Mariko Kihara (born September 4, 1997) is a Japanese figure skater. She has won three senior internationals – the 2014…Mariko Kihara (born September 4, 1997) is a Japanese figure skater. She has won three senior internationals – the 2014 Coupe du Printemps, 2015 Bavarian Open, and 2016 Triglav Trophy.
Sotokanda Icchome (外神田いっちょめ), formerly known as Bakusute Sotokanda Icchome (バクステ外神田一丁目), is a Japanese idol girl group…Sotokanda Icchome (外神田いっちょめ), formerly known as Bakusute Sotokanda Icchome (バクステ外神田一丁目), is a Japanese idol girl group established in December 2011. Their singles "Baitofaitaa" and "Otomegokoro no kagi/The kagayakeru" reached the third place on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart.
Kaori Fujino (藤野 可織, Fujino Kaori) is a Japanese writer from Kyoto. Her work has won the 103rd Bungakukai Prize and the…Kaori Fujino (藤野 可織, Fujino Kaori) is a Japanese writer from Kyoto. Her work has won the 103rd Bungakukai Prize and the 149th Akutagawa Prize.
Kaoru Takamura (髙村 薫, Takamura Kaoru; born 1953) is a Japanese writer from Osaka. She has won numerous Japanese…Kaoru Takamura (髙村 薫, Takamura Kaoru; born 1953) is a Japanese writer from Osaka. She has won numerous Japanese literary awards, including the Mystery Writers of Japan Award, the Japan Adventure Fiction Association Prize, the Naoki Prize, the Yomiuri Prize, and the Noma Literary Prize, and her work has been adapted for film and television.
Shigenobu Nakamura (中村 滋延, Nakamura Shigenobu), born in Osaka in 1950, is a Japanese composer and music teacher. He…Shigenobu Nakamura (中村 滋延, Nakamura Shigenobu), born in Osaka in 1950, is a Japanese composer and music teacher. He teaches at Kyushu University (Faculty of Design). He has written fifteen books and done both chamber music and symphonies. In the 1990s his visual works were performed at festivals in Palermo and Germany.
Yūki Meguro (Japanese: 目黒祐樹) is a Japanese actor. He is the son of jidaigeki actor Jūshirō Konoe and had an older…Yūki Meguro (Japanese: 目黒祐樹) is a Japanese actor. He is the son of jidaigeki actor Jūshirō Konoe and had an older brother Hiroki Matsukata. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for his work in Shōgun in 1981.
Hiroshi Fushida (鮒子田 寛; , born 10 March 1946) is a Japanese former racing driver. He is the first Japanese driver to…Hiroshi Fushida (鮒子田 寛; , born 10 March 1946) is a Japanese former racing driver. He is the first Japanese driver to enter a Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, and the first to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
Norihiko Hashida (はしだのりひこ; 7 January 1945 – 2 December 2017) was a Japanese singer-songwriter. His real name in kanji…Norihiko Hashida (はしだのりひこ; 7 January 1945 – 2 December 2017) was a Japanese singer-songwriter. His real name in kanji was 端田 宣彦, but he used the hiragana rendering of his name as his stage name. Hashida was a Kyoto native and attended Doshisha University. He was invited to join The Folk Crusaders in 1967 and appeared with the band in the 1968 film Three Resurrected Drunkards before the group split. Hashida then led Norihiko Hashida and the Shoebelts until 1970. The song "Hanayome" performed by Norihiko Hashida and Climax reached number 1 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart from 15 February to 28 February 1971. Hashida died of Parkinson's disease aged 72, at a hospital in Kyoto.
Mutsuo Tahara (田原 睦夫, Tahara Mutsuo; April 23, 1943 – February 19, 2016) was a Japanese judge who was a member of the…Mutsuo Tahara (田原 睦夫, Tahara Mutsuo; April 23, 1943 – February 19, 2016) was a Japanese judge who was a member of the Supreme Court of Japan. He is notable in Japan for his contributions to bankruptcy law.
