Kishu Izuchi (井土紀州, Izuchi Kishū; born 1968) is a film director and screenwriter from Japan. He has often collaborated…Kishu Izuchi (井土紀州, Izuchi Kishū; born 1968) is a film director and screenwriter from Japan. He has often collaborated with Takahisa Zeze.
Kenji Goto (後藤 健二, Gotō Kenji; 23 October 1967 – c. 31 January 2015) was a Japanese freelance video journalist covering…Kenji Goto (後藤 健二, Gotō Kenji; 23 October 1967 – c. 31 January 2015) was a Japanese freelance video journalist covering wars and conflicts, refugees, poverty, AIDS, and child education around the world. In October 2014, he was captured and held hostage by Islamic State (IS) militants after entering Syria in the hopes of rescuing Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa. On 31 January 2015, he was beheaded by his captors led by Kuwaiti-British militant Jihadi John following the breakdown of negotiations for his release.
Hiromichi Kageyama (蔭山 弘道, Kageyama Hiromichi; born 28 August 1967) is a Japanese volleyball player. He competed in the…Hiromichi Kageyama (蔭山 弘道, Kageyama Hiromichi; born 28 August 1967) is a Japanese volleyball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Hideyuki Otake (大竹 秀之, Ōtake Hideyuki; born 16 July 1967) is a Japanese former volleyball player, who played as a…Hideyuki Otake (大竹 秀之, Ōtake Hideyuki; born 16 July 1967) is a Japanese former volleyball player, who played as a middle blocker for the Men's National Team in the 1990s. He competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, finishing in sixth place.
Koichi Oshima (大島 公一, Oshima Koichi; born June 17, 1967) is a retired Japanese professional baseball player from…Koichi Oshima (大島 公一, Oshima Koichi; born June 17, 1967) is a retired Japanese professional baseball player from Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan. He played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes, Orix Buffaloes, and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles during his professional career, and currently works as a minor league hitting coach for the Orix Buffaloes. Oshima was a valuable switch hitter and a solid fielder, winning three Japanese golden glove awards at second base, and two Best Nine awards. He dismissed an offer to work as a coach when the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and Orix BlueWave merged, and played a season with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles before becoming a coach for the Orix Buffaloes in 2006. He won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics before entering the Japanese professional leagues.
Yasuhiro Nightow (内藤 泰弘, Naitō Yasuhiro; born April 8, 1967, in Yokohama, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. His major…Yasuhiro Nightow (内藤 泰弘, Naitō Yasuhiro; born April 8, 1967, in Yokohama, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. His major work Trigun was adapted into an anime series and film. He also designed the characters for the video game and anime series Gungrave, and has been working on the manga Blood Blockade Battlefront.
Yoshihiko Sakuraba (桜庭吉彦, Sakuraba Yoshihiko), (born 22 September 1966 in Akita) is a Japanese former rugby union…Yoshihiko Sakuraba (桜庭吉彦, Sakuraba Yoshihiko), (born 22 September 1966 in Akita) is a Japanese former rugby union player and coach. Currently, he works as general manager for Kamaishi Seawaves and as ambassador for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Shinpei Matsushita (松下 新平, Matsushita Shinpei; born August 18, 1966) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic…Shinpei Matsushita (松下 新平, Matsushita Shinpei; born August 18, 1966) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, and a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature).
Hiroki Fuwa (不破 弘樹, Fuwa Hiroki; born 9 July 1966) is a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 100 metres at the…Hiroki Fuwa (不破 弘樹, Fuwa Hiroki; born 9 July 1966) is a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 100 metres at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Yukihiro Mitani (born 22 April 1966) is a Japanese speed skater. He competed in the men's 1000 metres event at the 1988…Yukihiro Mitani (born 22 April 1966) is a Japanese speed skater. He competed in the men's 1000 metres event at the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Norihiro Akimura (秋村 謙宏, Akimura Norihiro; born February 26, 1966 in Yamaguchi, Japan) is a retired Japanese Nippon…Norihiro Akimura (秋村 謙宏, Akimura Norihiro; born February 26, 1966 in Yamaguchi, Japan) is a retired Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. He played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and the Nippon Ham Fighters.
