Sapporo Minami High School: 40 people
Yushi Soda (曽田 雄志, Soda Yushi; born July 5, 1978) is a former Japanese football player.
Takashi Uwano (宇和野 貴史, Uwano Takashi; born October 3, 1976) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler most famous for…
Takashi Uwano (宇和野 貴史, Uwano Takashi; born October 3, 1976) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler most famous for competing with NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling) and Pro Wrestling Zero1. Uwano has a background in the martial art, Judo.
Toh EnJoe (Japanese: 円城 塔, Hepburn: Enjō Tō; pen name, also written as En Joe Toh) (born September 15, 1972) is a…
Toh EnJoe (Japanese: 円城 塔, Hepburn: Enjō Tō; pen name, also written as En Joe Toh) (born September 15, 1972) is a Japanese author and television writer. Most of his works are literary fiction or speculative fiction.
Arata Takebe (born 20 July 1970) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who is serving as a member…
Arata Takebe (born 20 July 1970) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who is serving as a member of the House of Representatives for Hokkaido 12th district since 2012. He is the son of Tsutomu Takebe, who also served as a member of the House of Representatives.Serves us Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from October 2026.
Yasushi Watanabe (渡辺 靖, Watanabe Yasushi) (born 1967) is a Japanese anthropologist and a full professor at Keio…
Yasushi Watanabe (渡辺 靖, Watanabe Yasushi) (born 1967) is a Japanese anthropologist and a full professor at Keio University. He earned a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology at Harvard University in 1997. After post-doctoral fellowships at Cambridge and Oxford Universities, he joined Keio University's Graduate School of Media and Governance as well as Faculty of Environment and Information Studies in 1999. He attained the rank of full professor in 2005, and is one of Japan's most prominent experts on soft power, public diplomacy, cultural policy and American Studies. During the 2003–04 academic years, he was a recipient of an Abe Fellowship(Social Science Research Council and the Japan Foundation), which he held at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. He was awarded a prestigious Japan Academy Medal in 2005. He served as a Fellow at Downing College, Cambridge in 2007, a visiting professor at Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Science-Po) in 2013 and a Japan Scholar at the Wilson Center in 2018. He was a visiting scholar at the School of International Studies at Peking University in 2017 and at College of Europe in 2018. He has been selected for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) by the U.S. Department of State in 2018. In 2025, he was selected as an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He serves on the editorial boards of Anthem Studies in Soft Power and Public Diplomacy, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy and International Journal of Public Diplomacy Research. He is a director (program chair) at the International House of Japan, a co-chair of the Japan Advisory Council of the Salzburg Global Seminar, and an adjunct senior fellow at NIRA (Nippon Institute for Research Advancement). He is a member of Harvard Club of Japan. He has served on the executive board of the Japanese Association for American Studies, the advisory panel on the Japan Foundation, the advisory panel on public diplomacy of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the advisory panel (chair) on NHK World. He has also served as an editorial member of Gaiko (Diplomacy) magazine, a book reviewer for Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun, among others.
Takeaki Kunimoto (国本剛章, Kunimoto Takeaki) is a former composer of video game music. He used to work for the Japanese…
Takeaki Kunimoto (国本剛章, Kunimoto Takeaki) is a former composer of video game music. He used to work for the Japanese video game developer Hudson Soft. With them he would go on to compose several of their most famous early hits, including Star Soldier, Milon's Secret Castle, Mickey Mousecapade and Robowarrior. In recent years, he has dedicated his time to performing video game music at live venues in the Shibuya area, as well as releasing several albums containing his video game music material. Kunimoto is noted as one of the first to write accompanying lyrics to the music featured in the video games he composed for, printed in the instruction booklet supplied with the game software.
Megumi Sasaki (佐々木 芽生 Sasaki Megumi, born 1962) is a Japanese filmmaker and writer. Her films include Herb and Dorothy…
Megumi Sasaki (佐々木 芽生 Sasaki Megumi, born 1962) is a Japanese filmmaker and writer. Her films include Herb and Dorothy, Herb & Dorothy 50x50, and A Whale of a Tale.
