Nanae Kumagai (熊谷 奈苗, Kumagai Nanae; born 1964), known by her pen name Riku Onda (恩田 陸, Onda Riku), is a Japanese…Nanae Kumagai (熊谷 奈苗, Kumagai Nanae; born 1964), known by her pen name Riku Onda (恩田 陸, Onda Riku), is a Japanese writer. Onda has won the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers, the Japan Booksellers' Award, the Mystery Writers of Japan Award for Best Novel, the Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize, and the Naoki Prize. Her work has been adapted for film and television.
Kazuhiko Ōigawa (大井川 和彦, Ōigawa Kazuhiko; born 3 April 1964) is a Japanese politician who serves as the current…Kazuhiko Ōigawa (大井川 和彦, Ōigawa Kazuhiko; born 3 April 1964) is a Japanese politician who serves as the current governor of Ibaraki Prefecture. A native of Tsuchiura and graduate of the Law School of the University of Tokyo, he entered the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (now Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) in 1988. After studying at University of Washington Law School in 1996, in 1998 he became the first head of the Singapore office for the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. He left the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2003, and from that same year he was a Microsoft Asia Executive Officer. After serving as Managing Executive Officer of Microsoft, he became Senior Managing Executive Officer of Cisco Systems from 2010 and in 2016, he was appointed as a director of Dwango, the company that manages Niconico Douga. He was elected governor of Ibaraki prefecture in 2017 after defeating six-term incumbent Masaru Hashimoto in a three cornered race. In July 2019, Ibaraki became the first prefecture to issue partnership certificates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples. Announcing the reform, Gov. Ōigawa stated that ″This is a matter of human rights, and we must work swiftly in order to eliminate discrimination and prejudices″.
Hironobu Sakaguchi (坂口 博信, Sakaguchi Hironobu; born November 25, 1962) is a Japanese game designer, director, producer…Hironobu Sakaguchi (坂口 博信, Sakaguchi Hironobu; born November 25, 1962) is a Japanese game designer, director, producer, and writer. Originally working for Square (later Square Enix) from 1983 to 2003, he departed the company and founded independent studio Mistwalker in 2004. He is known as the creator of the Final Fantasy franchise, in addition to other titles during his time at Square. At Mistwalker, he is known for creating the Blue Dragon and Terra Battle series among several standalone titles like Lost Odyssey, as well as later moving away from home consoles and creating titles for mobile platforms. Originally intending to become a musician, he briefly studied electronics and programming, joining Square as a part-time employee, then later a full-time employee when Square became an independent company in 1986. He led the development of several titles before helping to create the original Final Fantasy, which proved highly successful and cemented his status within the company. Following the financial failure of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, his debut as a film director, Sakaguchi withdrew from Square's management and eventually resigned in 2003. He continued his game career through Mistwalker, first co-developing projects through external partners and then smaller in-studio mobile projects. Born in Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Sakaguchi now lives in Hawaii where one of Mistwalker's offices is based. He has also influenced the creation of several other Square Enix projects, such as Kingdom Hearts. Sakaguchi has received several industry awards.
Yoshito Hori (堀義人, Hori Yoshito) (born March 28, 1962) is a Japanese businessman, educator, and venture capitalist. He…Yoshito Hori (堀義人, Hori Yoshito) (born March 28, 1962) is a Japanese businessman, educator, and venture capitalist. He is the founder and president of Globis Corporation and Globis University Graduate School of Management. He is also founder and managing partner of Globis Capital Partners, president of the G1 Institute and the Kibow Foundation, and owner of the Ibaraki Robots basketball team and radio broadcaster LuckyFM Ibaraki Broadcasting System.
Yukihiro Torikai (鳥飼 行博, Torikai Yukihiro; born 1959) is a Japanese economist of Department of Human Development…Yukihiro Torikai (鳥飼 行博, Torikai Yukihiro; born 1959) is a Japanese economist of Department of Human Development, School of Humanities & Culture, Tokai University (東海大学), which Shyonan campus is located in Hiratuka. His major is development economics and environmental economics for sustainable development from the view point of developing economies.
Kazuyo Sejima (妹島 和世, Sejima Kazuyo; born 29 October 1956) is a Japanese architect and director of her own firm, Kazuyo…Kazuyo Sejima (妹島 和世, Sejima Kazuyo; born 29 October 1956) is a Japanese architect and director of her own firm, Kazuyo Sejima & Associates. In 1995, she co-founded the firm SANAA (Sejima + Nishizawa & Associates). In 2010, Sejima was the second woman to receive the Pritzker Prize, which was awarded jointly with Nishizawa. They were only the second partnership to be honored with this prize.
