Sayaka Hobara (保原 彩夏, Hobara Sayaka; born 30 July 1998) is a Japanese badminton player. A left-handed player from…Sayaka Hobara (保原 彩夏, Hobara Sayaka; born 30 July 1998) is a Japanese badminton player. A left-handed player from Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, she is a former World Junior Champion, winning the girls' doubles title in 2016 with Nami Matsuyama. She competes in both women's and mixed doubles, achieving career-high world rankings of No. 11 in women's doubles and No. 13 in mixed doubles. Hobara was a member of the Japanese team that won the bronze medal at the 2025 Sudirman Cup.
Takumi Nomura (野村 拓海, Nomura Takumi; born 7 August 1997) is a Japanese badminton player from Miyagi Prefecture who…Takumi Nomura (野村 拓海, Nomura Takumi; born 7 August 1997) is a Japanese badminton player from Miyagi Prefecture who competes in men's doubles. A member of the Japanese National Team and Hitachi Information & Telecommunication Engineering team, he has partnered with Yuichi Shimogami since 2022. Together they have won three International Challenge titles. Nomura was part of the Japanese team that won a bronze medal at the 2025 Asia Mixed Team Championships and Japan's first men's team title at the 2026 Asia Team Championships.
Yu Hirayama (平山 優, Hirayama Yū; born 25 July 1985) is a former Japanese badminton player. She was born in Shiogama…Yu Hirayama (平山 優, Hirayama Yū; born 25 July 1985) is a former Japanese badminton player. She was born in Shiogama city, in Miyagi prefecture, and graduated from St. Ursula High School. She is now a sophomore at the School of Social Sciences. She won the first prize of the inter-high school athletic meet when she was a second grade high school student, and the next year, she won the all-Japan second prize. She joined the Unisys badminton team in 2008, and was part of the Japanese team which played in the World Ladies' Championship (Uber Cup) and other worldwide tournaments.
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.
Aiko Shimajiri (島尻 安伊子, Shimajiri Aiko; born March 4, 1965) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party…Aiko Shimajiri (島尻 安伊子, Shimajiri Aiko; born March 4, 1965) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who has served as a member of the House of Councillors and the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). Shimajiri was elected for the first time in 2007 and re-elected in 2010 in Okinawa Prefecture constituency. Shimajiri was appointed the Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs in the cabinet reshuffle on October 7, 2015, and is one of 3 women serving in Shinzo Abe's cabinet. In an interview following her appointment as the minister of state, Shimajiri stated that she will not deal with issues regarding the construction of new U.S. military facilities in Okinawa. Shimajiri lost her Diet seat to former Ginowan, Okinawa mayor Yoichi Iha, a critic of the US military presence in Okinawa supported by a coalition of opposition parties, in the 2016 Japanese House of Councillors election. This was viewed by some analysts as a setback for the proposed relocation of Futenma.
Masako Katsuki (勝生 真沙子, Katsuki Masako; born Shiono (塩野), October 15, 1958) is a Japanese actress, voice actress and…Masako Katsuki (勝生 真沙子, Katsuki Masako; born Shiono (塩野), October 15, 1958) is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator formerly affiliated with Theater Echo and now with 81 Produce. Following her debut in Shiroi Kiba: White Fang Monotagari as the role of Mary Scott, Katsuki has lent her voice to several notable anime, Japanese-dubbed films and TV series, games, drama CDs, narration, and commercials. Some of her best-known roles include: Maria Von Trapp in Trapp Family Story, Reccoa Londe in Zeta Gundam, Maya Kitajima in Glass Mask, Masuyo Ikari in High School! Kimengumi, Michiru Kaioh/Sailor Neptune in Sailor Moon and Tsunade in Naruto.
Misaki Matsutomo (松友 美佐紀, Matsutomo Misaki; born 8 February 1992) is a Japanese badminton player who is a doubles…Misaki Matsutomo (松友 美佐紀, Matsutomo Misaki; born 8 February 1992) is a Japanese badminton player who is a doubles specialist. Alongside her long-time partner Ayaka Takahashi, she secured Japan's first-ever gold medal in badminton at the 2016 Summer Olympics. The victory credited with effectively breaking the prolonged Chinese dominance in the women's doubles discipline. Matsutomo and Takahashi excellence was formally recognized by the Badminton World Federation when they were named the 2017 Female Player of the Year. Reaching the World No. 1 ranking, Matsutomo became renowned for her technical mastery of the front court, utilizing sophisticated net play, rapid interceptions, and precise shuttle placement to dictate the tempo of international matches. Matsutomo individual honors include several titles, most notably two BWF year-end finals titles in 2014 and 2018. Within the continental championships, Matsutomo is a two-time Asian Champion, having secured gold medals in 2016 and 2017. Her competitive consistency is further evidenced by two silver medals at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games, as well a bronze at the 2017 BWF World Championships. At the international team level, Matsutomo has been a cornerstone of the Japanese national squad since her debut. Her contributions were instrumental during Japan's period of global supremacy, highlighted by the team's triumph at the 2018 Uber Cup and a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games team event.