Yoshirō Mori (Japanese: 森 喜朗, Hepburn: Mori Yoshirō; born 14 July 1937) is a Japanese politician who served as Prime…
Yoshirō Mori (Japanese: 森 喜朗, Hepburn: Mori Yoshirō; born 14 July 1937) is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party from 2000 to 2001. Born in present-day Nomi, Ishikawa, Japan, Mori worked as a journalist before entering politics. In 1969, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the Ishikawa 2nd district. He served in government as education minister in 1983 and 1984, international trade and industry minister in 1992 and 1993, and construction minister in 1995 and 1996, and later became secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). After Keizō Obuchi suffered a stroke and cerebral hemorrhage on 2 April 2000 and was unable to continue in office, Mori became president of the LDP and prime minister, weeks before Obuchi's death. Media coverage of Mori's term as prime minister was dominated by his gaffes and undiplomatic comments, which led to him becoming unpopular in opinion polls. Members of his cabinet resigned due to fundraising scandals, which also contributed to his unpopularity. In November 2000, with Mori's approval ratings below 30%, opposition politicians attempted to win a vote of no confidence against Mori by soliciting support from rebels within the LDP, although this was quashed after LDP politicians who voted for the measure were threatened with expulsion. Towards the end of Mori's term, his approval rating dropped to single digits. In April 2001, Mori officially announced his intention to resign. Junichiro Koizumi won the subsequent LDP leadership election and became prime minister on 26 April 2001. After resigning as prime minister, Mori remained a member of the House of Representatives until announcing in July 2012 that he would not stand in the 2012 general election. He remained an important player in Russo-Japanese relations due to his close personal relationship with Vladimir Putin. Following his premiership, Mori served as the President of the Japan Rugby Football Union as well as the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union. In 2014, he was appointed to head the organizing committee for the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, but resigned ahead of the games' opening following gaffes made at a committee meeting that were perceived as sexist. In 2003, Mori received the highest distinction of the Scout Association of Japan, the Golden Pheasant Award.
Famous People Born in 1937
1937: 136 people
Susumu Shingū (新宮 晋, Shingū Susumu) (born 13 July 1937) is a kinetic sculptor from Japan. His nature-inspired works are…
Susumu Shingū (新宮 晋, Shingū Susumu) (born 13 July 1937) is a kinetic sculptor from Japan. His nature-inspired works are constructed of highly engineered materials, commonly steel and Teflon.
Shin'ichi Nagashima (永島 眞一, Nagashima Shin'ichi; July 8, 1937 – June 10, 2005), better known by the pen name Shinji…
Shin'ichi Nagashima (永島 眞一, Nagashima Shin'ichi; July 8, 1937 – June 10, 2005), better known by the pen name Shinji Nagashima (永島 慎二, Nagashima Shinji), was a Japanese manga artist born in Tokyo, Japan. His pseudonym came about due to a publisher's error when printing his name, and he continued using the pseudonym after that. His oldest son is classical guitarist Shiki Nagashima.
Nanami Shiono (塩野 七生, Shiono Nanami; born 7 July 1937) is a Japanese author and novelist known for her works on the…
Nanami Shiono (塩野 七生, Shiono Nanami; born 7 July 1937) is a Japanese author and novelist known for her works on the history of Italy, especially those dealing with ancient Rome and the Renaissance period.
Kiminishiki Toshimasa (born 6 July 1937 as Toshimasa Gomi) is a former sumo wrestler from Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan. He…
Kiminishiki Toshimasa (born 6 July 1937 as Toshimasa Gomi) is a former sumo wrestler from Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan. He made his professional debut in May 1953, and reached the top division in July 1961. His highest rank was maegashira 3. He left the sumo world upon retirement in May 1968.
Keizō Obuchi (Japanese: 小渕 恵三, Hepburn: Obuchi Keizō; 25 June 1937 – 14 May 2000) was a Japanese politician who served…
Keizō Obuchi (Japanese: 小渕 恵三, Hepburn: Obuchi Keizō; 25 June 1937 – 14 May 2000) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 1998 to 2000. Born in Gunma Prefecture, Obuchi graduated from Waseda University and was first elected to the National Diet in 1963, becoming one of the youngest legislators in Japanese history. He rose through the ranks of the LDP, serving as director of the Okinawa Development Agency from 1979 to 1980, chief cabinet secretary under Noboru Takeshita from 1987 to 1989, and foreign minister under Ryutaro Hashimoto from 1997 to 1998, where he distinguished himself during talks with Russia on the Kuril Islands dispute. Obuchi became prime minister in 1998, and during his tenure attempted to conclude a peace treaty with Russia to formally end World War II and to revive Japan's stagnant economy by raising public spending and lowering income taxes. In 2000, Obuchi suddenly fell into a coma and died six weeks later.
