Ryūta Arakawa (荒川龍太, Arakawa Ryūta, born 3 August 1994) is a Japanese rower. Born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, he…Ryūta Arakawa (荒川龍太, Arakawa Ryūta, born 3 August 1994) is a Japanese rower. Born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, he graduated from Hitotsubashi University Faculty of Law in 2017. He is a member of NTT East Rowing Club. He won a bronze medal in the single scull representing Japan at the 2018 Asian Games. He represented Japan in the single scull at the 2020 Summer Olympics, finishing sixth in the second semifinal. He won a silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games.
Takuya Onishi (Japanese: 大西 卓哉, Hepburn: Ōnishi Takuya; born 22 December 1975) is a Japanese astronaut selected for the…Takuya Onishi (Japanese: 大西 卓哉, Hepburn: Ōnishi Takuya; born 22 December 1975) is a Japanese astronaut selected for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2009. He spent four months on board the International Space Station in 2016. In March 2025, he arrived at the ISS as part of Expedition 72/73.
Akihiro Kitada (北田 暁大, Kitada Akihiro; born December 28, 1971) is a Japanese sociologist and a professor at the…Akihiro Kitada (北田 暁大, Kitada Akihiro; born December 28, 1971) is a Japanese sociologist and a professor at the Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, University of Tokyo. He received his PhD from the University of Tokyo in 2004. Before he took his current position in 2003, he was teaching at the University of Tsukuba. He was a visiting professor at Leipzig University in 2011. His research topics include theoretical sociology, cultural sociology and history of media. He has acquired a reputation for his analysis of advertising, early cinema, magazines, TV, internet and other forms of media in modern and contemporary Japan as well as for his theoretical writings on culture and media. He is known among the reading public in Japan for co-editing the journal Shiso chizu (思想地図) with the cultural critic Hiroki Azuma during its first years.
Ichirō Komatsu (小松 一郎, Komatsu Ichirō; 8 March 1951 – 23 June 2014) was a Japanese diplomat, civil servant and…Ichirō Komatsu (小松 一郎, Komatsu Ichirō; 8 March 1951 – 23 June 2014) was a Japanese diplomat, civil servant and politician.
Jun Matsumoto (松本 純, Matsumoto Jun; August 11, 1950 – March 19, 2026) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal…Jun Matsumoto (松本 純, Matsumoto Jun; August 11, 1950 – March 19, 2026) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature).
Kazumasa Oda (小田 和正, Oda Kazumasa; born September 20, 1947) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, and composer. He was the…Kazumasa Oda (小田 和正, Oda Kazumasa; born September 20, 1947) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, and composer. He was the leader of folk rock band Off Course from 1969 to 1989, and has done solo work since 1985. As the vocalist of Off Course, Oda wrote many Japanese standard numbers in the 1970s and 1980s. The group's most successful singles—"Sayonara" (1979), "Yes-No" (1980), and "Kimi ga Uso o Tsuita" (1984)—were written by Oda. In 1985 he began work as a solo musician. He produced many hit singles as singer-songwriter, such as "Little Tokyo" (1989), "Itsuka Dokokade" (1992), "Tsutaetai Koto ga Arunda" (1997) and "Kirakira" (2002). His most successful single was "Love Story wa Totsuzen ni" (1991), the theme song of a Japanese TV drama called Tokyo Love Story. It sold over 2,580,000 copies and became the ninth best-selling single in Japan.