Japanese actor Ando Sakura and film director Iwai Shunji are among this year's invitees to become members of the Academy Awards organization.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday said it has invited 398 artists and executives to join the organization and become Oscar voters.

Ando Sakura starred in "Shoplifters," which was nominated for best foreign language film at the 2019 Academy Awards.

Iwai Shunji is known as the director and writer of films including "Vampire" and "Swallowtail Butterfly."

Other invitees with links to Japan include Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, who was nominated this year for his adapted screenplay for the film "Living."

Also invited is wardrobe stylist Shirley Kurata, who earned a costume design nomination this year for "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

Those who accept the invitation will become an official Academy member.

The Academy says it selects invitees "with an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority." It said that of the 2023 invitees, 52 percent are from 50 countries and territories outside the United States.