Shunsuke Urata (浦田 俊輔, Urata Shunsuke; born August 30, 2002) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays…Shunsuke Urata (浦田 俊輔, Urata Shunsuke; born August 30, 2002) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays infielder for the Yomiuri Giants.
Natsuki Takeuchi (武内 夏暉, Takeuchi Natsuki; born July 21, 2001) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the…Natsuki Takeuchi (武内 夏暉, Takeuchi Natsuki; born July 21, 2001) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Shota Watanabe (渡辺 翔太, Watanabe Shota; born October 29, 2000 in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan) is a professional Japanese…Shota Watanabe (渡辺 翔太, Watanabe Shota; born October 29, 2000 in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Shuto Komaki (駒木 秀人, born 30 May 2000) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays for Philippines Football League…Shuto Komaki (駒木 秀人, born 30 May 2000) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays for Philippines Football League club Kaya–Iloilo. Komaki is a winger with an additional focus on dribbling and passing. He is also a finisher.
Ryosuke Ohtsu (大津 亮介, Ohtsu Ryōsuke; born January 13, 1999) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka…Ryosuke Ohtsu (大津 亮介, Ohtsu Ryōsuke; born January 13, 1999) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Michiko Miyagi (宮城倫子, Miyagi Michiko), better known by her ring names Cassandra Miyagi (カサンドラ宮城, Kasandora Miyagi) and…Michiko Miyagi (宮城倫子, Miyagi Michiko), better known by her ring names Cassandra Miyagi (カサンドラ宮城, Kasandora Miyagi) and Andras Miyagi (アンドラス宮城, Andorasu Miyagi), is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese promotion Gleat. She is also known for her tenure with World Wonder Ring Stardom where she is a former Artist of Stardom Champion.
Tomohiro Hamada (浜田 智博, Hamada Tomohiro; born October 1, 1992 in Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan) is a professional Japanese…Tomohiro Hamada (浜田 智博, Hamada Tomohiro; born October 1, 1992 in Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He most recently played pitcher for the Chunichi Dragons. He is currently a free agent.
Yuji Funayama (born July 13, 1992) is a Japanese professional basketball player who plays for Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka of…Yuji Funayama (born July 13, 1992) is a Japanese professional basketball player who plays for Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka of the B.League in Japan. He was selected by the Tokyo Cinq Reves with the 12th overall pick in the 2015 bj League draft.
Tatsuya Tanaka (田中 達也, born June 9, 1992) is a Japanese football retired footballer and football coach for Toko Customs…Tatsuya Tanaka (田中 達也, born June 9, 1992) is a Japanese football retired footballer and football coach for Toko Customs United in Thai League 3. His regular playing positions are as a wide midfielder or a wing-back. Tanaka has previously played for Roasso Kumamoto, FC Gifu, Gamba Osaka, Oita Trinita, Urawa Reds, and Avispa Fukuoka.
Yodai Enoshita (榎下 陽大, Enoshita Yōdai) is a Japanese professional baseball player. He was born on July 21, 1988. He…Yodai Enoshita (榎下 陽大, Enoshita Yōdai) is a Japanese professional baseball player. He was born on July 21, 1988. He debuted in 2011. He had 9 strikeouts in 2013.
Sagan Tosu (サガン鳥栖, Sagan Tosu) is a Japanese professional football club based in Tosu, Saga Prefecture. The club plays…Sagan Tosu (サガン鳥栖, Sagan Tosu) is a Japanese professional football club based in Tosu, Saga Prefecture. The club plays in the J2 League, the second tier of Japanese football, since 2025 following relegation from the J1 League in 2024. Sagan is a coined word with various suggested ideas behind where the name came from. One of its homophones is sandstone (砂岩, sagan) in Japanese. This symbolises many small elements uniting to form one formidable object, for example as a metaphor for a team. Also, Sagan Tosu can be interpreted as "Tosu of Saga (Prefecture)" (佐賀ん鳥栖, Saga-n Tosu) in the area's dialect.
