Miyoko Shōji was a Japanese actress and voice actress born on July 12, 1936, in Tokyo, Japan. She enjoyed a long and varied career that spanned both stage and screen. Before becoming a recognizable voice in animation, Shōji established herself as a stage performer with the Tokyo Engeki Ensemble theater company and also appeared in live-action films, including Toshio Matsumoto's experimental movie Funeral Parade of Roses in 1969. Her voice acting work is known for bringing depth to a range of maternal, elderly, and supporting characters across many decades of Japanese anime.

Shōji is best known for her poignant performance as the older version of Chiyoko Fujiwara in Satoshi Kon's acclaimed 2001 film Millennium Actress. In the film, she voices the legendary actress in her later years, as she looks back on her life and career; the younger versions of the character were portrayed by Mami Koyama and Fumiko Orikasa. Her portrayal contributed significantly to the film's emotional weight and its enduring status as a classic of animated cinema. For this role, she was nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production in 2004.

Beyond this iconic role, Shōji's extensive voice acting credits include Monica Arno in the film Mobile Suit Gundam F91 from 1991, Safu's grandmother in the television series No. 6 in 2011, and Kyoko Yamashiro in the series Chihayafuru from 2013 to 2020. She also voiced the character Lacy in the long-running Pokémon XY series. Earlier in her career, she took on the role of Amako in the 1973 series Kerokko Demetan, which is also known as The Brave Frog. Over the years, she was affiliated with talent agencies such as Dojinsha Production and later Jac in Production. Her role as Principal in the series UFO Senshi Daiapolon, as mentioned in the query, does not appear in the verified search results. Miyoko Shōji passed away on April 7, 2020, in Suginami, Tokyo, at the age of 83 due to a cerebral hemorrhage.