Kaoru Kurimoto (栗本 薫, Kurimoto Kaoru; February 13, 1953 – May 26, 2009) was the pen name of Sumiyo Imaoka (今岡 純代…
Kaoru Kurimoto (栗本 薫, Kurimoto Kaoru; February 13, 1953 – May 26, 2009) was the pen name of Sumiyo Imaoka (今岡 純代, Imaoka Sumiyo), a Japanese novelist. Imaoka also used the pen name Azusa Nakajima (中島 梓, Nakajima Azusa) to write criticism and music. She was known for her record-breaking 130-volume Guin Saga series, which has been translated into English, German, French, Italian and Russian. Her style has been described as being part of the New Wave science fiction movement. Outside of her literary endeavors, she was a playwright, composer, and pianist who performed with her own jazz ensemble, the Azusa Nakajima Trio.
Famous People Born in 1950s
1950s: 1,954 people
Marcellino Taiji Tani (谷 大二, Tani Taiji; 13 February 1953 – 10 October 2026) was a Japanese Roman Catholic prelate who…
Marcellino Taiji Tani (谷 大二, Tani Taiji; 13 February 1953 – 10 October 2026) was a Japanese Roman Catholic prelate who served as the bishop of the Diocese of Saitama from 2000 until his resignation in 2013. He was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Urawa in May 2000 and received episcopal consecration in September of that year.
Rankin' Taxi (born 9 February 1953) is a Japanese reggae artist, from Yokohama. In 2011, he re-recorded his 1989…
Rankin' Taxi (born 9 February 1953) is a Japanese reggae artist, from Yokohama. In 2011, he re-recorded his 1989 anti-nuclear song 誰にも見えない、匂いもない (You can't see it, you can't smell it) with Dub Ainu Band, which despite receiving little airplay in the mainstream Japanese media, attracted the attention of the New York Times in June 2011 in an article by Dan Grunebaum titled Japan's New Wave of protest songs, after it became popular following the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
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.
Takashi Ishikawa (石川 孝志, Ishikawa Takashi; ring names: 石川 敬士 and 石川 泰士, born February 5, 1953) is a Japanese former…
Takashi Ishikawa (石川 孝志, Ishikawa Takashi; ring names: 石川 敬士 and 石川 泰士, born February 5, 1953) is a Japanese former professional wrestler and sumo wrestler from Fujishima, Higashitagawa District, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.
Koro Bessho (別所 浩郎, Bessho Kōrō; born 5 February 1953) is a Japanese diplomat who has served as Grand Chamberlain to…
Koro Bessho (別所 浩郎, Bessho Kōrō; born 5 February 1953) is a Japanese diplomat who has served as Grand Chamberlain to the Emperor since 2021. He previously served as Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2016 to 2019, and as President of the United Nations Security Council in July 2016 and December 2017.
Tatsurō Yamashita (山下 達郎, Yamashita Tatsurō; born February 4, 1953), occasionally referred to as Tatsu Yamashita or…
Tatsurō Yamashita (山下 達郎, Yamashita Tatsurō; born February 4, 1953), occasionally referred to as Tatsu Yamashita or Tats Yamashita, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and record producer, whose music in the early 1980s is now widely regarded as a cornerstone of city pop. His most well-known song is "Christmas Eve", a best-selling song released in Japan in the 1980s. It has appeared on the Japanese charts for over 35 consecutive years. He is known for his collaborations with his wife Mariya Takeuchi on many songs, including "Plastic Love", and the American songwriter Alan O'Day, with whom he co-wrote the songs "Your Eyes", "Magic Ways", "Love Can Go the Distance", and "Fragile". In the overseas City Pop revival that began in the 2010s, he has frequently been called the "King of City Pop". Yamashita is considered a major contributor to Japanese music and is ranked by HMV Japan as the sixth among the top 100 Japanese Artists.
Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則, Takahashi Masanori; born February 4, 1953), professionally known as Kitarō (喜多郎), is a…
Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則, Takahashi Masanori; born February 4, 1953), professionally known as Kitarō (喜多郎), is a Japanese musician, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age music. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for Thinking of You (1999), with a record 16 nominations in the same category. He received a Golden Globe Award for the original score to Heaven & Earth (1993).
Shigeru Iwasaki (岩崎茂, Iwasaki Shigeru; born February 3, 1953) is a Japanese military officer who was the 4th Chief of…
Shigeru Iwasaki (岩崎茂, Iwasaki Shigeru; born February 3, 1953) is a Japanese military officer who was the 4th Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. A four-star General from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Iwasaki became the highest-ranking military officer in Japan and ranked third in the overall chain of command (after the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense).
Kazuo Mogi (茂木 和男, Mogi Kazuo; born 2 February 1953) is a retired Japanese racing driver.
Teruichi Aono (青野 照市, Aono Teruichi; born January 1, 1953) is a Japanese retired professional shogi player from Yaizu…
Teruichi Aono (青野 照市, Aono Teruichi; born January 1, 1953) is a Japanese retired professional shogi player from Yaizu, Shizuoka who achieved the rank of 9-dan.
Kuniaki Haishima (蓜島邦明) is a Japanese musician and composer. He is known for his music in several anime and tokusatsu…
Kuniaki Haishima (蓜島邦明) is a Japanese musician and composer. He is known for his music in several anime and tokusatsu shows, as well as video games, films and dorama. His compositions for the Fuji TV series Tales of the Unusual are his most famous work, though he also composed the soundtrack for Metroid: Other M for the Wii, for which he is known abroad.
Takashi Saito (斎藤 隆, Saitō Takashi; born 28 January 1953) is a Japanese weightlifter. He competed in the men's…
Takashi Saito (斎藤 隆, Saitō Takashi; born 28 January 1953) is a Japanese weightlifter. He competed in the men's featherweight event at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Takashi Maruyama (丸山 孝, Maruyama Takashi; born 28 January 1953) is a Japanese volleyball player. He competed in the…
Takashi Maruyama (丸山 孝, Maruyama Takashi; born 28 January 1953) is a Japanese volleyball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Shizuo Akira (審良 静男, Akira Shizuo) (born January 27, 1953, in Higashiōsaka) is a professor at the Department of Host…
Shizuo Akira (審良 静男, Akira Shizuo) (born January 27, 1953, in Higashiōsaka) is a professor at the Department of Host Defense, Osaka University, Japan. He has made ground-breaking discoveries in the field of immunology, most significantly in the area of innate host defense mechanisms.
Mitsuo Kato (加藤 光雄, Katō Mitsuo; born 22 January 1953) is a Japanese former professional football player.
Shigeru So (宗 茂, Sō Shigeru) (born 9 January 1953 in Usuki, Ōita) is a Japanese retired long-distance runner who…
Shigeru So (宗 茂, Sō Shigeru) (born 9 January 1953 in Usuki, Ōita) is a Japanese retired long-distance runner who represented his native country at two Summer Olympics: 1976 and 1984. He won the 1985 edition of the Tokyo Marathon. His twin brother Takeshi So is also a retired Olympic marathoner, and finished fourth in Los Angeles, California (1984). Both Shigeru So and his twin brother Takeshi So were known for attending training camps in New Zealand, including at Mount Taranaki. Some road racing authorities consider his winning run at the Beppu-Ōita Marathon in 1978 (2:09:05.6) to have been a marathon world best.
Takeshi So (宗猛, Sō Takeshi; born January 9, 1953 in Usuki, Ōita) is a retired long-distance runner from Japan, who…
Takeshi So (宗猛, Sō Takeshi; born January 9, 1953 in Usuki, Ōita) is a retired long-distance runner from Japan, who represented his native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.
