Takako Takahashi (高橋 たか子, Takahashi Takako; March 2, 1932 – July 12, 2013) was a Japanese author. Her maiden name was…Takako Takahashi (高橋 たか子, Takahashi Takako; March 2, 1932 – July 12, 2013) was a Japanese author. Her maiden name was Takako Okamoto (岡本和子, Okamoto Takako).
Genshiro Kawamoto (川本 源司郎, Kawamoto Genshiro; 1 March 1932 – 12 February 2024) was a Japanese businessman known for his…Genshiro Kawamoto (川本 源司郎, Kawamoto Genshiro; 1 March 1932 – 12 February 2024) was a Japanese businessman known for his real estate investments in Japan, California and Hawaii. He is also notable for controversial real estate investments in the late 1980s, when he bought more than 170 properties, including many Oʻahu homes. More recently, Kawamoto is known for owning 30 properties in the Kāhala area of Honolulu where he has allowed them to be run down, attracting many complaints and media attention. Although these homes are vacant, boarded up and often vandalized, their estimated total value is $200 million. In September 2013, Kawamoto sold all of his Hawaii assets to Alexander and Baldwin for $128 million. The transaction was brokered by Steve Sombrero, president of NAI ChaneyBrooks. Born into a wealthy kimono shop owner's family in what is now Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, he went to Keio University, but did not graduate. Kawamoto died on 12 February 2024, at the age of 91.
Yoshiaki Itakura (板倉 由明, Itakura Yoshiaki; 1932–1999) was a Japanese businessman and researcher of military history…Yoshiaki Itakura (板倉 由明, Itakura Yoshiaki; 1932–1999) was a Japanese businessman and researcher of military history born in Kanagawa Prefecture. He is most well known for his research and denial on the Nanjing Massacre and was a member of a committee assembled by Kaikosha to study the incident. He graduated from the faculty of engineering at Yokohama National University and was manager of Itakura factories. In addition to his business, he wrote and spoke on military history, the Japanese history textbook controversies, the comfort women, and especially the Nanjing Massacre. He estimated that 10,000 to 20,000 Chinese were massacred in Nanjing and consistently criticized advocates of the great massacre school such as those who accepted the line of the Chinese government that 300,000 had been murdered. Itakura was on good terms with the historian Ikuhiko Hata while still publicly arguing with him. He was also a friend of Masaaki Tanaka though he had exposed his fraudulent tampering of the diary of Iwane Matsui. Itakura died of liver failure in 1999.
Yasuo Tanaka (田中 寧夫, Tanaka Yasuo; born 24 February 1932) is a Japanese former swimmer. He competed in the men's 400…Yasuo Tanaka (田中 寧夫, Tanaka Yasuo; born 24 February 1932) is a Japanese former swimmer. He competed in the men's 400 metre freestyle at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Kei Tani (谷啓, Tani Kei) (born Yasuo Watanabe (渡部 泰雄, Watanabe Yasuo); 22 February 1932 – 11 September 2010) was a…Kei Tani (谷啓, Tani Kei) (born Yasuo Watanabe (渡部 泰雄, Watanabe Yasuo); 22 February 1932 – 11 September 2010) was a Japanese comedian, actor and musician. Born in Tokyo, he learned to play the trombone and, while a student at Chuo University, began playing in jazz bands performing for American soldiers during the Occupation of Japan. He quit university and joined the City Slickers with Frankie Sakai in 1953. In 1956, he joined the comic-jazz band The Crazy Cats with Hajime Hana and Hitoshi Ueki. He came to fame when the Crazy Cats started appearing on television, especially through their variety show "Shabondama Holiday," and in movies, through comedy series such as the "Irresponsible" (Musekinin) series at Toho. Some of his nonsense one-word gags, such as "gachon" became buzzwords imitated throughout the nation. He also appeared alone in dramatic roles on film and television, was a regular in the "Tsuribaka Nisshi" film series, and continued to be a popular figure on variety TV. His real name was Yasuo Watanabe, but his stage name, especially with the Japanese name order "Tani Kei," was based on a pun on the name Danny Kaye. He died of a brain contusion on 11 September 2010 after falling down the stairs in his Mitaka home.
Osamu Yatabe (Japanese: 矢田部理 Yatabe Osamu; 15 February 1932 – 5 December 2021) was a Japanese lawyer and politician. A…Osamu Yatabe (Japanese: 矢田部理 Yatabe Osamu; 15 February 1932 – 5 December 2021) was a Japanese lawyer and politician. A member of the Japan Socialist Party and later the New Socialist Party of Japan, he served in the House of Councillors from 1974 to 1998.
