Born Akira Mitsushima, Hikari Mitsushima is one of many female "idols" in Japan. Unlike her peers, though, Mitsushima started her career very young at the age of 12. In 1997, she joined the teen music group Folder, which comprised of seven members. Not long afterwards, she landed her first film role as Shiori Uranai in Rebirth of Mothra II (1997). Her performance in the film was both in front of and behind the camera, as beyond her starring role she also contributed vocal work for the end credits song, "Now and Forever", with her music group.

At this point in her career, Mitsushima primarly focused on her musical talents. In 2000, when both of the male members of Folder left the group, the now all girl band was reconfigured as Folder5. However, the musical group eventually sputtered out in 2003.

With her band on hiatus, Hikari Mitsushima started attending Yakumo Gakuen high school at the rather late age of 18. While still in high school, she started working as a variety program assistant on Tokyo MX TV and also as a gravure model on the side.

In 2006, Mitsushima returned to acting for the role of Sayu Yagami in Death Note and the sequel, Death Note: The Last Name. This led to roles in a variety of other films, including the art house movie Love Exposure in 2009 which landed her numerous awards that included a best actress award from the Montreal based Fantasia International Film Festival. A year later, she starred in Hello From the Bottom of the River by young film director Yuya Ishii. The role netted Mitsushima even more awards and a husband, as the director proposed to her and they were wed in October of 2010, not even six months after the movie was released.

Other names: Akira Ishii (石井 ひかり), Akira Mitsushima (みつしま ひかり)