Kosuke Iwase (岩瀬浩介, Iwase Kosuke; born April 8, 1981 in Ibaraki) is a Japanese former professional football player. He…Kosuke Iwase (岩瀬浩介, Iwase Kosuke; born April 8, 1981 in Ibaraki) is a Japanese former professional football player. He is currently the chairman of the Blaublitz Akita, a Japanese association football team based in Akita, Akita.
Satoshi Yamazaki (山崎 敏, Yamazaki Satoshi; born in Gunma, Japan) is a Japanese professional Nippon Professional Baseball…Satoshi Yamazaki (山崎 敏, Yamazaki Satoshi; born in Gunma, Japan) is a Japanese professional Nippon Professional Baseball player. He is 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) in height and currently with the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League.
Naoko Kawashima (born 7 April 1981) is a Japanese synchronized swimmer who competed in the 2004 and 2008 Summer…Naoko Kawashima (born 7 April 1981) is a Japanese synchronized swimmer who competed in the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics.
Kazuki Watanabe (渡辺和樹, Watanabe Kazuki; April 7, 1981 – October 31, 2000), known by his stage name Kazuki (華月), was a…Kazuki Watanabe (渡辺和樹, Watanabe Kazuki; April 7, 1981 – October 31, 2000), known by his stage name Kazuki (華月), was a Japanese musician known as guitarist and lead songwriter of the visual kei rock band Raphael. The group became quite popular, with all their releases entering the top 40 of the Oricon chart, before disbanding after Kazuki died at the age of 19.
Kosei Nakamura (中村 幸聖, Nakamura Kōsei; born April 5, 1981) is a Japanese football coach and former football player, who…Kosei Nakamura (中村 幸聖, Nakamura Kōsei; born April 5, 1981) is a Japanese football coach and former football player, who is the assistant coach of BG Tampines Rovers, Singapore and the head coach of BG Tampines Rovers II.
Hoshiko Yamane (山根星子, Yamane Hoshiko; born 4 April 1981) is a Japanese violinist, composer and performer based in…Hoshiko Yamane (山根星子, Yamane Hoshiko; born 4 April 1981) is a Japanese violinist, composer and performer based in Berlin. She has been a member of Tangerine Dream since 2011.
Ryōko Shintani (新谷良子, Shintani Ryōko; born March 31, 1981) is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Kanazawa…Ryōko Shintani (新谷良子, Shintani Ryōko; born March 31, 1981) is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Kanazawa, Ishikawa. She is under the Lantis and Vi-vo Recording Label and famous as the voice of Milfeulle Sakuraba in the Galaxy Angel Series. She also sang along with Yukari Tamura, Miyuki Sawashiro, Mayumi Yamaguchi and Mika Kanai as the group Angel-Tai.
Takahito Kudo (工藤 隆人, Kudo Takahito; born March 30, 1981 in Kuroishi, Aomori) is a retired Nippon Professional Baseball…Takahito Kudo (工藤 隆人, Kudo Takahito; born March 30, 1981 in Kuroishi, Aomori) is a retired Nippon Professional Baseball player. He played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Yomiuri Giants, Chiba Lotte Marines and Chunichi Dragons over a 14-year professional career.
Atsushi Abe (阿部 敦, Abe Atsushi; born March 25, 1981) is a Japanese voice actor and narrator represented by Ken…Atsushi Abe (阿部 敦, Abe Atsushi; born March 25, 1981) is a Japanese voice actor and narrator represented by Ken Production. Some of his major roles include Toma Kamijo in the A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun series, Kukai Soma in Shugo Chara!, Moritaka Mashiro in Bakuman, Takashi Kosuda in B Gata H Kei, Koichi Sakakibara in Another, Touichirou Izumida in Yowamushi Pedal, and Kokonotsu Shikada in Dagashi Kashi. Abe has used aliases for some of his work, especially when voicing adult games, visual novels, and drama CDs. He has also been credited as Jun Teradake (寺竹 順, Teradake Jun), Hakana Kannagi (神凪 儚, Kannagi Hakana), Magic (マジック, Majikku), Kaoru Nagihara (凪原 薫, Nagihara Kaoru), and Tatsumi Shirogane (銀 巽, Shirogane Tatsumi).