Noboru Okamoto (Japanese: 岡本 登, Hepburn: Okamoto Noboru; February 15, 1932 – October 8, 2021), known by the pen name…Noboru Okamoto (Japanese: 岡本 登, Hepburn: Okamoto Noboru; February 15, 1932 – October 8, 2021), known by the pen name Sanpei Shirato (白土 三平, Shirato Sanpei), was a Japanese manga artist and essayist known for his social criticism as well as the realism of his drawing style and the characters in his scenarios. He is considered a pioneer of the controversial gekiga genre of adult-oriented manga. The son of the Japanese proletarian painter Toki Okamoto, his dream to become an artist equal with his father started when he became a kamishibai artist. He is also known for his work published in the early issues of the manga anthology magazine Garo in 1964, which he began publishing so as to serialize his comic Kamui.
Tatsuro Hirooka (広岡 達朗, Hirooka Tatsurō born February 9, 1932) is a Japanese retired professional baseball player and…Tatsuro Hirooka (広岡 達朗, Hirooka Tatsurō born February 9, 1932) is a Japanese retired professional baseball player and manager. Hirooka played his entire career, from 1954 to 1966, for the Yomiuri Giants. He was awarded the Central League rookie of the year award in 1954. From 1961 to 1966, Hirooka was a player-coach for the Giants. As a manager for the Yakult Swallows (1976–1979) and then the Seibu Lions (1982–1985), Hirooka was known for his tough-love style. Nicknamed "The Iron Shogun", he thrice led his teams to the Japan Series championship — in 1978, 1982, and 1983. With his championships for Yakult and Seibu, he is the third and currently last manager to win the Japan Series with multiple teams. He won the Matsutaro Shoriki Award — presented to a person (a manager or player) who greatly contributes to the development of professional baseball — in 1978 and 1982. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.
Shinji Satō (佐藤 信二 Satō Shinji, 8 February 1932 – 3 May 2016) was a Japanese politician who was minister of transport…Shinji Satō (佐藤 信二 Satō Shinji, 8 February 1932 – 3 May 2016) was a Japanese politician who was minister of transport from 1988 to 1989, and Minister of International Trade and Industry from 1996 to 1997. He was also a member of the House of Councillors from 1974 to 1979, and a member of the House of Representatives from 1979 to 2000 and again from 2003 to 2005. He was member of the Liberal Democratic Party. A member of the Satō-Kishi-Abe family, he was the second son of Prime Minister Eisaku Satō.
Shūji Takashina (Japanese: 高階 秀爾 Takashina Shūji; 5 February 1932 – 17 October 2024) was a Japanese art historian and…Shūji Takashina (Japanese: 高階 秀爾 Takashina Shūji; 5 February 1932 – 17 October 2024) was a Japanese art historian and art critic.
Kiyoko Tanaka (田中 希代子; February 5, 1932 [Shōwa 7] – February 26, 1996 [Heisei 8]) was a Japanese pianist and teacher.…Kiyoko Tanaka (田中 希代子; February 5, 1932 [Shōwa 7] – February 26, 1996 [Heisei 8]) was a Japanese pianist and teacher. She was the first Japanese musician to take a leading prize at a major international competition, sharing second prize with Ingrid Haebler at the Geneva International Music Competition in 1952. She went on to become the first Japanese prizewinner at both the Long-Thibaud Competition in 1953 and the International Chopin Piano Competition in 1955. Based successively in Paris and Vienna, Tanaka toured Europe, Japan and South America through the 1950s and 1960s. Her career was cut short in her late thirties by the onset of a connective tissue disease, forcing her to withdraw from public performances. Tanaka made her final orchestral appearance in 1968 and her last recital in 1970, at the age of 38. Afterwards, she taught piano in Tokyo by means of a wheelchair. She left very few commercial studio recordings, and her posthumous reputation rests largely on concert and broadcast tapes reissued from the late 1980s onward.
Hiroaki Sato (佐藤 弘明, Satō Hiroaki; February 5, 1932 – January 1, 1988) was a Japanese football player. He played for…Hiroaki Sato (佐藤 弘明, Satō Hiroaki; February 5, 1932 – January 1, 1988) was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Shigeo Fukuda (福田 繁雄, Fukuda Shigeo; February 4, 1932 – January 11, 2009) was a sculptor, medallist, graphic artist and…Shigeo Fukuda (福田 繁雄, Fukuda Shigeo; February 4, 1932 – January 11, 2009) was a sculptor, medallist, graphic artist and poster designer who created optical illusions. He is one of Japan's most well-known post-war graphic designers. He is known to be an environmentalist and anti-war, for he designed posters on these social issues. His art pieces usually portray deception, such as Lunch With a Helmet On, a sculpture created entirely from forks, knives, and spoons, that casts a detailed shadow of a motorcycle.
Jiro Nagasawa (長沢 二郎, Nagasawa Jirō; February 2, 1932 – March 23, 2010) was a Japanese swimmer. He is credited with the…Jiro Nagasawa (長沢 二郎, Nagasawa Jirō; February 2, 1932 – March 23, 2010) was a Japanese swimmer. He is credited with the invention of the modern butterfly stroke. Although not the first to swim the butterfly-breaststroke, Nagasawa was the first to use a dolphin kick, where the legs stayed together and moved simultaneously up then down.
