Yūki Takahashi (髙橋 優貴, Takahashi Yūki; born February 1, 1997 in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan) is a professional Japanese…Yūki Takahashi (髙橋 優貴, Takahashi Yūki; born February 1, 1997 in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants.
Ryosuke Kojima (小島 亨介, Kojima Ryōsuke; born January 30, 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a…Ryosuke Kojima (小島 亨介, Kojima Ryōsuke; born January 30, 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for J1 League club Kashiwa Reysol.
Taisei Marukawa (丸川 太誠, Marukawa Taisei; born 30 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a…Taisei Marukawa (丸川 太誠, Marukawa Taisei; born 30 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Super League club Dewa United Banten.
Itsuki Urata (浦田 樹, Urata Itsuki; born 29 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a left-back…Itsuki Urata (浦田 樹, Urata Itsuki; born 29 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Croatian Football League club Slaven Belupo.
Asahi Masuyama (増山 朝陽, Masuyama Asahi; born January 29, 1997 in Fukuoka) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a…Asahi Masuyama (増山 朝陽, Masuyama Asahi; born January 29, 1997 in Fukuoka) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a midfielder for J1 League club V-Varen Nagasaki, on loan from FC Machida Zelvia.
Akihiro Kaneko (Japanese: 金子晃大, Kaneko Akihiro; born January 29, 1997) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in…Akihiro Kaneko (Japanese: 金子晃大, Kaneko Akihiro; born January 29, 1997) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super bantamweight division of K-1. A professional competitor since 2016, Kaneko is a former K-1 Super Bantamweight champion and a former Krush Bantamweight champion. As of August 2023, he is ranked as the fourth best flyweight (-56.7 kg) kickboxer in the world by Combat Press and the fourth best super flyweight (-55 kg) kickboxer by Beyond Kickboxing. He's been ranked in the flyweight top ten by Combat Press continually since September 2020. He was ranked in the strawweight top ten by Combat Press between May 2019 and August 2020.
Mao Inoue (井上麻生, Inoue Mao; born January 28, 1997), better known mononymously as Mao (stylized in all caps), is a…Mao Inoue (井上麻生, Inoue Mao; born January 28, 1997), better known mononymously as Mao (stylized in all caps), is a Japanese professional wrestler. As of 2015, he is signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT), where he is the leader of Strange Love Connection and is the current KO-D Openweight Champion in his first reign.
This is a list of J.League designated special players, picked by J.League clubs from universities and high schools all…This is a list of J.League designated special players, picked by J.League clubs from universities and high schools all over Japan.
Ko Itakura (板倉 滉, Itakura Kō; born 27 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or…Ko Itakura (板倉 滉, Itakura Kō; born 27 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach and captains the Japan national team. Known for his ball-playing ability, versatility, and defensive anticipation, Itakura began his career in the J1 League with Kawasaki Frontale before moving to Europe in 2019. After successful loan spells at Groningen and Schalke 04, he joined Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2022 and established himself in the Bundesliga with the club. In 2025, he became the first Japanese player in history to sign for Ajax, and returned to Mönchengladbach a year later.
Eriko Goya (Japanese: 呉屋絵理子) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a defender for Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina in the WE…Eriko Goya (Japanese: 呉屋絵理子) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a defender for Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina in the WE League, the top flight of women's association football in Japan.
Yuma Imagawa (今川優馬, Imagawa Yuma; born January 25, 1997 in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan) is a professional Japanese…Yuma Imagawa (今川優馬, Imagawa Yuma; born January 25, 1997 in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is an outfielder for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Kouki Amarei (天麗皇希, Amarei Kōki; born January 23, 1997) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently performing in the…Kouki Amarei (天麗皇希, Amarei Kōki; born January 23, 1997) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently performing in the Japanese promotion Dream Star Fighting Marigold where she is one-half of the current Marigold Twin Star Champions in her first reign. She is previously known for her short tenure with Actwres girl'Z.
