Mikihiko Hashimoto (橋本幹彦, Hashimoto Mikihiko; born 27 December 1995) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of…Mikihiko Hashimoto (橋本幹彦, Hashimoto Mikihiko; born 27 December 1995) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of the House of Representatives since 2024. From 2018 to 2019, he served in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
Hiroaki Kadoyama (門山 宏哲, Kadoyama Hiroaki; born 3 September 1964) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic…Hiroaki Kadoyama (門山 宏哲, Kadoyama Hiroaki; born 3 September 1964) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who serves as a member of the House of Representatives.
Kōji Ishikawa (石川 浩二, Ishikawa Kōji; pen name: いしかわ こうじ, born October 4, 1963) is a Japanese children's book author and…Kōji Ishikawa (石川 浩二, Ishikawa Kōji; pen name: いしかわ こうじ, born October 4, 1963) is a Japanese children's book author and illustrator. His work includes advertisements, magazine illustration, web, character design and book design. In recent years he has made children's books. He lives in Tokyo with his wife and two children.
Akihiko Shiota (塩田 明彦, Shiota Akihiko) (born 11 September 1961, Maizuru, Kyoto) is a Japanese film director and…Akihiko Shiota (塩田 明彦, Shiota Akihiko) (born 11 September 1961, Maizuru, Kyoto) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.
Kōji Ueno (上野 耕路, Ueno Kōji; born February 1, 1960 in Chiba city) is a Japanese composer, musician, arranger and…Kōji Ueno (上野 耕路, Ueno Kōji; born February 1, 1960 in Chiba city) is a Japanese composer, musician, arranger and keyboardist. He is noted for his unique style of music. He graduated from Nihon University's department of music at its faculty of art, and in 1978, began his career in music with his first music ensemble, 8&1/2, after which he worked with the group Halmens between 1979 and 1981. In 1980, Ueno formed the musical group Guernica, noted for its unique form of avant garde music, along with vocalist Jun Togawa and lyricist Keichi Ohta. In the 1980s, Ueno worked with Akira Ifukube or Ryuichi Sakamoto on the soundtracks of the films Koneko Monogatari, Oritsu Uchūgun - Oneamisu no Tsubasa, and The Last Emperor. In 2004, he composed the music for the lauded Takashi Nakamura-directed anime television series, Fantastic Children. Ueno formed the musical group Netszo & Gansaku with the first album, Polarity Integration by Sony Music in April 2007. Ueno has also lectured on film music at the Faculty of Art at Nihon University. He has won several awards, including the award for best musical composition at the 1989 Mainichi Film Festival for his composition of the musical score for the film Untama Giru, and has also won numerous international awards, including the best music at the Festival Des Trois Continents in Nantes in 1989, as well as the "Cristal tcheque pour la musique contemporaine" at the 32nd Golden Prague International Television Festival in 1995, held in Prague, for his score for the NHK television series, The Pale Cast of Thought.
Manabu Matsuda (born 11 November 1957) is a Japanese politician, finance bureaucrat and university professor. He is a…Manabu Matsuda (born 11 November 1957) is a Japanese politician, finance bureaucrat and university professor. He is a member of the House of Councillors, since 2025, for the Sanseitō party.
Kōichi Kusano (Kusano Koichi; born March 22, 1955) is a Japanese jurist who served as an associate justice of the…Kōichi Kusano (Kusano Koichi; born March 22, 1955) is a Japanese jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Japan from 2019 to 2025.
Kazuo Shii (志位 和夫, Shii Kazuo; born 29 July 1954) is a Japanese politician who has been the chairman of the Central…Kazuo Shii (志位 和夫, Shii Kazuo; born 29 July 1954) is a Japanese politician who has been the chairman of the Central Committee of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) since 2024. He previously served as the chairman of the Executive Committee of the Central Committee of the JCP from 24 November 2000 to 18 January 2024. Born in Yotsukaidō in Chiba Prefecture, Shii first joined the JCP while studying engineering physics at the University of Tokyo. He participated in the JCP's Tokyo Committee after graduation, and worked in the Party Central Committee from 1982. He became the head of the secretariat in 1990, and was elected as a member of the House of Representatives in 1993. He became the chairman of the Party Executive Committee in 2000. He led the party until 18 January 2024, when he resigned as the executive committee chairman, and was succeeded by Tomoko Tamura. On the same day, Shii was appointed as the chairman of the Central Committee.
