Emiko Ikehata was born 28 March 1978 to Japanese singer Yūzō Kayama and former actress Megumi Matsumoto.
On her father's side, she is a direct descendant of Japanese Court Noble and Politician Iwakura Tomomi.
[2][3] After graduating Keio University in 2000, Ikehata started out doing Japanese soap operas, including a recurring role in a series called Wipe Your Tears (2000) as schoolteacher Eriko Miyamoto.
She also had a bit part in Song of the Canfields (2003), a film based on the single of the same name by Ryoko Moriyama, recounting the events of the Battle of Okinawa, and a supporting role in SF Whipped Cream (2002), a Sci-Fi Comedy by experimental filmmaker Takahisa Zeze.
In 2009, she scored her first leading role in a Hollywood film production in The Grudge 3 (2009) as Naoko, sister of the villain Kayako Saeki, who holds the secret to ending the curse once and for all.