Sota Kawatsura (川面 聡大, Kawatsura Sōta; born 19 June 1989 in Tokyo) is a Japanese track and field sprinter. He was an…Sota Kawatsura (川面 聡大, Kawatsura Sōta; born 19 June 1989 in Tokyo) is a Japanese track and field sprinter. He was an unused reserve runner in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2011 World Championships. He has won several medals at regional level. His personal best is 10.22 seconds in the 100 metres and 20.56 seconds in the 200 metres. He is also the former national best holder for the outdoor 60 metres at 6.63 seconds.
Issei Endō (遠藤 一星, Endō Issei; born March 23, 1989) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder. He is currently a…Issei Endō (遠藤 一星, Endō Issei; born March 23, 1989) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder. He is currently a free agent. He previously played for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
Hirokazu Sawamura (澤村 拓一, Sawamura Hirokazu; born April 3, 1988) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He…Hirokazu Sawamura (澤村 拓一, Sawamura Hirokazu; born April 3, 1988) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants and Chiba Lotte Marines, and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox. Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 212 pounds (96 kg), he throws and bats right-handed.
Sohji Izumi (和泉 崇司, Izumi Sôji; born February 1, 1988 in Hiroshima) is a Japanese actor. Izumi was born in Hiroshima…Sohji Izumi (和泉 崇司, Izumi Sôji; born February 1, 1988 in Hiroshima) is a Japanese actor. Izumi was born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1988. He competed in javelin throwing in high school, placing 4th in Hiroshima prefecture and 8th in Chugoku Area. While studying at the University of Central Arkansas, he broke the school record and received an athletic scholarship. He participated in the United States Army ROTC program and received basic military training. He also completed the Emergency Medical Technician training at the local fire station, and Advanced Life-support training at the Tokyo Fire Department. Izumi began acting in 2012 after completing graduate school. He is best known for his roles as Carlito in the drama Angel Heart, a sequel to City Hunter by Tsukasa Hojo.
Ryumo Ono (Japanese: 小野 龍猛, Hepburn: Ono Ryūmo; born 6 January 1988) is a Japanese professional basketball player for…Ryumo Ono (Japanese: 小野 龍猛, Hepburn: Ono Ryūmo; born 6 January 1988) is a Japanese professional basketball player for the Kyoto Hannaryz club of the Japanese B.League. He represented Japan's national basketball team at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, China, where he was the team's best 3-point shooter.
Sho Murata (村田 翔, Murata Shō; born April 2, 1987) is a Japanese football player. He is currently playing for…Sho Murata (村田 翔, Murata Shō; born April 2, 1987) is a Japanese football player. He is currently playing for Thespakusatsu Gunma.
Shinya Makabe (真壁 伸弥, Makabe Shin'ya; born 26 March 1987) is a Japanese rugby union player. He was named in Japan's…Shinya Makabe (真壁 伸弥, Makabe Shin'ya; born 26 March 1987) is a Japanese rugby union player. He was named in Japan's squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Keishin Yoshida (吉田 圭伸, Yoshida Keishin; born 12 January 1987) is a Japanese cross-country skier. He competed at the…Keishin Yoshida (吉田 圭伸, Yoshida Keishin; born 12 January 1987) is a Japanese cross-country skier. He competed at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 in Oslo, and placed 12th in 15 kilometre classical. At the 2011 Asian Winter Games he won gold medals in the 10 kilometre classical event and in the 15 kilometre freestyle event.
Manabu Mima (美馬 学, born September 19, 1986) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon…Manabu Mima (美馬 学, born September 19, 1986) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and Chiba Lotte Marines from 2011 to 2025.
Tatsuya Fukuzawa (福澤 達哉 Fukuzawa Tatsuya, born July 1, 1986) is a retired Japanese volleyball player who played for…Tatsuya Fukuzawa (福澤 達哉 Fukuzawa Tatsuya, born July 1, 1986) is a retired Japanese volleyball player who played for Japan men's national volleyball team. He announced his retirement on July 14, 2021 and competed in the retirement match with Panasonic Panthers teammates on August 14, 2021.
Shinji Tsujio (辻尾 真二, Tsujio Shinji; born 23 December 1985 in Sakai, Osaka) is a Japanese football player for SC…Shinji Tsujio (辻尾 真二, Tsujio Shinji; born 23 December 1985 in Sakai, Osaka) is a Japanese football player for SC Sagamihara.