Atsushi Yamatoya (大和屋 竺, Yamatoya Atsushi; 19 June 1937 – 16 January 1993) was a Japanese film director, screenwriter…
Atsushi Yamatoya (大和屋 竺, Yamatoya Atsushi; 19 June 1937 – 16 January 1993) was a Japanese film director, screenwriter and actor. His son is a fellow screenwriter and race horse owner Akatsuki Yamatoya (大和屋 暁, Yamatoya Akatsuki).
Theodor Holm Nelson (born June 17, 1937) is an American pioneer of information technology, philosopher of computer…
Theodor Holm Nelson (born June 17, 1937) is an American pioneer of information technology, philosopher of computer science, and sociologist. He coined the terms hypertext and hypermedia in 1963 and published them in 1965. According to his profile published in Forbes in 1997, Nelson "sees himself as a literary romantic, like a Cyrano de Bergerac, or 'the Orson Welles of software'."
Shirō Itō (伊東 四朗, Itō Shirō; born June 15, 1937) is a Japanese actor, comedian and television presenter.
Teruo Sugihara (杉原 輝雄, Sugihara Teruo; 14 June 1937 – 28 December 2011) was a Japanese professional golfer.
Kazuhisa Inao (稲尾 和久, Inao Kazuhisa; June 10, 1937 – November 13, 2007) was a Japanese pitcher and manager in Nippon…
Kazuhisa Inao (稲尾 和久, Inao Kazuhisa; June 10, 1937 – November 13, 2007) was a Japanese pitcher and manager in Nippon Professional Baseball. He played all of his professional seasons for the Nishitetsu Lions. In the 1956 Japan Series, he won all three of his starts to deliver the Lions their first championship. He was given the Fighting Spirit Award, becoming the first (and so far only) player to be given the award for the winning team. In 1957, he won 20 consecutive games and both of his Japan Series starts in another championship run. In the 1958 Japan Series, tasked to save his team from a 3–0 series deficit, he started four consecutive games and won all of them to become the first NPB team to overcome a 3–0 series deficit, and Inao even hit a home in the Game 5 victory as the Lions won their third straight title; he was named Series MVP for his efforts (he was the second player to have won Japan Series MVP and Fighting Spirit Award for a career). He was the Pacific League's Most Valuable Player in 1957 and 1958. He had 42 wins in 1961. Fans called his great success "God, Buddha, Inao". In 1964, he injured his shoulder but came back to full-time pitching, mainly in relief the next season. He retired as a player in 1969, and went on to manage the Nishitetsu Lions from 1970 to 1974. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993. His number 24 was retired by the Saitama Seibu Lions on April 30, 2012.
Giichi Tsunoda (Japanese: 角田義一; Tsunoda Giichi; 9 June 1937 – 23 February 2024) was a Japanese lawyer and politician. A…
Giichi Tsunoda (Japanese: 角田義一; Tsunoda Giichi; 9 June 1937 – 23 February 2024) was a Japanese lawyer and politician. A member of the Japan Socialist Party and the Democratic Party, he served in the House of Councillors from 1989 to 2007. Tsunoda died in Maebashi on 23 February 2024, at the age of 86.
Eiji Uehiro (上廣 榮治, Uehiro Eiji; 6 June 1937 – 11 January 2019) was a Japanese ethicist, social educator, and writer.…
Eiji Uehiro (上廣 榮治, Uehiro Eiji; 6 June 1937 – 11 January 2019) was a Japanese ethicist, social educator, and writer. He founded the Uehiro Foundation on Ethics and Education in 1987 and the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics in 2003.
Takefumi Aida (相田武文) (Aida Takefumi) (born June 5, 1937) is a Japanese architect. He is known for his building block…
Takefumi Aida (相田武文) (Aida Takefumi) (born June 5, 1937) is a Japanese architect. He is known for his building block house series and layered memorials, which represented a break from then-current Japanese Metabolist philosophies.
