Ken Watanabe enlists some big name friends to raise money for Japan relief

by Chris MaGee

Ken Watanabe has got to be one of the busiest actors in Japan... or the world for that matter, but it's good to see that he's carved some time out of his schedule to set up his own Japan relief organization, Unite for Japan. Thus far Watanabe has raised $300,000 US for relief efforts in Miyagi Prefecture and surrounding areas devastated by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. Watanabe hasn't done this alone though. He's had some help from his acting and entertainment colleagues. Unite Japan approached celebrities to participate in a series PSA videos (like the one below) in which they hold up cards with messages of hope and support. The response was overwhelming -- just in this one video there are messages from the likes of Cameron Diaz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Katy Perry, Mark Wahlberg, Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon, John Legend and of course Leonardo DiCaprio. Check out the video below... and if you haven't already donated to Japan earthquake and tsunami relief then please do!

Thanks to Japan Today for pointing the way to this story.