Kanako Nishi (西 加奈子, Nishi Kanako; born May 7, 1977) is a Japanese writer and artist. She has won the Oda Sakunosuke…Kanako Nishi (西 加奈子, Nishi Kanako; born May 7, 1977) is a Japanese writer and artist. She has won the Oda Sakunosuke Prize, the Kawai Hayao Literary Prize, and the Naoki Prize, and several of her books have been adapted for film.
Nozomi Hiroyama (廣山 望, Hiroyama Nozomi; born June 6, 1975) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a…Nozomi Hiroyama (廣山 望, Hiroyama Nozomi; born June 6, 1975) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder where he is currently the head coach of Japan U17. Hiroyama played over 400 games during his career which included spells in Japan, France, Portugal, Paraguay, Brazil and United States, as well as earning two caps with the Japan national team. Hiroyama was the first Japanese footballer to dispute the Copa Libertadores competition.
Seigo Saito (齋藤 制剛, Saitō Seigō; born 4 May 1977) is a retired Japanese judoka. Saito is from Sapporo, Hokkaidō. He…Seigo Saito (齋藤 制剛, Saitō Seigō; born 4 May 1977) is a retired Japanese judoka. Saito is from Sapporo, Hokkaidō. He belonged to Asahi Kasei after graduation from Kokushikan University in 2000. Saito was good at Uchimata and Newaza in high-school days and was expected to get medal of Olympic Games or World Championships in the future. But he was not able to use the skill of them by the trouble of knee like Anterior cruciate ligament injury since 2000. In 2005, he won a gold medal at the Asian Championships and All-Japan Selected Championships with the skill that he learned newly like Kata guruma, Ōuchi gari and Kuchiki taoshi. But he was not chosen as a Japanese representative at the World Championships held in Cairo. He has coached judo at Asahi Kasei since 2010. Among his students is Tatsuki Masubuchi Yohei Takai and so on. His younger brother, Masamichi (順道) is also famous judoka and won a gold medal at the Kodokan Cup in 2001.
Hiro Mashima (真島 ヒロ, Mashima Hiro; born May 3, 1977) is a Japanese manga artist. He gained success with his first…Hiro Mashima (真島 ヒロ, Mashima Hiro; born May 3, 1977) is a Japanese manga artist. He gained success with his first serial Rave Master, published in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1999 to 2005. His best-selling work, Fairy Tail, published in the same magazine from 2006 to 2017, became one of the best-selling manga series with over 72 million copies in print. Fairy Tail won the Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen manga in 2009, and Mashima was given the Harvey Awards International Spotlight award in 2017 and the Fauve Special Award at the 2018 Angoulême International Comics Festival.
Mina Kurobe (黒部三奈; born 2 May 1977) is a Japanese mixed martial artist, currently fighting in the super atomweight…Mina Kurobe (黒部三奈; born 2 May 1977) is a Japanese mixed martial artist, currently fighting in the super atomweight division of Shooto, where she is the former and inaugural Shooto Super Atomweight champion. A professional competitor since 2012, Kurobe is also the former DEEP JEWELS Atomweight champion. In June 2021, she is the #9 ranked atomweight in the world according to Sherdog.
Shintaro Ejiri (江尻 慎太郎, Ejiri Shintaro; born April 30, 1977 in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan) is a professional Japanese…Shintaro Ejiri (江尻 慎太郎, Ejiri Shintaro; born April 30, 1977 in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Yuya Saito (斉藤 祐也, Saitō Yūya; born 28 April 1977) is a Japanese rugby union player. He plays as No. 8, currently for…Yuya Saito (斉藤 祐也, Saitō Yūya; born 28 April 1977) is a Japanese rugby union player. He plays as No. 8, currently for Toyota Jido Shokki. He graduated from Meiji University and used to play for Suntory Sungoliath before he went to play professional rugby in France for about one season. He's a regular at Japan national rugby union team, having played at the 2003 Rugby World Cup finals. He played at full back (No. 15) for the first time for the Steelers versus Suntory in a game on Christmas Day 2004. He married former Olympic gold medalist swimmer Kyoko Iwasaki.