Takeshi Honda (本田 武史, Honda Takeshi; born 23 March 1981) is a former Japanese competitive figure skater. He is a…Takeshi Honda (本田 武史, Honda Takeshi; born 23 March 1981) is a former Japanese competitive figure skater. He is a two-time World bronze medalist (2002, 2003), two-time Four Continents champion (1999, 2003), and six-time Japanese national champion.
Shinya Taniguchi (谷口 晋矢, Taniguchi Shin'ya; 23 March 1981 – 4 September 2013) was a Japanese swimmer who competed in…Shinya Taniguchi (谷口 晋矢, Taniguchi Shin'ya; 23 March 1981 – 4 September 2013) was a Japanese swimmer who competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Kiyoteru Higuchi (樋口 清輝, Higuchi Kiyoteru; born March 22, 1981) is a male Japanese Taekwondo practitioner. He won the…Kiyoteru Higuchi (樋口 清輝, Higuchi Kiyoteru; born March 22, 1981) is a male Japanese Taekwondo practitioner. He won the bronze medal in the men's bantamweight division (-62 kg) at the 2001 World Taekwondo Championships held in Jeju City, South Korea. Higuchi competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Atsushi Kinugawa (衣川 篤史, Kinugawa Atsushi; born December 29, 1976) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball…Atsushi Kinugawa (衣川 篤史, Kinugawa Atsushi; born December 29, 1976) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball catcher.
Shūzō Oshimi (押見 修造, Oshimi Shūzō; born 1981) is a Japanese manga artist and writer based in Tokyo who publishes works…Shūzō Oshimi (押見 修造, Oshimi Shūzō; born 1981) is a Japanese manga artist and writer based in Tokyo who publishes works primarily for Kodansha. He made his debut with Superfly in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Magazine. He is best known for his manga Drifting Net Cafe (2009–2011), The Flowers of Evil (2009–2014), Happiness (2015–2019), and Blood on the Tracks (2017–2023). His works have been adapted into many different media including television drama, anime, and live action film. In 2001, he won the Tetsuya Chiba Award. Oshimi is particularly known to write stories to his manga that reflect his own experiences, often centered around gender, puberty or psychosexual development, and other coming-of-age themes that reflect adolescence.
Hisashi Miyazaki (宮崎 久, Miyazaki Hisashi; born 19 March 1981 in Unzen) is a Japanese retired bobsledder and track and…Hisashi Miyazaki (宮崎 久, Miyazaki Hisashi; born 19 March 1981 in Unzen) is a Japanese retired bobsledder and track and field sprinter.
Shohei Tateyama (館山 昌平, Tateyama Shōhei; born March 3, 1981) is a former Japanese professional baseball pitcher and…Shohei Tateyama (館山 昌平, Tateyama Shōhei; born March 3, 1981) is a former Japanese professional baseball pitcher and currently pitting coach for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of the NPB.
Naomichi Suzuki (鈴木 直道, Suzuki Naomichi; born 14 March 1981) is a Japanese politician who currently serves as the…Naomichi Suzuki (鈴木 直道, Suzuki Naomichi; born 14 March 1981) is a Japanese politician who currently serves as the governor of Hokkaidō. He previously served as mayor of Yūbari city for two consecutive terms from 2011 to 2019. He had also served in Regional Sovereignty Strategy Office of Cabinet Office and as a chief of General Affairs Division in General Affairs Department at Tokyo Governor's Office.