Yoshihisa Taira (or Taïra) (平 義久, Taira Yoshihisa; 3 March 1937 – 13 March 2005) was a Japanese composer of…
Yoshihisa Taira (or Taïra) (平 義久, Taira Yoshihisa; 3 March 1937 – 13 March 2005) was a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music primarily active in France. Grove Music Online remarks that "His treatment of time and space, sonority, poetic lyricism, silence [...] were derived from traditional Japanese music and art, and are compatible with a French modernist aesthetic".
Eiji Gō (郷 鍈治, Gō Eiji; 29 May 1937 – 11 September 1992) was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than sixty films…
Eiji Gō (郷 鍈治, Gō Eiji; 29 May 1937 – 11 September 1992) was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than sixty films from 1960 to 1982.
Hibari Misora (美空 ひばり, Misora Hibari; born Kazue Katō (加藤 和枝, Katō Kazue) May 29, 1937 – June 24, 1989) was a Japanese…
Hibari Misora (美空 ひばり, Misora Hibari; born Kazue Katō (加藤 和枝, Katō Kazue) May 29, 1937 – June 24, 1989) was a Japanese singer and actress. She received a Medal of Honor for her contributions to music and for improving the welfare of the public, and was the first woman to receive the People's Honour Award, which was conferred posthumously for giving the public hope and encouragement after World War II. Misora recorded a total of 1,200 songs and sold 68 million records. After she died, consumer demand for her recordings grew significantly, and, by 2001, she had sold more than 80 million records. By 2019, record sales surpassed 100 million. Her swan-song "Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni" (川の流れのように) is often performed by numerous artists and orchestras as a tribute to her, including notable renditions by The Three Tenors (Spanish/Italian), Teresa Teng (Taiwanese) and Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan (Mexican). Each year there is a special on Japanese television and radio featuring her songs. A memorial concert for Misora was held at the Tokyo Dome on November 11, 2012. It featured numerous musicians such as Ai, Koda Kumi, Ken Hirai, Kiyoshi Hikawa, Exile, AKB48 and Nobuyasu Okabayashi amongst others, paying tribute by singing her most famous songs.
Kazuhiko Katō (Japanese: 加藤一彦, Hepburn: Katō Kazuhiko; May 26, 1937 – April 11, 2019), known by the pen name Monkey…
Kazuhiko Katō (Japanese: 加藤一彦, Hepburn: Katō Kazuhiko; May 26, 1937 – April 11, 2019), known by the pen name Monkey Punch (モンキー・パンチ, Monkī Panchi), was a Japanese manga artist, best known for his series Lupin III.
Kaoru Nakamaru (中丸 薫, Nakamaru Kaoru; born 23 May 1937) is a Japanese journalist, television interviewer, and author…
Kaoru Nakamaru (中丸 薫, Nakamaru Kaoru; born 23 May 1937) is a Japanese journalist, television interviewer, and author with a background in international politics.
Toyozo Ueda (上田 豊三, Ueda Toyozō; born May 23, 1937) was a former justice on the Supreme Court of Japan. In spring 2009…
Toyozo Ueda (上田 豊三, Ueda Toyozō; born May 23, 1937) was a former justice on the Supreme Court of Japan. In spring 2009, Ueda was awarded the highest decoration of Japan, the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. Before being appointed to the Supreme Court in 2002, he headed the courts in Osaka and in Hiroshima and served as a judge in Tokyo and Maebashi.
Yoshisada Yonezuka (米塚 義定, Yonezuka Yoshisada; May 19, 1937 – October 18, 2014), was a Judo instructor and two time…
Yoshisada Yonezuka (米塚 義定, Yonezuka Yoshisada; May 19, 1937 – October 18, 2014), was a Judo instructor and two time U.S. Olympic Judo Team coach.
Iwao Matsuda (松田 岩夫, Matsuda Iwao; 19 May 1937 – 3 February 2022) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic…
Iwao Matsuda (松田 岩夫, Matsuda Iwao; 19 May 1937 – 3 February 2022) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party who was a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Gifu, Gifu, Japan, and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1960, attending the University of London while in the ministry. Leaving the ministry in 1981, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1986. After losing his seat in 1996, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1998. Matsuda died from hypoglycemia on 3 February 2022, at the age of 84.
