Early Life and Career
An only child, Emi Suzuki was born on September 13, 1985 in Shanghai, China. Her birth name was Ziliang Wu (吴子靚). At the age of 12, she emigrated to Kyoto and became a naturalized Japanese citizen. She changed her name to "Emi Suzuki" (鈴木依美) in preparation for her entrance into a public junior high school in Kyoto. Suzuki became fluent in Japanese within a year. When she was 13, she began fashion modeling and professionally the following year. She enrolled at Kyoto Ryoyo High School, but did not graduate.
Suzuki began modeling after it was suggested to her by a classmate. She first debuted with Seventeen in 1999, and in the same year she appeared in her first TV commercial for Dancemania Speed 2 alongside Franky Gee. Shortly thereafter, her popularity rose when she made appearances at ready-to-wear open collections for several clothing lines.
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