Atsushi Yonezawa (米澤 淳司, Yonezawa Atsushi; born 3 August 1985) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a…Atsushi Yonezawa (米澤 淳司, Yonezawa Atsushi; born 3 August 1985) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Super United in the Dhivehi Premier League.
Kenta Chida (千田健太, Chida Kenta; born 2 August 1985) is a Japanese fencer. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he competed in…Kenta Chida (千田健太, Chida Kenta; born 2 August 1985) is a Japanese fencer. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he competed in the men's foil, but was defeated in the second round. He won a silver medal in the team foil event.
Yuichiro Ueno (上野 裕一郎, Ueno Yuichirō; born 29 July 1985 in Saku, Nagano) is a Japanese professional long-distance…Yuichiro Ueno (上野 裕一郎, Ueno Yuichirō; born 29 July 1985 in Saku, Nagano) is a Japanese professional long-distance runner who specializes in the 1500 and 5000 metres events. Ueno began his international career at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where he ran in the junior race in 2004, then in the senior short race for the two years following that. He represented Japan in the International Chiba Ekiden in 2007, starting off the race with the second fastest leg, behind Moses Ndiema Masai. Japan won the competition. Ueno won in the 1500 m and 5000 m at the 2009 Japan Championships in Athletics, beating his teammate Kensuke Takezawa in the latter race. He finished 16th in his heat in the 5000 m at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, and won bronze medals in the 1500 m and 5000 m at the East Asian Games later that year. Ueno competed for Nagano in the 2011 Inter-Prefectural Men's Ekiden and ran in the final 13 km leg, improving the prefecture to second place in the final rankings behind Tochigi. Later that year he ran the opening leg of the International Chiba Ekiden and the Japanese team finished as runner-up behind Kenya. He is managed by Toshihiko Seko of S&B Foods.
Masato Nakazawa (中澤 雅人, Nakazawa Masato; born February 16, 1985 in Toyama, Toyama, Japan) is a Japanese former…Masato Nakazawa (中澤 雅人, Nakazawa Masato; born February 16, 1985 in Toyama, Toyama, Japan) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
Nozomu Fujita (藤田望, Fujita Nozomu) (born 2 October 1984 in Saitama, Japan) is a Japanese rugby union player. Fujita has…Nozomu Fujita (藤田望, Fujita Nozomu) (born 2 October 1984 in Saitama, Japan) is a Japanese rugby union player. Fujita has played 14 matches for the Japan national rugby union team. Fujita was a member of the Japan team at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, where he played four matches. Fujita currently plays for Top League team Honda Heat.
Yushi Aida (会田 有志, Aida Yushi; born January 30, 1984 in Saitama, Japan) is a Nippon Professional Baseball player for…Yushi Aida (会田 有志, Aida Yushi; born January 30, 1984 in Saitama, Japan) is a Nippon Professional Baseball player for the Yomiuri Giants.
Akira Ogawa (小川晶, Ogawa Akira; born 21 December 1982) is a Japanese politician serving as the mayor of Maebashi since…Akira Ogawa (小川晶, Ogawa Akira; born 21 December 1982) is a Japanese politician serving as the mayor of Maebashi since January 2026.
Yuzo Tamura (田村 雄三, Tamura Yūzō; born December 7, 1982) is a Japanese professional football manager and former player…Yuzo Tamura (田村 雄三, Tamura Yūzō; born December 7, 1982) is a Japanese professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of J2 League club Iwaki FC.
Saori Ikeuchi (池内 さおり; born September 15, 1982) is a member of the Japanese Communist Party, serving in the House of…Saori Ikeuchi (池内 さおり; born September 15, 1982) is a member of the Japanese Communist Party, serving in the House of Representatives. She is one of the representatives representing the Tokyo proportional representation block. Ikeuchi believes that the government should do more to protect the rights of LGBT people.
Naoya Shibamura (柴村 直弥, Shibamura Naoya; born 11 September 1982) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a…Naoya Shibamura (柴村 直弥, Shibamura Naoya; born 11 September 1982) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a defender for Ishikawa SC.
Shinsuke Kashiwagi (柏木 真介、born December 22, 1981) is a Japanese professional basketball player. He plays for the…Shinsuke Kashiwagi (柏木 真介、born December 22, 1981) is a Japanese professional basketball player. He plays for the SeaHorses Mikawa of the B.League. Kashiwagi was a member of the Japan national basketball team. He played for the team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship and the FIBA Asia Championship 2007 and FIBA Asia Championship 2009. In the 2009-10 season, Kashiwagi entered the month-long winter break averaging 13.7 points and 3.5 assists per game for the Seahorses. He was named to the West squad for the 2009-10 JBL Super League All-Star game.
