Yuki Tsunoda (Japanese: 角田 裕毅, Hepburn: Tsunoda Yūki; pronounced [tsɯnoda jɯ̟ᵝːkʲi]; born 11 May 2000) is a Japanese…
Yuki Tsunoda (Japanese: 角田 裕毅, Hepburn: Tsunoda Yūki; pronounced [tsɯnoda jɯ̟ᵝːkʲi]; born 11 May 2000) is a Japanese racing driver who serves as a reserve driver in Formula One for Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls. Tsunoda competed in Formula One full-time from 2021 to 2025, and served as an understudy in 2026. Born in Sagamihara and raised in Tokyo, Tsunoda began competitive kart racing aged nine. Supported by Honda since 2016 through the Honda Formula Dream Project, Tsunoda graduated to junior formulae the same year. He won his first full championship at the JAF Japan F4 East Series in 2017, winning the F4 Japanese Championship the next season. In 2019, he progressed to FIA Formula 3 with Jenzer and became a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, before finishing third in his rookie season of FIA Formula 2 in 2020 with Carlin. Tsunoda debuted in Formula One for AlphaTauri in 2021, using a Honda powertrain alongside Pierre Gasly; he finished a career-best fourth at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that year. Tsunoda retained his seat at AlphaTauri in 2022 and 2023, partnering Nyck de Vries and Daniel Ricciardo in the latter. He remained at the team for the 2024 season as they re-branded to Racing Bulls, before his promotion to senior team Red Bull for the Japanese Grand Prix onwards in 2025. Replaced by Isack Hadjar for 2026, Tsunoda became the reserve driver for both teams and returned at the Dutch Grand Prix for Racing Bulls.
Famous Alumni of Wako High School
Wako High School: 21 people
Madoka Sugai (菅井円加, Sugai Madoka, born 1994) is a Japanese ballet dancer who was a principal dancer with the Hamburg…
Madoka Sugai (菅井円加, Sugai Madoka, born 1994) is a Japanese ballet dancer who was a principal dancer with the Hamburg Ballet from 2014 to 2025. Now currently a principal with the Boston Ballet, from 2025.
Tokio Emoto (柄本 時生, Emoto Tokio; born October 17, 1989) is a Japanese actor.
Tasuku Emoto (柄本 佑, Emoto Tasuku; born December 16, 1986, in Tokyo) is a Japanese actor. His father is actor Akira…
Tasuku Emoto (柄本 佑, Emoto Tasuku; born December 16, 1986, in Tokyo) is a Japanese actor. His father is actor Akira Emoto, his mother is actress Kazue Tsunogae, his brother is actor Tokio Emoto, and his wife is actress Sakura Ando.
Kosuke Kimura (木村光佑, Kimura Kōsuke) (born 14 May 1984) is a Japanese former professional footballer and coach. He is…
Kosuke Kimura (木村光佑, Kimura Kōsuke) (born 14 May 1984) is a Japanese former professional footballer and coach. He is currently the head coach for Lexington SC of the USL Super League. A long-time veteran of Major League Soccer, he has also played in Poland. He was the first player in MLS history who was born in Japan.
