Michiyo Nakajima (中嶋 美智代, Nakajima Michiyo; born 2 January 1973 in Saitama Prefecture) is a Japanese actress, voice…
Michiyo Nakajima (中嶋 美智代, Nakajima Michiyo; born 2 January 1973 in Saitama Prefecture) is a Japanese actress, voice actress and former pop singer. Nakajima made her debut on 30 January 1991. Her final JPOP release was on 10 June 1998. She sang the ending theme for the animated (anime) version of Ranma ½, Season 5 (1991) - "Red Poppy" (Hinageshi). She also sang the opening and ending themes of Floral Magician Mary Bell (1992–93). The track 'Ano Subarashii Ai Wo Mou Ichido' from her 1992 Album 'Tanpopo' featured in the ending credits for Hideaki Anno's 1998 film Love & Pop. She played a role in the adventure game "Moon Cradle" released in 1995 for the Panasonic 3DO, which was later ported to the Sega Saturn in 1997.
Famous People Born in the Year of the Ox
Ox: 2,035 people
Hiroaki Tabata (born 2 January 1973) is a Japanese politician who is a member of the House of Representatives of Japan.
Sei Hatsuno (初野 晴, Hatsuno Sei; born 1973) is a Japanese writer of mystery and thriller. He is a member of the Honkaku…
Sei Hatsuno (初野 晴, Hatsuno Sei; born 1973) is a Japanese writer of mystery and thriller. He is a member of the Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan. When he was at Hosei University, he was moved and influenced by honkaku (orthodox) mystery novels such as The Decagon House Murders, written by Yukito Ayatsuji, and Soji Shimada's works and he started writing. He began his career as writer when he won the Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Prize, an annual Japanese literary prize for unpublished mystery novels, in 2002 for the novel Mizu no Tokei (Water Clock). One of the selection committee members of the year was Yukito Ayatsuji. He is an avid fan of mystery novels of Seishi Yokomizo and Jeffrey Archer.
Kaoru Akagawa (赤川 薫, Kaoru Akagawa, born 1973) is a Japanese contemporary artist. Akagawa's unique style of art, where…
Kaoru Akagawa (赤川 薫, Kaoru Akagawa, born 1973) is a Japanese contemporary artist. Akagawa's unique style of art, where thousands of intricately interwoven kana meld to form larger images, is informed by her work as a calligrapher. Akagawa’s art has been featured and reviewed by CNN, The Guardian, Deutsche Welle and BBC Radio and featured by The Avant/Garde Diaries, a video magazine initiated by Mercedes-Benz. Akagawa has held exhibitions in Berlin, Paris, London and Tokyo. She has lectured at the University of Oxford, the University of London School of Advanced Study and the University of Zurich. Akagawa is also active as a railway journalist and photographer and writes for British and Japanese railway magazines.
Kentarō Katayama (片山 憲太郎, Katayama Kentarō; born 1973) is a Japanese light novelist best known for his series Kure-nai…
Kentarō Katayama (片山 憲太郎, Katayama Kentarō; born 1973) is a Japanese light novelist best known for his series Kure-nai, which has been adapted into a manga in Jump SQ. and an anime. Kure-nai has three individual books illustrated by Yamato Yamamoto. Katayama won an honorable mention at the Super Dash Novel Rookie of the Year Awards in 2003 for his story Denpa teki na Kanojo.
Shinobu Tanno (丹野忍 Tanno Shinobu, born 1973) is a Japanese illustrator, born in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Tanno…
Shinobu Tanno (丹野忍 Tanno Shinobu, born 1973) is a Japanese illustrator, born in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Tanno graduated in 1997 from Ritsumeikan University. Self-taught, Tanno has illustrated in a number of fields, from CD cover design to video game and novel illustration.
Yurie Nagashima (長島 有里枝, Nagashima Yurie; born 1973) is a Japanese photographer, contemporary artist and writer working…
Yurie Nagashima (長島 有里枝, Nagashima Yurie; born 1973) is a Japanese photographer, contemporary artist and writer working in the genres self-portraiture, portraiture, street photography, installation, research-based and still life. She is best known for raw and intimate portraits of home, family life and the everyday, locating her work in a broader feminist dialogue. In 2000, Nagashima was awarded the prestigious Kimura Ihei Award. Nagashima is a lecturer at Tokyo and Musashino Universities, and a visiting professor at Kyoto Art University. Her book「僕らの女の子写真からわたしたちのガーリーフォトへ」 [From their “girls’ photography” to our girly photo] (2020) unpacked systemic gender bias in Japanese art criticism through discourse analysis.