Kazumi Matsui (松井 一實, Matsui Kazumi; born January 8, 1953) is a Japanese politician and the current mayor of Hiroshima…
Kazumi Matsui (松井 一實, Matsui Kazumi; born January 8, 1953) is a Japanese politician and the current mayor of Hiroshima, the capital city of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan.
Masayuki Mori (森昌行, Mori Masayuki; born 1953 in Tottori, Japan) is a Japanese film producer. He is best known for…
Masayuki Mori (森昌行, Mori Masayuki; born 1953 in Tottori, Japan) is a Japanese film producer. He is best known for collaborating as a producer for films made by actor and filmmaker Takeshi Kitano under Kitano's production company, Office Kitano.
Kiyohide Kuwata (桑田 健秀, Kuwata Kiyohide; born 3 January 1953) is a Japanese basketball player. He competed in the men's…
Kiyohide Kuwata (桑田 健秀, Kuwata Kiyohide; born 3 January 1953) is a Japanese basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1976 Summer Olympics, which marked his only Olympic appearance. Japan's team finished in 11th place in the competition.
Etsurō Sotoo (Japanese: 外尾悦郎; born 1953) is a Japanese sculptor strongly influenced by Antoni Gaudí. His interest in…
Etsurō Sotoo (Japanese: 外尾悦郎; born 1953) is a Japanese sculptor strongly influenced by Antoni Gaudí. His interest in Gaudí led him to convert to Catholicism. His most noted work are sculptures located in the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. He is nicknamed the "Japanese Gaudí" in his native Japan.
Takashi Yamaguchi (山口 隆, Takashi Yamaguchi; born February 20, 1953) is a Japanese architect, born in Kyoto. He…
Takashi Yamaguchi (山口 隆, Takashi Yamaguchi; born February 20, 1953) is a Japanese architect, born in Kyoto. He graduated from Kyoto University and worked for Tadao Ando and Associates. He founded his own architectural firm, Takashi Yamaguchi & Associates, in 1996. Yamaguchi served as a visiting professor at the Osaka University of Arts in 2005, and in 2009 served as visiting professor at Columbia University and visiting scholar at Harvard. He is a professor at Osaka Sangyo University and a member of the Japan Institute of Architects and the Architectural Institute of Japan. He is an elite member of the Supporters of Romania Research at the Academy of Romanian Scientists. He is also a Regional President of Asia Designer Communication Platform.
Toshiyuki Arakawa (荒川 敏行, Arakawa Toshiyuki; born 1953 in Japan) is a music composer, arranger and member of the…
Toshiyuki Arakawa (荒川 敏行, Arakawa Toshiyuki; born 1953 in Japan) is a music composer, arranger and member of the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC). He graduated from the Department of Literature at Chuo University and afterwards Nippon Columbia joined as music director. He currently works as a music producer, arranger and singer.
Akira Toriumi is an engineer at the University of Tokyo, Japan. He was named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical…
Akira Toriumi is an engineer at the University of Tokyo, Japan. He was named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2016 for his contributions to device physics and materials engineering for advanced CMOS technology. He was recognized on the Asian Scientist 100 in 2017 by Asian Scientist.