Takuma "Taku" Sato (Japanese: 佐藤 琢磨, Hepburn: Satō Takuma; born 28 January 1977) is a Japanese racing driver, who…
Takuma "Taku" Sato (Japanese: 佐藤 琢磨, Hepburn: Satō Takuma; born 28 January 1977) is a Japanese racing driver, who competes part-time in the IndyCar Series for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He competed in Formula One from 2002 to 2008. In American open-wheel racing, Sato is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 winning in 2017 and 2020, and remains the only Asian driver to win the event. Born and raised in Tokyo, Sato began his career in karting before moving to Europe in 1999 with support from Honda. Progressing directly to Formula Three, Sato finished third in the British Championship in 2000 and dominated the series in 2001 with Carlin. With Carlin he also won the Macau Grand Prix and the Masters of Formula 3. Sato signed for Jordan in 2002, making his Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix, under Honda power. He moved with Honda to join BAR in 2003 as a reserve driver, replacing Jacques Villeneuve at his home Grand Prix in Japan and returning as a full-time driver in 2004. Sato achieved a podium at the United States Grand Prix as he finished a career-best eighth in the World Drivers' Championship. Following struggles at BAR in 2005, Sato moved to Super Aguri for his 2006 campaign onwards. Amidst financial troubles, Super Aguri withdrew from the sport after the 2008 Spanish Grand Prix, ending both Sato and teammate Anthony Davidson's driving careers in Formula One. After a year's hiatus, Sato returned to open-wheel racing in the IndyCar Series with KV in 2010. He took his maiden pole position at the Iowa Corn Indy 250 in 2011, and became the first Asian driver to win an IndyCar race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2013 with Foyt. His one-off entry in Formula E at the 2014 Beijing ePrix marked the first—and to this date, only—time that Sato competed without a Honda power unit in his professional career, using a spec McLaren powertrain. Sato signed for Andretti in 2017, winning the Indianapolis 500 for the first time. He won several other times across his 2018 and 2019 seasons with RLL, before again winning at Indianapolis in 2020. Sato competed for Dale Coyne Racing in 2022, before moving in 2023 into part-time roles. Sato is a widely popular figure amongst fans and media worldwide, renowned for his aggressive driving style and motto No Attack, No Chance.
Daisuke Tsutsumi (堤 大介, Tsutsumi Daisuke) is a Japanese animator and illustrator living in San Francisco, California.…
Daisuke Tsutsumi (堤 大介, Tsutsumi Daisuke) is a Japanese animator and illustrator living in San Francisco, California. He is a former designer of Blue Sky Studios and Pixar, took within fourteen years before he co-founded an independent animation studio Tonko House with Robert Kondo. He co-directed The Dam Keeper with Kondo, which were nominated the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Keigo Oyamada (小山田 圭吾, Oyamada Keigo; born January 27, 1969), also known by his moniker Cornelius (コーネリアス, Kōneriasu)…
Keigo Oyamada (小山田 圭吾, Oyamada Keigo; born January 27, 1969), also known by his moniker Cornelius (コーネリアス, Kōneriasu), is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the indie pop band Flipper's Guitar in 1988. Following their breakup in 1991, Oyamada pursued a solo career. He is regarded as one of the principal figures of the 1990s Shibuya-kei music and art scene.
Naoto Ogata (緒形 直人, Ogata Naoto; born September 22, 1967 in Yokohama) is a Japanese actor.
Taro Iwashiro (岩代 太郎, Iwashiro Tarō; born May 1, 1965, in Tokyo) is a Japanese composer.
Akira Shima (島 朗, Shima Akira; February 19, 1963) is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9-dan. He was the…
Akira Shima (島 朗, Shima Akira; February 19, 1963) is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9-dan. He was the first Ryūō title holder and is also a former managing director of the Japan Shogi Association.
Norio Tsuruta (鶴田 法男, Tsuruta Norio; born December 30, 1960) is a Japanese film director. He directed Premonition…
Norio Tsuruta (鶴田 法男, Tsuruta Norio; born December 30, 1960) is a Japanese film director. He directed Premonition, Dream Cruise, and Orochi: Blood.
Kiyotaka Mitsugi (三ツ木 清隆, Mitsugi Kiyotaka; born May 30, 1953) is a Japanese actor and singer. His career has centered…
Kiyotaka Mitsugi (三ツ木 清隆, Mitsugi Kiyotaka; born May 30, 1953) is a Japanese actor and singer. His career has centered on television, in the genres of tokusatsu and jidaigeki.