Kenta Kobayashi (小林 健太, Kobayashi Kenta; born March 12, 1981), known mononymously as Kenta (stylised in all caps), is a…Kenta Kobayashi (小林 健太, Kobayashi Kenta; born March 12, 1981), known mononymously as Kenta (stylised in all caps), is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is the leader of White Raven Sqwad and a former two-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. Kobayashi started his career in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), before moving to Pro Wrestling Noah; through Noah's involvement in the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance (GPWA), a global organization of cooperative promotions that allow their competitors to travel abroad to other companies, he has wrestled extensively in American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). In Noah, he was a two-time GHC Heavyweight Champion, three-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion, three-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, and one-time GHC Tag Team Champion. He was also the winner of the 2012 Global League and the 2013 Global Tag League tournaments. He is also well known for his tenure in American promotion WWE where he worked under the name Hideo Itami (ヒデオ・イタミ) in the company's developmental territory NXT and later in their cruiserweight exclusive brand 205 Live. In 2019, he departed from WWE, and in May, appeared for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), announcing his participation in that year's G1 Climax and aligned with former tag partner Katsuyori Shibata. He turned on Shibata and joined the Bullet Club, and has since held the Strong Openweight Championship twice and the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, NEVER Openweight Championship and the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship once each. He silently departed from NJPW in January 2025 and returned to Pro Wrestling Noah the following month.
Mayumi Ono (小野 真弓, Ono Mayumi; born March 12, 1981 in Nagareyama, Chiba Prefecture) is a Japanese actress, entertainer…Mayumi Ono (小野 真弓, Ono Mayumi; born March 12, 1981 in Nagareyama, Chiba Prefecture) is a Japanese actress, entertainer, gravure idol, and singer represented by Sun Music Production. She graduated from Jumonji Junior College.
Junko Isoda (磯田 順子, Isoda Junko; born 11 March 1981) is a Japanese former swimmer who competed in the 2000 Summer…Junko Isoda (磯田 順子, Isoda Junko; born 11 March 1981) is a Japanese former swimmer who competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Akiro Ito (born March 10, 1981) is a field hockey player from Japan, who finished in ninth place with the national…Akiro Ito (born March 10, 1981) is a field hockey player from Japan, who finished in ninth place with the national squad at the 2006 Men's Hockey World Cup in Mönchengladbach. Before the start of the tournament he played 23 international matches for his native country, according to the official players list issued by the International Field Hockey Federation.
Mizuki Watanabe (渡辺みづき, Watanabe Mizuki; born March 6, 1981 in Kitami, Hokkaidō, Japan), better known simply as Miz, is…Mizuki Watanabe (渡辺みづき, Watanabe Mizuki; born March 6, 1981 in Kitami, Hokkaidō, Japan), better known simply as Miz, is a Japanese pop/rock singer. Though most of her music is released in Japan, she does her work primarily from Gotland in Sweden, mainly doing promotional videos, photo shoots and recording there. She originally debuted in 1999 under Universal Music Japan using her real name, Watanabe Mizuki, releasing two singles. In 2003, she began working with the Swedish producer Tord Backstrom and debuted under Victor Entertainment with the pseudonym Miz in 2004. That same year, she released an English album in Sweden, with the lead single "Waiting" reaching #8 on the Hitlistan Swedish singles chart. In 2007, Watanabe returned to Universal Music Japan, changed her stage name to Mizrock, and released her first mini-album Good bye, yesterday and three singles. However, in 2009 she announced on her official blog that she had changed her stage name back to Miz. Her biggest hits in Japan are "New Day" and "In The Sky", the theme song for the Square Enix role-playing video game Grandia III.
