Japanese actor who specialized in comedy. He joined a theatre company while still in his teens, following the death of his parents. Following the Second World War, he began to get small film roles. Within a decade, he had become a prominent character actor and also one of Toho Films' biggest comedy stars, often teamed with comedian Furankî Sakai. Toho produced two series of comedies with Arishima, the 'Company President' films and the internationally more widely-known 'Young Guy' movies. Arishima continued to appear in both comedic and dramatic roles until his death at 71.