Koji Homma (本間 幸司, Honma Kōji; born April 27, 1977) is a Japanese former football player. He last plays for J2 League…Koji Homma (本間 幸司, Honma Kōji; born April 27, 1977) is a Japanese former football player. He last plays for J2 League club Mito HollyHock until he retirement in 2024. He holds the ongoing record for playing in the most games in J2.
Takayuki Nishida (西田 隆維, Nishida Takayuki; born April 26, 1977) is a retired male long-distance runner from Japan who…Takayuki Nishida (西田 隆維, Nishida Takayuki; born April 26, 1977) is a retired male long-distance runner from Japan who mainly competed in the marathon race during his career. He set his personal best (2:08:45) in the classic distance on February 4, 2001 in Ōita. He has worked as an interpreter since his retirement.
Kosuke Fukudome (福留 孝介, Fukudome Kōsuke, [ɸɯ̥kɯdome koːsɯ̥ke]; born April 26, 1977) is a Japanese former professional…Kosuke Fukudome (福留 孝介, Fukudome Kōsuke, [ɸɯ̥kɯdome koːsɯ̥ke]; born April 26, 1977) is a Japanese former professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league from 1999 to 2007 and in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2008 to 2012 before returning to play in Japan from 2013 to 2022. He played primarily with the Chicago Cubs in MLB and had a long spanning career in the Nippon Professional Baseball with the Chunichi Dragons and Hanshin Tigers. Prior to arriving in MLB, Fukudome played nine seasons for the Chunichi Dragons of the Nippon Professional Baseball. He was also a member of the Japan national baseball team, winning a silver medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics, a bronze medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics, and placing first in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and 2009 World Baseball Classic. He won the Central League MVP in 2006.
Daisuke Sudo (須藤 大輔, Sudō Daisuke; born April 25, 1977) is a Japanese professional football manager and former player…Daisuke Sudo (須藤 大輔, Sudō Daisuke; born April 25, 1977) is a Japanese professional football manager and former player, who is manager of J2 League club Yokohama FC.
Tomoko Sawada (澤田 知子, Sawada Tomoko; born 1977 in Kobe, Japan) is a Japanese contemporary feminist photographer and…Tomoko Sawada (澤田 知子, Sawada Tomoko; born 1977 in Kobe, Japan) is a Japanese contemporary feminist photographer and performance artist. She has been included in numerous group shows in Japan, Europe and the US. Her first solo exhibition was in 1997 at Japan's Gallery Chat. In 2004 she was awarded the prestigious Kimura Ihei Memorial Photography Award for Young Japanese Photographer as well as the International Center of Photography Infinity Award in the category of Young Photographer.
Hajime Miki (三木 肇, Miki Hajime; born April 25, 1977) is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder who currently…Hajime Miki (三木 肇, Miki Hajime; born April 25, 1977) is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder who currently serves as the manager for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played in NPB from 1996 to 2008 for the Yakult Swallows/Tokyo Yakult Swallows and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Tsuji Takashi (辻高志, Takashi Tsuji) (born 24 April 1977 in the Ibaraki Prefecture) is a Japanese former rugby union…Tsuji Takashi (辻高志, Takashi Tsuji) (born 24 April 1977 in the Ibaraki Prefecture) is a Japanese former rugby union player who played as scrum-half, he later became a coach, currently coaching NEC Green Rockets.
Kunio Katō (加藤久仁生) (born April 24, 1977) is a Japanese animator known for the short film La Maison en Petits Cubes…Kunio Katō (加藤久仁生) (born April 24, 1977) is a Japanese animator known for the short film La Maison en Petits Cubes which won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. In 2008, the same film won the Cristal for a Short Film (Grand Prix) at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, making Katō the second Japanese filmmaker to receive the award after Kōji Yamamura's Mt. Head in 2003. He also created The Diary Of Tortov Roddle, a surrealistic dream adventure.