Gunpei Yokoi (Japanese: 横井 軍平, Hepburn: Yokoi Gunpei; 10 September 1941 – 4 October 1997), sometimes transliterated as…Gunpei Yokoi (Japanese: 横井 軍平, Hepburn: Yokoi Gunpei; 10 September 1941 – 4 October 1997), sometimes transliterated as Gumpei Yokoi, was a Japanese toy maker, video game designer, and producer. During his 31-year tenure at Nintendo, he served as general manager of Nintendo Research & Development 1 (R&D1) and designed several of the company's most prominent hardware products, including the Ultra Hand toy, the cross-shaped D-pad, the Game & Watch and Game Boy handheld systems, the R.O.B. accessory, and the Virtual Boy. As a producer and mentor to Shigeru Miyamoto, Yokoi oversaw major Nintendo franchises and titles including Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., Metroid, Kid Icarus, Fire Emblem, and Super Mario Land. His design philosophy of "Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology" (枯れた技術の水平思考, Kareta Gijutsu no Suihei Shikō)—finding novel, creative uses for mature, inexpensive hardware rather than relying on cutting-edge specifications—shaped Nintendo's hardware strategy for decades and informed its later Blue Ocean Strategy with the Nintendo DS and Wii.
Masahiko Tsugawa (津川 雅彦, Tsugawa Masahiko), born Masahiko Katō (加藤 雅彦 Katō Masahiko; January 2, 1940 – August 4, 2018)…Masahiko Tsugawa (津川 雅彦, Tsugawa Masahiko), born Masahiko Katō (加藤 雅彦 Katō Masahiko; January 2, 1940 – August 4, 2018) was a Japanese actor and director.
Leo Esaki (江崎 玲於奈, Esaki Reona; born March 12, 1925) is a Japanese physicist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics…Leo Esaki (江崎 玲於奈, Esaki Reona; born March 12, 1925) is a Japanese physicist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics with Ivar Giaever and Brian Josephson for his work on tunneling in semiconductors, which led to his invention of the tunnel diode that exploits this phenomenon. His research was done when he was with Sony. He has also contributed in being a pioneer of semiconductor superlattices. Since the death of Yoichiro Nambu in 2015, Esaki is the oldest living Japanese Nobel laureate.
Keiichiro Ryu (隆 慶一郎, Ryū Keiichirō; September 30, 1923 – November 4, 1989) was a Japanese editor, acclaimed screenplay…Keiichiro Ryu (隆 慶一郎, Ryū Keiichirō; September 30, 1923 – November 4, 1989) was a Japanese editor, acclaimed screenplay writer, and historical fiction writer.
Sen Sōshitsu XV (十五代千宗室, jū go dai sen sōshitsu; 19 April 1923 – 14 August 2025) was the 15th-generation Grand Master…Sen Sōshitsu XV (十五代千宗室, jū go dai sen sōshitsu; 19 April 1923 – 14 August 2025) was the 15th-generation Grand Master (iemoto) of Urasenke, which is one of the most widely known schools of Japanese tea, and served in official capacity from 1964 to 2002. In 1949, he received the Zen title Hōunsai (鵬雲斎). Following his retirement, he adopted the name Sen Genshitsu (玄室), with the honorary title Daisōshō, in order to distinguish him from his son and successor, Sen Sōshitsu XVI. For over seven decades, Sen Genshitsu traveled across the world in order to promote the ethos of "Peacefulness through a Bowl of Tea".
Nobuo Arai (新井 信男) (1909 – June 15, 1990) was a Japanese swimmer who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.…Nobuo Arai (新井 信男) (1909 – June 15, 1990) was a Japanese swimmer who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Arai 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 placed fourth in the semifinal of the 1500 meter freestyle event, but did not advance to the finals. He also qualified for the semifinals of the 400 meter freestyle event, but did not start.
Shourai Kimura (木村 象雷, Kimura Shōrai; 9 February 1908 – 1986) was a Japanese swimmer and journalist. He competed in the…Shourai Kimura (木村 象雷, Kimura Shōrai; 9 February 1908 – 1986) was a Japanese swimmer and journalist. He competed in the men's 100 metre backstroke event at the 1928 Summer Olympics. He later became a sports journalist.
