Chiaki Tomita (冨田 千愛, Tomita Chiaki, born 18 October 1993) is a Japanese rower. She competed in the women's lightweight…Chiaki Tomita (冨田 千愛, Tomita Chiaki, born 18 October 1993) is a Japanese rower. She competed in the women's lightweight double sculls event at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Yukihiro Matsumoto (まつもとゆきひろ, Matsumoto Yukihiro; born 14 April 1965), also known as Matz, is a Japanese computer…Yukihiro Matsumoto (まつもとゆきひろ, Matsumoto Yukihiro; born 14 April 1965), also known as Matz, is a Japanese computer scientist and software programmer. He is best known as the chief designer of the Ruby programming language and its original reference implementation, Matz's Ruby Interpreter (MRI). As of 2011, Matsumoto is the Chief Architect of Ruby at Heroku, an online cloud platform-as-a-service in San Francisco. He is a fellow of the Rakuten Institute of Technology, a research and development organization within Rakuten Group, Inc. He was appointed to the role of technical advisor for VASILY, Inc. starting in June 2014.
Mahiro Maeda (前田 真宏 Maeda Mahiro; born March 14, 1963) is a Japanese anime director, character designer, and animator.…Mahiro Maeda (前田 真宏 Maeda Mahiro; born March 14, 1963) is a Japanese anime director, character designer, and animator. Helen McCarthy in 500 Essential Anime Movies called him "one of the most imaginative visualists in anime". He also worked on Concept Art and Design for Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), which won six Academy Awards. He has been one of the top contributors at the anime studio GONZO for many years, having directed Blue Submarine No. 6, Final Fantasy: Unlimited and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. His design work ranges from 2 of the "Angels" in Neon Genesis Evangelion to production and mechanical design for such series as Magic User's Club (魔法使いTai!, Mahō Tsukai Tai!), The Vision of Escaflowne and Last Exile. He was also one of the designers for Gate Keepers 21. His earlier years were spent mostly at the famed Studio Ghibli, where he helped animate classics such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, and Porco Rosso. Maeda is one of the select Japanese directors to actively collaborate with the international film media on various projects. He provided key animation for the animation sequence in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1. His directorial work has also been featured in such exclusive package films as The Animatrix (segment: "The Second Renaissance Parts I and II"), Genius Party Beyond (segment: "Gala"), and Ani*Kuri15 (segment: "Princess Onmitsu"). He has also visited the American Anime Expo convention in 2000 and 2003.
Hiroshi Ohno (Japanese: 大野 博司 Hiroshi Ohno; born October 27, 1958) is a Japanese immunologist and microbiologist. He is…Hiroshi Ohno (Japanese: 大野 博司 Hiroshi Ohno; born October 27, 1958) is a Japanese immunologist and microbiologist. He is a Deputy Director of the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences and the Team Leader of Laboratory for Intestinal Ecosystem. Also is a visiting professor at the Immunobiology Laboratory at Yokohama City University Graduate School of Educal Life Science; and a visiting professor at Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Chiba University in 1991. In 2023 he was awarded the Medals of Honor (Japan)(with purple ribbon) for his contributions to immunology and gut microbiota research.
Kazuyuki Hamada (浜田 和幸, Hamada Kazuyuki; born 17 March 1953) is a Japanese politician. He has served one term in the…Kazuyuki Hamada (浜田 和幸, Hamada Kazuyuki; born 17 March 1953) is a Japanese politician. He has served one term in the House of Councillors for the Tottori At-large district. After being elected in 2010 as a candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party, he changed parties three times before unsuccessfully seeking re-election as an independent candidate in 2016.
Japan, the previous host of the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City…Japan, the previous host of the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. 171 competitors, 146 men and 25 women, took part in 97 events in 18 sports.
