Yasutaka Tashiro (田代 恭崇, Tashiro Yasutaka; born 7 June 1974, in Tokyo) is a retired Japanese professional racing…Yasutaka Tashiro (田代 恭崇, Tashiro Yasutaka; born 7 June 1974, in Tokyo) is a retired Japanese professional racing cyclist. After graduating from Josai University, Tashiro turned professional and rode in Europe and Asia, mostly for the Bridgestone Anchor team. He was twice national champion, and also represented Japan in the 2004 Summer Olympics. He retired in 2007. He is now an employee of Bridgestone.
Katsumasa Kuroki (黒木克正, Kuroki Katsumasa; born January 9, 1973) is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by…Katsumasa Kuroki (黒木克正, Kuroki Katsumasa; born January 9, 1973) is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Magnum Tokyo (マグナムTOKYO, Magunamu Tōkyō). Most closely associated with the now-defunct Toryumon Japan, he also competed for World Championship Wrestling, HUSTLE professional wrestling promotion and Dragon Gate as Tokyo Magnum and Magnum Tokyo. Magnum debuted in 1997 and become popular in Japan for both his high-flying junior-heavyweight style (a style common amongst students of Último Dragón) and his elaborate entrances, which included dancing through the crowd and dance sequences in the ring with his own dance troupe. His character was immensely popular with women, and was instrumental in building a large female fanbase in Toryumon's early years. Kuroki initially retired in 2007 after a persistent eye injury, but briefly returned two years later for the Hustle promotion before retiring again in late 2009. Currently, Kuroki works as a Daido-juku Kudo trainer in both Japan and Colombia.
Mari Hamada (Japanese: 浜田麻里, Hepburn: Hamada Mari; born July 18, 1962) is a Japanese rock singer and songwriter. Having…Mari Hamada (Japanese: 浜田麻里, Hepburn: Hamada Mari; born July 18, 1962) is a Japanese rock singer and songwriter. Having performed in bands since high school, Hamada made her professional debut as a solo act in 1983. She quickly became known as the "Queen of Heavy Metal" (ヘヴィメタルの女王, Hevī Metaru no Joō). In 2018, readers and professional musicians voted Hamada the eighth best vocalist in the history of hard rock and heavy metal in We Rock magazine's "Metal General Election". In 2019, she became the first Japanese musician to top the vocalist category of heavy metal magazine Burrn!'s readers poll in its 36 year history. Throughout her career, she has released 25 singles and 23 studio albums.
Nami Asada (麻田奈美, Asada Nami; born 1953–54) is a gravure model who was active in Japan in the 1970s. She became a star…Nami Asada (麻田奈美, Asada Nami; born 1953–54) is a gravure model who was active in Japan in the 1970s. She became a star after a photograph known as the Apple Nude (りんごヌード, ringo nūdo), and was elevated to the status of an idol among young people of the time.
Kunihiko Yuyama (湯山 邦彦, Yuyama Kunihiko; born October 15, 1952) is a Japanese director best known for his work on the…Kunihiko Yuyama (湯山 邦彦, Yuyama Kunihiko; born October 15, 1952) is a Japanese director best known for his work on the Pokémon anime franchise. He also directed Magical Princess Minky Momo, Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko, The Three Musketeers Anime, Ushio and Tora, Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning, Plawres Sanshiro, Slayers Return, Slayers Great, and Wedding Peach.
Momotarō Dentetsu (桃太郎電鉄, Momotarō Dentetsu; Momotarō Electric Railway) (also known by the abbreviated name Momotetsu)…Momotarō Dentetsu (桃太郎電鉄, Momotarō Dentetsu; Momotarō Electric Railway) (also known by the abbreviated name Momotetsu) is a long-running digital tabletop game series in Japan; in which players travel by rail, ship, and airplane; attempting to acquire wealth through business transactions buying properties; and dealing with rival entrepreneurs and nemeses such as the God of Poverty (貧乏神, Binbōgami). The game mechanics are often compared to the board games sugoroku and Monopoly.
