大象传媒

Michelle Yeoh is classically trained in ballet and is a true action hero. She played opposite Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies, flew through the air in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and is currently donning make up and Kimono to play Mameha in Memoirs of a Geisha. Michelle joins Jenni to talk about her Malaysian-Chinese background, how her career has led her to the big screen and how filming Memoirs of a Geisha compares to the action films of her past.

With an imminent change in the law to allow Japan to have its first empress since the 18th century, a new record number of women MPs in Parliament and calls for measures to boost the employment prospects of women, do these events herald a new era for Japanese women? With Kuniko Inoguchi, the newly elected Minister of State for Gender Equality and Social Affairs in Japan, Dr Lola Martinez of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, and Lynne Nakano of the Department of Japanese Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong join Jenni Murray.

Jenni is joined by Kimiko Barber, an expert in Asian cooking, who'll be explaining how sushi isn't always what you think, and preparing some easy-to-make sushi treats.

Jackie Bates won a silver medal for Britain at the first Sumo World Cup in Rotterdam. But you've probably never heard of her, because she is Britain's only woman sumo wrestler at international level.Woman's Hour reporter Perminder Khatkar caught up with Jackie while training and spoke to 17 year old Charlie O'Shea who has recently taken up the sport. Sumo master, Steve Pateman talks about the British Sumo Federation in Derby.