Natsuo Yamaguchi (山口 那津男, Yamaguchi Natsuo; born 12 July 1952) is a Japanese politician who served as the chief…Natsuo Yamaguchi (山口 那津男, Yamaguchi Natsuo; born 12 July 1952) is a Japanese politician who served as the chief representative of Komeito from 2009 to 2024. He is a member of the House of Councillors since 2001 and previously served in the House of Representatives from 1990 to 1996.
Yukihisa Fujita (藤田 幸久, Fujita Yukihisa; born 19 April 1950) is a Japanese politician. He is a Visiting Research Fellow…Yukihisa Fujita (藤田 幸久, Fujita Yukihisa; born 19 April 1950) is a Japanese politician. He is a Visiting Research Fellow of the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford, Chairman of the International IC (Initiatives of Change) Association of Japan and a Visiting Professor, Gifu Women's University. He was a member of the House of Councillors, the upper house from the Ibaraki constituency and the House of Representatives, the lower house from the Tokyo constituency of Japan's parliament. In the House of Councillors he is a former Chair of the Committee on Financial Affairs, Chairman of the Special Committee on North Korea Abduction Issue, and a Chairman of the Committee on Fundamental National Policies. He was a Director of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. He was a Vice Minister of Finance. He was a Shadow Foreign Minister and a Director-General of the DPJ's International Department. Prior to political life, he was a Director of the Association Aid and Relief (AAR), the first Japanese NGO to help refugees and an Executive Director of the International MRA Association of Japan. He was a lecturer at Yokohama National University.
Masaru Hashimoto (橋本 昌, Hashimoto Masaru; born 19 November 1945) is a Japanese politician who was the governor of…Masaru Hashimoto (橋本 昌, Hashimoto Masaru; born 19 November 1945) is a Japanese politician who was the governor of Ibaraki Prefecture from 1993 to 2017.
Takashi Koizumi (小泉堯史 Koizumi Takashi) (born November 6, 1944, in Mito) is a Japanese film director. After graduating…Takashi Koizumi (小泉堯史 Koizumi Takashi) (born November 6, 1944, in Mito) is a Japanese film director. After graduating from Waseda University, he served as an assistant director for Akira Kurosawa for many years.
Takashi Tachibana (立花 隆, Tachibana Takashi; 28 May 1940 – 30 April 2021, Nagasaki) was a Japanese journalist. He was…Takashi Tachibana (立花 隆, Tachibana Takashi; 28 May 1940 – 30 April 2021, Nagasaki) was a Japanese journalist. He was known for his articles on Japanese social problems.
Tarō Matsuno (born October 17, 1934) is a Japanese meteorologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo and…Tarō Matsuno (born October 17, 1934) is a Japanese meteorologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo and Hokkaido University. He is the winner of the 55th IMO prize, the most prestigious award of the World Meteorological Organization. He is the winner of the 2013 Blue Planet Prize with Daniel Sperling. Matsuno showed that Kelvin waves should also exist at the equator
Kinji Fukasaku (Japanese: 深作 欣二, Hepburn: Fukasaku Kinji; 3 July 1930 – 12 January 2003) was a Japanese filmmaker.…Kinji Fukasaku (Japanese: 深作 欣二, Hepburn: Fukasaku Kinji; 3 July 1930 – 12 January 2003) was a Japanese filmmaker. Known for his "broad range and innovative filmmaking", he worked in many different genres and styles, but was best known for his gritty yakuza films, typified by the Battles Without Honor and Humanity series (1973–1976). According to the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, his "turbulent energy and at times extreme violence express a cynical critique of social conditions and genuine sympathy for those left out of Japan's postwar prosperity". He used a cinema verite-inspired shaky camera technique in many of his films from the early 1970s. Fukasaku wrote and directed over 60 films between 1961 and 2003. Some Western sources have associated him with the Japanese New Wave movement of the 1960s and 1970s, but this belies his commercial success. His works include the Japanese portion of the Hollywood war film Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), jidaigeki such as Shogun's Samurai (1978), the space opera film Message from Space (1978), the science fiction film Virus (1980), the fantasy film Samurai Reincarnation (1981), and the highly influential dystopian thriller film Battle Royale (2000). Fukasaku won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Director of the Year three times from nine nominations. He served as the sixth president of the Directors Guild of Japan from 1996 until his death from prostate cancer in 2003. He received the Purple Medal of Honor from the Japanese government for his work in 1997. His films have inspired directors such as Quentin Tarantino, William Friedkin, and John Woo.
