Yoshika Arai (Japanese: 荒井 悦加, née Tatsumi Japanese: 辰巳; born 26 February 1982) is a Japanese middle- and long-distance…Yoshika Arai (Japanese: 荒井 悦加, née Tatsumi Japanese: 辰巳; born 26 February 1982) is a Japanese middle- and long-distance runner who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase. Her personal best for that event is 9:55.93 minutes. She took up the steeplechase event in 2007 and represented her country at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, held in Osaka. Her first major medal came at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships, where she won in a championship record. Earlier in her career, Arai was a frequent runner-up to Minori Hayakari at the Japan Championships in Athletics, but she took national titles in both 2012 and 2013. She also placed fourth at the 2013 Asian Athletics Championships.
Choemon Masataka Tanabe (田部 長右衛門 真孝, born August 4, 1979) is a Japanese business magnate, one of Japan's largest…Choemon Masataka Tanabe (田部 長右衛門 真孝, born August 4, 1979) is a Japanese business magnate, one of Japan's largest private forest owners, owner of a ranch, investor, media proprietor, mass media heir, and television executive. He is the 25th head of the Tanabe family, one of the "Tatara Big Three" in Japan's San'in region. He serves as representative director and President of Tanabe Corporation and San-in Chuo Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd., commonly known as TSK. His commonly used name and legal name is "Choemon Tanabe (田部 長右衛門)". His grandfather is the 23rd Choemon Tomoyuki Tanabe, who was a former governor of Shimane Prefecture, and his father is the 24th Choemon Tomohisa Tanabe.
Michihiro Ishibashi (石橋 通宏, Ishibashi Michihiro; born 1 July 1965) is a Japanese politician from the Constitutional…Michihiro Ishibashi (石橋 通宏, Ishibashi Michihiro; born 1 July 1965) is a Japanese politician from the Constitutional Democratic Party and a former trade union leader. He currently serves as members of the House of Councillors being elected from the National Representation list in 2010. His father Daikichi Ishibashi was a member of the House of Representatives.
Rintaro Norizuki (法月 綸太郎, Norizuki Rintarō; born 15 October 1964) is a Japanese writer of mystery and crime. He is the…Rintaro Norizuki (法月 綸太郎, Norizuki Rintarō; born 15 October 1964) is a Japanese writer of mystery and crime. He is the President of Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan and one of the representative writers of the new traditionalist movement in Japanese mystery writing. His works have been influenced by Ellery Queen and Ross Macdonald.
Hideki Imai (今井 秀樹, Imai Hideki; born May 31, 1943, in Shimane Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese information theorist…Hideki Imai (今井 秀樹, Imai Hideki; born May 31, 1943, in Shimane Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese information theorist and cryptographer. His research has included information theory, coding theory, cryptography, and information security. In 1977, together with S. Hirakawa, he proposed a coded multilevel signal modulation scheme using several classes of binary error-correcting codes, whose symbols are combined to set up the transmission signal. This scheme is known as the Imai–Hirakawa code. Imai received B.E., M.E., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1966, 1968, and 1971, respectively. From 1971 to 1992 he was on the faculty of Yokohama National University, and from 1992 to 2006 he was a professor at the Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo. In 2006 he was appointed emeritus professor of the University of Tokyo and professor at Chuo University. He also served as director of the Research Center for Information Security at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. He became an IEEE Fellow in 1992 for contributions to the theory of coded modulation and two-dimensional codes, and an IACR Fellow in 2007.
Ikkō Narahara (奈良原 一高, Narahara Ikkō; November 3, 1931 – January 19, 2020) was a Japanese photographer. His work is…Ikkō Narahara (奈良原 一高, Narahara Ikkō; November 3, 1931 – January 19, 2020) was a Japanese photographer. His work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Noboru Takeshita (竹下 登, Takeshita Noboru; 26 February 1924 – 19 June 2000) was a Japanese politician who served as…Noboru Takeshita (竹下 登, Takeshita Noboru; 26 February 1924 – 19 June 2000) was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1987 to 1989. Born in Shimane Prefecture, Takeshita attended Waseda University and was drafted into the army during the Pacific War. He was first elected to the National Diet in 1958, and served as chief cabinet secretary in 1971–1972 and in 1974, and as finance minister from 1979–1980, 1982–1986, and in 1988, during which he signed the Plaza Accord in 1985. In 1987, Takeshita became head of the Liberal Democratic Party and succeeded Yasuhiro Nakasone as prime minister. He inherited the powerful LDP faction of Kakuei Tanaka, and was dubbed the "last shadow shogun" for his behind-the-scenes influence in politics. Takeshita was forced to resign in 1989 after being implicated in the Recruit scandal, but continued to lead the largest LDP faction until his death in 2000. He was the last prime minister to serve during the rule of Emperor Shōwa.
