Akemi Sakamoto received her undergraduate education and a masters degree in opera from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. She studied under Naoko Ihara, Taikai Takahashi and Angelo Loforese. While she was in graduate school she was selected to appear in the Kansai Japan-Italy Competition, won the Grand Prix at the 7th Competition for New Musical Artists (Iizuka) and received a Cultural and Education Ministry Incentive Award. Then in 1989 she received a scholarship from the Italian government to study at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Giuseppe Verdi" de Como. In 1991 she took the top prizes at the "Toti dal Monte" competition held in Trerviso (Italy) and the "Bellini" International competition, took third prize at the Francisco Vinas competition, performed the role of Dorabella in a production of "Cosi fan tutte" in Treviso and Rovigo (conducted by Peter Maag), was selected for the role of a goddess in the new opera "Gilgamesh" by the Italian composer Franco Battiato and performed at the Teatro de'll Opera di Roma. In 1993 she performed as a soloist in a mass by Battiato given at major churches throughout Italy. The masses given at the cathedrals of Assisi and San Francisco were nationally televised. Following this, she was chosen for the role of Fenena in "Nabucco", Rosina in "The Barber of Seville" and the title role in "Carmen". In each of these productions her radiant, well modulated singing won generous applause. In 1996 she won the 24th Giraud Opera Prize for New Artists, and the following year the 25th Giraud Opera Grand Prix. In the fall of 1997 she gained attention as the only Japanese soloist in the opera Les Mamelles des Tiresias, given at the Saito Kinen Festival. Since then she has given striking performances in the roles of Chikara Oishi in Shigeaki Saegusa's "Chushingura" and Princess Yamato in a performance of "Takeru" given as the first production at the New National Theatre Tokyo. She again gave a distinguisged performance in the title role in "Carmen" in 1999 at the New National Theatre Tokyo. Akemi Sakamoto is based both in Italy and Japan, where she gives many concerts throughout the respective countries. At the same time she sings solo parts in Mozart's "Requiem", Verdi's "Requiem", Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle and other religious works at many church services. She is a member of the Nikikai.