Ryuji Sato (佐藤 隆治, Satō Ryūji; born 16 April 1977) is a former Japanese football referee. He has officiated matches in…Ryuji Sato (佐藤 隆治, Satō Ryūji; born 16 April 1977) is a former Japanese football referee. He has officiated matches in the J1 League, AFC Champions League and FIFA World Cup qualifiers and is currently a director of referees in the J.League.
Haruki Muramatsu (村松 治樹, Muramatsu Haruki; born 15 April 1977) is a Japanese darts player who competes in both…Haruki Muramatsu (村松 治樹, Muramatsu Haruki; born 15 April 1977) is a Japanese darts player who competes in both Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and World Darts Federation (WDF) events. He won the 2023 PDC Asian Championship.
Yoko Toyonaga (豊永 陽子, Toyonaga Yōko; born 15 April 1977) is a Japanese shot putter. She finished eighth at the 1999…Yoko Toyonaga (豊永 陽子, Toyonaga Yōko; born 15 April 1977) is a Japanese shot putter. She finished eighth at the 1999 World Indoor Championships and fourth at the 2005 Asian Championships. She also competed at the World Championships in 2005 and 2007 without reaching the finals. Her personal best throw is 17.57 metres, achieved in June 2004 in Tottori.
Hirokazu Ueno (上野 裕和, Ueno Hirokazu; April 13, 1977) is a Japanese retired professional shogi player who achieved the…Hirokazu Ueno (上野 裕和, Ueno Hirokazu; April 13, 1977) is a Japanese retired professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 6-dan, and a former executive director of the Japan Shogi Association (JSA).
Ken Ohka (大家健, Ōka Ken) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling…Ken Ohka (大家健, Ōka Ken) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT).
Kan Takahama (Japanese: 高浜 寛, Hepburn: Takahama Kan; born April 6, 1977) is a Japanese manga artist born in Amakusa…Kan Takahama (Japanese: 高浜 寛, Hepburn: Takahama Kan; born April 6, 1977) is a Japanese manga artist born in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture. Debuting in 2001, she became known for her short stories published in the alternative magazine Garo, later collected and republished in her award-winning Kinderbook. Her unique style often depicts the darker sides of everyday life through simplistic character designs and illustrations that blend manga and Franco-Belgian comics. She is internationally known for the manga Nyx no Lantern, winner of the 24th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Award in 2020.
Akihito Yagi (八木明人, Yagi Akihito, born April 5, 1977, in Naha, Okinawa) is a Karate master and teacher. Akihito…Akihito Yagi (八木明人, Yagi Akihito, born April 5, 1977, in Naha, Okinawa) is a Karate master and teacher. Akihito mastered the Meibukan Goju-Ryu style, and since 2016 serves as the Chairman of the IMGKA and head of the Hombu Dojo
Takako Kotorida (小鳥田 貴子, Kotorida Takako) (born 2 April 1977) is a Japanese former long-distance runner. She was a…Takako Kotorida (小鳥田 貴子, Kotorida Takako) (born 2 April 1977) is a Japanese former long-distance runner. She was a member of DEODEO Athletic Club for Women. She represented her country at the 2002 Asian Games and placed fourth in the women's 10,000 metres. As part of the Japanese national marathon relay team, she was winner of the Yokohama International Women's Ekiden in 1999 and 2000, and was the Beijing International Ekiden champion in 2001. She competed at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships on three occasions and was part of Japan's silver medal-winning women's team in both 2001 and 2003. Kotorida was a silver medallist in the half marathon at the 2001 East Asian Games.
