Hideki Makihara (牧原 秀樹, Makihara Hideki; born 1971) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party who served…Hideki Makihara (牧原 秀樹, Makihara Hideki; born 1971) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party who served in the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Tokyo he attended the University of Tokyo and law school at Georgetown University in the United States. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2005.
Koji Nagai (Japanese: 永井 浩二, Hepburn: Nagai Kōji; born June 2, 1971) is a Japanese professional baseball coach and…Koji Nagai (Japanese: 永井 浩二, Hepburn: Nagai Kōji; born June 2, 1971) is a Japanese professional baseball coach and former catcher, noted for coaching as a bullpen catcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nagai currently serves as head coach for the OISCA Hamatsu Kokusai High School (オイスカ浜松国際高等学校) student baseball team.
Masakazu Kondō (近藤 正和, Kondō Masakazu; May 31, 1971)is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 7-dan. He is known…Masakazu Kondō (近藤 正和, Kondō Masakazu; May 31, 1971)is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 7-dan. He is known for developing the set of Cheerful Central Rook openings.
Kazu Hamabe (浜辺和, Hamabe Kazu) (born Ishikawa Prefecture, 31 May 1971) is a former Japanese rugby union player who…Kazu Hamabe (浜辺和, Hamabe Kazu) (born Ishikawa Prefecture, 31 May 1971) is a former Japanese rugby union player who played as prop.
Takeshi Tokuda (徳田 毅, Tokuda Takeshi; born 30 May 1971) is a former Japanese politician who served in the House of…Takeshi Tokuda (徳田 毅, Tokuda Takeshi; born 30 May 1971) is a former Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) as an independent.
Captain Miho Otani (大谷 三穂) (born May 28, 1971) is an officer in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. She was the…Captain Miho Otani (大谷 三穂) (born May 28, 1971) is an officer in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. She was the first woman to become the captain of a naval training vessel and a destroyer. Otani was also a member of the first female class to enter the National Defense Academy of Japan.
Risa Honda (本田 理沙, Honda Risa; born 27 May 1971) is a Japanese idol singer, actress and tarento who has appeared in a…Risa Honda (本田 理沙, Honda Risa; born 27 May 1971) is a Japanese idol singer, actress and tarento who has appeared in a number of television series, variety shows, videos, and magazines. Her real name is Kozue Honda (本田 こずえ, Honda Kozue). She was born in Nakatsu, Ōita. She is represented with the agency Prism.
Takurō Kubo (Japanese: 久保 琢郎, Hepburn: Kubo Takurō; born May 26, 1971 in Hakodate, Hokkaido), better known by his stage…Takurō Kubo (Japanese: 久保 琢郎, Hepburn: Kubo Takurō; born May 26, 1971 in Hakodate, Hokkaido), better known by his stage name TAKURO, is a Japanese musician and lyricist best known as one of the guitarists and leader of the rock band Glay, for which he is also the main composer and lyricist. As a musician and composer, Takuro has worked with different artists and has also released solo works. Takuro and his older sister were raised by a single mother, as she never remarried after his father's death, when Takuro was three years old. He considers his mother an early influence in his musical career, as he was strongly impressed by her singing.
Kōtarō Isaka (伊坂 幸太郎, Isaka Kōtarō; born 25 May 1971) is a Japanese author of mystery fiction, best known for his…Kōtarō Isaka (伊坂 幸太郎, Isaka Kōtarō; born 25 May 1971) is a Japanese author of mystery fiction, best known for his Hitman novel/manga series, including Maoh: Juvenile Remix (2007–2009), the first of which, 3 Assassins (2004, Japanese; 2022, English), was adapted as a Japanese feature film, Grasshopper (2015), and the second of which, Maria Beetle (2010, Japanese; 2021, English), was adapted as an American feature film, Bullet Train (2022).
Taizo Mikazuki (三日月 大造, Mikazuki Taizō; born 24 May 1971) is a Japanese politician and the current governor of Shiga…Taizo Mikazuki (三日月 大造, Mikazuki Taizō; born 24 May 1971) is a Japanese politician and the current governor of Shiga Prefecture, having been elected to the position in July 2014. He previously served in the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan.