Shiori Asahi (旭 志織, Asahi Shiori; born February 17, 1978) is a Japanese wrestler, currently working for Active Advance…Shiori Asahi (旭 志織, Asahi Shiori; born February 17, 1978) is a Japanese wrestler, currently working for Active Advance Pro Wrestling (2AW). He also appears sporadically for Big Japan Pro Wrestling and 666.
Masae Komiya (小宮 正江, Komiya Masae; born 8 May 1975) is a Japanese goalball player with a congenital visual impairment.…Masae Komiya (小宮 正江, Komiya Masae; born 8 May 1975) is a Japanese goalball player with a congenital visual impairment. She was part of the bronze medal-winning Japanese women's team at the 2004 Summer Paralympics. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics she captained the gold medal-winning Japanese women's team. After the game she stated "The day [we waited for] finally came. I was so overcome with emotion that I couldn't finish singing the 'Kimigayo' national anthem." Her impairment was caused by retinitis pigmentosa, which destroyed her vision in both eyes when she was in primary school. She began playing in 2001. Her coach, Naoki Eguro, introduced her to the sport.
Masashi Kishimoto (岸本 斉史, Kishimoto Masashi; born November 8, 1974) is a Japanese manga artist. His manga series…Masashi Kishimoto (岸本 斉史, Kishimoto Masashi; born November 8, 1974) is a Japanese manga artist. His manga series, Naruto, which was in serialization from 1999 to 2014, has sold over 250 million copies worldwide in 46 countries as of May 2019. The series has been adapted into two anime and multiple films, video games, and related media. Besides the Naruto manga, Kishimoto also personally supervised the three anime films, Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie, The Last: Naruto the Movie and Boruto: Naruto the Movie, and has written several one-shot stories. In 2019, Kishimoto wrote Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru which ended in March 2020. From May 2016 through October 2020 he supervised the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations manga written by Ukyō Kodachi and illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto. In November 2020 it was announced that he had taken over as writer on the series, replacing Kodachi. A reader of manga from a young age, Kishimoto showed a desire to write his own manga, citing authors Akira Toriyama and Katsuhiro Otomo as his main influences. As a result, Kishimoto spent several years working to write his own shōnen manga for Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine which he was a fan of.
Hiroshi (ヒロシ), real name Ken'ichi Saitō (斉藤 健一, Saitō Ken'ichi; born February 23, 1972, in Arao, Kumamoto Prefecture)…Hiroshi (ヒロシ), real name Ken'ichi Saitō (斉藤 健一, Saitō Ken'ichi; born February 23, 1972, in Arao, Kumamoto Prefecture), is a Japanese comedian famous for his stand-up act. Originally a member (a quick-tempered tsukkomi) of a kombi called Babies (ベイビーズ), he started working as a host in Tokyo under the host name Ken Saegami (冴神剣 Saegami Ken) when Babies dissolved. Making a mere amount of yen equivalent to $800 per month, he worked as a host for nearly 3 years. After quitting his host job, he returned to the comedy circuit with a new name, "Hiroshi"—taken from the announcer Hiroshi Ikushima (生島ヒロシ Ikushima Hiroshi)—and a new gimmick; one that would eventually gain him stardom in 2004 while landing stand-up spots on various comedy programs including the popular The god of Entertainment. (エンタの神様). His skit always follows the same formula: A simple introduction followed by a recollection of past and present pitiful episodes in his life after which he repeats, "I am Hiroshi." (ヒロシです/Hiroshi desu), while Italian singer Peppino Gagliardi's "Che vuole questa musica stasera" plays in the background. He is always seen wearing typical host-style apparel, and he is known as a depressed character, which is reflected in his skits, and in the way he is treated by other owarai talents.
Takashi Koshimoto (越本 隆志, Koshimoto Takashi; born January 5, 1971, in Fukuoka) is a former Japanese professional boxer…Takashi Koshimoto (越本 隆志, Koshimoto Takashi; born January 5, 1971, in Fukuoka) is a former Japanese professional boxer in the featherweight (126 lb) division. He is a former WBC world featherweight champion.