Dir En Grey (stylized as DIR EN GREY and previously as Dir en grey) is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in February…Dir En Grey (stylized as DIR EN GREY and previously as Dir en grey) is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in February 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. With a consistent lineup of vocalist Kyo, guitarists Kaoru and Die, bassist Toshiya, and drummer Shinya, they have released twelve full-length albums. Numerous stylistic changes have made the genre of their music difficult to determine, though it is generally considered to be a form of metal. Originally a visual kei band, the members later opted for more subtle attire, but have continued to maintain a dramatic image on stage.
Hitoshi Tamura (多村 仁志, born March 28, 1977) is a retired Japanese professional baseball player who last played with the…Hitoshi Tamura (多村 仁志, born March 28, 1977) is a retired Japanese professional baseball player who last played with the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. Following his release from the Yokohama DeNA Baystars in 2015, Tamura joined the Chunichi Dragons on a trainee contract with the hope of returning to professional baseball. On October 1, 2016 it was announced that Tamura was deemed surplus to requirements by the Dragons management. He then announced his retirement from professional baseball.
Yoshinori Okada (岡田 義徳) (born 19 March 1977 in Ōno, Gifu) is a Japanese actor. He has starred several TV series such as…Yoshinori Okada (岡田 義徳) (born 19 March 1977 in Ōno, Gifu) is a Japanese actor. He has starred several TV series such as Atsuhime (2008) and Nobuta. O Produce (2005) as well as movies such as Densha otoko (2005). He is a high school graduate and does not have a college degree. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 31st Yokohama Film Festival for Nonchan Noriben.
Jun'ya Ōta (太田 順也, Ōta Jun'ya) (born March 18, 1977), known professionally as ZUN, is a Japanese independent video game…Jun'ya Ōta (太田 順也, Ōta Jun'ya) (born March 18, 1977), known professionally as ZUN, is a Japanese independent video game developer and composer, known for creating the Touhou Project bullet hell shoot 'em up video game series through his one-man doujin group Team Shanghai Alice (上海アリス幻樂団, Shanhai Arisu Gengakudan; lit. "Shanghai Alice Fantasy Ensemble"). ZUN developed the first five Touhou games for the Japanese NEC PC-9800 computer series, with the first, Highly Responsive to Prayers, released in August 1997; the series' signature danmaku mechanics were introduced in the second game, Story of Eastern Wonderland (also 1997). The release of Embodiment of Scarlet Devil in August 2002 marked a shift to Microsoft Windows. Numerous sequels followed, including several spin-offs departing from the traditional bullet hell format. He has also collaborated with other circles to produce related print works and music albums. His Touhou series has become more particularly notable as a prominent source of Japanese dōjin content, with the series spawning a vast amount of fan-made works such as artwork, music, print works, video games, and Internet memes. Because of this, it has gained a large cult following outside of Japan. In 2010, the Guinness World Records called Touhou "the most prolific fan-based shooter series" ever created. The popularity of the series and its derivative works has been attributed in part to the few restrictions placed by ZUN on the use of his content. ZUN is also known as the Hakurei Kannushi (博麗神主), which is also the name he uses for his Twitter account.
Shinobu Otowa (音羽しのぶ, Otowa Shinobu; born March 16, 1977) is a Japanese enka singer. She was born as Chieko Yoshimura…Shinobu Otowa (音羽しのぶ, Otowa Shinobu; born March 16, 1977) is a Japanese enka singer. She was born as Chieko Yoshimura (吉村智恵子 Yoshimura Chieko) in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi.
Kohei Oda (小田 幸平, born March 15, 1977) is a Japanese former professional baseball catcher in Japan's Nippon…Kohei Oda (小田 幸平, born March 15, 1977) is a Japanese former professional baseball catcher in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He played with the Yomiuri Giants from 1998 to 2005 and for the Chunichi Dragons from 2006 to 2014.