Satoru Iwata (Japanese: 岩田 聡; December 6, 1959 – July 11, 2015) was a Japanese businessman, video game programmer, and…
Satoru Iwata (Japanese: 岩田 聡; December 6, 1959 – July 11, 2015) was a Japanese businessman, video game programmer, and producer. Beginning in 2002, Iwata served as the fourth president of Nintendo, as well as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Nintendo of America from 2013 until his death in 2015. Iwata was a major contributor in broadening the appeal of video games by focusing on novel and entertaining software rather than top-of-the-line hardware. Born in Sapporo, Iwata expressed interest in video games from an early age and created his first simple game while in high school. He majored in computer science at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. In 1980, he joined the game developer HAL Laboratory while attending the university. At HAL, he worked as a programmer and closely collaborated with Nintendo, coding his first commercial console game in 1983 and programming early Nintendo Entertainment System titles including Pinball, Golf, and Balloon Fight. Later games to which he contributed include EarthBound and numerous installments in the Kirby series. Following a financial downturn and near-bankruptcy, Iwata became the president of HAL in 1993 at the insistence of Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi and restored the company's financial stability. In the following years, he assisted in the development of the Pokémon and Super Smash Bros. series. Iwata joined Nintendo as the head of its corporate planning division in 2000. Nintendo saw strong growth under Iwata, and when Yamauchi retired in May 2002, Iwata succeeded him as the company's president, becoming the first president unrelated to the Yamauchi family. Under Iwata's leadership, Nintendo developed the Nintendo DS and Wii game consoles, helping the company achieve massive financial success. As a self-declared gamer, he focused on expanding the appeal of video games across demographics through a "blue ocean" business strategy and the Touch! Generations brand. Nintendo attained record profits by 2009, and Barron's placed Iwata among the top 30 CEOs worldwide. Iwata expanded his strategy by defining a quality-of-life product line for the Wii that evolved into a ten-year strategy to create standalone products. Later hardware such as the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U proved far less profitable than the Wii, and Nintendo's net sales fell by two-thirds from 2009 to 2012, with the company recording its first operating losses in 30 years during this period. Refusing to lay off employees, Iwata voluntarily halved his salary in 2011 and again in 2014. In 2015, after several years of decline, Iwata directed a portion of Nintendo's focus into the rapidly growing mobile game market through a landmark partnership with mobile provider DeNA established that March, while overseeing early development of the Nintendo Switch. Throughout his tenure, Iwata built a close relationship with Nintendo fans through social media and his regular appearances in Iwata Asks and Nintendo Direct, becoming the public face of the company. In June 2014, a tumor in Iwata's bile duct was discovered during a routine physical exam. It was removed, and Iwata returned to work in October of that year. The illness resurfaced in 2015, and Iwata died at the age of 55 from its complications on July 11. Members of the gaming industry and players worldwide offered tributes through public announcements and social media, and fans established temporary memorials around the globe. Iwata was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 Golden Joystick Awards and the 2016 D.I.C.E. Awards.
Yasuharu Konishi (小西 康陽, Konishi Yasuharu; born February 3, 1959) is a Japanese musician, composer and DJ. He was a…
Yasuharu Konishi (小西 康陽, Konishi Yasuharu; born February 3, 1959) is a Japanese musician, composer and DJ. He was a founding member of Pizzicato Five and the only such to stay with the group until its breakup in 2001. Konishi's current activities are through his company readymade entertainment and his record label 524 records (a play on words from Konishi's name, as the numbers 524 can be read ko-ni-shi in Japanese using goroawase).
Hiroshi Ishii (石井 裕, Ishii Hiroshi; born 1956) is a Japanese computer scientist and a professor at the Massachusetts…
Hiroshi Ishii (石井 裕, Ishii Hiroshi; born 1956) is a Japanese computer scientist and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also Associate Director of the MIT Media Laboratory.
Hideo Ohno (Japanese: 大野 英男; Hideo Ōno; born 18 December 1954, Tokyo) is a Japanese physicist. He is the 22nd president…
Hideo Ohno (Japanese: 大野 英男; Hideo Ōno; born 18 December 1954, Tokyo) is a Japanese physicist. He is the 22nd president of Tohoku University, succeeding Susumu Satomi in April 2018.
Houkin Kiyohiro (寳金 清博, 24 September 1954 – ) is a Japanese medical scientist and neurosurgeon. He has served as the…
Houkin Kiyohiro (寳金 清博, 24 September 1954 – ) is a Japanese medical scientist and neurosurgeon. He has served as the President of Hokkaido University since 2020, where he is also Professor Emeritus. He holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Hokkaido University, specializing in neurosurgery, and is one of the pioneers in the research of moyamoya disease.