Naoya Abe (Japanese: 安部 直也, Hepburn: Abe Naoya; May 17, 1937 – September 2, 2019), known by his pen name George Abe (安部…
Naoya Abe (Japanese: 安部 直也, Hepburn: Abe Naoya; May 17, 1937 – September 2, 2019), known by his pen name George Abe (安部 譲二, Abe Jōji), was a Japanese author and former yakuza. Outside Japan, he is best known for writing the manga series Rainbow: Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin in collaboration with artist Masasumi Kakizaki. As a teenager, Abe became a member of the Ando-gumi yakuza family, and was later recruited by the Koganei-ikka. In 1986, after leaving the yakuza life, he wrote a novel about his time in Fuchū Prison titled Hei no Naka no Korinai Menmen (塀の中の懲りない面々), which became a bestseller and was adapted into a film. Abe died on September 2, 2019, from pneumonia, aged 82. Abe worked as a flight attendant for Japan Airlines from 1961 to 1965. He was the model for Jōji Miyagi, the main character in Yukio Mishima's entertainment romance novel Fukuzatsuna Kare (複雑な彼 That Complicated Guy) published in 1966. Abe's pen name "Jōji" was adapted from the character in the novel.
Yukihiko Ikeda (池田 行彦, Ikeda Yukihiko; 13 May 1937 – 28 January 2004) was a Japanese bureaucrat and the Liberal…
Yukihiko Ikeda (池田 行彦, Ikeda Yukihiko; 13 May 1937 – 28 January 2004) was a Japanese bureaucrat and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politician who served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 1997. Ikeda was known to be "Mr. No" in the political life.
Yoo Dong-ryong (Korean: 유동룡 伊丹 潤; 1937–2011), known professionally as Jun Itami, is a Korean architect from Japan. He…
Yoo Dong-ryong (Korean: 유동룡 伊丹 潤; 1937–2011), known professionally as Jun Itami, is a Korean architect from Japan. He was born in Tokyo 1937 to Korean parents and gained his degree in architecture at Musashi Institute of Technology (now called Tokyo City University) in 1968. Itami Jun spent his childhood in Shizuoka, Japan and entered the world of architecture by traveling and encountering many other artists. With profound insight into objects, he learned and expressed architecture with the physical senses of touch and drawing as his medium. In the homogeneous industrial society, Itami Jun sought to practice contemporary architecture with an anti-modern bent, emphasizing purity of architecture and material, and pursuing heavy primitive architecture with a sense of rawness in the material. Itami Jun’s Jeju projects in his late years demonstrate the mature beauty of his architecture.
Emiko Miyamoto (宮本 恵美子, Miyamoto Emiko; May 10, 1937 – December 7, 2023) was a Japanese volleyball player. She was a…
Emiko Miyamoto (宮本 恵美子, Miyamoto Emiko; May 10, 1937 – December 7, 2023) was a Japanese volleyball player. She was a member of the Japanese winning teams, Oriental Witches, at the 1962 World Championships and 1964 Summer Olympics. Miyamoto died from sepsis in Takahagi, on December 7, 2023, at the age of 86.
Asahi Kurizuka (Japanese: 栗塚 旭, Hepburn: Kurizuka Asahi; May 9, 1937 – September 9, 2025) was a Japanese actor. He made…
Asahi Kurizuka (Japanese: 栗塚 旭, Hepburn: Kurizuka Asahi; May 9, 1937 – September 9, 2025) was a Japanese actor. He made his film debut in Satsuo Yamamoto's The War Without Weapons (1960). In 1966, he received the Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year. Specializing in jidaigeki, Kurizuka was known for portraying Hijikata Toshizō, a role he played multiple times throughout his career. On September 12, 2025, news outlets reported that Kurizuka had died at his home in Sakyō-ku, Kyoto on September 9. He had been scheduled to appear on Mitsuya Seizaemon Zanjitsuroku, a jidaigeki for BS Fuji, but could not be contacted prior to the start of production. When he did not show up on his scheduled filming day, the police were asked to perform a wellness check, where they confirmed his death.
Yutaka Sudō (須藤 豊, Sudō Yutaka; born April 21, 1937, in Aki, Kōchi, Japan) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional…
Yutaka Sudō (須藤 豊, Sudō Yutaka; born April 21, 1937, in Aki, Kōchi, Japan) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball infielder. He played for the Mainichi Orions, Daimai Orions and Yomiuri Giants. He later managed the Yokohama Taiyō Whales from 1990 to 1992.