Masakazu Fujiwara (born 6 March 1981 in Ōkawachi, Hyōgo), in Japanese 藤原正和, is Japanese long-distance runner, who…Masakazu Fujiwara (born 6 March 1981 in Ōkawachi, Hyōgo), in Japanese 藤原正和, is Japanese long-distance runner, who specializes in the marathon. He has a personal best of 2:08:12 hours for the event. He was the 2013 Japanese champion in the marathon and won the 2010 Tokyo Marathon. He trains at Honda Sports team. He graduated from Chuo University, where he competed in track and field. He ran an Asian junior record of 28:17.38 minutes for the 10,000 metres. He participated four times in the Hakone Ekiden. He won the half marathon at the 2001 Summer Universiade in Beijing. In 2003 he began to compete in marathon, he finished third with a time of 2:08:12 at the 2003 Lake Biwa Marathon. This was the fastest ever debut for a Japanese runner. He represented Japan at the marathon at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics, but he could not complete the event due to a knee injury. After this rapid ascent, he stagnated as a runner in the following years. Highlights of this period include a runner-up finish at the 2005 Ome 30 km Road Race and a fourth-place finish at the Asian Cross Country Championships in 2007, where he led Japan to the team bronze. He started well at the 2008 Lake Biwa Marathon but faded in the second half to ninth place. His career began to turn around in 2010. That year he won the Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:12:19 hours, beating his namesake Arata Fujiwara in wet conditions. He ran at the 2010 Berlin Marathon later that year and ranked in the top ten with a time of 2:12:00 hours (his best in seven years). He missed 2011 due to injury. On his return in 2012 he managed only 31st at the Tokyo Marathon but clocked 2:11:31 hours for tenth at the 2012 Berlin Marathon. Ten years after his record debut run, he returned to Lake Biwa and dipped under two hours and ten minutes for the first time in a decade. His run of 2:08:51 was enough for fourth place and as the first Japanese he won his first national title in the marathon.
Megumi Murata (村田 めぐみ, Murata Megumi) (born March 3, 1981, in Sendai) is a former member and sub-leader of Melon…Megumi Murata (村田 めぐみ, Murata Megumi) (born March 3, 1981, in Sendai) is a former member and sub-leader of Melon Kinenbi, an all-girl J-pop group formerly within Hello! Project.
Kaori Yoneyama (米山 香織, Yoneyama Kaori; born February 26, 1981) is a Japanese professional wrestler, working as a…Kaori Yoneyama (米山 香織, Yoneyama Kaori; born February 26, 1981) is a Japanese professional wrestler, working as a freelancer on the Japanese independent circuit. Yoneyama started her career in 1999, working with the JWP Joshi Puroresu promotion. During the following years, she became a one-time JWP Openweight Champion, a one-time JWP Junior Champion, a five-time JWP Tag Team Champion, a one-time Pure-J Openweight Champion and a three-time Daily Sports Women's Tag Team Champion. Notable titles she has held outside of JWP include All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling's AJW Championship and AJW Tag Team Championship, Ice Ribbon's International Ribbon Tag Team Championship, Big Japan Pro Wrestling's BJW Women's Championship, and NEO Japan Ladies Pro Wrestling's High Speed Championship. In July 2011, Yoneyama announced that she would be ending her twelve-year career the following December. After a retirement tour, which took Yoneyama not only across the Japanese independent circuit, but also to the United States, she announced during her retirement ceremony that she had changed her mind and decided to continue her career. In January 2013, Yoneyama quit JWP to become a freelancer, working for promotions such as Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling, Oz Academy, Union Pro Wrestling and World Wonder Ring Stardom.
Tsuyoshi Wada (和田 毅, Wada Tsuyoshi; born February 21, 1981) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He…Tsuyoshi Wada (和田 毅, Wada Tsuyoshi; born February 21, 1981) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 2003 to 2011, and 2016 to 2024 for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2014 to 2015 for the Chicago Cubs. Wada pitched in the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the 2006 World Baseball Classic for the Japanese national team. He set a Tokyo Big6 Baseball League record with 476 strikeouts during his college career at Waseda University and was the Pacific League Most Valuable Rookie in 2003.