Yoshikazu Mera (米良 美一, Mera Yoshikazu; born May 21, 1971 in Miyazaki) is a Japanese countertenor. His range is three…Yoshikazu Mera (米良 美一, Mera Yoshikazu; born May 21, 1971 in Miyazaki) is a Japanese countertenor. His range is three and a half octaves. Originally wanting to become a pop singer, Mera now primarily sings classical music from the West but also classical Japanese music. He appears frequently as a soloist with the Bach Collegium Japan, which under its conductor Masaaki Suzuki performs Baroque music. His 1998 recital disc "Nightingale" on Sweden's BIS Records was a major success in Japan. It was revealed in a television documentary entitled "米良美一の實話" ("Yoshikazu Mera's true story") that he was born with congenital osteogenesis imperfecta.
Yasuko Mitsuura (光浦 靖子, Mitsuura Yasuko; born 20 May 1971) is a Japanese tarento and comedian. She was born in Tahara…Yasuko Mitsuura (光浦 靖子, Mitsuura Yasuko; born 20 May 1971) is a Japanese tarento and comedian. She was born in Tahara, Aichi, and is part of the comedy duo Oasiz, with Kayoko Okubo.
Satoshi Mori (born May 19, 1971) is a Japanese former Nordic combined skier who competed from 1994 to 2003. Competing…Satoshi Mori (born May 19, 1971) is a Japanese former Nordic combined skier who competed from 1994 to 2003. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he had his best overall finish of fifth in the 4 x 5 km team event at Nagano in 1998 and his best individual finish of 22nd in the 7.5 km sprint event at Salt Lake City in 2002. Mori's best finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was sixth in the 7.5 km sprint event at Ramsau in 1999. His best World Cup finish was second in a 15 km individual event in Poland in 1999, which was one of his three best career finishes. Mori also earned two second-place finishes in World Cup B 15 km individual events (1994, 1997).
Nobuteru 'NOB' Taniguchi (谷口 信輝, Taniguchi Nobuteru; born May 18, 1971, Hiroshima) is a Japanese racing driver and…Nobuteru 'NOB' Taniguchi (谷口 信輝, Taniguchi Nobuteru; born May 18, 1971, Hiroshima) is a Japanese racing driver and drifting driver who currently competes in the Super GT racing series. Taniguchi is commonly nicknamed "NOB" (first three letters from his name, meaning "No One Better") or "The Pimp" as a reference to his S15 Silvia which he is best known for. Taniguchi is a three-time Super GT GT300 class champion, eight-time Super Taikyu class champion, and The first D1 Grand Prix and professional drifting champion.
Masahiro Kobayashi (小林 正寛, Kobayashi Masahiro; born May 16, 1971) is a retired Japanese actor and voice actor from…Masahiro Kobayashi (小林 正寛, Kobayashi Masahiro; born May 16, 1971) is a retired Japanese actor and voice actor from Yakumo, Hokkaido. In 1995, he enrolled in the Seinenza Theater Company. Kobayashi's notable roles include Barret Wallace, and Ryid Uruk from the Final Fantasy video game series. He retired from the acting industry sometime after the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Takatomi Nobunaga (Japanese: 信長 貴富 Nobunaga Takatomi) is a Japanese composer, principally of choral music. In 1994 he…Takatomi Nobunaga (Japanese: 信長 貴富 Nobunaga Takatomi) is a Japanese composer, principally of choral music. In 1994 he graduated from the Department of Education in the Faculty of Literature at Sophia University. He taught himself composition. His choral music is currently frequently performed in Japan.
Takashi Kashiwada (柏田 貴史, born May 14, 1971, in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, Japan) is a retired Japanese professional…Takashi Kashiwada (柏田 貴史, born May 14, 1971, in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, Japan) is a retired Japanese professional baseball player. He played for the Yomiuri Giants and the New York Mets. He was a left-handed relief pitcher who wore #18 while with the Mets. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on May 1, 1997, and pitched in his final MLB game on September 18, 1997. He batted left-handed.