Kozo Kinomoto (木之本 興三, Kinomoto Kōzō; 8 January 1949 – 15 January 2017) was a Japanese footballer who played as a…Kozo Kinomoto (木之本 興三, Kinomoto Kōzō; 8 January 1949 – 15 January 2017) was a Japanese footballer who played as a midfielder for Furukawa Electric from 1972 to 1975 before being forced to retire due to kidney problem. After his playing career he became a sports executive and served as director in the Japan Football League until 2003. In his later years Kinomoto lost both of his legs due to health issues and died on 15 January 2017 at the age of 68.
Takenori Kanzaki (神崎 武法, Kanzaki Takenori; born 15 July 1943) is a Japanese politician who served in the House of…Takenori Kanzaki (神崎 武法, Kanzaki Takenori; born 15 July 1943) is a Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives as a member of the Komeito Party. He was born in Tianjin, China during the time part of China was under Japanese occupation. A graduate of the University of Tokyo, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1983. From August 1993 to April 1994, he served as Minister of Posts and Telecommunications in Morihiro Hosokawa's cabinet. Kanzaki was the Komeito's leader when the party entered into the coalition in October 1999 with the Liberal Democratic Party which it still maintains to this day. Kanzaki was a noted critic of Prime Minister Yoshirō Mori. Around the time some members of the LDP were voicing opposition to a local referendum which expressed opposition to a proposed dam project along the Yoshino River, Kanzaki insisted that the voters' decision should be respected fully. In 2001, he stated his support for allowing married couples to retain separate surnames. He stepped down as party leader in 2006 and became an advisor instead. Although Komeito suffered a heavy blow in the 2009 general election along with its coalition partner, Kanzaki was able to secure a position in the Diet thanks to the Kyushu PR block results. He retired from the Diet in 2010 due to kidney failure, but remained a permanent advisor to his party.
Keiichi Tsuruoka (鶴岡 啓一, Tsuruoka Keiichi; born 18 May 1940 in Chiba City) is the former mayor of Chiba City in Japan…Keiichi Tsuruoka (鶴岡 啓一, Tsuruoka Keiichi; born 18 May 1940 in Chiba City) is the former mayor of Chiba City in Japan, serving from his election in 2001 until his arrest and subsequent retirement in 2009 for corruption-related charges. He was an independent politician who had served in the Home Affairs Ministry after graduating from the University of Tokyo.
Hideo Usui (臼井 日出男, Usui Hideo; born 3 January 1939) is a retired Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party…Hideo Usui (臼井 日出男, Usui Hideo; born 3 January 1939) is a retired Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who served as a member of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the National Diet. He served as Minister of Justice from 1999 to 2000.
Taijirō Amazawa (Japanese: 天沢 退二郎 Amazawa Taijirō; 21 July 1936 – 25 January 2023) was a Japanese poet, translator, and…Taijirō Amazawa (Japanese: 天沢 退二郎 Amazawa Taijirō; 21 July 1936 – 25 January 2023) was a Japanese poet, translator, and scholar.
Ken Utsui (宇津井健, Utsui Ken) (24 October 1931 – 14 March 2014) was a Japanese actor who worked on stage, film, and…Ken Utsui (宇津井健, Utsui Ken) (24 October 1931 – 14 March 2014) was a Japanese actor who worked on stage, film, and television from the 1950s to the 2010s.
Ryu Ota (Japanese: 太田 龍 / 太田 竜, Hepburn: Ōta Ryū; also Ryu Ohta; 16 August 1930 – 19 May 2009) was a Japanese political…Ryu Ota (Japanese: 太田 龍 / 太田 竜, Hepburn: Ōta Ryū; also Ryu Ohta; 16 August 1930 – 19 May 2009) was a Japanese political activist and writer. Initially a supporter of the Japanese New Left, he later turned to green politics before becoming an antisemitic conspiracy theorist.