Yasumi Matsuno (松野 泰己, Matsuno Yasumi; born 1965) is a Japanese video game designer and writer. Matsuno was first…Yasumi Matsuno (松野 泰己, Matsuno Yasumi; born 1965) is a Japanese video game designer and writer. Matsuno was first introduced to video games in arcades while waiting for the train, and first played Space Invaders and Xevious there. He attended Hosei University for foreign policy but dropped out, and after working for a time as an economic reporter, he joined Quest Corporation. As an employee at video game companies Quest in 1989 and later Square in 1995, Matsuno became well known for his work in the tactical role-playing game genre, specifically the Ogre Battle (1993) and Final Fantasy Tactics (1997) series, in addition to Vagrant Story (2000) and Final Fantasy XII (2006). After disruptions from staff leaving his development team, he resigned from Square Enix due to prolonged illness. During a freelance period, he worked on games for Nintendo's Wii such as MadWorld (2009). He joined Level-5 in 2011 where he helped create Crimson Shroud for the Nintendo 3DS. In 2016, he created his own company called Algebra Factory, and during this period was asked by Square Enix to create a scenario for Final Fantasy XIV's expansion Stormblood (2017). He created a raid called "Return to Ivalice", the land of Ivalice being a setting from previous Final Fantasy games he had worked on. Matsuno was subsequently asked to create another scenario, which was titled "Save the Queen: Blades of Gunnhildr" and included in Shadowbringers, another expansion for the game.
Naoki Kusunose (楠瀬 直木, Kusunose Naoki; born April 17, 1964) is a Japanese football manager and former player.…Naoki Kusunose (楠瀬 直木, Kusunose Naoki; born April 17, 1964) is a Japanese football manager and former player. Currently, he is head coach of the Japan women's national under-17 football team and manager of WE League club Urawa Red Diamonds.
Mamiko Aso (麻生 真宮子, Asō Mamiko; born February 5, 1964), whose real name is Miwa Tajima (田島 みわ, Tajima Miwa), is a…Mamiko Aso (麻生 真宮子, Asō Mamiko; born February 5, 1964), whose real name is Miwa Tajima (田島 みわ, Tajima Miwa), is a former Japanese idol, singer and actress of the 1980s, who is currently a businesswoman.
Yukito Tamakuma (born January 25, 1964), better known as Leopard Tamakuma, is a Japanese former professional boxer who…Yukito Tamakuma (born January 25, 1964), better known as Leopard Tamakuma, is a Japanese former professional boxer who competed from 1983 to 1991. He won the WBA flyweight title in 1990.
Akemi Masuda (Japanese: 増田 明美; born January 1, 1964) is a retired Japanese female long-distance runner. She competed…Akemi Masuda (Japanese: 増田 明美; born January 1, 1964) is a retired Japanese female long-distance runner. She competed for Japan at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, although she failed to finish the race. Masuda set her personal best in the classic distance (2:30:30) in 1983. She rose to prominence with a gold medal on the track over 3000 metres at the 1981 Asian Athletics Championships and by winning the inaugural 20 km women's race at the Sapporo Half Marathon event. She continued to focus on road events and won at the 1982 Chiba Marathon and the 1983 Nike OTC Marathon. Her 2:30:30 at age 19 in that race was the World Junior Record. She was the runner-up at the 1984 Osaka Ladies Marathon, a result which led to her the starting line of the first Olympic women's marathon. Among her other results, she was third at the 1989 Hokkaido Marathon and took 19th place at the 1990 London Marathon.
Yasunori Kumada (born 18 March 1963) is a Japanese former volleyball player. Kumada competed in the men's tournament at…Yasunori Kumada (born 18 March 1963) is a Japanese former volleyball player. Kumada competed in the men's tournament at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, where he finished in tenth place. He competed at the 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow and won a bronze medal.