Naoki Matsuda (松田 直樹, Matsuda Naoki; 14 March 1977 – 4 August 2011) was a Japanese professional footballer who played…Naoki Matsuda (松田 直樹, Matsuda Naoki; 14 March 1977 – 4 August 2011) was a Japanese professional footballer who played as a central defender for the Japan national team.
Aki Hoshino (ほしの あき, Hoshino Aki) is a Japanese bikini idol. She has appeared in various men's magazines, such as Sabra…Aki Hoshino (ほしの あき, Hoshino Aki) is a Japanese bikini idol. She has appeared in various men's magazines, such as Sabra and television shows. In 2010, she was named one of the "7 most irresistibly cute Japanese idols" by the Thailand version of the men's magazine FHM.
Takayuki Yoshida (吉田 孝行, Yoshida Takayuki; born 14 March 1977) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He is…Takayuki Yoshida (吉田 孝行, Yoshida Takayuki; born 14 March 1977) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He is currently the manager of J1 League club Shimizu S-Pulse. During his managerial tenure at Vissel Kobe, Yoshida has coached a number of former FIFA World Cup winners with the like of Lukas Podolski, Andrés Iniesta and David Villa. He also has coached a few world class superstars like Thomas Vermaelen, Sergi Samper and Juan Mata. Yoshida also guided Vissel Kobe to two consecutive J1 League title in 2023 and 2024.
Yoshio Sawai (澤井啓夫, Sawai Yoshio; born March 14, 1977 in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture) is a Japanese manga artist, best…Yoshio Sawai (澤井啓夫, Sawai Yoshio; born March 14, 1977 in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture) is a Japanese manga artist, best known for his series Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo and sequel Shinsetsu Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, both serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo was adapted into a 76 episodes anime series by the Toei Animation studio between 2003 and 2005. His father is Japanese literature academic Taizo Sawai.
Mipo O (吳美保, O Mipo; Korean: 오미보, born March 3, 1977, in Iga, Mie, Japan) is a Japanese-born Korean film director…Mipo O (吳美保, O Mipo; Korean: 오미보, born March 3, 1977, in Iga, Mie, Japan) is a Japanese-born Korean film director, screenwriter, and commercial director. Her name is also romanized Mipo Oh.
Naoki Kuwata (桑田 尚樹, Kuwata Naoki) (born 13 March 1977) is a Japanese actor and model born in Ehime, Japan. He started…Naoki Kuwata (桑田 尚樹, Kuwata Naoki) (born 13 March 1977) is a Japanese actor and model born in Ehime, Japan. He started his modelling career in Japan, but has expanded his range to China and South Korea.
Yuki Nakata (中田 有紀, Nakata Yuki; born 10 March 1977) is a Japanese track and field athlete who competes in the women's…Yuki Nakata (中田 有紀, Nakata Yuki; born 10 March 1977) is a Japanese track and field athlete who competes in the women's heptathlon. She represented Japan at the 2004 Summer Olympics and has competed twice at the World Championships in Athletics. She was the silver medallist at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships and the 2010 Asian Games and has won the heptathlon at the East Asian Games and the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships. With straight wins from 2002 to 2010, she is a nine time national champion and her best of 5962 points for the heptathlon is the national record for the event.
Rie Matsuoka (松岡 理恵, Matuoka Rie; born 9 March 1977) is a Japanese long-distance runner. In 2001, she competed in the…Rie Matsuoka (松岡 理恵, Matuoka Rie; born 9 March 1977) is a Japanese long-distance runner. In 2001, she competed in the women's marathon at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She finished in 22nd place. In 2003, she competed in the women's marathon at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics held in Paris, France. She did not finish her race. In 1996, she finished in 6th place in the women's 5000 metres at the 1996 World Junior Championships in Athletics held in Sydney, Australia. Two years later, in 1998, she won the women's half marathon at the Sanyo Women's Half Marathon held in Okayama, Japan.