Hiroshi Matsuyama (Japanese: 松山洋), born in November 23, 1970 in Fukuoka, is a Japanese game designer. He is the CEO of…Hiroshi Matsuyama (Japanese: 松山洋), born in November 23, 1970 in Fukuoka, is a Japanese game designer. He is the CEO of the company CyberConnect2. He developed multiple games including the .hack franchise as well as adaptations of the anime series including Naruto and Dragon Ball. Besides developing games, Matsuyama has participated in directing two .hack films as well as voicing a character from the series.
Kōshi Rikudō (六道 神士, Rikudō Kōshi; born November 16, 1970) is a Japanese manga artist. Rikudō is a graduate of Kyushu…Kōshi Rikudō (六道 神士, Rikudō Kōshi; born November 16, 1970) is a Japanese manga artist. Rikudō is a graduate of Kyushu Sangyo University and lives in Dazaifu, Fukuoka. His most popular work is Excel Saga, and Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn. a manga which he describes as a work dealing with the everyday aspects of living in Japan. The anime version of Excel Saga contains stories from the first five volumes of the manga, and even features Rikdo as a character (voiced by Wataru Takagi).
Kunihiro Matsumura (松村 邦洋, Matsumura Kunihiro; born 11 August 1967) is a Japanese comedian and impressionist most known…Kunihiro Matsumura (松村 邦洋, Matsumura Kunihiro; born 11 August 1967) is a Japanese comedian and impressionist most known for his impersonations of famous figures such as Beat Takeshi and Takanohana Kōji. He was also the original host of the hit comedy reality show Susume! Denpa Shonen. While originally making his obesity part of his jokes, Matsumura suffered a heart attack when he tried to run the Tokyo Marathon in 2009 as part of a TV show. He recovered and subsequently tried to maintain his weight.
Hirofumi Kamigaki (カミガキヒロフミ, 1966) is a Japanese illustrator and designer based in Hiroshima, best known as the founder…Hirofumi Kamigaki (カミガキヒロフミ, 1966) is a Japanese illustrator and designer based in Hiroshima, best known as the founder and creative director of the illustration studio IC4DESIGN and as the creator of the puzzle-book series Pierre the Maze Detective. His work is characterized by densely detailed, colorful scenes that combine architectural complexity, narrative subplots, and playful visual discovery. After beginning his career as a designer in Hiroshima and becoming self-employed in 1998, Kamigaki formally established IC4DESIGN as a company in 2006. A major turning point came around the age of 40, when he shifted his focus from the traditional Tokyo-centered creative market to overseas clients, leveraging digital communication to pursue international work directly from Hiroshima. This strategy led to a breakthrough cover illustration for The New York Times Magazine in 2009, which received an Art Directors Club of New York (ADC) Silver Award and helped establish his reputation and signature ultra-dense visual style. Alongside commercial projects for international clients, Kamigaki has devoted increasing attention to long-form narrative works, most notably Pierre the Maze Detective, a maze-based picture-book series that has sold over one million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 30 languages. In addition to his illustration work, he has been active in education, broadcasting, and civic roles in Hiroshima Prefecture, and is known for advocating a creative philosophy centered on enjoyment, persistence, and global engagement from a regional base.
Hideharu Egashira (江頭 秀晴, Egashira Hideharu; born July 1, 1965, in Chiyoda, Saga), better known by his stage name…Hideharu Egashira (江頭 秀晴, Egashira Hideharu; born July 1, 1965, in Chiyoda, Saga), better known by his stage name, Egashira2:50 (江頭2:50, Egashira Nijigojuppun), is a Japanese comedian. He is known for his appearances in many TV shows and his transgressive style.
