Tomoka Shibasaki (柴崎 友香, Shibasaki Tomoka; born October 20, 1973) is a Japanese writer from Osaka. She has won the Noma…Tomoka Shibasaki (柴崎 友香, Shibasaki Tomoka; born October 20, 1973) is a Japanese writer from Osaka. She has won the Noma Literary New Face Prize and the Akutagawa Prize, and two of her works have been adapted for film.
Takanori Aki (安藝 貴範, Aki Takanori; born 26 January 1971), also known as 'Aki-san', is the president and CEO of Good…Takanori Aki (安藝 貴範, Aki Takanori; born 26 January 1971), also known as 'Aki-san', is the president and CEO of Good Smile Company. He was born in Sanuki, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. As the CEO of Good Smile Company he works to provide new content to fans of character figures and goods. He has also been involved in the production and planning of a number of anime series and films, which has led him to become one of the founding board members of the Ultra Super Pictures animation studio.
Yukinori Taniguchi (谷口 行規, Taniguchi Yukinori; born September 27, 1968 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima) is a Japanese…Yukinori Taniguchi (谷口 行規, Taniguchi Yukinori; born September 27, 1968 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima) is a Japanese businessperson and auto racing driver. He founded Yuke's, a video game developer company, in Sakai, Osaka in 1993.
Takakazu Seto (瀬戸隆一, Seto Takakazu; born 2 August 1965) is a Japanese politician serving as state minister of the…Takakazu Seto (瀬戸隆一, Seto Takakazu; born 2 August 1965) is a Japanese politician serving as state minister of the Cabinet Office since 2024. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2023, having previously served from 2012 to 2017.
Toshiyuki Shiga (志賀 俊之, Shiga Toshiyuki; born 16 September 1953) is a Japanese business executive. He served as the…Toshiyuki Shiga (志賀 俊之, Shiga Toshiyuki; born 16 September 1953) is a Japanese business executive. He served as the chief operating officer of Nissan from 2005 to 2013.
Kiyohide Hayakawa (早川 紀代秀, Hayakawa Kiyohide; July 14, 1949 – July 6, 2018) was a Japanese criminal, member and deputy…Kiyohide Hayakawa (早川 紀代秀, Hayakawa Kiyohide; July 14, 1949 – July 6, 2018) was a Japanese criminal, member and deputy leader of the doomsday-cult group Aum Shinrikyo. Hayakawa was born in Hyōgo Prefecture in 1949. After Aum Shinrikyo adopted a "ministry system", he was the Minister of Construction. Hayakawa was the person behind the organization's uranium mining at Banjawarn in Australia. Convicted for his participation in the Sakamoto family murder and several other crimes, Hayakawa was executed on July 6, 2018, at Fukuoka Detention House.
Takayoshi Taniguchi (谷口 隆義, Taniguchi Takayoshi; born 18 April 1949) is a former Japanese politician who served in the…Takayoshi Taniguchi (谷口 隆義, Taniguchi Takayoshi; born 18 April 1949) is a former Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) as a member of the New Komeito Party. A native of Osaka, Osaka and graduate of Osaka Prefecture University he was elected for the first time in 1993.
Masami Uno (宇野 正美, Uno Masami; born 1942) is a Japanese writer. Many of his works have been described as antisemitic…Masami Uno (宇野 正美, Uno Masami; born 1942) is a Japanese writer. Many of his works have been described as antisemitic, and related to Holocaust denial.