Hiroyuki Kanno (born July 3, 1952) is a Japanese jurist who served as an associate Justice of the Supreme Court of…
Hiroyuki Kanno (born July 3, 1952) is a Japanese jurist who served as an associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan from 2016 to 2022.
Haruhiko Kataoka (片岡晴彦, Haruhiko Kataoka; born April 1952) was the 32nd Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense…
Haruhiko Kataoka (片岡晴彦, Haruhiko Kataoka; born April 1952) was the 32nd Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, the de facto air force of Japan.
Tamiaki Yoneya (米谷民明, Yoneya Tamiaki) (born 1947) is a Japanese physicist. Independently of Joël Scherk and John H.…
Tamiaki Yoneya (米谷民明, Yoneya Tamiaki) (born 1947) is a Japanese physicist. Independently of Joël Scherk and John H. Schwarz, he realized that string theory describes, among other things, the force of gravity. Yoneya has worked on the stringy extension of the uncertainty principle for many years.
Satoshi Arai (荒井 聰, Arai Satoshi; born 27 May 1946) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party of…
Satoshi Arai (荒井 聰, Arai Satoshi; born 27 May 1946) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and a former member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature).
Akio Kanai (金井 昭雄, Kanai Akio) is the CEO of Fuji Optical in Hokkaido, Japan, and the recipient of the 2006 Nansen…
Akio Kanai (金井 昭雄, Kanai Akio) is the CEO of Fuji Optical in Hokkaido, Japan, and the recipient of the 2006 Nansen Refugee Award.
Toshiaki Araki (荒木 敏明, Araki Toshiaki; born 31 May 1942) is a Japanese fencer. He competed in the individual and team…
Toshiaki Araki (荒木 敏明, Araki Toshiaki; born 31 May 1942) is a Japanese fencer. He competed in the individual and team épée events at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Tadamasa Kodaira (小平 忠正, Kodaira Tadamasa; born 18 March 1942) is a former Japanese politician of the Democratic Party…
Tadamasa Kodaira (小平 忠正, Kodaira Tadamasa; born 18 March 1942) 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).
Naotake Okubo (born 16 March 1940) is a Japanese rower. He competed in the men's coxed four event at the 1960 Summer…
Naotake Okubo (born 16 March 1940) is a Japanese rower. He competed in the men's coxed four event at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Susumu Nishibe (西部 邁; 15 March 1939 – 21 January 2018) was a Japanese critic, conservative and economist. He was a…
Susumu Nishibe (西部 邁; 15 March 1939 – 21 January 2018) was a Japanese critic, conservative and economist. He was a professor of Socioeconomics at University of Tokyo. He criticized modern economics, progressivism, and rationalism, and advocated theories on mass society, conservatism, and the independence of Japan from the United States.
Takashi Asano (浅野 孝, Asano Takashi; born 1937) is a Japanese-born environmental engineer and a professor emeritus at…
Takashi Asano (浅野 孝, Asano Takashi; born 1937) is a Japanese-born environmental engineer and a professor emeritus at the University of California, Davis. Asano has more than 40 years of academic and professional experience in environmental and water resources engineering, specializing in water reclamation, recycling, and reuse. During 1978–1992, he served as the water reclamation specialist for the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) in Sacramento, during the formative years of water reclamation, recycling, and reuse. Asano has conducted water reclamation and reuse studies at the SWRCB and the University of California, Davis, many of which contributed to the scientific and technical basis for State of California's Title 22 regulations (State of California Water Recycling Criteria). Previously, Asano taught at Montana State University, Bozeman, 1971–75, and Washington State University, Pullman, 1975–78. He has continued to lecture widely and publish on topics current and ancient. Asano co-authored with Franklin L. Burton, Harold L. Leverenz, Ryujiro Tsuchihashi, and George Tchobanoglous the widely used textbook entitled Water Reuse: Issues, Technologies, and Applications by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., New York, NY.
Jun'ichi Watanabe (渡辺 淳一, Watanabe Jun'ichi; 24 October 1933 – 30 April 2014) was a Japanese writer.
