shaberedomo (Talk, Talk, Talk, 2007), comedy Yajikita dôchû Teresuko (Three for the Road, 2007), Boku no sukina hito (2010), acclaimed historical film Hisshiken torisashi (Sword of Desperation, 2010), drama Shin-san Tankoumachi no serenâde (Forget Me Not, 2010) and war drama Taiheiyou no kiseki: Fokkusu to yobareta otoko (Battle of the Pacific, 2011).