Mao Inoue (井上 真央, Inoue Mao) (born January 9, 1987) is an award-winning Japanese actress. She debuted as a U-15 idol in 1999. She is best known to Japanese television drama audiences as Akane Imai (今井 茜, Imai Akane) in Kids War (キッズ・ウォー, Kizzu Uo) and as Makino Tsukushi in the popular Hana Yori Dango series.