Hiroshi Yoneyama (米山 弘, Yoneyama Hiroshi; 1908 in Ibaraki – January 24, 1988) was a Japanese swimmer who competed in…Hiroshi Yoneyama (米山 弘, Yoneyama Hiroshi; 1908 in Ibaraki – January 24, 1988) was a Japanese swimmer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. A graduate of Waseda University, Yoneyama was a member of the Japanese team which won the silver medal for the 4 × 200 meter freestyle relay event at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. He also placed fifth in the semifinal of the 400 meter freestyle event, and did not advance.
On Watanabe (渡辺 温, Watanabe On; 26 August 1902 – 10 February 1930) was a Japanese mystery writer and fantasy novelist.…On Watanabe (渡辺 温, Watanabe On; 26 August 1902 – 10 February 1930) was a Japanese mystery writer and fantasy novelist. Despite his early death aged 27, he was an inspiration for later Japanese authors.
Kōzaburō Tachibana (橘 孝三郎, Tachibana Kōzaburō; 18 March 1893 – 30 March 1974) was a Japanese political activist and…Kōzaburō Tachibana (橘 孝三郎, Tachibana Kōzaburō; 18 March 1893 – 30 March 1974) was a Japanese political activist and ultra-nationalist.
Takeo Kurita (Japanese: 栗田 健男, Hepburn: Kurita Takeo; 28 April 1889 – 19 December 1977) was a vice admiral in the…Takeo Kurita (Japanese: 栗田 健男, Hepburn: Kurita Takeo; 28 April 1889 – 19 December 1977) was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Kurita commanded IJN 2nd Fleet, the main Japanese attack force during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history.
Takashi Nagatsuka (長塚 節, Nagatsuka Takashi; April 3, 1879–February 8, 1915) was a Japanese poet and novelist. According…Takashi Nagatsuka (長塚 節, Nagatsuka Takashi; April 3, 1879–February 8, 1915) was a Japanese poet and novelist. According to prominent historian Ann Waswo, Nagatsuka Takashi was born into a landowning family. Nagatsuka was born in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan in Kosshō Village (国生村), itself in Ishige Town (石下町), which forms modern day Joso City (常総市). In 1896, poor health forced him to stop his middle-school education in Mito. In accordance with his duties as eldest son, he assisted his mother Taka in managing their six acres of arable land. He started experimenting in 1905 with different fertilizers, crop-rotation, charcoal-production, and commercial-grade bamboo-production. These are just some of his attempts to save the family's finances from the political career of his father Genjiro (who was elected during the late 1880s to the prefectural assembly), since he tended to absorb other people's debts. In Tokyo, he studied poetry with Masaoka Shiki from 1900 until 1902, when Shiki died of tuberculosis. His only novel The Soil ("土;" "Tsuchi") was published in 151-installment series from June–November of 1910 in the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun (東京朝日新聞), which eventually became today's Asahi Shimbun. Two years after its newspaper serialization, The Soil was published as a complete work in book form in 1912. The novel depicts life in rural Japan and in Kosshō Village. The characters are based on actual people, although their names are altered. The novel's copyright expired in the mid-1960s. He died of laryngeal tuberculosis on February 8, 1915.
Kiyoshi Noguchi (野口清, Noguchi Kiyoshi; 1877–1930), also known as Senryuken Noguchi (野口潜龍軒, Noguchi Senryuken) was a…Kiyoshi Noguchi (野口清, Noguchi Kiyoshi; 1877–1930), also known as Senryuken Noguchi (野口潜龍軒, Noguchi Senryuken) was a Japanese martial artist. He was the founder of the Shinto Rokugo-ryū and Shinto Fuso-ryū schools of martial arts, as well as a scholar and popularizer of jujutsu through mail order marketing.
Hitachiyama Taniemon (常陸山 谷右衞門; January 19, 1874 – June 19, 1922) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Mito…Hitachiyama Taniemon (常陸山 谷右衞門; January 19, 1874 – June 19, 1922) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. He was the sport's 19th yokozuna from 1903 till 1914. His great rivalry with Umegatani Tōtarō II created the "Ume-Hitachi Era" and did much to popularise sumo. He is remembered as much for his exploits in promoting the sport as for his strength on the dohyō. In his later years as head coach of Dewanoumi stable he trained hundreds of wrestlers, including three yokozuna. Many consider him the most honorable yokozuna in sumo history, which earned him the nickname "Kakusei" (角聖), or "sumo saint".
