Kiyoshi Sasabe was born on January 8, 1958 in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi prefecture. He graduated from Meiji University before attending the Yokohama Hōsō Eiga Senmon Gakuin (now the Japan Academy of Moving Images). He worked as an assistant director to Yoichi Sai, Seiji Izumi, and Yasuo Furuhata before debuting as a director in 2002 with Hi wa mata noboru, for which he won Nikkan Sports Film Award for Yūjirō Ishihara Award. He received the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for Chirusoku no natsu in 2003. His 2004 work Half a Confession won the best picture award at the 28th Japan Academy Prize and himself won Nikkan Sports Film Award for Yūjirō Ishihara Award for the second time.
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