Tsuyoshi Hasegawa (長谷川 毅, Hasegawa Tsuyoshi; born 23 February 1941) is a Japanese-American historian specializing in…Tsuyoshi Hasegawa (長谷川 毅, Hasegawa Tsuyoshi; born 23 February 1941) is a Japanese-American historian specializing in modern Russian and Soviet history and the relations between Russia, Japan, and the United States. He taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was director of the Cold War Studies program until his retirement in 2016. Hasegawa was born in Tokyo and received his undergraduate education at Tokyo University. He studied international relations and Soviet history at University of Washington, where he earned his doctoral degree in 1969. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1976. Among his awards and fellowships are Fulbright-Hays Research Abroad (1976–77), NEH grant (2002–03), SSRC grant (2002–03), Rockefeller Belagio Center Fellowship (2011), and a Fulbright Fellowship (2012). He is known for Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan (2005), a study of diplomacy and the end of the allied war against Japan. The book won the 2005 Robert Ferrell Award from the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR). Hasegawa's research also includes the political and social history of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and of Japanese–Soviet relations.
Yukio Aoshima (青島 幸男, Aoshima Yukio; 17 July 1932 – 20 December 2006) was a Japanese politician who served as Governor…Yukio Aoshima (青島 幸男, Aoshima Yukio; 17 July 1932 – 20 December 2006) was a Japanese politician who served as Governor of Tokyo from 1995 to 1999. He is also well known as a TV actor, novelist, film director, screenwriter and songwriter.
Koichi Sugiyama (すぎやま こういち, Sugiyama Kōichi; April 11, 1931 – September 30, 2021) was a Japanese composer, conductor…Koichi Sugiyama (すぎやま こういち, Sugiyama Kōichi; April 11, 1931 – September 30, 2021) was a Japanese composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He was best known for composing for the Dragon Quest franchise, along with several other video games, anime, film, television shows, and pop songs. Classically trained, Sugiyama was considered a major inspiration for other Japanese game music composers and was active from the 1960s until his death in 2021. Sugiyama was also a council member of the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers, and Publishers (JASRAC), board member of the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals, and honorary chairman of the Japanese Backgammon Society. Prior to his death, the Japanese government honored him with Order of the Rising Sun and named him a Person of Cultural Merit. Sugiyama was also active in politics and activism, promoting ideas such as Japanese nationalism while denying Japanese war crimes.
Susumu Nakanishi (中西進, Nakanishi Susumu; born 21 August 1929 in Tokyo) is a scholar of Japanese literature…Susumu Nakanishi (中西進, Nakanishi Susumu; born 21 August 1929 in Tokyo) is a scholar of Japanese literature, particularly of the Man'yōshū. He earned his Doctor of Literature degree from the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) in 1962. He is widely believed to have conceived the name of the current era of the official calendar of Japan, Reiwa (令和, 2019-). However, it is a custom not to reveal the conceiver of the name of an era, and he has said, 'Era names are not for secular individuals like Susumu Nakanishi to decide, but are determined by divine inspiration. There is no such person as the inventor of the name "Reiwa"'.
Maaya Sakamoto (坂本 真綾, Sakamoto Maaya; born March 31, 1980) is a Japanese actress and singer. She made her debut as a…Maaya Sakamoto (坂本 真綾, Sakamoto Maaya; born March 31, 1980) is a Japanese actress and singer. She made her debut as a voice actress in 1992 as the voice of Chifuru in the anime Little Twins, and became known as the voice of Hitomi Kanzaki in The Vision of Escaflowne. Other major anime roles include Shinobu Oshino in Monogatari, Haruhi Fujioka in Ouran High School Host Club, Shiki Ryōgi in The Garden of Sinners, Ciel Phantomhive in Black Butler, Crona in Soul Eater, Leila Malcal in Code Geass: Akito the Exiled, Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell: Arise, Merlin in The Seven Deadly Sins, Eto in Tokyo Ghoul, and Echidna in Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World. In video games, she has voiced Aerith Gainsborough in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series, Aigis in Persona 3, Lightning in the Final Fantasy XIII games, the adult Sherry Birkin in Resident Evil, and Maki Harukawa in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. In the Japanese-dubbed versions of international films, Sakamoto has voiced Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars franchise and Rosalina in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Sakamoto has performed songs in both English and Japanese. She released her debut single, "Yakusoku wa Iranai", in collaboration with Yoko Kanno under Victor Entertainment on April 24, 1996. Her singles "Tune the Rainbow", "Loop", "Ame ga Furu", and "Triangler" have all reached the top 10 Oricon singles chart: "Triangler" in particular charted at number 3 and remained charting for 26 weeks. Her albums have had similar success, with Shōnen Alice and Yūnagi Loop both reaching the top 10 Oricon albums chart; and her album You Can't Catch Me, released on January 12, 2011, became her first release to ever reach number 1. She held a concert at the Nippon Budokan on her 30th birthday.