Katsura Funakoshi (舟越 桂, Funakoshi Katsura; 25 May 1951 – 29 March 2024) was a Japanese sculptor. Funakoshi was…
Katsura Funakoshi (舟越 桂, Funakoshi Katsura; 25 May 1951 – 29 March 2024) was a Japanese sculptor. Funakoshi was well-known in the field of visual arts in Japan. His father, Yasutake Funakoshi, was also a sculptor and soon he felt the same vocation. He studied at the Tokyo University of the Arts, from 1971 to 1975, and at the University of Fine Arts and Music, from 1975 to 1977. He started carving in camphor wood in 1980. His works, usually depicting human figures from the waist up, have a great poetical effect, and are striking and distinctive. Funakoshi worked this material in a personal way and left visible both the grain of the wood and the marks of carving. The artist carefully utilised the grain for modelling and left part of the head unpainted, normally the crown. Funakoshi exhibited his work at the Venice Biennale, the São Paulo Biennale, the Documenta IX, and the Shanghai Biennale, and his work is represented in several art museums in Japan and other countries. Funakoshi died from lung cancer on 29 March 2024, at the age of 72.
Kikko Matsuoka (松岡 きっこ, Matsuoka Kikko; born February 11, 1947) is a Japanese actress. Her real name is Kikuko Matsuoka…
Kikko Matsuoka (松岡 きっこ, Matsuoka Kikko; born February 11, 1947) is a Japanese actress. Her real name is Kikuko Matsuoka (松岡 紀公子, Matsuoka Kikuko).
Shigeaki Saegusa (三枝 成彰, formerly 三枝 成章; Saegusa Shigeaki; born July 8, 1942) is a Japanese composer.
Mickey Curtis (ミッキー・カーチス, Mikkī Kāchisu; born Michael Brian Curtis (マイケル・ブライアン・カーティス, Maikeru Buraian Kātisu), later…
Mickey Curtis (ミッキー・カーチス, Mikkī Kāchisu; born Michael Brian Curtis (マイケル・ブライアン・カーティス, Maikeru Buraian Kātisu), later 加千須 ブライアン (Kāchisu Buraian), real name after naturalization in Japan, 23 July 1938) is a Japanese actor, singer and media personality. He was born to English-Japanese parents. A pivotal figure in Japanese popular music, Curtis is considered one of the three big Japanese names in rock music, helping to popularize the genre in the 1950s where he began as a rockabilly singer. In 1967, he became internationally known for his psychedelic rock band "Mickey Curtis & The Samurai". After five years, Curtis disbanded the group and returned to Japan in 1972, where he began producing other musicians. As an actor his first role was as a rock singer in the 1958 film All About Marriage by Kihachi Okamoto and he has since gone on to star in more than 70 feature films. Apart from his entertainment career he has also been a race car driver and owns a motorcycle shop in Meguro, Tokyo. He speaks Japanese, English, French, German, Italian and Thai.
Mutsuko Miki (三木 睦子, Miki Mutsuko; 31 July 1917 – 31 July 2012) was a Japanese activist who advocated on behalf of…
Mutsuko Miki (三木 睦子, Miki Mutsuko; 31 July 1917 – 31 July 2012) was a Japanese activist who advocated on behalf of pacifism, official compensation for comfort women, and improved Japan–North Korea relations. She was the widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Miki. Miki served as the wife of the Prime Minister of Japan, or First Lady, during her husband's two-year tenure from 1974 to 1976.
Seibo Kitamura (北村 西望, Kitamura Seibō; 16 December 1884 – 4 March 1987) was a Japanese sculptor. He is known as the…
Seibo Kitamura (北村 西望, Kitamura Seibō; 16 December 1884 – 4 March 1987) was a Japanese sculptor. He is known as the sculptor of the 10-meter-tall Peace Statue in Nagasaki Peace Park. He is most often referred to as "Seibo".
Sakurako Ohara (大原櫻子, Ōhara Sakurako; born January 10, 1996) is a Japanese actress and pop singer under Victor…
Sakurako Ohara (大原櫻子, Ōhara Sakurako; born January 10, 1996) is a Japanese actress and pop singer under Victor Entertainment. Her father is narrator Naochika Hayashida.
Yugo Kochi (髙地優吾, Kochi Yugo; born March 8, 1994), is a Japanese actor and singer. He is a member of the boy group…
Yugo Kochi (髙地優吾, Kochi Yugo; born March 8, 1994), is a Japanese actor and singer. He is a member of the boy group SixTONES under STARTO Entertainment.