Rin Sumida (隅田 凜, Sumida Rin; born January 12, 1996) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a midfielder. She plays for…Rin Sumida (隅田 凜, Sumida Rin; born January 12, 1996) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a midfielder. She plays for Nippon TV Beleza and the Japan national team.
Ayano Kaneko (カネコアヤノ, Kaneko Ayano; January 30, 1993), known as Kanekoayano, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and model…Ayano Kaneko (カネコアヤノ, Kaneko Ayano; January 30, 1993), known as Kanekoayano, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and model, regarded as one of the most popular figures in Japanese indie music. She began her career as a solo artist, making her debut with the 2012 album Inzei Seikatsu, and currently works with her band kanekoayano.
Huwie Ishizaki (Japanese: 石崎ひゅーい, Hepburn: Ishizaki Hyūi; born March 7, 1984) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and…Huwie Ishizaki (Japanese: 石崎ひゅーい, Hepburn: Ishizaki Hyūi; born March 7, 1984) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and actor. Born and raised in Mito, Ibaraki, he began writing and performing when he was in middle school and later became the vocalist of the band Astrocoast. In 2012, at the age of 26, he became a solo artist after being persuaded to by the music producer Akira Sudo; he debuted in July 2012 with his mini album Dai-san Wakusei Kōkyōkyoku. As of March 2026, he has released six full albums. He charted on Billboard Japan's Hot Lyricist and Composer in November 2021. Ishizaki has made various film and television appearances, beginning with his debut role in 2016 film Japanese Girls Never Die as Yuji Soga. He appeared as Takashi Nozoe in the 2019 film Sora no Restaurant, and as Kamiya Yusuke in the TV drama series Hidarikiki no Eren. He has written songs for other artists such as Masaki Suda and Aina the End; he also performed theme songs for Japanese film and TV dramas such as "Yakan Hikō", which was used as the ending theme for 2013 TV drama series Minna! ESPer Dayo!. He performed "Parade" which served as the secondary ending theme of the 2019 anime Case File nº221: Kabukicho.
Gen Urobuchi (Japanese: 虚淵 玄, Hepburn: Urobuchi Gen; born December 20, 1972) is a Japanese novelist, visual novel…Gen Urobuchi (Japanese: 虚淵 玄, Hepburn: Urobuchi Gen; born December 20, 1972) is a Japanese novelist, visual novel writer and anime screenwriter. He is known for being the co-creator of the highly acclaimed and commercially successful anime series Puella Magi Madoka Magica, which earned him the Tokyo Anime Award for Best Scriptwriter, as well as the writer of the 2003 visual novel Saya no Uta, the 2012 anime Psycho-Pass, the light novel and anime Fate/Zero, and the 2013–2014 tokusatsu show Kamen Rider Gaim. He currently works at Nitroplus and Nitro+chiral. Anime written by Urobuchi that have won the Newtype Anime Awards have been Puella Magi Madoka Magica in 2011, Fate/Zero in 2012 and Psycho-Pass: The Movie in 2015.
Asako Takakura (高倉 麻子, Takakura Asako; born 19 April 1968), also known as Asako Takakura-Takemoto or Asako Takemoto due…Asako Takakura (高倉 麻子, Takakura Asako; born 19 April 1968), also known as Asako Takakura-Takemoto or Asako Takemoto due to her marriage, is a Japanese football manager and former player. She played for Japan national team. She is a former manager of the Japan national team. Her husband is former footballer Kazuhiko Takemoto.
Kōji Kumeta (久米田 康治, Kumeta Kōji; born September 5, 1967) is a Japanese manga artist. His most famous works are Go!!…Kōji Kumeta (久米田 康治, Kumeta Kōji; born September 5, 1967) is a Japanese manga artist. His most famous works are Go!! Southern Ice Hockey Club, Katteni Kaizō, Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, and Joshiraku. The bulk of Kumeta's work was published in Weekly Shōnen Sunday, until the abrupt cancellation of Katteni Kaizō, which resulted in him transferring from Shogakukan to Kodansha. As of 2014, he has gone freelance. His most recent serializations were Studio Pulp for Rakuen Le Paradis of Hakusensha and Kakushigoto in Monthly Shōnen Magazine, both of which concluded their run in 2020. Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei was his first work to be adapted into an anime and was awarded the 31st Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category.
