Kaori Yamagata is a Japanese voice actress and stage actress, also active as a scriptwriter under the name Sakurako Akino. She was born in Osaka Prefecture on February 27, 1963. Her career in the performing arts began on the stage after she joined the Bungakuza Theatre Company's research institute in 1983, making her stage debut in 1985 and becoming a full company member in 1988. Her transition into voice acting was sparked by a successful audition for the Japanese dub of the television series ER, for which she provided the voice for the character Susan Lewis.

As a voice actor, Yamagata has built a substantial portfolio of work in anime. One of her notable roles is Lilly in the 2010 anime series Rainbow - Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin. Her other prominent anime credits include the role of Hikari's mother in The Prince of Tennis and Coach Aoi Hanamura, BeLa in the second series of妖怪人間, and Ashura Maru in Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z Hen. She has also voiced characters in long-running and popular franchises, with multiple guest roles in Case Closed, including as Sae Suzuki in episode 105, Chika Shimoda in episodes 277-278, and Kaoru Taizan in episodes 338-339. Her film work includes a role in the animated film Summer Wars as Naomi Miwa and voicing the Queen in the 2015 film Go! Princess Pretty Cure the Movie: Go! Go!! Gorgeous Triple Feature!!!. Beyond anime, a significant portion of her voice acting career involves dubbing foreign films and television series, where she has been the regular Japanese voice for actresses such as Julia Roberts and Juliette Binoche.

In addition to her performance work, Yamagata has established a parallel career as a playwright and scriptwriter under the pen name Sakurako Akino. She has been involved in writing for various media, including the script for the Pretty Cure film Go! Princess Pretty Cure the Movie: Go! Go!! Gorgeous Triple Feature!!!. Her work in theater has been recognized with awards; her play Saru (Monkey) received the优秀新人剧本奖 (Excellent New Screenplay Award) at the 16th Japan Playwrights Association Awards. To further her creative endeavors in theater, she co-founded the small剧团 (theater company) "Hagoromo 1011" with fellow voice actor Misa Watanabe and later established the演剧企划集团 (theater planning group) "Watermelon Sugar" with Yuko Matsumoto and Miyoko Okuyama. In 2017, she left Bungakuza and continues her career affiliated with the agency Fukuda & Co..