Mo Bangfu (莫邦富, Baku Hōfu) (1953-) is a Chinese columnist and economist based in Japan. Mo taught the Japanese language…
Mo Bangfu (莫邦富, Baku Hōfu) (1953-) is a Chinese columnist and economist based in Japan. Mo taught the Japanese language at Shanghai International Studies University before obtaining his master's and doctoral degree in 1985 in Japan. Since 1995, he has been serving as a committee member of the program review conference of Tokyo MX. The position was unprecedented for foreigners working in Japanese media, which thus led him to be a person carrying a symbolic importance for Japan's globalization. Since the late 80s, he has been active in Japanese public life and more than 50 books of his in Japanese have been published. He has been an authoritative source introducing China. The Hong Kong financial magazine Weekly Economy News reported, "Mo BangFu’s name is like a brand to spread Chinese culture that is widely known by the Japanese media and cultural industry, and the local Chinese community". From April 1999 to March 2002, Mo hosted a special column, "My View of China", on NHK to introduce the historic path and the current outlook of China after the execution of the opening-door policy. His column in the Asahi Shimbun began in 2002 and has been highly regarded by Japanese readers. From January 2005, "Mo BangFu’s China Business Guide", a special column sponsored by Nikkei Business Publications for the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, started to be aired (). In June 2006, Bangfu launched "Successful Guide – Talk about China Business" on J TOP magazine, the most well-known monthly journal heavily read by financial moguls and decision makers working for the government. In addition, he has series of influential publications online for more than ten years, such as "Mo BangFu’s New China’s Matter", published by the NHK publishing and other media companies. Every year, Mo BangFu is invited as a public speaker by Japanese regional governments, economy associations, banks, financial groups, airliners, and multinational corporations. He has done more than 100 speeches inside Japan as well as around the world. The audience of his speech includes leaders of the regional government and the financial industry, as well as entrepreneurs. BangFu was praised as the best investment advisor for Japanese corporations, in the 2004 October issue of magazine The East. "Japan corporations, who want to invest in China, may not need MBA, but they cannot do it without MBF (Mo BangFu)." (Yoshinori Tandou, Toyo University) Other than the program review conference committee member in MXTV, he held the position of corporate image counselor for OMRON from 2001 to 2005. Since 2003, he has been serving as the only foreigner advisor for "Nippon Keidanren" (Japan Business Federation), the largest economic association in Japan. He also serves as a senior advisor for Hakuhodo, Japan's largest advertising company, and other titles in Japanese society. Since he was invited by Yamanashi Prefecture in July 2007, he has been serving as the only foreigner committee member for the prefecture's Travel Roundtable Panel. Since September 2007, he has been serving as a counselor of the Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation. Since 2004, he has been hired as an economy counselor for Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China, and a senior counselor of Free Trade Zone for Qingdao, Shandong, China. Since August 2007, he has been hired as the ambassador of commerce for Luohe, Henan, China.
Yoshikazu Suo (周防 義和, Suo Yoshikazu; born in 1953) is a Japanese musician from Tokyo, Japan. He has composed and…
Yoshikazu Suo (周防 義和, Suo Yoshikazu; born in 1953) is a Japanese musician from Tokyo, Japan. He has composed and arranged music for films and dramas, among others.
Naoto Satō (佐藤 直人, Satō Naoto; born 1953) is a Japanese amateur astronomer, discoverer of minor planets, and, by…
Naoto Satō (佐藤 直人, Satō Naoto; born 1953) is a Japanese amateur astronomer, discoverer of minor planets, and, by profession, a junior high school science teacher. As a planetarian, a member of the professional staff of a planetarium, he has done much for the spread of astronomy in Japan through speaking on planetaria and the results of astronomical observation. In 2001, while working as support staff at JK1ZAM, the club station of Iruma Children’s Center (an educational institution for children in Iruma City), he helped achieve the first ARISS school contact in Japan. Also, in 2003, as a coordinating teacher, he helped accomplish the first solo contact between a junior high school in Japan and the ISS, with the support of JK1ZAM. He regularly spoke on the astronomical talk program Sunset Café at the local radio station "FM CHAPPY 77.7" from December 2006 to November 2008. He held the position of vice-director on the board of the Saitama Planetarium Liaison Council (2007–2008). He supports ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station), which is a program that offers students an opportunity to experience the excitement of amateur radio by talking directly with crew members of the ISS (International Space Station). The Eos main-belt asteroid 6025 Naotosato, which Takeshi Urata discovered in 1992, was named after him.
Yoshiaki Miyanoue (born October 7, 1953 in Tokyo, Japan) is a jazz guitarist. Like Wes Montgomery, who exercised strong…
Yoshiaki Miyanoue (born October 7, 1953 in Tokyo, Japan) is a jazz guitarist. Like Wes Montgomery, who exercised strong influence on Miyanoue, he plucks the strings with his thumb, not using a pick. He worked with organist Jimmy Smith, Dr. Lonnie Smith, drummer Philly Joe Jones, and bassist Andrew Simpkins among others.