Kumiko Nishihara (西原 久美子, Nishihara Kumiko; née Watanabe (渡辺), born April 27, 1965) is a Japanese voice actress from…Kumiko Nishihara (西原 久美子, Nishihara Kumiko; née Watanabe (渡辺), born April 27, 1965) is a Japanese voice actress from Chigasaki, Kanagawa affiliated with Aoni Production also known for her work on the stage and Iris Chateaubriand from Sakura Wars.
Norio Tsuruta (鶴田 法男, Tsuruta Norio; born December 30, 1960) is a Japanese film director. He directed Premonition…Norio Tsuruta (鶴田 法男, Tsuruta Norio; born December 30, 1960) is a Japanese film director. He directed Premonition, Dream Cruise, and Orochi: Blood.
Miharu Koshi (コシミハル, Koshi Miharu; born January 3, 1960) is a Japanese singer and musician. Her career started in the…Miharu Koshi (コシミハル, Koshi Miharu; born January 3, 1960) is a Japanese singer and musician. Her career started in the late 1970s performing Japanese new music. By the mid-1980s she was performing music with electronic instruments, with many albums produced by Haruomi Hosono. Her later work has led to European classical music, French chanson and early 20th-century European Jazz, which she sings in several languages (most often French).
Toshio Nobe (野部 利雄, Nobe Toshio; born January 18, 1957 in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese manga…Toshio Nobe (野部 利雄, Nobe Toshio; born January 18, 1957 in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. He graduated from Wako University in Machida, Tokyo. In 1979, Nobe won an honorable mention in the 18th Tezuka Award for his story Hana to Arashi ga Iku. Naoki Urasawa worked as an assistant for Toshio when he was starting out.
Issei Sagawa (佐川 一政, Sagawa Issei; 26 April 1949 – 24 November 2022) also known as Pang or the Kobe Cannibal, was a…Issei Sagawa (佐川 一政, Sagawa Issei; 26 April 1949 – 24 November 2022) also known as Pang or the Kobe Cannibal, was a Japanese lust murderer, cannibal, and necrophiliac known for the killing of Renée Hartevelt in Paris in 1981. He murdered Hartevelt and then mutilated, cannibalized, and performed necrophilia on her corpse over several days. In France, Sagawa was judged to be legally insane and ordered to be held indefinitely in a mental institution. After a few years, he was deported to Japan, where psychologists from Matsuzawa Hospital examined him and unanimously concluded that he was sane. He therefore had to be released from the hospital in 1986. Since the criminal case in France had been closed and the court records were not made available to the Japanese authorities, Sagawa was not again put on trial and spent the rest of his life a free man. While this was widely criticized as an example of obstruction of justice, he became a minor celebrity in Japan and made a living through the public's interest in his crime.
Kimio Yanagisawa (Japanese: 柳沢 きみお, Hepburn: Yanagisawa Kimio; born September 26, 1948) is a Japanese manga artist. His…Kimio Yanagisawa (Japanese: 柳沢 きみお, Hepburn: Yanagisawa Kimio; born September 26, 1948) is a Japanese manga artist. His real name is pronounced the same way, but is written with the kanji 柳澤 公夫. He graduated from Niigata Prefectural Muramatsu High School two years prior to Yoshifumi Kondō. After graduation, he attended Wakō University where he studied fine arts. In 1972, Yanagisawa won an honorable mention in the 4th Tezuka Shō Manga Story contest for his story Makeru na Kisaburō (submitted under his real name). His contemporary, Kazuhito Kurosaki, also won second place in the same contest. In 1978, he won the 3rd Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen for Tonda Couple.
Kenta Hamano (浜野 謙太, Hamano Kenta; born August 5, 1981, in Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a…Kenta Hamano (浜野 謙太, Hamano Kenta; born August 5, 1981, in Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese musician, composer, and actor who is represented by the talent agency Kakubarhythm. He played the trombone in the band Sakerock.