Fumiyo Yoshida (吉田 文代, Yoshida Fumiyo; born 25 April 1981 in Tako, Chiba) is a Japanese triple jumper. She competed at…Fumiyo Yoshida (吉田 文代, Yoshida Fumiyo; born 25 April 1981 in Tako, Chiba) is a Japanese triple jumper. She competed at the 2007 World Championships without reaching the final. She was a nine-time Japanese Championships triple jump champion.
Shinya Taniguchi (谷口 晋矢, Taniguchi Shin'ya; 23 March 1981 – 4 September 2013) was a Japanese swimmer who competed in…Shinya Taniguchi (谷口 晋矢, Taniguchi Shin'ya; 23 March 1981 – 4 September 2013) was a Japanese swimmer who competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Junko Isoda (磯田 順子, Isoda Junko; born 11 March 1981) is a Japanese former swimmer who competed in the 2000 Summer…Junko Isoda (磯田 順子, Isoda Junko; born 11 March 1981) is a Japanese former swimmer who competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Masakazu Fujiwara (born 6 March 1981 in Ōkawachi, Hyōgo), in Japanese 藤原正和, is Japanese long-distance runner, who…Masakazu Fujiwara (born 6 March 1981 in Ōkawachi, Hyōgo), in Japanese 藤原正和, is Japanese long-distance runner, who specializes in the marathon. He has a personal best of 2:08:12 hours for the event. He was the 2013 Japanese champion in the marathon and won the 2010 Tokyo Marathon. He trains at Honda Sports team. He graduated from Chuo University, where he competed in track and field. He ran an Asian junior record of 28:17.38 minutes for the 10,000 metres. He participated four times in the Hakone Ekiden. He won the half marathon at the 2001 Summer Universiade in Beijing. In 2003 he began to compete in marathon, he finished third with a time of 2:08:12 at the 2003 Lake Biwa Marathon. This was the fastest ever debut for a Japanese runner. He represented Japan at the marathon at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics, but he could not complete the event due to a knee injury. After this rapid ascent, he stagnated as a runner in the following years. Highlights of this period include a runner-up finish at the 2005 Ome 30 km Road Race and a fourth-place finish at the Asian Cross Country Championships in 2007, where he led Japan to the team bronze. He started well at the 2008 Lake Biwa Marathon but faded in the second half to ninth place. His career began to turn around in 2010. That year he won the Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:12:19 hours, beating his namesake Arata Fujiwara in wet conditions. He ran at the 2010 Berlin Marathon later that year and ranked in the top ten with a time of 2:12:00 hours (his best in seven years). He missed 2011 due to injury. On his return in 2012 he managed only 31st at the Tokyo Marathon but clocked 2:11:31 hours for tenth at the 2012 Berlin Marathon. Ten years after his record debut run, he returned to Lake Biwa and dipped under two hours and ten minutes for the first time in a decade. His run of 2:08:51 was enough for fourth place and as the first Japanese he won his first national title in the marathon.
Yoshihiko Matsumoto (松本 慶彦, Matsumoto Yoshihiko; born 7 January 1981) is a Japanese volleyball player. He competed in…Yoshihiko Matsumoto (松本 慶彦, Matsumoto Yoshihiko; born 7 January 1981) is a Japanese volleyball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Kengo Nakamura (中村 憲剛, Nakamura Kengo; born 31 October 1980) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as…Kengo Nakamura (中村 憲剛, Nakamura Kengo; born 31 October 1980) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. A one-club man, Nakamura signed with Kawasaki Frontale in 2003 and helped the then J2 outfit earn promotion back to the top flight in 2004, and became a fixture in the ambitious Frontale side that finished second in the J1 League in 2006, 2008 and 2009. He was named club captain for the first time in 2012, and in the same season lead the league in assists with 13. In 2016, at the age of 36, Nakamura was named both J League MVP and Japanese Footballer of the Year, becoming the oldest recipient of either award. The following season, he was a part of the Kawasaki side that won the J1 League for the first time in the club's history. He would win two more J1 League titles in 2018 and 2020, as well as a domestic double of the Japanese Super and J League Cups in 2019 before retiring at the end of the 2020 season after 17 years and over 500 appearances for the club. Nakamura was first selected for the Japan national team in 2006 under Ivica Osim and earned his first cap on 4 October in a 1–0 friendly win against Ghana. He scored his first international goal one week later in a 3–0 win over India, and represented his country at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. After battling through injury, he was named in the Japan squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, making one substitute appearance as the side reached the round of 16. In total, Nakamura earned 68 caps and scored 6 goals during an eight-year international career.