Hiroto Kōmoto (甲本 ヒロト, Kōmoto Hiroto; born 17 March 1963) is a Japanese rock singer who has fronted bands such as The…Hiroto Kōmoto (甲本 ヒロト, Kōmoto Hiroto; born 17 March 1963) is a Japanese rock singer who has fronted bands such as The Blue Hearts, The High-Lows and The Cro-Magnons.
Kan Kimura (木村 和, Kimura Kan; September 24, 1962 – November 12, 2023), known by his stage name Kan (commonly stylized…Kan Kimura (木村 和, Kimura Kan; September 24, 1962 – November 12, 2023), known by his stage name Kan (commonly stylized as KAN), was a Japanese singer-songwriter. In 1983, he joined his first band, which was called Annette, before going solo in 1984. Kan wrote the background music for a 1986 film directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, and started his major recording career the following year. He is best known for the chart-topping hit "Ai wa Katsu", released as a single in 1990. It sold over 2 million copies and won the 33rd Japan Record Award, bringing the artist into prominence. Subsequently, he spawned five top-ten singles and four top-ten albums on the Japanese record chart during the first half of the 1990s. As of 2010, Kan had released 33 singles and 15 studio albums. According to the Oricon, he sold over 4.6 million copies of albums and singles in his home country. Kan died of Meckel's diverticulum cancer on November 12, 2023, at the age of 61.
Yoshihiro Kitazawa (北沢 欣浩, Kitazawa Yoshihiro; born 4 August 1962) is a Japanese speed skater who competed in the 1984…Yoshihiro Kitazawa (北沢 欣浩, Kitazawa Yoshihiro; born 4 August 1962) is a Japanese speed skater who competed in the 1984 Winter Olympics. He was born in Kushiro, Hokkaidō. In 1984 he won the silver medal in the 500 metres event. In the 1000 metres competition he finished 31st.
Eri Tokunaga (徳永エリ, Tokunaga Eri; born 1 January 1962) is a Japanese politician and former television reporter from the…Eri Tokunaga (徳永エリ, Tokunaga Eri; born 1 January 1962) is a Japanese politician and former television reporter from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. She currently serves as member of the House of Councillors for the Hokkaido At-large district. Tokunaga is part of the CDP's shadow cabinet 'Next Cabinet' as the shadow Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary. Before entering in politics she worked as reporter for some TV shows in Nippon Television, TV Asahi, and TBS. She attended Hosei University in the Department of Law.
Shinji Takamatsu (高松 信司, Takamatsu Shinji; born December 3, 1961) is a Japanese storyboard artist, screenwriter, and…Shinji Takamatsu (高松 信司, Takamatsu Shinji; born December 3, 1961) is a Japanese storyboard artist, screenwriter, and director.
Hideo Jinpu (神風 英男, Jinpū Hideo; born 10 October 1961) is a former Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of…Hideo Jinpu (神風 英男, Jinpū Hideo; born 10 October 1961) is a former Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Koga, Ibaraki and graduate of Hosei University, he ran unsuccessfully for the assembly of Ibaraki Prefecture in 1994. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2003.
Kazutomo Yoneyama (米山 一朋, Yoneyama Kazutomo; born 12 September 1961) is a Japanese volleyball player. He competed in…Kazutomo Yoneyama (米山 一朋, Yoneyama Kazutomo; born 12 September 1961) is a Japanese volleyball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Takashi Mizunuma (水沼 貴史, Mizunuma Takashi; born May 28, 1960) is a former Japanese football player and manager and…Takashi Mizunuma (水沼 貴史, Mizunuma Takashi; born May 28, 1960) is a former Japanese football player and manager and football commentator. He played for Japan national team. His son Kota Mizunuma is also a footballer.
Kimikazu Suzuki (鈴木貴美一, Suzuki Kimikazu) is a former Japanese basketball coach and player. He was most recently the…Kimikazu Suzuki (鈴木貴美一, Suzuki Kimikazu) is a former Japanese basketball coach and player. He was most recently the head coach of SeaHorses Mikawa. Suzuki served as head coach of the Japan national basketball team two times. His first term was from 2006 to 2007, while his second one was from May 2012 until 2014. After Mikawa finished fifth in their division with a 27–33 record, Suzuki announced in May 2023 that he would be stepping down as the team's head coach.