Ryuhei Oishi (大石 竜平, Ōishi Ryūhei; born 21 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward…Ryuhei Oishi (大石 竜平, Ōishi Ryūhei; born 21 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Blaublitz Akita.
Anly (born January 20, 1997) is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter from Ie, Okinawa. She started playing the guitar at…Anly (born January 20, 1997) is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter from Ie, Okinawa. She started playing the guitar at six years old, and started writing music in junior high school. In high school, she played live at various locations in Okinawa and Tokyo, allowing her to release two indie singles in 2015 before being signed to Sony Music Records. She released her debut single "Taiyō ni Warae" in 2015 and her debut album Anly One in 2017.
Faulua Makisi (マキシ ファウルア, Faurua makishi; born 20 January 1997) is a Japanese rugby union player who plays as a…Faulua Makisi (マキシ ファウルア, Faurua makishi; born 20 January 1997) is a Japanese rugby union player who plays as a flanker. He currently plays for Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay in Japan's domestic Japan Rugby League One.
Kengo Ohta (太田 賢吾, Ohta, Kengo; born January 19, 1997) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays infielder…Kengo Ohta (太田 賢吾, Ohta, Kengo; born January 19, 1997) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays infielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
Daisuke Sakai (坂井 大将, Sakai Daisuke; born 18 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a winger…Daisuke Sakai (坂井 大将, Sakai Daisuke; born 18 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Singapore Premier League club Young Lions, on loan from Indonesian club PSM Makassar.
Hayato Otani (大谷 駿斗, Ōtani Hayato; born January 17, 1997) is a Japanese football player who currently plays for Zweigen…Hayato Otani (大谷 駿斗, Ōtani Hayato; born January 17, 1997) is a Japanese football player who currently plays for Zweigen Kanazawa.
Miho Igarashi (born 17 January 1997) is a Japanese freestyle wrestler. She won the gold medal in the 50 kg event at the…Miho Igarashi (born 17 January 1997) is a Japanese freestyle wrestler. She won the gold medal in the 50 kg event at the 2020 Asian Wrestling Championships in New Delhi, India. She won the gold medal in the women's 48 kg event at the 2015 World Junior Wrestling Championships held in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. She also won the gold medal in this event at the 2016 World Junior Wrestling Championships held in Mâcon, France. At the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, she won the silver medal in the 48 kg event.
Ryūsei Satō (佐藤 龍世, Satō Ryūsei; born January 15, 1997) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Chunichi…Ryūsei Satō (佐藤 龍世, Satō Ryūsei; born January 15, 1997) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in NPB for the Saitama Seibu Lions and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Kyoka Goshima (born 15 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a defender for WE League club…Kyoka Goshima (born 15 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a defender for WE League club AC Nagano Parceiro.
Daigo Kamikawabata (上川畑 大悟, Kamikawabata Daigo; born January 12, 1997) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder…Daigo Kamikawabata (上川畑 大悟, Kamikawabata Daigo; born January 12, 1997) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Aimi Kunitake (國武 愛美, Kunitake Aimi; born January 10, 1997) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a defender. She plays…Aimi Kunitake (國武 愛美, Kunitake Aimi; born January 10, 1997) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a defender. She plays for Mynavi Sendai and the Japan national team.
Yoshiaki Watanabe (渡邊 佳明, Watanabe Yoshiaki; born January 8, 1997 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan) is a professional…Yoshiaki Watanabe (渡邊 佳明, Watanabe Yoshiaki; born January 8, 1997 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays infield and outfield for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Senri Kawaguchi (川口 千里, Kawaguchi Senri) is a Japanese drummer. In Japan, she is sometimes known as tekazuhime (手数姫)…Senri Kawaguchi (川口 千里, Kawaguchi Senri) is a Japanese drummer. In Japan, she is sometimes known as tekazuhime (手数姫), ("Princess of Many Strokes"). She has the image of a gecko on the front of her 20-inch bass drum, and on her Zildjian drumsticks. She has won many awards for her drumming.