Shinobu Tabata (田畑 忍, Tabata Shinobu, January 22, 1902 – March 14, 1994) was a Japanese legal scholar specializing in…Shinobu Tabata (田畑 忍, Tabata Shinobu, January 22, 1902 – March 14, 1994) was a Japanese legal scholar specializing in constitutional law. He was a professor and president of Doshisha University and a prominent pacifist who advocated for the defense of the post-war Japanese Constitution, especially Article 9.
Bukichi Miki (三木 武吉, Miki Bukichi; 15 August 1884 – 4 July 1956) was a Japanese politician. He was a close friend and…Bukichi Miki (三木 武吉, Miki Bukichi; 15 August 1884 – 4 July 1956) was a Japanese politician. He was a close friend and ally of Ichiro Hatoyama, and was the key figure in carrying out the "conservative merger" that resulted in the formation of the Liberal Democratic Party. Despite being a powerful conservative politician in the Taishō and Shōwa eras, Miki remarkably never held any cabinet post. He still has a high reputation as the archetype of a behind-the-scenes power broker, and at the zenith of their power there were times when both Kanemaru Shin and Hiromu Nonaka were openly complimented by Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone for having "surpassed Bukichi Miki." Miki's nicknames included "the heckling general," "the wily schemer," and "the great tanuki of Japanese politics."
Masamitsu Ōshima (大島 正満, Ōshima Masamitsu; June 21, 1884 – June 26, 1965) was a Japanese herpetologist and…Masamitsu Ōshima (大島 正満, Ōshima Masamitsu; June 21, 1884 – June 26, 1965) was a Japanese herpetologist and ichthyologist. He received his Master's from Stanford University. He is noted for studies of the fish species of Taiwan and on snakes.
Hitoshi Yamakawa (Japanese: 山川 均, Yamakawa Hitoshi; 20 December 1880 – 23 March 1958) was a Japanese socialist…Hitoshi Yamakawa (Japanese: 山川 均, Yamakawa Hitoshi; 20 December 1880 – 23 March 1958) was a Japanese socialist intellectual, activist, and theorist. He was a central figure in the early Japanese socialist movement and a co-founder of the first Japanese Communist Party in 1922. After breaking with the party a year later, he became the leader of the Rōnō-ha (Labor-Farmer Faction), a dissident group of Marxist thinkers who challenged the Comintern's thesis that Japan required a two-stage revolution. Born in Kurashiki into a family that had lost its wealth and status, Yamakawa developed a strong anti-authoritarian streak and a sense of social alienation during his youth. After dropping out of Dōshisha, a Christian school where he was first exposed to socialist ideas, he was imprisoned for lèse-majesté in 1900. This experience proved transformative, and he emerged a dedicated revolutionary. Yamakawa joined the Japan Socialist Party in 1906 and, under the influence of Kōtoku Shūsui, became a leading advocate of anarcho-syndicalism. Following another prison term after the Red Flag Incident of 1908 and a period of withdrawal, he returned to activism in 1916. The Russian Revolution led him to embrace Leninism, and in 1922 he helped establish the Japanese Communist Party. He developed the doctrine of "Yamakawaism," which called for a mass-based, legal proletarian party rather than a small, secretive vanguard, leading to the dissolution of the first JCP in 1924. In 1927, he led the Rōnō-ha in a definitive split from the JCP, initiating the highly influential "Japanese capitalism debate". Yamakawa and his faction argued that Japan was an advanced capitalist country requiring a direct, one-stage socialist revolution, a position that placed them in direct opposition to both the JCP and the Comintern. After World War II, he helped establish the Socialist Association (Shakai-shugi Kyōkai (社会主義協会)), which became a powerful left-wing force within the new Japan Socialist Party. He remained a major figure in the socialist movement until his death in 1958.
Kiichi Miyake (三宅 驥一, Miyake Kiichi; 11 November 1876 – 20 March 1964) was a Japanese botanist and professor at the…Kiichi Miyake (三宅 驥一, Miyake Kiichi; 11 November 1876 – 20 March 1964) was a Japanese botanist and professor at the University of Tokyo. His research focus was bryology and pteridology. His undergraduate studies were at Doshisha University and the University of Tokyo. His graduate studies were at Cornell University, where he received his MA in 1901 and PhD in 1902. After finishing his PhD, Miyake was appointed by the government of Taiwan to travel to Europe and perform a two-year study of plant life there.