Ito Ogawa (小川 糸, Ogawa Ito) is a Japanese novelist, lyricist and translator. She was born in 1973 in Yamagata…
Ito Ogawa (小川 糸, Ogawa Ito) is a Japanese novelist, lyricist and translator. She was born in 1973 in Yamagata, Yamagata. Several of her books have gained international recognition, such as The Restaurant of Love Regained (2008; Japanese Title: 食堂かたつむり - Shokudō Katatsumuri), described as a "foodie fable", which was made into a film in 2010 under the title "Shokudo Katatsumuri" ("Rinco's Restaurant").
Tōru Nimura (仁村 徹, Nimura Tōru; born December 26, 1961 in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan) is a Japanese former professional…
Tōru Nimura (仁村 徹, Nimura Tōru; born December 26, 1961 in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan) is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder and pitcher. He played for the Chunichi Dragons and Chiba Lotte Marines. He has been a coach since 1998 being on the payroll of his former club the Chunichi Dragons and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. On 25 September 2019, Nimura was invited to fill the role of farm team manager with his former team, the Chunichi Dragons. On 28 September, Nimura was officially unveiled as the second team manager for the 2020 Western League season.
Kazuhisa Kawahara (川原 和久, Kawahara Kazuhisa) is a Japanese human actor from Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. He is human…
Kazuhisa Kawahara (川原 和久, Kawahara Kazuhisa) is a Japanese human actor from Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. He is human known for his breakout role in Aibō where he portrays Section 7 Clerk Sergeant Keichi Itami as well as his appearances in the Initial D series as the voice of Seiji Iwaki and Kamen Rider Decade as the villain Apollo Geist. On June 26, 2012, Kawahara announced his engagement to Kio Matsumoto, eldest daughter of famous kabuki actor Matsumoto Kōshirō IX. They married on October 29, 2012, with Aibō co-star Yutaka Mizutani and his wife Ran Ito as witnesses.
Eriko Kitagawa (北川 悦吏子) (born December 24, 1961) is a Japanese screenwriter and film director. She is best known for…
Eriko Kitagawa (北川 悦吏子) (born December 24, 1961) is a Japanese screenwriter and film director. She is best known for writing Japanese television dramas, notably Long Vacation (1996), Beautiful Life (2000), Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi (2002), and Orange Days (2004). In 2009, Kitagawa made her directorial debut in the coming-of-age film Halfway, which she also wrote and co-edited. She then wrote and directed the 2012 film I Have to Buy New Shoes, a contemporary romantic comedy set in Paris. Both films were produced by her friend Shunji Iwai, and Kitagawa appeared in his 2011 documentary Friends after 3.11, which explores the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Beyblade, known in Japan as Bakuten Shoot Beyblade (Japanese: 爆転シュートベイブレード, Hepburn: Bakuten Shūto Beiburēdo; lit.…
Beyblade, known in Japan as Bakuten Shoot Beyblade (Japanese: 爆転シュートベイブレード, Hepburn: Bakuten Shūto Beiburēdo; lit. 'Explosive-Spin Shoot Beyblade'), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takao Aoki, created to promote Takara's Beyblade spinning tops. The series focuses on a group of kids who form teams, which battle one another using Beyblades. It was serialized in Shogakukan's children's manga magazine CoroCoro Comic from August 1999 to June 2004, with its chapters collected and published in 14 tankōbon volumes. It was licensed for English release in North America by Viz Media and in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand by Chuang Yi. An anime adaptation by Madhouse aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from January to December 2001 and was followed by two sequel series, Beyblade V-Force and Beyblade G-Revolution, and the 2002 film Beyblade: Fierce Battle all three by Nippon Animedia, a partnership between Nippon Animation, Takara, Agatsuma and Epoch. Nelvana licensed and produced English-language adaptations of the anime series and the film.