Taeko Tomioka (富岡 多恵子, Tomioka Taeko; July 28, 1935 – April 6, 2023) was a Japanese writer. She was born in Osaka, was…Taeko Tomioka (富岡 多恵子, Tomioka Taeko; July 28, 1935 – April 6, 2023) was a Japanese writer. She was born in Osaka, was educated at Osaka Women's College, worked as a high school English teacher and moved to Tokyo in 1960. Tomioka visited New York City in 1964 and returned home to Japan in 1966. In 1969, she married Suga Kishio. Tomioka published several collections of poems. Henrei (1958) won the Mr. H Prize (H-shi Shō), awarded by the Association of Contemporary Japanese Poets. Monogatari no akuru hi (1961) received the 'Muro Saisei Prize. Tomioka also wrote a poetical drama Matsuri (1959) and a screenplay Shinju ten no Amijima (Double suicide, 1968). In 1971, she published the novel Oka ni mukatte hito wa narabu (Facing the Hills they stand). In 1974, Tomioka wrote Shokubutsu sai, which received the Tamura Toshiko Prize. In 1974, she published Meido no kazoku (Family in hell), which received the Women's Literature Prize. Her 1983 novel Namiutsu tochi was published in English as Building Waves (2012: ISBN 9781564787156). Tomioka also translated some English works by authors such as Gertrude Stein into Japanese. She has also produced essays on literature from a feminist viewpoint. In 1993, she published Nobuyoshi Araki: Akt-Tokyo, 1971-1991, a book of erotic photography. In 1997, Tomioka wrote Hiberunia kikō (A journey to Ireland), which received the Noma Literary Prize. In 2000, The Funeral of a Giraffe: Seven Stories, a collection of her stories translated from Japanese to English, was published. Tomioka died on April 6, 2023, at the age of 87.
Mitsuru Hotta (堀田 満, Hotta Mitsuru) (23 July 1935 – 8 July 2015) was a Japanese botanist best known for his research on…Mitsuru Hotta (堀田 満, Hotta Mitsuru) (23 July 1935 – 8 July 2015) was a Japanese botanist best known for his research on Araceae. Hotta was born in Osaka, Japan in 1935. He graduated from the Agricultural Department of Osaka Prefecture University in 1960. The same year, he took part in the Tonga and Fiji Expedition organised by Kyoto University. Between 1963 and 1964, Hotta made numerous plant collections in Borneo together with Professor Minoru Hirano of Osaka City University.
Dasho Keiji Nishioka (Japanese: 西岡 京治, Nishioka Keiji; 14 February 1933 – 21 March 1992) was a Japanese botanist. He…Dasho Keiji Nishioka (Japanese: 西岡 京治, Nishioka Keiji; 14 February 1933 – 21 March 1992) was a Japanese botanist. He was dispatched to the Kingdom of Bhutan by the Japanese Government to help modernise the Bhutanese agricultural sector. Nishioka worked in Bhutan as an agriculture expert for 28 years, from 1964 till his death in 1992. Nishioka's work helped improve the cultivation of rice and vegetables in Bhutan's Paro and Zhemgang dzongkhags (districts). He also participated in civic infrastructure development efforts in Zhemgang.
Fumiko Kometani (米谷ふみ子, Kometani Fumiko; born 1930 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese author and artist (painter) and a…Fumiko Kometani (米谷ふみ子, Kometani Fumiko; born 1930 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese author and artist (painter) and a longtime resident of the United States. Kometani moved to the US in 1960 when she was working as an abstract painter, spending time at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire where she met her husband, Josh Greenfeld (they later moved to California). She changed her focus to writing when her developmentally disabled son Noah became too hard to handle when he was around the art supplies in her studio. Her older son, Karl Taro Greenfeld, is also a writer. Kometani is also noted for her expressed displeasure of what she terms the fascist mentality of the World War II Japanese Army. She regularly participates in anti-war and anti-nuclear protests. Her first book, Passover, received the distinguished Akutagawa Prize. It was subsequently described in The New York Times as "anti-Semitic" and an example of Japan's "widespread anti-Semitism", although Kometani's husband is Jewish, and the novel was an adaption of a visit to his parents' house. A judge for the Akutagawa Prize claimed that the Times had misinterpreted the sardonic and self-ridiculing tone of the novel. In January 2025 Kometani's home was destroyed in the Palisades Fire.
Kiichirō Furukawa (Japanese: 古川 麒一郎, Hepburn: Furukawa Kiichirō; Kunrei: Hurukawa Kiitirô, 22 July 1929 – 29 June 2016)…Kiichirō Furukawa (Japanese: 古川 麒一郎, Hepburn: Furukawa Kiichirō; Kunrei: Hurukawa Kiitirô, 22 July 1929 – 29 June 2016) was a Japanese astronomer and discoverer of minor planets at the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory. Furukawa was also associated with Nagoya University Department of Astrophysics.