Kayoko Okubo (大久保 佳代子, Ōkubo Kayoko; born May 12, 1971, in Tahara, Aichi, Japan) is a Japanese comedian, tarento and…Kayoko Okubo (大久保 佳代子, Ōkubo Kayoko; born May 12, 1971, in Tahara, Aichi, Japan) is a Japanese comedian, tarento and actress who is a member of the comedy duo Oasiz with Yasuko Mitsuura.
Tsutomu Iwamoto (岩本 勉, Iwamoto Tsutomu; born May 11, 1971 in Yao, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese former Nippon…Tsutomu Iwamoto (岩本 勉, Iwamoto Tsutomu; born May 11, 1971 in Yao, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher.
Kazuhiko Yamazaki (山崎 一彦, Yamazaki Kazuhiki; born 10 May 1971 in Yono) is a Japanese former athlete who specialised in…Kazuhiko Yamazaki (山崎 一彦, Yamazaki Kazuhiki; born 10 May 1971 in Yono) is a Japanese former athlete who specialised in the 400 metres hurdles. He competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics, in the 1996 Summer Olympics, and in the 2000 Summer Olympics. He also competed in the 1991 World Championships, in the 1995 World Championships, in the 1997 World Championships, and in the 1999 World Championships. He was a finalist at the 1995 World Championships and the first Japanese to reach the 400 metres hurdles final at the World Championships. He was the former Asian record holder in the 400 metres hurdles and a two-time Japanese Championships champion.
Natsumi Yanase (やなせ なつみ, Yanase Natsumi; born May 10, 1971) is a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo, Japan. She also…Natsumi Yanase (やなせ なつみ, Yanase Natsumi; born May 10, 1971) is a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo, Japan. She also goes by the name Izumi Maki (まきいづみ, Maki Izumi) when voicing adult games. Her former stage name was Hiromi Yanase (柳瀬 洋美, Yanase Hiromi).
Toyonari Fujita (藤田 豊成, Fujita Toyonari; born May 9, 1971), better known under his ring name Magnitude Kishiwada…Toyonari Fujita (藤田 豊成, Fujita Toyonari; born May 9, 1971), better known under his ring name Magnitude Kishiwada (マグニチュード岸和田, Magunichūdo Kishiwada), is a Japanese professional wrestler.
Hiroki Azuma (東 浩紀, Azuma Hiroki) (born May 9, 1971) is a Japanese cultural critic, novelist, and philosopher. His…Hiroki Azuma (東 浩紀, Azuma Hiroki) (born May 9, 1971) is a Japanese cultural critic, novelist, and philosopher. His specializations include Philosophy, Studies of Culture and Representation, and information society studies. He is a professor at ZEN University and the co-founder of Genron, an independent institute in Tokyo, Japan.
Suneohair (スネオヘアー, Suneoheā) is the performing name of Kenji Watanabe. He is best known in the West for his…Suneohair (スネオヘアー, Suneoheā) is the performing name of Kenji Watanabe. He is best known in the West for his contributions to the soundtrack of the anime adaptation of Honey & Clover and Honey and Clover II, for which he provided the ending themes "Waltz" (ワルツ) and "Split" (スプリット). He has also provided the ending themes for Arakawa Under the Bridge and Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge, namely "Sakasama Bridge" (逆様ブリッジ) and "Akai Coat" (赤いコート) respectively. More recently, he provided the ending theme to the Anime Sukitte Ii na yo, "Slow Dance".
Ryo Kawano (河野 亮, Kawano Ryo; born May 3, 1971 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional…Ryo Kawano (河野 亮, Kawano Ryo; born May 3, 1971 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball infielder.
Shintarō Arakawa (荒川 慎太郎, Arakawa Shintarō; born May 1971) is a Japanese linguist who specializes in the study of the…Shintarō Arakawa (荒川 慎太郎, Arakawa Shintarō; born May 1971) is a Japanese linguist who specializes in the study of the extinct Tangut language.
Shu Takumi (巧 舟, Takumi Shū; born 2 May 1971) is a Japanese video game designer, director, and writer at Capcom. He is…Shu Takumi (巧 舟, Takumi Shū; born 2 May 1971) is a Japanese video game designer, director, and writer at Capcom. He is best known for his work on the Ace Attorney series, serving as director and scenario writer for the original trilogy. In addition, he provided the Japanese voice of Phoenix Wright for the first four games. He then served as director and scenario writer for Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective in 2010.