Yuto Nakashima (中島佑斗, Nakashima Yūto; born January 7, 1997) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New…Yuto Nakashima (中島佑斗, Nakashima Yūto; born January 7, 1997) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he performs under the ring name Yuto-Ice. He is a member of the Unbound Co. stable and is one-half of the Knock Out Brothers with stablemate Oskar. With Oskar, he is one-half of the current IWGP Tag Team Champions in their second reign as a team, and also one-third of the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions with Oskar and Jeff Cobb. Known for his martial arts background, he has competed internationally, including notable appearances in Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) and Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw).
Ayumi Ishida (石田亜佑美, Ishida Ayumi) (born 7 January 1997) is a Japanese singer. She is a former tenth-generation member…Ayumi Ishida (石田亜佑美, Ishida Ayumi) (born 7 January 1997) is a Japanese singer. She is a former tenth-generation member and sub-leader of the pop group Morning Musume.
Hiroto Morooka (諸岡 裕人, Morooka Hiroto; born 4 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a…Hiroto Morooka (諸岡 裕人, Morooka Hiroto; born 4 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for J1 League club Kyoto Sanga.
Kotaro Tachikawa (立川 小太郎, Tachikawa Kotarō; born 4 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a…Kotaro Tachikawa (立川 小太郎, Tachikawa Kotarō; born 4 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club FC Imabari.
Chika Hirao (平尾 知佳, Hirao Chika; born 31 December 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper…Chika Hirao (平尾 知佳, Hirao Chika; born 31 December 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for WE League club Albirex Niigata and the Japan national team.
Yuki Seno (born 30 December 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for WE League club…Yuki Seno (born 30 December 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for WE League club Chifure AS Elfen Saitama.
Miyu Yoshimoto (吉本 実憂, Yoshimoto Miyu; born December 28, 1996) is a Japanese actress, idol, and tarento. She is the…Miyu Yoshimoto (吉本 実憂, Yoshimoto Miyu; born December 28, 1996) is a Japanese actress, idol, and tarento. She is the winner of the 13th Japan Bishōjo Contest in 2012, and the leader of the Japanese idol group X21.
Airi Matsui (松井 愛莉, Matsui Airi; born December 26, 1996) is a Japanese actress, model, and former singer. She is signed…Airi Matsui (松井 愛莉, Matsui Airi; born December 26, 1996) is a Japanese actress, model, and former singer. She is signed to the agency Amuse Inc. and is a former member of Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin.
Satoshi Osugi (大杉 啓, Osugi Satoshi; born 22 December 1996) is a Japanese footballer who playing as a goalkeeper and…Satoshi Osugi (大杉 啓, Osugi Satoshi; born 22 December 1996) is a Japanese footballer who playing as a goalkeeper and currently play for J3 League club, Kochi United.
Saki Hattori (Japanese: 服部 沙紀, born 22 December 1996) is a Japanese female handball player for Sony Semiconductor and…Saki Hattori (Japanese: 服部 沙紀, born 22 December 1996) is a Japanese female handball player for Sony Semiconductor and the Japanese national team. She represented Japan at the 2021 World Women's Handball Championship in Spain. At the 2022 Asian Championship, she won silver medals, losing to South Korea in the final.
Kenta Fukuda (福田健太, Fukuda Kenta; born 19 December 1996) is a Japanese professional rugby union player who plays as a…Kenta Fukuda (福田健太, Fukuda Kenta; born 19 December 1996) is a Japanese professional rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for Japan Rugby League One club Toyota Verblitz and the Japan national team.
Mayu Ikejiri (池尻 茉由, Ikejiri Mayu; born December 19, 1996) is a Japanese football player. She plays as a forward for…Mayu Ikejiri (池尻 茉由, Ikejiri Mayu; born December 19, 1996) is a Japanese football player. She plays as a forward for Mynavi Sendai in the WE League and Japan national team.