Taeko Kono (河野多惠子, Kōno Taeko; February 24, 1926 – January 29, 2015) was a Japanese writer who was active during the…Taeko Kono (河野多惠子, Kōno Taeko; February 24, 1926 – January 29, 2015) was a Japanese writer who was active during the latter half of the 20th century. Kōno belonged to a generation of female Japanese writers who became more well-known in the 1960s and 70s. She established a reputation for herself as an acerbic essayist, a playwright, and a literary critic. By the end of her life, she played a role in Japan's literary establishment and one of the first female writers to serve on the Akutagawa Literary Prize committee. Kenzaburō Ōe, Japan's Nobel Laureate, described her as one of the most lucidly intelligent female writers in Japan, and the US critic and academic Masao Miyoshi identified her as among the most "critically alert and historically intelligent". US critic and academic Davinder Bhowmik described her as one of the truly original voices of the twentieth century, beyond questions of gender or nationality. A writer who deals with dark themes, Kōno is known to many English speaking readers because of her collection of short stories Toddler-Hunting and Other Stories (New Directions, 1996).
Seikaku Takagi (Japanese: 高木 聖鶴, Hepburn: Takagi Seikaku; July 12, 1923 (Taishō 12)– February 24, 2017 (Heisei 29))…Seikaku Takagi (Japanese: 高木 聖鶴, Hepburn: Takagi Seikaku; July 12, 1923 (Taishō 12)– February 24, 2017 (Heisei 29)), was a Japanese calligrapher. He was male and held the rank of Junior Third Rank (Jūsanmi) and was awarded the Order of Culture. His real name was Ikuta Takagi (高木 郁太, Takagi Ikuta). He served as the president of the Chōyō Calligraphy Association, advisor to the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition (a public-interest incorporated association), and senior advisor to the Japanese Calligraphy Institute. He was also the highest advisor to the Yomiuri Calligraphy Association and was recognized as a Person of Cultural Merit. Throughout his career, he held many important positions, including director of the Japan Calligraphy Institute, director and permanent general affairs officer of the Yomiuri Calligraphy Association, and executive director of the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition (a public-interest incorporated association). He also served as a councilor of the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition.
Etsuko Kamakura (鎌倉悦子, Kamakura Etsuko; born 1914, date of death unknown) was a Japanese diver. She competed in two…Etsuko Kamakura (鎌倉悦子, Kamakura Etsuko; born 1914, date of death unknown) was a Japanese diver. She competed in two events (3 metre springboard & 10 metre platform) at the 1932 Summer Olympics. She scored 60.78 points in the Women's 3M springboard and 31.54 points in the Women's 10M platform.
Yasuhiro Konishi (小西康裕, Konishi Yasuhiro; 1893 - 1983) was one of the first karateka to teach karate on mainland Japan.…Yasuhiro Konishi (小西康裕, Konishi Yasuhiro; 1893 - 1983) was one of the first karateka to teach karate on mainland Japan. He was instrumental in developing modern karate, as well as a driving force in the art's acceptance in Japan. He is credited with developing the style known as Shindō jinen-ryū (神道自然流).
Rina Yoshikawa (吉川里奈, Yoshikawa Rina; born 25 May 1987) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of the House of…Rina Yoshikawa (吉川里奈, Yoshikawa Rina; born 25 May 1987) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of the House of Representatives since 2024. She is a registered nurse and public health nurse.
Keigo Higashino (Japanese: 東野 圭吾, Hepburn: Higashino Keigo; February 4, 1958 – July 23, 2026) was a Japanese author…Keigo Higashino (Japanese: 東野 圭吾, Hepburn: Higashino Keigo; February 4, 1958 – July 23, 2026) was a Japanese author chiefly known for his mystery novels. He served as the 13th President of Mystery Writers of Japan from 2009 to 2013. Higashino won major Japanese awards for his books, almost twenty of which have been turned into films and television series.
Takeo Uesugi (上杉武夫, Uesugi Takeo; 1940 – January 26, 2016) was a Japanese-American landscape architect who designed…Takeo Uesugi (上杉武夫, Uesugi Takeo; 1940 – January 26, 2016) was a Japanese-American landscape architect who designed acclaimed Japanese garden installations. He was a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and Kyoto University.