Ken Nomura (Shinjitai: 野村謙, Nomura Ken; born Fukuoka, May 9, 1965) is a drifting driver from Japan. He made his debut…Ken Nomura (Shinjitai: 野村謙, Nomura Ken; born Fukuoka, May 9, 1965) is a drifting driver from Japan. He made his debut in the D1 Grand Prix in the third round in 2001, driving the Blitz D1 Spec ER34 Skyline which he still drives. His nickname is Nomuken (のむけん) or Monkey Magic (as a reference to his company). In his youth, Nomura was a baseball player and was very well known within his region, but his career never progressed any further through injury and turned to property developing. Once he gained his driving licence, he was dedicated to night-time street drag racing and then progressed to touge racing. In 1992, Nomuken was runner up in the "All Japan Ikaten" Finals and later in 1996 opened his own tuning shop Uras (reverse for saru, Japanese for monkey), producing drift specific products. When he first joined the D1GP series in 2000, Nomura's performance was average, he had been away from drifting for some time before competing in its inaugural year. But as soon as he signed a contract with parts manufacturer Blitz as a works driver, his skills quickly developed. In the D1 events, Nomura is known for his imitation of a monkey, as the pioneer of the smoke technique, he drifts with the most smoke. He is widely a fan favorite in the series. He also competes in the budget spinoff series, D1 Street Legal with a toned down version of his Skyline. In 2006, Nomura won the D1GP Non Championship Event World All Star. Nomura has also appeared for a TV commercial for his sponsor, Dunlop Tires in Japan, appears as a guest presenter in Video Option and Drift Tengoku as well as a columnist for the Option magazine and judges in drift events. Nomura announced his intention to retire after the 2018 season on Twitter, and ran his last full-time race on Odaiba.
Masaaki Yuasa (湯浅 政明, Yuasa Masaaki; born March 16, 1965) is a Japanese director, screenwriter, and animator affiliated…Masaaki Yuasa (湯浅 政明, Yuasa Masaaki; born March 16, 1965) is a Japanese director, screenwriter, and animator affiliated with ame pippin. He is the former president of Science Saru, a Japanese animation studio which he co-founded with producer Eunyoung Choi in 2013. Yuasa previously served as president of Science Saru, but stepped down from this role in 2020. Recognized for his idiosyncratic art style and directorial voice, Yuasa began his career as an animator on the landmark television series Chibi Maruko-chan (1990–1992) and Crayon Shin-chan (1992–present), before moving into directing with the feature film Mind Game (2004) and developing a cult appeal following. Yuasa spent much of the 2000s and early 2010s working in television directing, helming a trio of series, Kemonozume (2006), Kaiba (2008), and The Tatami Galaxy (2010), before releasing the crowdfunded short film Kick-Heart (2013). During the production of Kick-Heart, Choi proposed the establishment of Science Saru, and the resultant works created at the studio, combined with increased international distribution, led to mainstream breakout successes in the 2010s and saw Yuasa rise to prominence as one of Japan's foremost independent creators. At Science Saru, Yuasa focused on directing both television and feature film productions, starting with an episode of the American animated series Adventure Time (2014), and continuing with Ping Pong the Animation (2014), The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl (2017), Lu Over the Wall (2017), Devilman Crybaby (2018), Ride Your Wave (2019), Super Shiro (2019), Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (2020), Japan Sinks: 2020 (2020), and Inu-Oh (2021). Yuasa's productions have won international critical acclaim, receiving awards from Annecy, the Japan Academy Film Prize, the Mainichi Film Awards, and the Japan Media Arts Festival. In recognition of his collective career accomplishments, he has been recognized by the Japanese government and received the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon, as well as the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Cabinet Minister Award for Media Fine Arts. Yuasa's latest project is the musical drama feature film Inu-Oh, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2021 and was released worldwide in August 2022. It was his first film nominated for a Golden Globe.
Suzuki Matsuo (松尾 スズキ, Matsuo Suzuki; born 15 December 1962) is a Japanese theatre director, actor, novelist, and…Suzuki Matsuo (松尾 スズキ, Matsuo Suzuki; born 15 December 1962) is a Japanese theatre director, actor, novelist, and screenwriter.