Koshi Fujimori (藤森 耕資, Fujimori Kōshi; born 19 December 1961) is a Japanese former water polo player who competed in…
Koshi Fujimori (藤森 耕資, Fujimori Kōshi; born 19 December 1961) is a Japanese former water polo player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Tetsuya Shiokawa (塩川鉄也 Shiokawa Tetsuya) is a Japanese politician and former member of the House of Representatives for…
Tetsuya Shiokawa (塩川鉄也 Shiokawa Tetsuya) is a Japanese politician and former member of the House of Representatives for the Japanese Communist Party.
Natsuko Godai (伍代夏子), (born 18 December 1961), of Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese enka singer.
Sion Sono (園 子温, Sono Shion; born December 18, 1961) is a Japanese filmmaker, writer, and poet. He is best known for…
Sion Sono (園 子温, Sono Shion; born December 18, 1961) is a Japanese filmmaker, writer, and poet. He is best known for the films Love Exposure (2008), Strange Circus (2005) and Suicide Club (2001). He has been called "the most subversive filmmaker working in Japanese cinema today," and a "stakhanovite filmmaker" with an "idiosyncratic" career.
Takehiro Watanabe (渡辺 武弘, Watanabe Takehiro; born 16 December 1961) is a Japanese table tennis player. He competed at…
Takehiro Watanabe (渡辺 武弘, Watanabe Takehiro; born 16 December 1961) is a Japanese table tennis player. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Toru Yoshikawa (吉川 亨, Yoshikawa Tōru; born December 13, 1961) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan…
Toru Yoshikawa (吉川 亨, Yoshikawa Tōru; born December 13, 1961) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Tensai Okamura (岡村 天斎, Okamura Tensai), born Yutaka Okamura (岡村 豊, Okamura Yutaka) on December 13, 1961, in Fukushima…
Tensai Okamura (岡村 天斎, Okamura Tensai), born Yutaka Okamura (岡村 豊, Okamura Yutaka) on December 13, 1961, in Fukushima Prefecture, is a Japanese anime director and animator. Okamura grew up in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. He is a graduate of Waseda University's department of science and engineering. In 1991, he changed his first name to Tensai.
Satoru Matsuhashi (松橋 暁, Matsuhashi Satoru; born 6 December 1961) is a Japanese ski jumper. He competed in the normal…
Satoru Matsuhashi (松橋 暁, Matsuhashi Satoru; born 6 December 1961) is a Japanese ski jumper. He competed in the normal hill and large hill events at the 1984 Winter Olympics.
Yusuke Adachi (足達 勇輔, Adachi Yūsuke; born December 5, 1961) is a Japanese football manager and former player. He is…
Yusuke Adachi (足達 勇輔, Adachi Yūsuke; born December 5, 1961) is a Japanese football manager and former player. He is currently the technical director of V.League 1 club Hanoi FC.
Toshinao Sasaki (佐々木 俊尚, Sasaki Toshinao; born December 5, 1961) is a Japanese freelance journalist and critic, a…
Toshinao Sasaki (佐々木 俊尚, Sasaki Toshinao; born December 5, 1961) is a Japanese freelance journalist and critic, a regular writer for CNET Japan, and a one-time reporter for Mainichi Shimbun. He was born in Hyōgo Prefecture.
Yoshihiro Nikawadori (荷川取義浩, Nikawadori Yoshihiro, born 4 December 1961) is a Japanese former handball player who…
Yoshihiro Nikawadori (荷川取義浩, Nikawadori Yoshihiro, born 4 December 1961) is a Japanese former handball player who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics.
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.
Koichi Ishimori (born 2 December 1961) is a Japanese wrestler. He competed in the men's freestyle +100 kg at the 1984…
Koichi Ishimori (born 2 December 1961) is a Japanese wrestler. He competed in the men's freestyle +100 kg at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Akira Furusawa (Japanese: 古澤 明, Hepburn: Furusawa Akira; born 1961) is a Japanese physicist known for his contributions…
Akira Furusawa (Japanese: 古澤 明, Hepburn: Furusawa Akira; born 1961) is a Japanese physicist known for his contributions to quantum teleportation. He is a professor of physics in University of Tokyo and specializes in nonlinear optics, quantum optics, and quantum information science.