Shibata Takumi (Japanese: 柴田拓美) is a Japanese fund manager who is one of Japan's most high-profile financial…
Shibata Takumi (Japanese: 柴田拓美) is a Japanese fund manager who is one of Japan's most high-profile financial executives. He is currently founding partner at Fiducia, a venture capital fund based in Tokyo. Previously, he was president and CEO of Nikko Asset Management for six years and had a 37-year career at Nomura Holdings including as chief operating officer (COO) from 2008 until 2012.
Akiya Takahashi (高橋 明也, Takahashi Akiya; born in 1953 in Tokyo) is a Japanese art historian and a founding director of…
Akiya Takahashi (高橋 明也, Takahashi Akiya; born in 1953 in Tokyo) is a Japanese art historian and a founding director of the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo.
Nobukazu Teranishi (寺西 信一, Teranishi Nobukazu; born 1953) is a Japanese engineer who researches image sensors, and is…
Nobukazu Teranishi (寺西 信一, Teranishi Nobukazu; born 1953) is a Japanese engineer who researches image sensors, and is known for inventing the pinned photodiode, an important component of modern digital cameras. He was one of four recipients of the 2017 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. He worked at NEC Corporation (1978–2000) and Panasonic Corporation (2000–13). As of 2018, he is a professor at the University of Hyogo and at Shizuoka University.
Shōgo Hamada (浜田 省吾, Hamada Shōgo; born December 29, 1952) is a legendary Japanese singer-songwriter and former member…
Shōgo Hamada (浜田 省吾, Hamada Shōgo; born December 29, 1952) is a legendary Japanese singer-songwriter and former member of the group Aido. He is a part of Sony Music Japan's SME Records division. He was born in Takehara City in Hiroshima Prefecture, and graduated from Kuremitsuta High School (where he was a member of the baseball team). He attended Kanagawa University, where he studied law, but left the school before graduating. In 1975, he made his professional debut as the drummer of the band Aido. Sunglasses have been his trademark ever since his debut, and he has never performed live without sunglasses of some sort (most commonly Ray-Ban Aviator or Ray-Ban Wayfarer). His solo debut came in 1976 with the album Umareta Tokoro o Tōku Hanarete. Though his exposure in the media has always been extremely low, relative to many performers with similar levels of mainstream popularity, he has acquired his many fans over the years through his steady series of live performances. Many of his early songs expressed his skepticism about how one should live their life. In addition to his well-known ballads, he was strongly influenced by his father's experience as a victim of radiation poisoning following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, and many of his songs have a very strong protest song tone. He has written music for many other artists, including Momoe Yamaguchi, and Akiko Wada. He is affectionately referred to as "Hamasho" by many of his fans.
Kumi Taguchi (田口久美, Taguchi Kumi) is a Japanese actress of mixed ancestry who is best known for her roles in Nikkatsu's…
Kumi Taguchi (田口久美, Taguchi Kumi) is a Japanese actress of mixed ancestry who is best known for her roles in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series in the 1970s.
Genichiro Sata (佐田 玄一郎, Sata Gen'ichirō; born 22 December 1952 in Maebashi, Gunma) is a former Japanese politician who…
Genichiro Sata (佐田 玄一郎, Sata Gen'ichirō; born 22 December 1952 in Maebashi, Gunma) is a former Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Mamoru Fukuyama (福山 守, Fukuyama Mamoru; born 19 December 1952) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic…
Mamoru Fukuyama (福山 守, Fukuyama Mamoru; born 19 December 1952) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who serves as a member of the Senate.
Kazuyuki Izutsu (井筒 和幸, Izutsu Kazuyuki; born 13 December 1952) is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and film…
Kazuyuki Izutsu (井筒 和幸, Izutsu Kazuyuki; born 13 December 1952) is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and film critic.