Naoki Tanaka (田中 直樹, Tanaka Naoki; born 26 April 1971) is a Japanese comedian, actor and television presenter, who is…Naoki Tanaka (田中 直樹, Tanaka Naoki; born 26 April 1971) is a Japanese comedian, actor and television presenter, who is the leader and the boke of the owarai kombi Cocorico with his partner Shozo Endo. He has appeared in many television programmes and films. He is known for being a regular member of Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!, which he and Endo have worked on since 1997. Tanaka is also known for his love of animals, especially sea creatures, and on 24 June 2018, he became the Marine Stewardship Council ambassador for Japan.
Shigetoshi Hasebe (長谷部 茂利, Hasebe Shigetoshi; born April 23, 1971) is a former Japanese football player and manager, he…Shigetoshi Hasebe (長谷部 茂利, Hasebe Shigetoshi; born April 23, 1971) is a former Japanese football player and manager, he is the currently manager of J1 League club Kawasaki Frontale.
Daisuke Enomoto (榎本 大輔, Enomoto Daisuke; born April 22, 1971, nicknamed Dice-K) is a Japanese businessman and former…Daisuke Enomoto (榎本 大輔, Enomoto Daisuke; born April 22, 1971, nicknamed Dice-K) is a Japanese businessman and former livedoor executive who hoped to become the fourth space tourist. He had trained at Star City, Moscow in Russia to fly with two members of Expedition 14 on board Soyuz TMA-9, which was launched on September 18, 2006. However, on August 21, 2006, a Russian Federal Space Agency spokesman announced that Enomoto was "deemed not ready to fly for exclusively medical reasons", although he hinted that Enomoto might recover and join a later mission. His replacement on this particular flight was Iranian-American businesswoman Anousheh Ansari. Enomoto lodged a lawsuit against Virginia-based Space Adventures in which he hoped to reclaim the $21 million he paid the company over a two-year span. During the lawsuit, it was revealed that the "medical reason" was chronic kidney stones. Space Adventures claims it advised Enomoto to treat the kidney stones aggressively and when he did not, they had to disqualify him from spaceflight. Enomoto claims that he was misled about the kidney stones issue, and that the real reason for his disqualification was his refusal to provide additional funds to Space Adventures. Enomoto would have been the first self-funded space tourist from Japan and Asia (journalist Toyohiro Akiyama flew on Soyuz TM-11 in 1990, and could be regarded as the first space business traveller). Enomoto's flight would have taken him to the International Space Station (ISS) after lifting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the world's oldest spaceport. Enomoto made international news when it was revealed that he intended to go into space wearing a costume akin to that of Char Aznable, a character from the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. His planned experiment was to put together one or more Gundam models in zero gravity.
Tatsuya Ide (井出 竜也, Ide Tatsuya; born October 1, 1971) is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder, and…Tatsuya Ide (井出 竜也, Ide Tatsuya; born October 1, 1971) is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder, and current first squad outfield defense and base running coach for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, Yomiuri Giants, and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Junya Ogawa (Japanese: 小川 淳也, Hepburn: Ogawa Jun'ya; born 18 April 1971) is a Japanese politician who has been the…Junya Ogawa (Japanese: 小川 淳也, Hepburn: Ogawa Jun'ya; born 18 April 1971) is a Japanese politician who has been the president of the Democratic Reform Party (DRP) since September, 2026 and a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Takamatsu, Kagawa and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he joined the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1994. Leaving the ministry in 2003, he ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in the same year. Two years later, he ran again and lost for a second time. He ran for a third time in 2009 and was elected for Kagawa 1st district. After being elected, he became Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications in the Hatoyama Cabinet. He left the office once Naoto Kan became Prime Minister and served as a backbencher for the rest of the DPJ government. He lost his district but won a proportional seat amidst the DPJ faltering in 2012, and continued to hold his proportional seat under the post-2012 DPJ and its successor, the DP. In 2017, amidst the DP dissolving into Kibō no Tō, he ran under Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's new party, but began to clash with her stances and policy of expulsion for dovish DP members from the party. He was elected in the PR block again in 2017. He later declined to join the DPP and joined the CDP instead. Amidst the release of Why You Can't Be Prime Minister in 2020, a documentary focused on Ogawa's political life, he gained popularity and name recognition across the country. After winning his district of Kagawa-1 for the first time since 2009 in the 2021 election, he ran in the leadership election to succeed Yukio Edano. After placing third and not making a run-off, he was appointed Chairman of the Policy Research Council by Kenta Izumi. He resigned from the position after the 2022 House of Councilors election. In the 2024 CDP leadership election, he declined to run himself, and backed Yoshihiko Noda. Noda appointed him Secretary-General of the party following his victory. Ogawa, alongside Ichirō Ozawa and Noda, led the CDP to gain over 50 seats in the 2024 election, ending in the CDP having the greatest number of seats for an opposition party since 2003. He resigned from the role after the 2025 Councillor elections, and was one of seven Centrist Reform Alliance members to win a first-past-the-post district in 2026. He was elected president of the CRA following the 2026 leadership election and subsequently the DRP, after the CRA's effective dissolution.