Kōki Saitō (齋藤 綱記, Saitō Kōki; born December 18, 1996) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for…Kōki Saitō (齋藤 綱記, Saitō Kōki; born December 18, 1996) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Chunichi Dragons. He previously played for the Orix Buffaloes and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Juri Kawano (born 16 December 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Nadeshiko League…Juri Kawano (born 16 December 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Nadeshiko League Division 1 club NHK Spring Yokohama FC Seagulls. She is a former WE League player.
Suguru Fukuda (福田 俊, Fukuda Suguru; born December 14, 1996 in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan) is a Japanese professional…Suguru Fukuda (福田 俊, Fukuda Suguru; born December 14, 1996 in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Naoki Mizunuma (水沼 尚輝, Mizunuma Naoki; born 13 December 1996) is a Japanese swimmer. He competed in the men's 50 metre…Naoki Mizunuma (水沼 尚輝, Mizunuma Naoki; born 13 December 1996) is a Japanese swimmer. He competed in the men's 50 metre butterfly at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships.
Miu Sato (佐藤 未生, Satō Miu; born December 13, 1996 in Nagoya) is a Japanese figure skater. She represented Japan at the…Miu Sato (佐藤 未生, Satō Miu; born December 13, 1996 in Nagoya) is a Japanese figure skater. She represented Japan at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Minsk, Belarus. She qualified to the free skate by placing 13th in the short program and went on to finish 12th overall.
Masaki Okino (沖野 将基, Okino Masaki; born December 13, 1996 in Ōmura, Nagasaki) is a Japanese football who plays as a…Masaki Okino (沖野 将基, Okino Masaki; born December 13, 1996 in Ōmura, Nagasaki) is a Japanese football who plays as a midfielder for J2 League club Blaublitz Akita. In 2022 he suffered an injury in the 2nd game and was out all season.
Yoshiki Kato (加藤良輝, Katō Yoshiki) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to Dragongate, where he is the Open…Yoshiki Kato (加藤良輝, Katō Yoshiki) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to Dragongate, where he is the Open the Dream Gate Champion and Open the Twin Gate Champion in his first reigns. Kato has competed in multiple Japanese wrestling promotions, including Dragon Gate USA, All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Mamiko Tanaka (田中 真美子, Tanaka Mamiko; born 11 December 1996) is a former Japanese professional basketball player. She…Mamiko Tanaka (田中 真美子, Tanaka Mamiko; born 11 December 1996) is a former Japanese professional basketball player. She played four seasons for the Fujitsu Red Wave of the Women's Japan Basketball League from 2019 to 2023. She represented Japan at the international youth and collegiate level.
Ayano Sato (佐藤 綾乃, Satō Ayano; born 10 December 1996) is a Japanese speed skater. She competed in the women's 3000…Ayano Sato (佐藤 綾乃, Satō Ayano; born 10 December 1996) is a Japanese speed skater. She competed in the women's 3000 metres at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Sato was part of the Japanese team that won the 2018 Olympics women team pursuit gold medal.
Ryuho Kikuchi (菊池 流帆, Kikuchi Ryūho; born 9 December 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre…Ryuho Kikuchi (菊池 流帆, Kikuchi Ryūho; born 9 December 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Machida Zelvia.
Minori Yamamoto (山本実 born 9 December 1996) is a Japanese rugby union and sevens player. She plays fly-half for Japan…Minori Yamamoto (山本実 born 9 December 1996) is a Japanese rugby union and sevens player. She plays fly-half for Japan internationally and for Sale Sharks in Premiership Women's Ruby. She competed at the 2017, 2021 and 2025 Women's Rugby World Cups.
Junichiro Kishi (岸 潤一郎, Kishi Junichiro; born December 8, 1996) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is an…Junichiro Kishi (岸 潤一郎, Kishi Junichiro; born December 8, 1996) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is an outfielder for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).