Keiko Abe (安倍 圭子, Abe Keiko; born April 18, 1937) is a Japanese composer and marimba player. She has been a primary…
Keiko Abe (安倍 圭子, Abe Keiko; born April 18, 1937) is a Japanese composer and marimba player. She has been a primary figure in the development of the marimba, in terms of expanding both technique and repertoire, and through her collaboration with the Yamaha Corporation, developed the modern five-octave concert marimba.
Ryūzō Saki (佐木 隆三, Saki Ryūzō; April 14, 1937 – October 31, 2015) was a Japanese novelist and non-fiction writer, born…
Ryūzō Saki (佐木 隆三, Saki Ryūzō; April 14, 1937 – October 31, 2015) was a Japanese novelist and non-fiction writer, born in North Hamgyong, a province of what is now North Korea. He was interested in high-profile crimes in Japan and published a number of non-fiction books about Japanese crimes. On January 14, 1976, Saki was awarded the Naoki Prize for the novel Vengeance Is Mine based on Japanese serial killer Akira Nishiguchi. The novel became the basis of Shohei Imamura's film Vengeance Is Mine. He also wrote the books about Norio Nagayama, Tsutomu Miyazaki, Fusako Sano and Futoshi Matsunaga. His 1980 novel The Miracle of Joe, the Petrel was adapted into a feature film in 1984 by Toshiya Fujita. In 1992, Saki published a book about Japanese Resident-General of Korea Itō Hirobumi and Korean An Jung-geun, titled Itō Hirobumi to An Jung-geun. On 1 November 2015, he died from throat cancer in Kitakyūshū at age 78.
Yoshito Kishi (岸 義人, Kishi Yoshito; 13 April 1937 – 9 January 2023) was a Japanese chemist who was the Morris Loeb…
Yoshito Kishi (岸 義人, Kishi Yoshito; 13 April 1937 – 9 January 2023) was a Japanese chemist who was the Morris Loeb Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University. He was known for his contributions to the sciences of organic synthesis and total synthesis.
Ichiro Ichikawa (市川 一朗, Ichikawa Ichirō; born April 12, 1937) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party…
Ichiro Ichikawa (市川 一朗, Ichikawa Ichirō; born April 12, 1937) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Uguisuzawa, Miyagi and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he worked at the Ministry of Construction from 1961 to 1994. He was elected for the first time in 1995.
Yūzō Kayama (加山 雄三, Kayama Yūzō; born April 11, 1937) is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter and actor.
Minoru Betsuyaku (別役 実, Betsuyaku Minoru; 1937 – March 3, 2020) was one of Japan's most prominent postwar playwrights…
Minoru Betsuyaku (別役 実, Betsuyaku Minoru; 1937 – March 3, 2020) was one of Japan's most prominent postwar playwrights, novelists, and essayists, associated with the Angura ("underground") theater movement in Japan. He won a name for himself as a writer in the "nonsense" genre and helped lay the foundations of the Japanese "theater of the absurd." His works focused on the aftermath of the war and especially the nuclear holocaust.
Tsutomu Kawara (瓦 力, Kawara Tsutomu; 1 April 1937 – 13 January 2013) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal…
Tsutomu Kawara (瓦 力, Kawara Tsutomu; 1 April 1937 – 13 January 2013) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Hiromasa Yonekura (米倉 弘昌, Yonekura Hiromasa; March 31, 1937 – November 16, 2018) was a Japanese businessman. He was…
Hiromasa Yonekura (米倉 弘昌, Yonekura Hiromasa; March 31, 1937 – November 16, 2018) was a Japanese businessman. He was chairman of Sumitomo Chemical and was also the chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren).
Shigeaki Mori (森 重昭, Mori Shigeaki; March 29, 1937 – March 14, 2026) was a Japanese historian from Hiroshima and a…
Shigeaki Mori (森 重昭, Mori Shigeaki; March 29, 1937 – March 14, 2026) was a Japanese historian from Hiroshima and a survivor of its atomic bombing. He is known for his research into Allied prisoners of war who died during the air raids on Japan. His hug with U.S. President Barack Obama during the president's visit to Hiroshima in 2016 was reported in multiple countries.