Tetsuya Tsuchida (土田哲也; Tsuchida Tetsuya, born February 18, 1981, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa), better known by his stage…Tetsuya Tsuchida (土田哲也; Tsuchida Tetsuya, born February 18, 1981, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa), better known by his stage name Tetsuya and Exile Tetsuya (stylized as TETSUYA and EXILE TETSUYA), is a Japanese dancer, actor, businessman and lecturer. He is a member of Exile and Exile the Second. He was also a member of Dance Earth Party and J Soul Brothers' second generation Nidaime J Soul Brothers until their migration to Exile in 2009. Tetsuya is represented with LDH. He is engaged in various activities in the field of dance education and has graduated with a master's degree in sport sciences from Waseda University in 2018. Furthermore, he is the director of the "EXILE Performance Institute (EPI)", the coffee brand AMAZING COFFEE and "EXPG High School".
Kazuo Inoue (井上 和郎, Inoue Kazuo; born 17 February 1981) is a Japanese former professional racing cyclist. He finished…Kazuo Inoue (井上 和郎, Inoue Kazuo; born 17 February 1981) is a Japanese former professional racing cyclist. He finished second in the Japanese National Road Race Championships in 2008 and 2014, and represented Japan in the 2008 UCI Road World Championships. He has won the elite road race competition at the National Sports Festival of Japan four times.
Marumi Ogawa (小川まるみ, Ogawa Marumi; born February 15, 1981 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese tarento and gravure idol. She…Marumi Ogawa (小川まるみ, Ogawa Marumi; born February 15, 1981 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese tarento and gravure idol. She graduated from the Tokyo University of Agriculture where she was a member of the Interact Club. She used to be a Gabu Girl and a member of the Miniskirt Police. Her hobbies include cooking, bowling, and piano.
Hiroki Yamamura (Japanese: 山村洋貴, Hepburn: Yamamura Hiroki; born February 11, 1981) is a Japanese animator, character…Hiroki Yamamura (Japanese: 山村洋貴, Hepburn: Yamamura Hiroki; born February 11, 1981) is a Japanese animator, character designer and storyboard artist.
Yasuyuki Muneta (棟田 康幸, Muneta Yasuyuki; born 10 February 1981) is a Japanese judoka. He won two gold medals and a…Yasuyuki Muneta (棟田 康幸, Muneta Yasuyuki; born 10 February 1981) is a Japanese judoka. He won two gold medals and a silver medal at the World Judo Championships.
Gakuto Kondo (近藤 岳登, Kondo Gakuto; born February 10, 1981) is a former Japanese football player. He last played for FC…Gakuto Kondo (近藤 岳登, Kondo Gakuto; born February 10, 1981) is a former Japanese football player. He last played for FC Osaka.
Daisuke Sekimoto (関本 大介, Sekimoto Daisuke) (born February 9, 1981) is a Japanese professional wrestler, He is currently…Daisuke Sekimoto (関本 大介, Sekimoto Daisuke) (born February 9, 1981) is a Japanese professional wrestler, He is currently signed to Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) in the Strong BJ division. where he is a three-time BJW World Strong Heavyweight Champion, former one-time BJW Heavyweight Champion former thirteen-time BJW Tag Team Champion and former six-time Yokohama Shopping Street 6-Man Tag Team Champion. He is also known for his appearances in Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max. while also being a former one-time NWA Pan-Pacific Premium Heavyweight Champion and a two-time Zero1 World Heavyweight Champion and Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), where former one-time wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion. Other major promotions with DDT Pro-Wrestling, All Japan Pro-Wrestling and Kaientai Dojo, winning singles championships include the where former one-time Gaora TV Champion, former one-time KO-D Openweight Champion and former one-time Strongest-K Champion. Also a successful tag team wrestler, he has held the AJPW World Tag Team Championship three times, the All Asia Tag Team Championship two time and the KO-D Tag Team Championship two times with his most successful tag team combination being with Yuji Okabayashi.