Hiroki Hasegawa (長谷川博己, Hasegawa Hiroki), nicknamed Hasehiro-sama (ハセヒロ様), (born March 7, 1977, in Tokyo) is a Japanese…Hiroki Hasegawa (長谷川博己, Hasegawa Hiroki), nicknamed Hasehiro-sama (ハセヒロ様), (born March 7, 1977, in Tokyo) is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. Trained as a stage actor at the Bungaku-za after graduating from Chuo University, he first began to appear on Japanese TV in small roles in 2008, and then in films in 2011.
Teppei Tomioka (冨岡鉄平 Tomioka Teppei, born March 1, 1977) is the captain of the Toshiba Brave Lupus rugby team. He plays…Teppei Tomioka (冨岡鉄平 Tomioka Teppei, born March 1, 1977) is the captain of the Toshiba Brave Lupus rugby team. He plays at centre. Originally from Fukuoka Prefecture, he was educated at Fukuoka Institute of Technology (Fukuoka Kougyou Daigaku). He is considered to be a powerful runner and leader of his team. He was voted the MVP of the Top League in 2007.
Shuta Tanaka (田中 秀太, Tanaka Shūta; simply called Shuta (秀太)) is a Japanese retired professional Nippon Professional…Shuta Tanaka (田中 秀太, Tanaka Shūta; simply called Shuta (秀太)) is a Japanese retired professional Nippon Professional Baseball player.
Toshikazu Yamashita (山下 敏和, Yamashita Toshikazu; born February 21, 1977 in Komatsushima, Tokushima) is a Japanese sport…Toshikazu Yamashita (山下 敏和, Yamashita Toshikazu; born February 21, 1977 in Komatsushima, Tokushima) is a Japanese sport shooter. Yamashita represented Japan at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he competed for all three rifle shooting events. In his first event, 10 m air rifle, Yamashita was able to hit a total of 590 points within six attempts, finishing twenty-eighth in the qualifying rounds. Few days later, he placed eighteenth in the 50 m rifle prone, by one target behind Belarus' Petr Litvinchuk from the final attempt, with a total score of 593 points. In his third and last event, 50 m rifle 3 positions, Yamashita was able to shoot 399 targets in a prone position, 382 in standing, and 386 in kneeling, for a total score of 1,167 points, finishing only in sixteenth place.
Tanaka Yoshikazu (Japanese: 田中 良和, Hepburn: Yoshikazu Tanaka) is a Japanese entrepreneur known for founding and…Tanaka Yoshikazu (Japanese: 田中 良和, Hepburn: Yoshikazu Tanaka) is a Japanese entrepreneur known for founding and developing the social networking service Gree, provided by Gree, Inc. Yoshikazu Tanaka was born in Mitaka, Tokyo in 1977. When Tanaka was a junior high school student, Tanaka became keenly interested in changes in society by informatization and the field of information-communication by reading "Power Shift" by Alvin Toffler. In 2003, at the age 26, Tanaka started developing Gree as a hobby. In February 2004, Tanaka opened Gree to the public, as a personal website. By March 2004, over 10,000 users had joined the service that soon became hard for him to manage rapidly growing service by himself. In December 2004, Tanaka established Gree, Inc. in order to cope the growing number of users. In December 2008, Gree, Inc. was listed on the Market of the High-Growth and Emerging Stocks, closing at the highest market value of shares on the first day. In February 2009, Tanaka was ranked 24th among "Japan's 40 Richest Billionaires" by Forbes Asia. As of 2010, at age 33, he was ranked as "Asia's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire" under the age of 35 and was selected as the "World's Second-Youngest Self-Made Billionaire" after Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg. In June 2010, 5 years after the foundation, Gree was listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Tanaka was 33 years and 3 month at that time and the youngest founder whose company is listed on the TSE first section. Tanaka was able to set his social network apart from the well established Japanese brands Mixi and DeNA by concentrating on mobile games and making partnerships with major Internet service providers.