Yoshio Aramaki (荒巻義雄, Aramaki Yoshio, born 12 April 1933) is a Japanese science fiction and mystery writer, critic and…
Yoshio Aramaki (荒巻義雄, Aramaki Yoshio, born 12 April 1933) is a Japanese science fiction and mystery writer, critic and art collector. His original given name was Kunio Aramaki (荒巻邦夫, Aramaki Kunio). He has changed his name to Yoshimasa Aramaki (荒巻義雅). Aramaki is well known by his so-called "Meta-SF" works which are characterized by their speculative and fantastic themes and depictions. He is also famous for his various series of "imaginary battle" novels and alternate history novels such as Konpeki no Kantai series. He is a member of the Japan Writers’ Association, and of the SFWJ (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan), and of the Contemporary Haiku Association. He was also a professor in the Seishū Women's University (now, Sapporo International University) from 1993 to 1997.
The Yokota family, husband Shigeru (November 14, 1932 – June 5, 2020) and wife Sakie (born February 4, 1936) along with…
The Yokota family, husband Shigeru (November 14, 1932 – June 5, 2020) and wife Sakie (born February 4, 1936) along with their twin sons Takuya and Tetsuya founded the Japanese National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea in 1997. The Association supports the victims of North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Yokotas' daughter Megumi was kidnapped in 1977 by North Korean spies; her current whereabouts are unknown. Sakie Yokota once met with U.S. President George W. Bush to talk about demanding sanctions on North Korea and in 2013 she testified about her daughter's abduction. In 2014, the Yokotas met Megumi's Korean daughter. Also in 2014, Sakie Yokota met U.S. President Barack Obama to discuss the case of her daughter and other abductees. The meeting came after a press conference Obama held with then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. During the meeting, Obama said he was "moved by their tragic experiences." On September 19, 2017, President of the United States Donald Trump, in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, included Yokota in a series of accusations against the North Korean government, saying, "We know it kidnapped a sweet 13-year-old Japanese girl from a beach in her own country to enslave her as a language tutor for North Korea's spies." On June 5, 2020, Shigeru Yokota died at age 87. He had been hospitalized in Kawasaki for more than two years. On October 24, 2020, former Prime Minister Abe and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attended a memorial service for Shigeru, where Suga praised him and said he would "take the lead in making a breakthrough (on the abductees issue), without missing any opportunity." Sakie Yokota wrote a book, North Korea Kidnapped My Daughter, about the issue.
Ichirō Nakatani (Japanese: 中谷 一郎, Hepburn: Nakatani Ichirō; born April 1, 1930) was a Japanese actor. He attended…
Ichirō Nakatani (Japanese: 中谷 一郎, Hepburn: Nakatani Ichirō; born April 1, 1930) was a Japanese actor. He attended Waseda University, but withdrew before completing his degree and joined the Haiyuza Theatre Company. In 1959, Nakatani won Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year. Nakatani was well known for his role as Ninja Kazaguruma no Yahichi in the jidaigeki drama Mito Kōmon.
Ryōhei Hirose (廣瀬 量平, Hirose Ryōhei; July 17, 1930 in Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan – November 24, 2008 in Kyoto; given…
Ryōhei Hirose (廣瀬 量平, Hirose Ryōhei; July 17, 1930 in Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan – November 24, 2008 in Kyoto; given name also spelled Ryouhei) was a Japanese composer.
Toshiya Sukegawa (Japanese: 助川 敏弥, romanized: Sukegawa Toshiya; 15 July 1930 – 26 September 2015) was a Japanese…
Toshiya Sukegawa (Japanese: 助川 敏弥, romanized: Sukegawa Toshiya; 15 July 1930 – 26 September 2015) was a Japanese composer, music critic and magazine editor.
Ryuzo Yanagimachi (柳町 隆造, Yanagimachi Ryūzō; August 27, 1928 – September 27, 2023) was a Japanese-born, American-based…
Ryuzo Yanagimachi (柳町 隆造, Yanagimachi Ryūzō; August 27, 1928 – September 27, 2023) was a Japanese-born, American-based scientist. He made numerous key contributions to the study of mammalian fertilization, and he was also a pioneer in the cloning field. Accordingly, he assisted in fertilization technologies such as in vitro fertilization and direct sperm injection into the egg (commonly called intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ICSI), which are widely used today in human infertility clinics throughout the world. In 1997, his laboratory at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa successfully cloned mice using the Honolulu technique.