Kazuyuki Aijima (相島 一之, Aijima Kazuyuki; born November 30, 1961) is a Japanese stage and film actor, and one of the…
Kazuyuki Aijima (相島 一之, Aijima Kazuyuki; born November 30, 1961) is a Japanese stage and film actor, and one of the original Tokyo Sunshine Boys, a theatrical troupe that lasted from 1983 to about 1994. He is currently seen in television dramas and onstage in Japan.
Tetsuya Kiyonari (清成哲也, Kiyonari Tetsuya; born November 27, 1961) is a professional Go player.
Yoshiaki Kuruma (車 吉章, Kuruma Yoshiaki; born November 26, 1961) is a Japanese "free announcer" from the Hokuriku region…
Yoshiaki Kuruma (車 吉章, Kuruma Yoshiaki; born November 26, 1961) is a Japanese "free announcer" from the Hokuriku region of Japan.
Shingo Miyake (born November 24, 1961) is a Japanese politician who is a former member of the House of Councillors of…
Shingo Miyake (born November 24, 1961) is a Japanese politician who is a former member of the House of Councillors of Japan.
Masanori Ota (太田正典, Ōta Masanori; born November 23, 1961), better known by his pen name Masamune Shirow (士郎 正宗, Shirō…
Masanori Ota (太田正典, Ōta Masanori; born November 23, 1961), better known by his pen name Masamune Shirow (士郎 正宗, Shirō Masamune), is a Japanese manga artist and designer for video games and anime productions. Shirow is best known for his award-winning debut work, Appleseed, and his widely known manga, Ghost in the Shell. Both series have been adapted into theatrical or television anime films, anime television series, OVA or ONA productions, and several video games. Ghost in the Shell was additionally adapted into a Hollywood live-action film. He is a key figure in the development of cyberpunk aesthetics and themes in Japan during the 1980s and 1990s. In addition to his mainstream manga and design work, Shirow has produced erotic and hentai manga and illustrations since the 1990s, under his regular pen name, with numerous art books and a 2025 exhibition dedicated to this work. These share the same canon as his interconnected mainstream publications.
Takami Akai (赤井 孝美, Akai Takami; born November 21, 1961) is an illustrator, game creator, character designer and…
Takami Akai (赤井 孝美, Akai Takami; born November 21, 1961) is an illustrator, game creator, character designer and animator.
Katsutoshi Shiina (椎名勝利, Shiina Katsutoshi; born 21 November 1961) is a Japanese karateka of the Shotokan style. In…
Katsutoshi Shiina (椎名勝利, Shiina Katsutoshi; born 21 November 1961) is a Japanese karateka of the Shotokan style. In 2004, he won the Shoto World Cup for kata. He has reached the 8th dan in the Japan Karate Association (JKA) system. As early as 2004, he was the general manager of the planning division at the JKA; in 2010, he instead became the general manager of the temporary personnel division. He remains an instructor with the JKA.
Kazuyori Mochizuki (望月 一頼, Mochizuki Kazuyori; born November 20, 1961) is a Japanese manager and former footballer.
Hironori Kamezawa (亀澤 宏規, Kamezawa Hironori; born 18 November 1961) is a Japanese business executive. He serves as the…
Hironori Kamezawa (亀澤 宏規, Kamezawa Hironori; born 18 November 1961) is a Japanese business executive. He serves as the President and Group CEO of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), the ninth-largest bank in the world by total assets. He holds a Master of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Tokyo.
Atsushi Natori (名取 篤, Natori Atsushi; born November 12, 1961) is a former Japanese football player. He played for the…
Atsushi Natori (名取 篤, Natori Atsushi; born November 12, 1961) is a former Japanese football player. He played for the Japan national team.