Masamitsu Hidaka (日高 政光, Hidaka Masamitsu; 19 October 1960 – 9 March 2022) was a Japanese anime director and storyboard…Masamitsu Hidaka (日高 政光, Hidaka Masamitsu; 19 October 1960 – 9 March 2022) was a Japanese anime director and storyboard artist of television anime. He notably served as the supervising director of the Pokémon television anime series from 1997 to 2006.
Akino Arai (新居 昭乃, Arai Akino; born August 21, 1959, in Tokyo) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and lyricist for…Akino Arai (新居 昭乃, Arai Akino; born August 21, 1959, in Tokyo) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and lyricist for various anime theme songs and shows, including Record of Lodoss War, Please Save My Earth, Macross Plus, Outlaw Star, Kaze no Stigma, Maoyu, and Aria The Origination.
Tsukasa Hojo (Japanese: 北条 司, Hepburn: Hōjō Tsukasa; born March 5, 1959, in Kokura, Kitakyushu, Japan) is a Japanese…Tsukasa Hojo (Japanese: 北条 司, Hepburn: Hōjō Tsukasa; born March 5, 1959, in Kokura, Kitakyushu, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. He studied technical design while still at Kyushu Sangyo University, where he began to draw manga. He worked on several one-shot stories before releasing his serialized works: Cat's Eye, City Hunter and Angel Heart. After the success of Cat's Eye and City Hunter, Hojo went on to work on other series such as Family Compo, a slice-of-life comedy with transgender themes. His most recent series is Angel Heart, a spin–off of City Hunter set in an alternate universe. It was serialized in Weekly Comic Bunch from 2001 to 2010, when the magazine ceased publication. From 2010 to 2017, the series continued under the title Angel Heart 2nd Season in Monthly Comic Zenon. 30 collected volumes have been published so far. Tsukasa Hojo is Takehiko Inoue's mentor. Inoue worked as an assistant to Hojo during the production of City Hunter. Hojo is also a long-time acquaintance of Fist of the North Star illustrator Tetsuo Hara, who was also one of the founders of Coamix. Hojo contributed to the production Fist of the North Star: The Legends of the True Savior film series by designing the character of Reina. He was honor guest of the eleventh French Japan Expo which was held in July 2010. Hojo is scheduled to be the Manga Guest of Honor at Japan Expo 2023.
Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi (長渕 剛, Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi; born September 7, 1956) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, poet, and…Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi (長渕 剛, Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi; born September 7, 1956) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, poet, and human-rights advocate, who is a prominent figure in Japanese popular music. He has sold more than 20 million records worldwide and has appeared in movies and television dramas. His wife Etsuko Shihomi is an actress.
Yuji Hyakutake (百武 裕司, Hyakutake Yūji; July 7, 1950 – April 10, 2002) was a Japanese amateur astronomer who discovered…Yuji Hyakutake (百武 裕司, Hyakutake Yūji; July 7, 1950 – April 10, 2002) was a Japanese amateur astronomer who discovered Comet C/1996 B2, also known as Comet Hyakutake on January 31, 1996, while using 25×150 binoculars. Hyakutake graduated from the Kyushu Sangyo University as a photography major and started working at a newspaper in Fukuoka. He first became interested in astronomy after seeing Comet Ikeya–Seki in 1965. He began searching for comets in 1989. In 1993, he moved to Hayato because “the skies were much clearer there” and so he could better continue his search for comets. His first discovery was Comet C/1995 Y1, on December 26, 1995. Hyakutake discovered C/1996 B2 while looking for C/1995 Y1, a comet he had discovered a few weeks before. He died in Kokubu, Kagoshima, in 2002 at age 51 of an aneurysm which had led to internal bleeding. Asteroid 7291 Hyakutake is named after him.
Yuri Ebihara (蛯原 友里, Ebihara Yuri) (born 3 October 1979) is a Japanese model and actress. She is a graduate of Kyushu…Yuri Ebihara (蛯原 友里, Ebihara Yuri) (born 3 October 1979) is a Japanese model and actress. She is a graduate of Kyushu Sangyo University, where she studied fine arts.