Akio Jissoji (実相寺昭雄, Jissōji Akio; March 29, 1937 – November 29, 2006) was a Japanese television and film director best…
Akio Jissoji (実相寺昭雄, Jissōji Akio; March 29, 1937 – November 29, 2006) was a Japanese television and film director best known outside Japan for the 1960s tokusatsu TV series Ultraman and Ultraseven, as well as for his auteur erotic ATG-produced Buddhist trilogy Mujo (無常), Mandala (曼陀羅), and Uta (哥). He was also known for his film adaptations of Japanese horror author Edogawa Rampo. Jissoji possessed a very distinctive visual style that was notable even in Japanese cinema which is known internationally for its visual style. Every project he directed, from children's action shows to disturbing adult films had an uncompromising approach to cinematic story telling. His episodes of the Ultraman TV shows are unique and quite unusual for children's television. His career is also unusual in that he went back and forth from children's television to film projects that were sexually provocative in some way or another. It is perhaps this aspect of his work that has prevented wider distribution of his films. Sadomasochistic and non-consensual sexual practices are featured in many of his film works with women receiving the brunt of the abuse. Most of his work is not available outside Japan or with English subtitles. Other notable films include: Utamaro: Yume to Shiriseba (歌麿 夢と知りせば; Utamaro's World, 1977), a visually sumptuous telling of the famed Japanese printmaker's life centering on the years he was forced to make pornographic prints for a living. Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (帝都物語, Teito Monogatari; 1988), a live-action science fiction/horror film. Rampo Jigoku (乱歩地獄; 2005), Jissoji directed the lead segment of this horror anthology. Yume Jū-ya (ユメ十夜; Ten Nights of Dreams, 2006), Jissoji contributed a selection in this anthology of short films based on the writings of Natsume Sōseki. He died of stomach cancer, aged 69, in his birth city of Tokyo in 2006 just after starting work on a revival of his Silver Mask live action children's show.
Jin Murai (村井 仁, Murai Jin; born 28 March 1937) is a former governor of Nagano Prefecture in Japan. After growing up in…
Jin Murai (村井 仁, Murai Jin; born 28 March 1937) is a former governor of Nagano Prefecture in Japan. After growing up in Matsumoto, Nagano, he graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1959 and entered the Ministry of International Trade and Industry upon graduation. In 1986 he was elected to the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) for the first time. He served six consecutive terms as a member for Nagano No.4 district (1986–1996), Nagano No.2 district (1996–2003) and the national proportional representation block (2003–2005). Whilst in the Diet he served in various ministerial roles, including as Minister of State for Food Safety, Minister of State for Disaster Management and Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission. In July 2005 he voted against the government's postal reform legislation and subsequently lost the support of the Liberal Democratic Party. He did not nominate to contest the September 2005 general election. In the following year he was elected governor of Nagano Prefecture and served one term.
Katsuhiko Akasegawa (赤瀬川 克彦, Akasegawa Katsuhiko; March 27, 1937 – October 26, 2014), known by his pseudonym Genpei…
Katsuhiko Akasegawa (赤瀬川 克彦, Akasegawa Katsuhiko; March 27, 1937 – October 26, 2014), known by his pseudonym Genpei Akasegawa (赤瀬川 原平, Akasegawa Genpei), was a Japanese artist and writer. In literary works, he also went by Katsuhiko Otsuji (尾辻 克彦, Otsuji Katsuhiko). A member of the influential artist groups Neo-Dada Organizers and Hi-Red Center, Akasegawa went on to maintain a multi-disciplinary practice throughout his career as an individual artist. He is also known for having coined the term and concept of Hyperart Thomasson and for having founded the Rojō Kansatsu Gakkai (路上観察学会; lit. 'Street Observation Society'). Akasegawa has had retrospective exhibitions at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Chiba City Museum, and Oita City Museum. His work is in the permanent collection at Museum of Modern Art in New York. Artist Nam June Paik has described Akasegawa as "one of those unexportable geniuses of Japan".
Hiromi Wada (和田 博実, Wada Hiromi; March 26, 1937 – June 22, 2009) was a Japanese professional baseball catcher. He spent…
Hiromi Wada (和田 博実, Wada Hiromi; March 26, 1937 – June 22, 2009) was a Japanese professional baseball catcher. He spent most of his career with the Nishitetsu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball, and died of pancreatic cancer in Fukuoka in 2009.