Shinsuke Kayama (香山 進介, Kayama Shinsuke; born 23 May 1959) is a Japanese former swimmer. He competed in two events at…Shinsuke Kayama (香山 進介, Kayama Shinsuke; born 23 May 1959) is a Japanese former swimmer. He competed in two events at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Akihiro Iwashima (岩島 章博, Iwashima Akihiro; born 23 April 1959) is a Japanese former volleyball player who competed at…Akihiro Iwashima (岩島 章博, Iwashima Akihiro; born 23 April 1959) is a Japanese former volleyball player who competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Iwashima competed at the 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow and won a bronze medal.
Shu Fujisawa (藤沢 周, Fujisawa Shū; born June 29, 1959) is a Japanese writer active during the late Shōwa and early…Shu Fujisawa (藤沢 周, Fujisawa Shū; born June 29, 1959) is a Japanese writer active during the late Shōwa and early Heisei period periods of Japan.
Masaaki Kato (加藤 正明, Kato Masaaki; born December 22, 1958) is a former Japanese football player. He played for the…Masaaki Kato (加藤 正明, Kato Masaaki; born December 22, 1958) is a former Japanese football player. He played for the Japan national team.
Tetsuo Sugamata (菅又 哲男, Sugamata Tetsuo; born November 29, 1957) is a former Japanese football player. He played for…Tetsuo Sugamata (菅又 哲男, Sugamata Tetsuo; born November 29, 1957) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Tomoko Hoshino (星野 知子, Hoshino Tomoko; born October 3, 1957 in Nagaoka, Niigata) is a Japanese actress and essayist.…Tomoko Hoshino (星野 知子, Hoshino Tomoko; born October 3, 1957 in Nagaoka, Niigata) is a Japanese actress and essayist. She graduated from Hosei University.
Tōru Rokkawa (Japanese: 六川亨, Hepburn: Rokkawa Tōru; September 25, 1957 – November 17, 2025) was a Japanese soccer…Tōru Rokkawa (Japanese: 六川亨, Hepburn: Rokkawa Tōru; September 25, 1957 – November 17, 2025) was a Japanese soccer journalist and the editor-in-chief of the Japanese soccer magazine Soccer Digest.
Masahiro Hara (Japanese: 原 昌宏, Hepburn: Hara Masahiro, born on August 8, 1957) is a Japanese engineer and Hosei…Masahiro Hara (Japanese: 原 昌宏, Hepburn: Hara Masahiro, born on August 8, 1957) is a Japanese engineer and Hosei University graduate who is best known for inventing the QR code in 1994.
Hiroaki Murakami (村上 弘明, Murakami Hiroaki; born December 22, 1956) is a Japanese actor. He specializes in jidaigeki…Hiroaki Murakami (村上 弘明, Murakami Hiroaki; born December 22, 1956) is a Japanese actor. He specializes in jidaigeki roles, and has also taken parts in tokusatsu and modern productions.
Takashi Esaki (江崎孝, Esaki Takashi; born 11 August 1956) is a Japanese politician from the Constitutional Democratic…Takashi Esaki (江崎孝, Esaki Takashi; born 11 August 1956) is a Japanese politician from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. He serves as member of the House of Councillors as a national proportional representative.
Katsuhito Nakazato (中里 和人, Nakazato Katsuhito; born 1956) is a Japanese photographer of the man-made environment…Katsuhito Nakazato (中里 和人, Nakazato Katsuhito; born 1956) is a Japanese photographer of the man-made environment, particularly sheds, alleys and night scenes.
Susumu Katsumata (勝俣 進, Katsumata Susumu; born February 17, 1956) is a former Japanese football player and manager and…Susumu Katsumata (勝俣 進, Katsumata Susumu; born February 17, 1956) is a former Japanese football player and manager and politician.