Kei Igarashi (五十嵐 圭、born May 7, 1980 in Jōetsu, Niigata, Japan) is a Japanese professional basketball player. He plays…Kei Igarashi (五十嵐 圭、born May 7, 1980 in Jōetsu, Niigata, Japan) is a Japanese professional basketball player. He plays for the Gunma Crane Thunders of the B.League. He also was a member of the Japan national basketball team, playing for the team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship and both the FIBA Asia Championship 2007 and FIBA Asia Championship 2009. Igarashi averaged 9 points and 3 assists per game for the host Japanese at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Igarashi scored a team-high 18 points and added three assists in Japan's lone win at the tournament, a 78-61 preliminary round victory over Panama. In his most recent, national team appearance, Igarashi had a team-leading 3.6 assists per game, good for third best overall in the tournament. Despite his performance, Japan stumbled to a disappointing tenth-place finish, its worst ever performance in 24 FIBA Asia Championship appearances. In the 2009-10 season, he entered the month-long winter break averaging 9.3 points and 2.9 assists per game for the Alvark. The popular Igarashi was also named to the JBL All-Star Game as the leading point guard vote-getter for the East.
Ryutaro Sakamoto (坂本 竜太郎, Sakamoto Ryutaro; born 28 March 1980) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic…Ryutaro Sakamoto (坂本 竜太郎, Sakamoto Ryutaro; born 28 March 1980) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who serves as a member of the House of Representatives.
Kenichiro Kogure (Japanese: 木暮 賢一郎, born 11 November 1979) is a Japanese former futsal player and, since 2021, the…Kenichiro Kogure (Japanese: 木暮 賢一郎, born 11 November 1979) is a Japanese former futsal player and, since 2021, the Japan national futsal team manager.
Naoto Nakamura (中村 直人, Nakamura Naoto), better known by his stage name Naoto Inti Raymi (ナオト・インティライミ, Naoto Intiraymi)…Naoto Nakamura (中村 直人, Nakamura Naoto), better known by his stage name Naoto Inti Raymi (ナオト・インティライミ, Naoto Intiraymi), is a Japanese singer-songwriter and composer. He was born in Mie Prefecture in Japan and later grew up in Chiba Prefecture. For two years from 2001, he used his given name Naoto as his stage name. In 2001, while he was still attending Chuo University, Naoto debuted into the major music scene with his single "Growing up!!" released by Sony Music Records. Then he kept releasing the total three singles and one album before graduating from his university in 2002. After the graduation, he went on to "the trip around the world through 28 countries", which took 515 days over two years from 2003 to 2004. Upon his return home, he began his professional music career with his new stage name, Naoto Inti Raymi meaning "the festival of the sun" in Quechuan language. Inti means the sun, while Raymi means festival. In 2001, From Universal Sigma, he released "Carnival?", the first single with a major label as Naoto Inti Raymi. The following hit singles "TAKARAMONO – KONO KOEGA NAKUNARUMADE – “ in 2010 and “IMANO KIMIWO WASURENAI" in 2011 both were downloaded more than one million times at multiple music download sites. In 2012, he was invited to perform at the most prestigious music TV show in Japan, KOUHAKU UTA GASSEN. After that, he continued releasing singles and albums while he toured around the nation for concerts. In 2015, his one-man show at KYOCERA DOME OSAKA successfully drew an audience of 40,000 to celebrate his 5th anniversary year of his career with a major record label. Not just a singer-songwriter, his wide range of musical talents is also allowing himself to actively write songs for the other artists. Besides in the music industry, he began his career in acting as well when he appeared in the 2015 movie "KAMISAMA WA BALINI IRU". Then he played the lead role of the musical "DNA-SHARAKU" in 2016 and appeared in the TV drama series "KOUNODORI" in 2017. Currently, he is working on making music in other languages besides Japanese with the intention of making a world tour "Inti Raymi" is Quechuan (Incan language) for "festival of the sun."