Tsukasa Endo (遠藤 司, Endō Tsukasa; born 9 November 1961) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He competed in the men's…
Tsukasa Endo (遠藤 司, Endō Tsukasa; born 9 November 1961) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He competed in the men's 10,000 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Isao Takagi (高木 功, Takagi Isao; born November 8, 1961) who goes by the ring name Arashi (嵐), is a Japanese professional…
Isao Takagi (高木 功, Takagi Isao; born November 8, 1961) who goes by the ring name Arashi (嵐), is a Japanese professional wrestler from Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture, who works for Dradition. He has previously worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Tomoko Tane (種ともこ, Tane Tomoko; born November 7, 1961) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and arranger. She debuted in…
Tomoko Tane (種ともこ, Tane Tomoko; born November 7, 1961) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and arranger. She debuted in 1985 and has recorded various singles and albums. She sung "Mermaid in Blue" for the television film Sango-sho Densetsu: Aoi Umi no Erufii (Coral Reef Legend: Elfie of the Blue Sea). In 1990, her album Ureshii Hitokoto (うれしいひとこと) peaked at position five on the Japanese charts. She sang the opening song "Message #9" and credits track "Love Song" of the 1998 anime series Gasaraki. She also is the performer in "Rainbow Song", the ending theme to the Japanese dub of The Little Polar Bear.
Hiroshi Kawauchi (川内 博史, Kawauchi Hiroshi; born 2 November 1961) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional…
Hiroshi Kawauchi (川内 博史, Kawauchi Hiroshi; born 2 November 1961) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). He studied at Waseda University.
Kōki Idoki (井戸木鴻樹, Idoki Kōki; born 2 November 1961) is a Japanese professional golfer who has played his whole career…
Kōki Idoki (井戸木鴻樹, Idoki Kōki; born 2 November 1961) is a Japanese professional golfer who has played his whole career on the Japan Golf Tour.
Kayoko Sugiyama (Japanese: 杉山 加代子; born 31 October 1961) is a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the…
Kayoko Sugiyama (Japanese: 杉山 加代子; born 31 October 1961) is a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. In 1984, she was a member of the Japanese team that won the bronze medal in the Olympic tournament. Four years later, she finished fourth with the Japanese team in the 1988 Olympic tournament.
Kanako Wada (Japanese: 和田 加奈子, Hepburn: Wada Kanako; born 28 October 1961) is a Japanese singer and songwriter.…
Kanako Wada (Japanese: 和田 加奈子, Hepburn: Wada Kanako; born 28 October 1961) is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Originally studying classical piano, she studied sculpture and managed the rugby team at the Tokyo University of the Arts before being scouted at a concert she organized. Debuting in November 1985, she released seven original albums and eleven singles with Toshiba EMI before retiring in 1991. She was also a television personality who worked as Akira Inoue's assistant on NHK's Best Sound II , as well as a radio personality at networks such as Asahi Broadcasting Corporation and Nippon Cultural Broadcasting. Her music has received renewed attention amidst the city pop boom of the 2010s and 2020s.
Kazuharu Shoshi (所司 和晴, Shoshi Kazuharu; born October 23, 1961) is a retired Japanese professional shogi player who…
Kazuharu Shoshi (所司 和晴, Shoshi Kazuharu; born October 23, 1961) is a retired Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 8-dan.
Takaaki Ishibashi (石橋 貴明, Ishibashi Takaaki; born October 22, 1961) is a Japanese comedian, singer and actor. He is…
Takaaki Ishibashi (石橋 貴明, Ishibashi Takaaki; born October 22, 1961) is a Japanese comedian, singer and actor. He is best known as a member of Tunnels and Yaen with his partner Noritake Kinashi.
Michie Tomizawa (富沢 美智恵, Tomizawa Michie; born October 20, 1961) is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer born…
Michie Tomizawa (富沢 美智恵, Tomizawa Michie; born October 20, 1961) is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer born in Maruko, Nagano Prefecture and raised in Shinmachi, Gunma.
Takeo Matsuda (松田 岳夫, Matsuda Takeo; born October 13, 1961) is a former Japanese football player and manager currently…
Takeo Matsuda (松田 岳夫, Matsuda Takeo; born October 13, 1961) is a former Japanese football player and manager currently manager WE League club of Tokyo Verdy Beleza.
Seizo Izumiya (Izumiya Seizo; born 12 October 1961) is a Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He has won the JKA…
Seizo Izumiya (Izumiya Seizo; born 12 October 1961) is a Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He has won the JKA All-Japan championships for kata. He is currently an instructor of the Japan Karate Association.
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.
Noriko Sasaki (佐々木 倫子, Sasaki Noriko; born 7 October 1961) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for her…
Noriko Sasaki (佐々木 倫子, Sasaki Noriko; born 7 October 1961) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for her Dōbutsu no Oisha-san series.