Naohiro Dōgakinai (Japanese: 堂垣内尚弘; 2 June 1914 – 2 February 2004) was the third governor of Hokkaido (1971–1983). He…
Naohiro Dōgakinai (Japanese: 堂垣内尚弘; 2 June 1914 – 2 February 2004) was the third governor of Hokkaido (1971–1983). He was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, and originally from Sapporo.
Heigoro Kuriyagawa (born 4 October 1908, date of death unknown) was a Japanese cross-country skier. He competed in the…
Heigoro Kuriyagawa (born 4 October 1908, date of death unknown) was a Japanese cross-country skier. He competed in the men's 18 kilometre event at the 1932 Winter Olympics.
Takaji Muranaka (村中 孝次, Muranaka Takaji; 3 October 1903 – 19 August 1937) was an Imperial Japanese Army officer who was…
Takaji Muranaka (村中 孝次, Muranaka Takaji; 3 October 1903 – 19 August 1937) was an Imperial Japanese Army officer who was a conspirator in the February 26 Incident in 1936 and was subsequently arrested and executed by the Japanese authorities for the attempted coup.
Migishi Kōtarō (Japanese:三岸 好太郎; 18 April 1903, Sapporo - 1 July 1934, Nagoya) was a Japanese painter in the yōga style.
Junzō Inamura (稲村 順三, Inamura Junzō, 30 September 1900 – 21 February 1955) was a Japanese peasant movement activist and…
Junzō Inamura (稲村 順三, Inamura Junzō, 30 September 1900 – 21 February 1955) was a Japanese peasant movement activist and politician who served five terms in the House of Representatives. Active in the prewar proletarian and agrarian movements, he later became a leading figure in the left wing of the Japan Socialist Party and the Left Socialist Party of Japan, helping draft its platform. He died suddenly during the 1955 general election campaign; his elder brother Ryūichi Inamura ran as a replacement candidate and was elected. He used the pen name Susumu Murakami (村上 進).
Jōichirō Sanada (真田 穣一郎, Sanada Jōichirō; November 21, 1897 – August 3, 1957) was a major general in the Imperial…
Jōichirō Sanada (真田 穣一郎, Sanada Jōichirō; November 21, 1897 – August 3, 1957) was a major general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II.
Tadashi Yanada (梁田貞; 1883–1959) was a Japanese composer. His music was performed at Seijo Elementary School.
Gennosuke Fuse (布施 現之助, Fuse Gennosuke; January 24, 1880 in Otaru, Hokkaidō - December 12, 1946) was a Japanese…
Gennosuke Fuse (布施 現之助, Fuse Gennosuke; January 24, 1880 in Otaru, Hokkaidō - December 12, 1946) was a Japanese anatomist of the Meiji period. He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University medical school. Then he studied abroad in Switzerland. He was assistant of the University of Zurich from 1907 to 1911 and from 1914 to 1916 and worked with Constantin von Monakow. His name is lent to the Kölliker-Fuse nucleus.
Toshiya Ueda (上田 敏也, Ueda Toshiya; February 24, 1933 – February 8, 2022) was a Japanese voice actor who worked for 81…
Toshiya Ueda (上田 敏也, Ueda Toshiya; February 24, 1933 – February 8, 2022) was a Japanese voice actor who worked for 81 Produce. He died on February 8, 2022, at the age of 88.
Sayaka Kobayashi (小林 さやか, Kobayashi Sayaka; born October 12, 1970) is a Japanese actress and voice actress. She is…
Sayaka Kobayashi (小林 さやか, Kobayashi Sayaka; born October 12, 1970) is a Japanese actress and voice actress. She is affiliated with Seinenza Theater Company from April 1, 1992 through the Institute of Literary Research and the Juvenile Research Institute of the 16th period. She was born in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Graduated from Hokkaido Sapporo Minami High School. Her father was a documentary film director, Chigusa Kobayashi. Her mother was an actress belonging to the NHK Sapporo Broadcasting Company, and Nobuko Matsui, who also performed many TV dramas such as "Toshiba Sunday Theater".
Hiranao Honda (本多 平直, Honda Hiranao; born 2 December 1964) is a former Japanese politician of the Constitutional…
Hiranao Honda (本多 平直, Honda Hiranao; born 2 December 1964) is a former Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party, who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Sapporo, Honda represents Hokkaido through the Hokkaido PR block.