Toshizumi Kitagawa (北川俊澄, Kitagawa Toshizumi) (born 7 February 1981 in Kyoto, Japan) is a Japanese rugby union player.…Toshizumi Kitagawa (北川俊澄, Kitagawa Toshizumi) (born 7 February 1981 in Kyoto, Japan) is a Japanese rugby union player. Kitagawa has played 43 international matches for the Japan national rugby union team. Kitagawa was a member of the Japan team at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and played four matches for the Brave Blossoms.
Eiki Kitamura (北村栄基, Kitamura Eiki; born February 3, 1981) is a Japanese actor. He was born in Kumamoto Prefecture.…Eiki Kitamura (北村栄基, Kitamura Eiki; born February 3, 1981) is a Japanese actor. He was born in Kumamoto Prefecture. Harumi Inoue is his older sister, and they worked together in Rock Musical Bleach. He has acted in television dramas and musicals, as well as a movie. He is best known for his role as Izuru Kira in Rock Musical BLEACH when he joined the cast in 2006 for Rock Musical Bleach Saien. He also briefly portrayed Takashi Kawamura in The Prince of Tennis musical series (commonly called Tenimyu) for the More Than Limit: St. Rudolph Gakuen musical. Kitamura reprised the role of Kawamura with the revived 1st generation Seigaku cast for Tenimyu's Dream Live 7th concert to celebrate the end of the first season.
Taiji Nishitani (西谷泰治, Nishitani Taiji; born 1 February 1981, in Hiroshima Prefecture) is a Japanese former…Taiji Nishitani (西谷泰治, Nishitani Taiji; born 1 February 1981, in Hiroshima Prefecture) is a Japanese former professional racing cyclist who competed professionally between 2006 and 2014, entirely for the Aisan Racing Team. He was the winner of the Japanese National Road Race Championships in 2009. He retired at the end of the 2014 season, and now works as a directeur sportif for the Aisan Racing Team. He joined Aisan Racing Team soon after graduating from Nihon University and had success on the UCI Asia Tour. He was the third Japanese to win a stage at the HC classified Tour de Langkawi. In addition to road races, Nishitani also represented Japan in international track cycling competitions, riding in such events as the scratch race, Madison, and omnium.
Hiroshi Iwata (岩田 寛, Iwata Hiroshi; born 31 January 1981) is a Japanese professional golfer who plays on the Japan Golf…Hiroshi Iwata (岩田 寛, Iwata Hiroshi; born 31 January 1981) is a Japanese professional golfer who plays on the Japan Golf Tour and the Asian Tour.
Natsu Ando (安藤 なつ, Andō Natsu; born 31 January 1981 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese comedian. She is represented by Sun…Natsu Ando (安藤 なつ, Andō Natsu; born 31 January 1981 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese comedian. She is represented by Sun Music Production. She is currently a member of the comedy duo Maple Chogoukin.
Hichori Morimoto (Japanese: 森本 稀哲, Korean: 이희철, Hanja: 李稀哲, born January 31, 1981) is a Japanese professional baseball…Hichori Morimoto (Japanese: 森本 稀哲, Korean: 이희철, Hanja: 李稀哲, born January 31, 1981) is a Japanese professional baseball player of Korean descent for the Saitama Seibu Lions. He was the number 4 draft pick for the Fighters in 1999. For years, he was the backup for the most popular player in the league, Tsuyoshi Shinjo. After the 2006 season in which the Fighters won the Japan Series, SHINJO (registered name with capital letters) announced his retirement, in which Morimoto then took over SHINJO's center field spot, and also his number 1 (Morimoto had worn number 46 when SHINJO was playing). Morimoto has alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes loss of body hair.
Tomoyuki Sato (佐藤 智之, Satō Tomoyuki; born 31 January 1981) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He finished thirteenth…Tomoyuki Sato (佐藤 智之, Satō Tomoyuki; born 31 January 1981) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He finished thirteenth in the marathon at the 2007 World Championships.
