Hiroko Yakushimaru, born June 9, 1964, in Tokyo, is a Japanese actress and singer whose career began in live-action films before she took on select roles as a voice actor in animated features. She rose to national fame as a teen idol in the late 1970s and 1980s, particularly through her work with Kadokawa Films. Her breakthrough came with the 1981 film Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, in which she starred and performed the chart-topping theme song. While primarily known for her extensive work in live-action cinema and television, her voice acting credits include several notable animated films.

As a voice actor, Yakushimaru is known for voicing the character Tomoe Suzuki across multiple films in the Always: Sunset on Third Street series, a role that contributed to her receiving the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. She also voiced Yōko Kaneda in the 2005 film Tetsujin 28-go. In the 2015 animated fantasy adventure film Sinbad: The Flying Princess and a Secret Island, she provided the voice for the character Latifa. Another early voice role was Jona Macka in the 1980 film adaptation of Toward the Terra.

Her voice acting work appears to be intermittent, complementing a larger career focused on live-action performance and music rather than a consistent specialization in animation. Her achievements in acting are significant; she has won multiple awards, including the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actress for the film W's Tragedy and the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actress for Always: Sunset on Third Street. In 2024, she received the Tanaka Kinuyo Award at the 78th Mainichi Film Awards for her long-term contributions to Japanese cinema.