Hirohide Hamashima (浜島 裕英, Hirohide Hamashima; born 1952 in Tokyo), also known as Hammy, is the former director of the…
Hirohide Hamashima (浜島 裕英, Hirohide Hamashima; born 1952 in Tokyo), also known as Hammy, is the former director of the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team Tyre Development. He previously worked for Bridgestone as the director of its Motorsport Tyre Development until 2011.
Osamu Akimoto (Japanese: 秋本 治, Hepburn: Akimoto Osamu; born December 11, 1952) is a Japanese manga artist from…
Osamu Akimoto (Japanese: 秋本 治, Hepburn: Akimoto Osamu; born December 11, 1952) is a Japanese manga artist from Katsushika, Tokyo. He is best known for his long-running comedy series KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops, which was continuously published in Weekly Shōnen Jump for 40 years from 1976 to 2016. With 1,960 chapters collected into 201 tankōbon volumes, it held the Guinness World Record for "Most volumes published for a single manga series" from September 2016 to July 2021. The series has sold over 155 million copies, making it one of the best-selling manga series in history. Akimoto's other works include the action comedy Mr. Clice, which has been published irregularly since 1985, and the Western series Black Tiger (2017–2023).
Yusuke Nakamura (中村 祐輔, Nakamura Yūsuke; born 8 December 1952) is a Japanese geneticist and cancer researcher best…
Yusuke Nakamura (中村 祐輔, Nakamura Yūsuke; born 8 December 1952) is a Japanese geneticist and cancer researcher best known for developing Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS). He is one of the world's pioneers in applying genetic variations (Variable Number Tandem Repeat (VNTR) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers) and whole genome sequencing, leading the research field of personalized medicine.
Koji Sekimizu (born 3 December 1952) is a Japanese official who was Secretary General of the International Maritime…
Koji Sekimizu (born 3 December 1952) is a Japanese official who was Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization between 2012 and 2015, as well as Chancellor of the World Maritime University.
Eri Kanuma (鹿沼 絵里, 鹿沼えり, Kanuma Eri; real name Toshie Furuoya (古尾谷登志江, Furuoya Toshie; née Suganuma (菅沼)); born 1…
Eri Kanuma (鹿沼 絵里, 鹿沼えり, Kanuma Eri; real name Toshie Furuoya (古尾谷登志江, Furuoya Toshie; née Suganuma (菅沼)); born 1 December 1952) is a Japanese actress. Her husband was actor Masato Furuoya.
Takekazu Asaka (in Japanese: 浅香 武和), born in Tokyo in 1952, is a Japanese linguist and lecturer of Philology at the…
Takekazu Asaka (in Japanese: 浅香 武和), born in Tokyo in 1952, is a Japanese linguist and lecturer of Philology at the Tsuda University, Tokyo. He translated the works of Galician authors such as Rosalía de Castro, Ramón Cabanillas and Uxío Novoneyra into Japanese, and published the first Galician grammar book in Japanese. He defines himself as "ambassador of Galician culture in Japan." He is also responsible for organizing Galician music and poetry festivals in Tokyo, and in other cities, to celebrate Galician Literature Day. Since June 2017, he has been made an academic correspondent of the Royal Galician Academy in recognition of his work.
Yasaburo Sugawara (菅原 弥三郎, Sugawara Yasaburō; born 26 November 1952) is a Japanese former wrestler who competed in the…
Yasaburo Sugawara (菅原 弥三郎, Sugawara Yasaburō; born 26 November 1952) is a Japanese former wrestler who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Yasuhiko Arakawa (Japanese 荒川 泰彦, Arakawa Yasuhiko; born 6 November 1952) is a Japanese physicist. His research focuses…
Yasuhiko Arakawa (Japanese 荒川 泰彦, Arakawa Yasuhiko; born 6 November 1952) is a Japanese physicist. His research focuses on semiconductor physics, including growth of nanostructures and their optoelectronic applications. Among his main achievements are the proposal of the concept of quantum dots and their application to quantum dot lasers, the observation of exciton-polariton Rabi-splitting in a semiconductor microcavity, or, recently, the first 3D photonic crystal nanocavity lasers with quantum dot gain.