Tomohiro Katanosaka (片野坂 知宏, Katanosaka Tomohiro; born 18 April 1971) is a Japanese professional football manager and…Tomohiro Katanosaka (片野坂 知宏, Katanosaka Tomohiro; born 18 April 1971) is a Japanese professional football manager and former player. He's currently manage Roasso Kumamoto.
Tomoko Watanabe (渡辺伴子, Watanabe Tomoko; born 14 April 1971) is a Japanese softball player. She competed in the women's…Tomoko Watanabe (渡辺伴子, Watanabe Tomoko; born 14 April 1971) is a Japanese softball player. She competed in the women's tournament at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Tomoko Matsunashi (松梨 智子, Matsunashi Tomoko) is a Japanese film director and actress. She was described in 2007 as one…Tomoko Matsunashi (松梨 智子, Matsunashi Tomoko) is a Japanese film director and actress. She was described in 2007 as one of the female Japanese directors who "have brought some needed originality and talent to contemporary Japanese cinema."
Kensuke Onishi (大西健介, Onishi Kensuke; born 13 April 1971) is a Japanese politician who served as a member of the House…Kensuke Onishi (大西健介, Onishi Kensuke; born 13 April 1971) is a Japanese politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 2009 to 2026. From 2004 to 2009, he served as secretary to Sumio Mabuchi.
Tomomi Yamaki (八巻 智美, Yamaki Tomomi) is a Paralympian athlete from Japan competing mainly in category T52 sprint…Tomomi Yamaki (八巻 智美, Yamaki Tomomi) is a Paralympian athlete from Japan competing mainly in category T52 sprint events. She competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China. There she won a silver medal in the women's 100 metres - T52 event and a silver medal in the women's 200 metres - T52 event
Chie Kanda (born (1971-04-12)12 April 1971) is a retired Japanese female volleyball player. Kanda was part of the Japan…Chie Kanda (born (1971-04-12)12 April 1971) is a retired Japanese female volleyball player. Kanda was part of the Japan women's national volleyball team at the 1998 FIVB World Championship in Japan.
Masakazu Kagiyama (鍵山 正和, Kagiyama Masakazu; born April 12, 1971) is a Japanese figure skating coach and former…Masakazu Kagiyama (鍵山 正和, Kagiyama Masakazu; born April 12, 1971) is a Japanese figure skating coach and former competitive figure skater. He is the 1989 World Junior bronze medalist and a three-time Japanese national champion. He placed 13th at the 1992 Winter Olympics and 12th at the 1994 Winter Olympics. After retiring from competition, Kagiyama became a coach. He is the father and coach of Japanese figure skater, Yuma Kagiyama.
Takeomi Ito (伊藤剛臣, Itō Takeomi) (born April 11, 1971 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese rugby union footballer. He plays…Takeomi Ito (伊藤剛臣, Itō Takeomi) (born April 11, 1971 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese rugby union footballer. He plays rugby as blindside flanker or no.8 for Kobelco Steelers in the Japanese Top League and also in the Japan national rugby union team. He played in both the 1999 and 2003 World Cups.