Hidekatsu Shibata (柴田 秀勝, Shibata Hidekatsu; born March 25, 1937) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from…
Hidekatsu Shibata (柴田 秀勝, Shibata Hidekatsu; born March 25, 1937) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Asakusa, Tokyo who is affiliated with Aoni Production. He was a classmate of former prime minister Yasuo Fukuda at Azabu High School. Shibata is married to fellow voice actor Akiko Sekine. He is most known for his roles in Mazinger Z (as Baron Ashura), Great Mazinger (as Kenzo Kabuto), Galaxy Express 999 (as Count Mecha), Kamen Rider Stronger (as General Shadow), and Seijuu Sentai Gingaman (as Captain Zahab). He is also mostly known for giving his voice to some iconic powerful old characters such as in One Piece (as Monkey D. Dragon), Naruto (as Hiruzen Sarutobi), Fullmetal Alchemist (as Führer King Bradley) and Fairy Tail (as Igneel and the narrator).
Natsuko Kuroda (黒田 夏子, Kuroda Natsuko; born 1937) is a Japanese writer. At the age of 75, she won the 148th Akutagawa…
Natsuko Kuroda (黒田 夏子, Kuroda Natsuko; born 1937) is a Japanese writer. At the age of 75, she won the 148th Akutagawa Prize, making Kuroda the oldest winner in the history of the prize.
Tōru Murakawa (村川透, Murakawa Tōru; born March 1937 in Yamagata Prefecture) is a Japanese film director. He is most…
Tōru Murakawa (村川透, Murakawa Tōru; born March 1937 in Yamagata Prefecture) is a Japanese film director. He is most famous for his collaborations with the actor Yūsaku Matsuda in both film and television.
Izumi Yukimura (雪村 いづみ, Yukimura Izumi; born March 20, 1937) is a Japanese popular singer and actress. Yukimura made…
Izumi Yukimura (雪村 いづみ, Yukimura Izumi; born March 20, 1937) is a Japanese popular singer and actress. Yukimura made her debut with the song "Omoide no Warutsu" (想い出のワルツ, "Till I Waltz Again with You") in 1953. Her style of singing varied from jazz to rock and roll. She became one of the three most popular female singers in the early postwar Japan, known as the “Sannin Musume (three daughters), along with Chiemi Eri and Hibari Misora. On her 1974 album Super Generation, she sang Ryoichi Hattori's songs along with four popular musicians: Masataka Matsutoya, Shigeru Suzuki, Tatsuo Hayashi and Haruomi Hosono. Eri, who died in 1982, and Misora, who died in 1989, also recorded songs with Yukimura as a group in the 1950s, but those recordings had not been released for about 50 years because they each belonged to separate record labels. In 2004, their album including those songs was finally released for the first time. Her daughter is singer, actress, and painter Maria Asahina.
Sadao Fuchigami (渕上 貞雄, Fuchigami Sadao; 19 March 1937 – 13 October 2023) was a Japanese politician and member of the…
Sadao Fuchigami (渕上 貞雄, Fuchigami Sadao; 19 March 1937 – 13 October 2023) was a Japanese politician and member of the House of Councillors for the Social Democratic Party. He died from ureteral cancer on 13 October 2023, at the age of 86.
Emi Wada (和田 惠美, Wada Emi, 18 March 1937 – 13 November 2021) was a Japanese costume designer who worked extensively in…
Emi Wada (和田 惠美, Wada Emi, 18 March 1937 – 13 November 2021) was a Japanese costume designer who worked extensively in stage, screen, and ballet productions. She was born in Kyoto, and attended Kyoto City University of Arts before she married Tsutomu (Ben) Wada at age 20. She was nominated for 13 awards and won six, most notably the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for her work on Akira Kurosawa's film Ran (1985). Wada died on 13 November 2021, at the age of 84.
Masayuki Akehi (明比 正行, Akehi Masayuki; Born March 17, 1937) is a Japanese anime director.
Toshinobu Nakasato (仲里 利信, Nakasato Toshinobu; born 16 March 1937) is a former Japanese politician who served as a…
Toshinobu Nakasato (仲里 利信, Nakasato Toshinobu; born 16 March 1937) is a former Japanese politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives representing Okinawa 4th district (southern Okinawa Island and the Sakishima Islands). Before he entered national politics, Nakasato was a member of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly for 16 years. He served as the Speaker of the Assembly from 2006 until his retirement from prefectural politics in 2008. He is opposed against the construction of a US base in Yonaguni and the relocation of the Futenma air base within Okinawa Prefecture.
Takeo Mizoo (born 11 March 1937) is a Japanese speed skater. He competed in four events at the 1960 Winter Olympics.