Seiichiro Tsuda (津田 晴一郎, Tsuda Seiichirō; July 26, 1906 – September 20, 1991) was a Japanese runner who won the 1500…Seiichiro Tsuda (津田 晴一郎, Tsuda Seiichirō; July 26, 1906 – September 20, 1991) was a Japanese runner who won the 1500 metres event at the 1927 and 1930 Far Eastern Championship Games. He competed at the 1928 and 1932 Olympics in the marathon and finished in fifth and sixth place, respectively.
Ryūkichi Tanaka (田中 隆吉, Tanaka Ryūkichi; 9 July 1893 – 5 June 1972) was a major general in the Imperial Japanese Army…Ryūkichi Tanaka (田中 隆吉, Tanaka Ryūkichi; 9 July 1893 – 5 June 1972) was a major general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
Sadayoshi Yamada (山田 定義, Yamada Sadayoshi; 26 November 1892 – 16 November 1971) was a vice admiral in the Imperial…Sadayoshi Yamada (山田 定義, Yamada Sadayoshi; 26 November 1892 – 16 November 1971) was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
Kawai Kanjirō (河井 寬次郎; 24 August 1890, in Yasugi, Shimane – 18 November 1966) was a Japanese potter and a key figure in…Kawai Kanjirō (河井 寬次郎; 24 August 1890, in Yasugi, Shimane – 18 November 1966) was a Japanese potter and a key figure in mingei (Japanese folk art) and studio pottery movements, which included Bernard Leach, Shōji Hamada, Kenkichi Tomimoto, Shikō Munakata, Keisuke Serizawa, and Tatsuzō Shimaoka, among others.
Chūichi Hara (原 忠一, Hara Chūichi; 15 March 1889 – 17 February 1964) was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese…Chūichi Hara (原 忠一, Hara Chūichi; 15 March 1889 – 17 February 1964) was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Heavier and taller than the average Japanese person, he was nicknamed "King Kong" by his friends earlier in his career (after 1933, when the film King Kong premiered).
Kozaemon Kimura (木村 小左衛門; 1888–1952) was a Japanese businessman and politician who held several cabinet posts. He was…Kozaemon Kimura (木村 小左衛門; 1888–1952) was a Japanese businessman and politician who held several cabinet posts. He was one of the long-term members of the House of Representatives. He joined several political parties, including the Democratic Party.
Seiichi Kishi (Japanese: 岸清一; August 3, 1867 – October 29, 1933) was the 2nd President of the Japanese Olympic…Seiichi Kishi (Japanese: 岸清一; August 3, 1867 – October 29, 1933) was the 2nd President of the Japanese Olympic Committee (1921–1933).
Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (27 June 1850 – 26 September 1904) was a Greek and Irish writer, translator, and teacher whose…Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (27 June 1850 – 26 September 1904) was a Greek and Irish writer, translator, and teacher whose work played a significant role in the introduction of the culture and literature of Japan to the mainstream Western world. His writings offered unprecedented insight into Japanese culture, especially his collections of legends and ghost stories, such as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things. Before moving to Japan and becoming a Japanese citizen, he worked as a journalist in the United States, primarily in Cincinnati and New Orleans. His writings about New Orleans, based on his decade-long stay there, are also well-known. Hearn was born on the Greek island of Lefkada but moved to Dublin, where he was abandoned first by his mother, then his father, and finally by his father's aunt (who had been appointed his official guardian). At the age of 19, he immigrated to the United States, where he found work as a newspaper reporter, first in Cincinnati and later in New Orleans. From there, he was sent as a correspondent to Martinique in the French West Indies, where he stayed for two years, and then in 1890 to Japan, where he would remain for the rest of his life, assuming the name Yakumo Koizumi. In Japan, Hearn married Setsuko Koizumi, with whom he had four children. His writings about Japan offered the Western world an introduction to Japanese culture.