Kazumi Tsubota (坪田 和美, Tsubota Kazumi; born January 23, 1956) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan…Kazumi Tsubota (坪田 和美, Tsubota Kazumi; born January 23, 1956) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Yukihiko Tsutsumi (堤幸彦, Tsutsumi Yukihiko; born November 3, 1955 in Yokkaichi, Mie) is a Japanese television and film…Yukihiko Tsutsumi (堤幸彦, Tsutsumi Yukihiko; born November 3, 1955 in Yokkaichi, Mie) is a Japanese television and film director. He began directing commercials and music promotion videos as an employee of Nippon Television. After spending time abroad, he returned and started his own production company, Office Crescendo, from which he works independently. His first television drama on Nippon Television was called Kora! Tonneruzu and ran from 1985 to 1989. He directed Taitei no Ken, an original work by Baku Yumemakura, in 2007.
Sega Corporation is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It…Sega Corporation is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several multi-million-selling game franchises for arcades and consoles including Sonic the Hedgehog, Angry Birds, Football Manager, Phantasy Star, Puyo Puyo, Super Monkey Ball, Bayonetta, Total War, Virtua Fighter, Megami Tensei, Sakura Wars, Persona, and Yakuza. From 1983 until 2001, Sega also developed its own consoles. Sega was founded by Martin Bromley and Richard Stewart as Nihon Goraku Bussan on June 3, 1960. Shortly after, it acquired the assets of its predecessor, Service Games of Japan. In 1965, it became known as Sega Enterprises, Ltd., after acquiring Rosen Enterprises, an importer of coin-operated games. Sega developed its first coin-operated game, Periscope, in 1966. Sega was sold to Gulf and Western Industries in 1969. Following a downturn in the arcade business in the early 1980s, Sega began to develop video game consoles, starting with the SG-1000 and Master System, but struggled against competitors such as the Nintendo Entertainment System. In 1984, Sega executives David Rosen and Hayao Nakayama led a management buyout, with backing from CSK Corporation. In 1988, Sega released the Mega Drive (the "Genesis" in North America). The Mega Drive struggled against competition in Japan, but the Genesis found success overseas after the release of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991 and briefly outsold its main competitor, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, in the US. In 2001, after several commercial failures such as the 32X, Saturn, and Dreamcast, Sega stopped manufacturing consoles to become a third-party developer and publisher, and was acquired by Sammy Corporation in 2004. Sega Holdings Co., Ltd. was established in 2015; Sega Corporation was renamed to Sega Games Co., Ltd., and its arcade division was split into Sega Interactive. In 2020, Sega Games and Sega Interactive merged to become Sega Corporation. Sega's international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California, and London. Its development studios include its internal research and development divisions (which utilize the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sonic Team brands for several core franchise entries), Sega Sapporo Studio which mainly provides support for the Tokyo-based development teams as well as handling partial game development, and Atlus (including its R&D divisions) and five development studios in the UK and Europe: Creative Assembly, Sports Interactive, Sega Hardlight, Two Point Studios, and Rovio Entertainment (including Ruby Games). Sega is one of the world's most prolific arcade game producers and its mascot, Sonic, is internationally recognized. Sega is recognized for its video game consoles, creativity and innovations. In more recent years, it has been criticized for its business decisions and the quality of its creative output. Being the entertainment contents division of Sega Sammy Holdings, forming one half of the Sega Sammy Group, Sega also owns a toy and amusement machine company, Sega Fave, which comprises its arcade development and manufacturing divisions and two animation studios: TMS Entertainment, which animates, produces, and distributes anime, and Marza Animation Planet, which specializes in CG animation.
Nobuhiro Takashiro (高代 延博, Takashiro Nobuhiro; 27 May 1954 – 9 December 2025) was a Japanese Nippon Professional…Nobuhiro Takashiro (高代 延博, Takashiro Nobuhiro; 27 May 1954 – 9 December 2025) was a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball infielder. Takashiro died from esophageal cancer in Osaka, on 9 December 2025, at the age of 71.
Hideki Maeda (前田 秀樹, Maeda Hideki; born May 13, 1954) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He played for…Hideki Maeda (前田 秀樹, Maeda Hideki; born May 13, 1954) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He played for Japan national team.