Takashi Kijima (杵島 隆, Kijima Takashi; 1920–2011) was a Japanese photographer best known for his photographs of nudes…Takashi Kijima (杵島 隆, Kijima Takashi; 1920–2011) was a Japanese photographer best known for his photographs of nudes and of flowers. Kijima was born in Calexico, California on 24 December 1920, the son of a Mr Watanabe, a shoe manufacturer who had immigrated in 1905, and his wife Sei (せい). The boy's name as a US citizen was Ryu Watanabe. In 1924, the Immigration Act and anti-Japanese sentiment brought the family back to Japan, where it separated: the boy's elder brother followed his father to Osaka while Takashi lived with his mother's family in Ōshinotsu (now part of Yonago), Tottori. In 1935 his father gave him a Zeiss Semi Ikonta camera, starting his interest in photography. Despite retaining US nationality at a time of anti-US sentiment, he majored in film at Nihon University, graduating in 1943. Although his elder brother was teaching Japanese to the US Navy and his father was incarcerated in a relocation camp in California (where he would become ill and die), Kijima joined the naval air corps, in a kamikaze unit. At the end of the war, carrying the Rolleicord of one of his wartime comrades, Kijima returned to Yonago and studied photography under Shōji Ueda. Kijima became a proponent of the realist views of Ken Domon, as expressed in Camera magazine. A portrait of an old woman won effusive praise from Domon on its submission to a contest held by Camera. Kijima moved to Tokyo in 1953, working for Light Publicity. He won prizes for his advertising work before and after becoming a freelance in 1956. His 1960 advertisements for Yawata Iron & Steel in Life won an advertising award from Life. He has been called "the most vigorous creator in the world of commercial photography in Japan" during the 1950s and early 1960s. He also trained younger photographers; the commercial photographer Yoichi Aoyagi (青柳陽一) studied under him for two years before going freelance. Since 1945, Kijima had also been following his own, noncommercial interest in photographing nudes in black and white outdoors. His photographing of nude women directly in front of Sakurada gate of the imperial palace in central Tokyo very early one morning in 1958 caused a great moral panic. His 1958 exhibition, titled "Ra" (裸), of nude photographs was the second held in Japan (the first was by Kira Sugiyama); more than thirty thousand people came to see it. At some time in the late 1950s Kijima and Shōzō Kitadai did the photography for an untitled set, designed by Kitadai, of four miniature books (mamebon) of photographs, distributed by Graphic Shūdan (グラフィック集団, Gurafikku Shūdan); its effective use of juxtapositions and miniature format has elevated it to fame among the Japanese photobooks of the time. Kijima gradually turned toward photographing traditional Japanese arts and nature and particularly flowers, with entire books about cherry blossoms and orchids. He specialized in kimono and until very late in his life was photographing models for the magazine Kimono Salon. Ikui has described Kijima's works as influenced by both Domon and the very different Ueda, but finding a third, commercial way. Kijima died on 20 February 2011.
Shōji Ueda (植田 正治, Ueda Shōji; 27 March 1913 – 4 July 2000) was a Japanese photographer from Tottori, best known for…Shōji Ueda (植田 正治, Ueda Shōji; 27 March 1913 – 4 July 2000) was a Japanese photographer from Tottori, best known for his distinctive, dreamlike black-and-white images with staged figures, taken on the Tottori sand dunes. The term Ueda-chō (Ueda-tone) has been used to refer to his cool and mysterious atmospheric style. Ueda began using posed figures and objects in his photographs in 1939, but would be forced to cease his production due to Japan's participation in World War II. His surreal Sand Dune series, of which the first images were published 1949, was overshadowed by the predominance of social realism, a major trend in Japanese post-war photography. His oeuvre was reconsidered by critics in 1971 after the publication of the widely-appreciated photobook Warabe Goyomi (Children the Year Round), containing images of children which masterfully balanced social realism and the playfulness of Ueda's posed pictures. Since the 1970s, his work has won him international renown, and in 1995 the Ueda Shōji Museum of Photography was inaugurated. Throughout the entirety of his life, Ueda remained deeply attached to his native San'in region, and in particular his hometown of Sakaiminato.
Hiromichi Yahara (Japanese: 八原博通; October 12, 1902 – May 7, 1981) was the senior staff officer in charge of operations…Hiromichi Yahara (Japanese: 八原博通; October 12, 1902 – May 7, 1981) was the senior staff officer in charge of operations for the 32nd Imperial Japanese Army during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.
Masazumi Inada (稲田 正純, Inada Masazumi; 27 August 1896 – 24 January 1986) was a lieutenant general in the Japanese…Masazumi Inada (稲田 正純, Inada Masazumi; 27 August 1896 – 24 January 1986) was a lieutenant general in the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.
Senkichi Awaya (粟屋 仙吉, Awaya Senkichi; 7 November 1893 – 6 August 1945) was a Japanese public official who was killed…Senkichi Awaya (粟屋 仙吉, Awaya Senkichi; 7 November 1893 – 6 August 1945) was a Japanese public official who was killed by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima while he was its mayor. He was one of the key figures in the historic clash between the Japanese police and the Imperial Japanese Army in 1933. He is also known for his Christian activity in the Nonchurch movement and his close relationship with its early leaders.
Shigeru Fukudome (福留 繁, Fukudome Shigeru; 1 February 1891 – 6 February 1971) was an admiral and Chief of Staff of the…Shigeru Fukudome (福留 繁, Fukudome Shigeru; 1 February 1891 – 6 February 1971) was an admiral and Chief of Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet during World War II.
Ichirō Banzai (坂西 一良, Banzai Ichirō; January 26, 1891 – September 16, 1945) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial…Ichirō Banzai (坂西 一良, Banzai Ichirō; January 26, 1891 – September 16, 1945) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He was involved in the Pacific War and the Second Sino-Japanese War. He was a recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun, first class, large cordon. He served as the Japanese military attaché in Germany on several occasions, and represented the interests of the Imperial Japanese Army in Berlin in the early part of World War II, from 1940 to 1943, when he returned to Japan. He later commanded a division and a corps in China during Operation Ichi-Go, and died in Shanghai shortly after the war ended.
