Jun Yamashita (山下 潤, Yamashita Jun; born 23 August 1997) is a Japanese athlete. He competed in the men's 200 metres…Jun Yamashita (山下 潤, Yamashita Jun; born 23 August 1997) is a Japanese athlete. He competed in the men's 200 metres event at the 2019 World Athletics Championships.
Konomi Takeishi (武石 この実, Takeishi Konomi; born 9 October 1991 in Aizuwakamatsu) is a Japanese sprinter who specialises…Konomi Takeishi (武石 この実, Takeishi Konomi; born 9 October 1991 in Aizuwakamatsu) is a Japanese sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres. She won the bronze medal in the women's 4 × 400 metres relay and mixed 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2019 Asian Championships. She also competed in the women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2019 World Relays. She is the former Japanese best record holder in the Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay (3:23.83 minutes).
Sayaka Aoki (青木 沙弥佳, Aoki Sayaka; born 15 December 1986 in Gifu Prefecture) is a Japanese track and field sprinter and…Sayaka Aoki (青木 沙弥佳, Aoki Sayaka; born 15 December 1986 in Gifu Prefecture) is a Japanese track and field sprinter and hurdler, who specializes in the 400 metres sprint and 400 metres hurdles. She competed for her country as part of the Japanese women's 4 × 400 metres relay team at the Summer Olympics in 2008 and the World Championships in Athletics three times (2007, 2009, 2015). She has been a four-time medallist in the relay at the Asian Athletics Championships (2007, 2011, 2013, 2017), including a gold medal in 2011. She won her first major international medal in the hurdles – a bronze – at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships. Aoki competed for the women's 4 × 400 m relay at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, along with her teammates Mayu Kida, Satomi Kubokura, and Asami Tanno. She ran on the anchor leg of the first heat, with an individual-split time of 52.64 seconds. Aoki and her team finished the relay in last place for a seasonal best time of 3:30.52, failing to advance into the final. Born in Gifu Prefecture, she attended Fukushima University and represented her country as a student-athlete at the 2007 Universiade.
Mayumi Watanabe (渡辺 真弓, Watanabe Mayumi; married name Amagaya (天下谷), born 6 June 1983 in Niigata) is a retired Japanese…Mayumi Watanabe (渡辺 真弓, Watanabe Mayumi; married name Amagaya (天下谷), born 6 June 1983 in Niigata) is a retired Japanese athlete who specialised in sprinting events. She represented her country at the 2007 and 2009 World Championships. Her personal bests are 11.44 seconds in the 100 metres (+1.7 m/s, Fukushima 2011) and 23.35 seconds in the 200 metres (+0.4 m/s, Fukuroi 2013). She retired in October 2015. She is currently the coach of Toho Bank Athletics Club.
Mayu Kida (木田 真有, Kida Mayu; born September 14, 1982 in Obihiro, Hokkaidō) is a retired Japanese sprinter, who…Mayu Kida (木田 真有, Kida Mayu; born September 14, 1982 in Obihiro, Hokkaidō) is a retired Japanese sprinter, who specialized in the 400 metres. Kida competed for the women's 4 × 400 m relay at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, along with her teammates Sayaka Aoki, Satomi Kubokura, and Asami Tanno. She ran on the third leg of the first heat, with an individual-split time of 52.72 seconds. Kida and her team finished the relay in last place for a seasonal best time of 3:30.52, failing to advance into the final.
Satomi Kubokura (久保倉 里美, Kubokura Satomi; born 27 April 1982 in Asahikawa) is a Japanese track and field athlete who…Satomi Kubokura (久保倉 里美, Kubokura Satomi; born 27 April 1982 in Asahikawa) is a Japanese track and field athlete who competes in the 200 metres, the 400 metres and the 400 m hurdles. Her personal bests are 24.32 in the 200 m achieved at Kobe on 27 April 2008; 38.12 in the 300 metres at Izumo on 22 April 2007; 53.08 in the 400 metres in Osaka on 30 June 2007; and 55.34 in the 400 m hurdles at Osaka on 26 June 2011. She competed in the 400 metres hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where she qualified for the second round with the twelfth fastest overall time of 55.82 seconds. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she reached the semi-finals of 400 metre hurdles.