Norio Nakai (中井 紀夫, Nakai Norio; 1952-) is a Japanese science fiction and fantasy writer.
Yasunori Yasuda (保田 靖則, Yasuda Yasunori; born 20 November 1952) is a Japanese volleyball player. He competed in the…
Yasunori Yasuda (保田 靖則, Yasuda Yasunori; born 20 November 1952) is a Japanese volleyball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Shigeru Miyamoto (Japanese: 宮本 茂, Hepburn: Miyamoto Shigeru; born November 16, 1952) is a Japanese video game designer…
Shigeru Miyamoto (Japanese: 宮本 茂, Hepburn: Miyamoto Shigeru; born November 16, 1952) is a Japanese video game designer, producer, game director and filmmaker at Nintendo, where he has served as one of its representative directors as an executive since 2002. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential designers in video games, he is the creator of some of the most acclaimed and best-selling game franchises of all time, including Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox and Pikmin. More than 1 billion copies of games featuring franchises created by Miyamoto have been sold. Born in Sonobe, Kyoto, Miyamoto graduated from Kanazawa Municipal College of Industrial Arts. He originally sought a career as a manga artist, until developing an interest in video games. With the help of his father, he joined Nintendo in 1977 after impressing the president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, with his toys. He helped create art for the arcade game Sheriff, and was later tasked with designing a new arcade game, leading to the 1981 game Donkey Kong. Miyamoto's games Super Mario Bros. (1985) and The Legend of Zelda (1986) helped the Nintendo Entertainment System dominate the console game market. His games have been flagships of every Nintendo video game console, from the arcade machines of the late 1970s to the present day. He managed Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis & Development software division, which developed many Nintendo games, and he played an important role in the creation of other influential games such as Pokémon Red and Blue (1996) and Metroid Prime (2002). Following the death of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata in July 2015, Miyamoto became acting president alongside Genyo Takeda until he was formally appointed "Creative Fellow" a few months later.
Shigeru Kobayashi (小林 繁, Kobayashi Shigeru; November 14, 1952 – January 17, 2010) was a Japanese baseball pitcher. He…
Shigeru Kobayashi (小林 繁, Kobayashi Shigeru; November 14, 1952 – January 17, 2010) was a Japanese baseball pitcher. He played for the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball. His trade to the Tigers gave the Giants Suguru Egawa, as he had been drafted by the Tigers, despite him signing with the Giants in secrecy. Kobayashi coached two other NPB teams, the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, and also spent a season in the Korea Baseball Organization as a coach for the SK Wyverns. He died of heart failure in 2010 at the age of 57.
Yoshi Ikuzō (吉幾三; born 11 November 1952, Goshogawara, Aomori) is the stage name of Yoshihito Kamata (鎌田 善人, Kamata…
Yoshi Ikuzō (吉幾三; born 11 November 1952, Goshogawara, Aomori) is the stage name of Yoshihito Kamata (鎌田 善人, Kamata Yoshihito), a Japanese enka singer-songwriter. He has released several popular albums of enka music, a genre akin to Japanese folk or blues music in the Western world. Amongst his most famous hits are "Sake yo", "Suika", and "Yuki Guni". Additionally, he is self-described as the "first popular hip hop artist in Japan" due to the 1984 release of "Ora Tōkyō sa Iguda" (lit. "I'm going to Tokyo"), sung in his native Tsugaru dialect of Japanese. He has been on tour with fellow Japanese star Fukui Kodai. Ikuzō is married. His wife is named Hisako, and they have a daughter, Ikumi. His stage name is a pun for the common Japanese phrase "Yoshi, ikuzo!" (よし、いくぞー！, Alright, let's go!).