Yōsuke Naka (中 庸助, Naka Yōsuke; born Kazuo Nakajima (中島 和男, Nakajama Kazuo) March 30, 1930 – October 20, 2023) was a…Yōsuke Naka (中 庸助, Naka Yōsuke; born Kazuo Nakajima (中島 和男, Nakajama Kazuo) March 30, 1930 – October 20, 2023) was a Japanese actor from Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture. He is best known for his roles as Admiral Majin in Kamen Rider, Nobisuke Nobi in Doraemon, Ehrenberg in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Mulligan in Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon Kings, and Nijūemon Tsuzureya (20 Emon) in 21 Emon.
Shohachi Ishii (石井 庄八, Ishii Shōhachi; September 20, 1926 – January 4, 1980) was a Japanese freestyle wrestler who won…Shohachi Ishii (石井 庄八, Ishii Shōhachi; September 20, 1926 – January 4, 1980) was a Japanese freestyle wrestler who won a gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He was the first Japanese gold medalist after World War II, the only Japanese gold medalist at the 1952 Olympics, and one of two Japanese medalists in wrestling at the 1952 Olympics, the other being flyweight Yushu Kitano, who won silver in freestyle. Ishii took up wrestling because there was no judo club around. He died of kidney cancer, aged 53.
Shirō Ishii (Japanese: 石井 四郎, Hepburn: Ishii Shirō; [iɕiː ɕiɾoː]; 25 June 1892 – 9 October 1959) was a Japanese…Shirō Ishii (Japanese: 石井 四郎, Hepburn: Ishii Shirō; [iɕiː ɕiɾoː]; 25 June 1892 – 9 October 1959) was a Japanese biological weapons specialist, microbiologist and army medical officer who served as the director of Unit 731, the largest biological warfare and chemical warfare unit of the Imperial Japanese Army. Ishii led the development and application of biological weapons at Unit 731 in the puppet state of Manchukuo during the Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937 to 1945. This included the Battle of Changde, the Kaimingjie germ weapon attack, and the planned Operation Cherry Blossoms at Night biological attack against the United States, which intended to spread a weaponized bubonic plague. Ishii and his colleagues also engaged in human experimentation, resulting in the deaths of thousands of subjects, most of them civilians or prisoners of war. Ishii was later granted immunity in the International Military Tribunal for the Far East by the United States government in exchange for information and research for the U.S. biological warfare program.
Minoru Ōta (大田 実, Ōta Minoru; 7 April 1891 – 13 June 1945) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World…Minoru Ōta (大田 実, Ōta Minoru; 7 April 1891 – 13 June 1945) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, and the final commander of the Japanese naval forces defending the Oroku Peninsula during the Battle of Okinawa.
Viscount Ishii Kikujirō (石井 菊次郎; 24 April 1866 – 25 May 1945), was a Japanese diplomat and cabinet minister in Meiji…Viscount Ishii Kikujirō (石井 菊次郎; 24 April 1866 – 25 May 1945), was a Japanese diplomat and cabinet minister in Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa period Japan. He served as Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Empire of Japan between 1915 and 1916.
Kiuchi Jūshirō (木内 重四郎; 26 January 1866 – 9 January 1925) was a Japanese politician. He was educated at Chiba Middle…Kiuchi Jūshirō (木内 重四郎; 26 January 1866 – 9 January 1925) was a Japanese politician. He was educated at Chiba Middle School and Chiba First High School, and later graduated from Imperial Tokyo University's Department of Political Science. In 1906, while serving as a Japanese representative in Korea, Kiuchi made a bet with Durham Stevens, an American advisor to the Korean government, about the length of time before Japan would annex Korea. Kiuchi expected it would only take three years; Stevens' guess of five years would prove to be more nearly correct, as the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty was signed in mid-1910. In January 1909, Kiuchi was one of a number of politicians who brought pressure to bear against Itō Hirobumi and his allegedly soft policies towards Korea, urging that Japan should exercise direct rule there; it was suggested that Kiuchi took this position due to his dissatisfaction with being shifted from Vice-Minister of Home Affairs to Vice-Minister of Agriculture. He later served as a member of the House of Peers and then from 1916–1918 as Governor of Kyoto Prefecture. Kiuchi's former residence, located in Ichikawa, Chiba, was maintained as a historical building and tourist attraction for some years, but was being considered for dismantling as of 2001.