Fuminori Nakamura (中村 文則, Nakamura Fuminori; born 2 September 1977) is the pseudonym of a Japanese author. Nakamura…Fuminori Nakamura (中村 文則, Nakamura Fuminori; born 2 September 1977) is the pseudonym of a Japanese author. Nakamura came to international attention when he won the 2010 Kenzaburō Ōe Prize for his novel, The Thief (掏摸, "Pickpocket"). The English translation of the novel was well received.
Tomo Iwabuchi (Japanese: 岩渕 友, Hepburn: Iwabuchi Tomo; 3 October 1976, Fukushima Prefecture) is a member of both the…Tomo Iwabuchi (Japanese: 岩渕 友, Hepburn: Iwabuchi Tomo; 3 October 1976, Fukushima Prefecture) is a member of both the Japanese Communist Party and the Japanese House of Councillors. She was elected to her seat in the national proportional representation block in 2016. Iwabuchi is opposed to nuclear reactors in Japan, advocating for their elimination and against their reactivation.
Hideko Nihei (二瓶 秀子, Nihei Hideko; née Kijinami (雉子波), born 2 January 1971 in Fukushima Prefecture) is a Japanese…Hideko Nihei (二瓶 秀子, Nihei Hideko; née Kijinami (雉子波), born 2 January 1971 in Fukushima Prefecture) is a Japanese retired sprinter. She competed in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 1997 World Championships. She is the former Japanese record holder in the 100 metres (11.36 seconds), 200 metres (23.82 seconds) and 4 × 100 metres relay (44.41 seconds). She is currently the head coach at the Fukushima University Track Club.
Tōru Murakawa (村川透, Murakawa Tōru; born March 1937 in Yamagata Prefecture) is a Japanese film director. He is most…Tōru Murakawa (村川透, Murakawa Tōru; born March 1937 in Yamagata Prefecture) is a Japanese film director. He is most famous for his collaborations with the actor Yūsaku Matsuda in both film and television.
Seiko Kanno (菅野 聖子; née Seiko Aizawa, 1933–1988) is a participant of the 'third generation' of the Gutai Art…Seiko Kanno (菅野 聖子; née Seiko Aizawa, 1933–1988) is a participant of the 'third generation' of the Gutai Art Association from the mid 1960s onward. Her paintings are often characterized by an inorganic composition, seemingly devoid of emotional expression. Kanno is also a member of an experimental, avant-garde group of poets, in which she composed highly visual poems using symbols and katakana syllables. Her work additionally suggests her admiration of music, physics and mathematics, to which she became devoted towards in her later years.
Kumiko Imura (井村 久美子, Imura Kumiko; born 10 January 1981 in Sakata, Yamagata) is a Japanese long jumper. She won bronze…Kumiko Imura (井村 久美子, Imura Kumiko; born 10 January 1981 in Sakata, Yamagata) is a Japanese long jumper. She won bronze medals at the 2000 World Junior Championships and the 2001 Summer Universiade, and finished eleventh at the 2001 World Championships. On the regional level she won a bronze medal at the 2005 Asian Championships and gold at the 2006 Asian Games. Her personal best jump is 6.86 metres, achieved in May 2006 in Osaka. This is the current Japanese record. She began competing as Kumiko Imura in the 2009 season.
Asami Chiba (千葉 麻美, Chiba Asami; born 25 September 1985), or Tanno, is a Japanese sprinter who specialises in the 400…Asami Chiba (千葉 麻美, Chiba Asami; born 25 September 1985), or Tanno, is a Japanese sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres. She is the Japanese record holder in the event, and has also broken the national record in the 4×400 metres relay on multiple occasions. She is a member of Natureal Athlete Club in Japan and is coached by Kazuhisa Kawamoto. As a junior athlete, Tanno won two silver medals at the Asian Junior Athletics Championships, setting a national record in 2004, and she also reached the final of the World Junior Championships. She competed at her first World Championships the following year and won two bronze medals at the Asian Championships. In the 2006 and 2007 seasons, she won bronze at the 2006 Asian Games and two silver medals at the Asian Championships. She also helped set a new national relay record and became Japan's first ever female sprint semi-finalist at the 2007 World Championships. She was less successful at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2009 World Championships as she was eliminated in the heats at both events. A five-time national champion in the 400 m, she has only lost once in the event at the Japanese championships, to Satomi Kubokura. She mainly competes on the Japanese athletics circuit, running at the Osaka Grand Prix, Shizuoka International and the Super Meet in Kawasaki.