Choemon Masataka Tanabe (田部 長右衛門 真孝, born August 4, 1979) is a Japanese business magnate, one of Japan's largest…Choemon Masataka Tanabe (田部 長右衛門 真孝, born August 4, 1979) is a Japanese business magnate, one of Japan's largest private forest owners, owner of a ranch, investor, media proprietor, mass media heir, and television executive. He is the 25th head of the Tanabe family, one of the "Tatara Big Three" in Japan's San'in region. He serves as representative director and President of Tanabe Corporation and San-in Chuo Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd., commonly known as TSK. His commonly used name and legal name is "Choemon Tanabe (田部 長右衛門)". His grandfather is the 23rd Choemon Tomoyuki Tanabe, who was a former governor of Shimane Prefecture, and his father is the 24th Choemon Tomohisa Tanabe.
Takekaze Akira (born June 21, 1979 as Akira Narita) is a former professional sumo wrestler from Akita Prefecture…Takekaze Akira (born June 21, 1979 as Akira Narita) is a former professional sumo wrestler from Akita Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur sumo champion, he turned professional in 2002, reaching the top makuuchi division the following year. He was a runner-up in one tournament, earned two special prizes for Fighting Spirit, and one gold star for defeating a yokozuna. Takekaze is in first place for the slowest promotion from makuuchi debut to the third highest sekiwake rank in history. Aged 35 years and two months, he is in first place for the eldest to make his sekiwake debut post World War II. He was a member of Oguruma stable. He retired in January 2019 to become an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Oshiogawa-oyakata and is the owner of Oshiogawa stable.
Matsuji Nakaizumi (中泉松司, Nakaizumi Matsuji; born 7 May 1979) is a Japanese politician from the Liberal Democratic…Matsuji Nakaizumi (中泉松司, Nakaizumi Matsuji; born 7 May 1979) is a Japanese politician from the Liberal Democratic Party. As of 2014 he served as member of the House of Councillors for Akita At-large district.
Shinnosuke Abe (阿部 慎之助, Abe Shinnosuke; born March 20, 1979) is a Japanese former professional baseball player and…Shinnosuke Abe (阿部 慎之助, Abe Shinnosuke; born March 20, 1979) is a Japanese former professional baseball player and manager. He spent his entire 19-year career with Nippon Professional Baseball's Yomiuri Giants, serving as the team's captain from 2007 to 2014. He has twice been named the MVP of the Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Series, in 2007 (Game 1) and 2010 (Game 1). Currently, he serves as the manager for the Giants.
Kazuya Narita (成田 和也, born (1979-02-25)25 February 1979) is a Japanese male track cyclist, and part of the national…Kazuya Narita (成田 和也, born (1979-02-25)25 February 1979) is a Japanese male track cyclist, and part of the national team. He competed in the 2007 and 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. He is also a professional keirin cyclist.
Masami Tanaka (田中 雅美, Tanaka Masami; born January 5, 1979 in Engaru, Hokkaidō) is a former breaststroke swimmer from…Masami Tanaka (田中 雅美, Tanaka Masami; born January 5, 1979 in Engaru, Hokkaidō) is a former breaststroke swimmer from Japan. She won the bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m Medley Relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Her winning teammates in that race were Mai Nakamura, Junko Onishi, and Sumika Minamoto. She competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1996.
Hirotoki Onozawa (小野澤 宏時, Onozawa Hirotoki; born March 29, 1978 in Shimada, Shizuoka, Japan) is a Japanese former rugby…Hirotoki Onozawa (小野澤 宏時, Onozawa Hirotoki; born March 29, 1978 in Shimada, Shizuoka, Japan) is a Japanese former rugby union player who played at Wing and occasionally Fullback for Canon Eagles. He previously played for Suntory Sungoliath and the Japan national rugby union team. Nicknamed "the eel" for his sharp sidestepping ability, Onozawa is the second most capped Japanese rugby player of all time, and fifth highest try scorer in international rugby. Despite spending much of his career in the shadow of Daisuke Ohata he is considered an all-time great of Japanese rugby in his own right.
Kōsuke Noda (野田 浩輔, Noda Kōsuke; born December 4, 1977) is a former professional Japanese baseball catcher and current…Kōsuke Noda (野田 浩輔, Noda Kōsuke; born December 4, 1977) is a former professional Japanese baseball catcher and current coach for the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. Noda played with the Saitama Seibu Lions. He also played for the Japan national baseball team at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.