Katsuichi Honda (Japanese: 本多 勝一, Hepburn: Honda Katsuichi; born January 28, 1932) is a Japanese journalist and author…Katsuichi Honda (Japanese: 本多 勝一, Hepburn: Honda Katsuichi; born January 28, 1932) is a Japanese journalist and author most famous for his writing on the Nanjing Massacre. During the 1970s he wrote a series of articles on the atrocities committed by Imperial Japanese soldiers during World War II called "Chūgoku no Tabi" (中国の旅, "Travels in China"). The series first appeared in the Asahi Shimbun. Honda also worked as a war correspondent in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, an experience which, according to some historians, contributed to stoking his interest in Japanese wartime history.
Yukio Shimomura (下村 幸男, Shimomura Yukio; January 25, 1932 – August 13, 2026) was a Japanese football player and…Yukio Shimomura (下村 幸男, Shimomura Yukio; January 25, 1932 – August 13, 2026) was a Japanese football player and manager. He played for and managed the Japan national team.
Kazuo Inamori, (稲盛 和夫, Inamori Kazuo; 30 January 1932 – 24 August 2022) was a Japanese philanthropist, entrepreneur…Kazuo Inamori, (稲盛 和夫, Inamori Kazuo; 30 January 1932 – 24 August 2022) was a Japanese philanthropist, entrepreneur, Zen Buddhist priest, and the founder of Kyocera and KDDI. He was the chairman of Japan Airlines. Inamori was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2000 for innovation in ceramic materials and solar cell development/manufacturing, entrepreneurship of advanced technologies, and for being a role model for relating science to society. In 2011, he received the Othmer Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to progress in science and chemistry.
Toshiya Fujita (藤田 敏八, Fujita Toshiya; January 16, 1932 – August 30, 1997), also known as Shigeya Fujita (藤田繁矢, Fujita…Toshiya Fujita (藤田 敏八, Fujita Toshiya; January 16, 1932 – August 30, 1997), also known as Shigeya Fujita (藤田繁矢, Fujita Shigeya), was a Japanese film director, film actor, and screenwriter. He is well-regarded in Japan for his youth films but is best known abroad for Lady Snowblood and Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance, films not typical of his usual style.
Keiko Ai (阿井景子, Ai Keiko; born Junko Ura on January 16, 1932 in Nagasaki, Japan) is a Japanese writer. Born in Nagasaki…Keiko Ai (阿井景子, Ai Keiko; born Junko Ura on January 16, 1932 in Nagasaki, Japan) is a Japanese writer. Born in Nagasaki in Nagasaki Prefecture, Ai graduated from Saga University with a major in education. She then became a high school teacher. Ai soon quit and moved to Tokyo, where she took dictation for Kitaoji Rosanjin. After working as an editor and a reporter for Josei Jishin, she married and divorced in 1974, during which time she also worked on Matsumoto Seicho. Ai published her first book as Junko Ura in 1971 and made her debut as a writer in 1979 with Ryoma's Wife. Ai portrays the women around Japanese historical figures, particularly those related to Ryoma Sakamoto. Since 1991 she has often written in conjunction with historical dramas.
Toshiyasu Ishige (石下 年安, Ishige Toshiyasu; 16 January 1932 – 27 December 2000) was a Japanese sport shooter who…Toshiyasu Ishige (石下 年安, Ishige Toshiyasu; 16 January 1932 – 27 December 2000) was a Japanese sport shooter who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics and in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Tadanari Okamoto (岡本 忠成, Okamoto Tadanari; January 11, 1932 – February 16, 1990) was a Japanese independent animator.…Tadanari Okamoto (岡本 忠成, Okamoto Tadanari; January 11, 1932 – February 16, 1990) was a Japanese independent animator. From 1965 until his death he completed at least 37 short subject films in a wide variety of mediums, many of them winning award-winning, his honorific nicknamed "Sheldon Cohen and Hans Fischerkoesen of Japan".
Daikichi Ishibashi (Japanese: 石橋 大吉 Ishibashi Daikichi; 7 January 1932 – 26 August 2022) was a Japanese politician. A…Daikichi Ishibashi (Japanese: 石橋 大吉 Ishibashi Daikichi; 7 January 1932 – 26 August 2022) was a Japanese politician. A member of the Japan Socialist Party, the Social Democratic Party, and later the Democratic Party of Japan, he served in the House of Representatives from 1986 to 2000. Ishibashi died in Matsue on 26 August 2022, at the age of 90.
Kihei Tomioka (富岡 喜平, Tomioka Kihei; 6 January 1932 – 14 August 2007) was a Japanese cyclist. He competed in five…Kihei Tomioka (富岡 喜平, Tomioka Kihei; 6 January 1932 – 14 August 2007) was a Japanese cyclist. He competed in five events at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He won the gold medal in the team pursuit and in the road race at the 1951 Asian Games.
Kazutami Watanabe (渡邊一民, Watanabe Kazutami; January 5, 1932 – December 21, 2013) was a Japanese scholar and translator…Kazutami Watanabe (渡邊一民, Watanabe Kazutami; January 5, 1932 – December 21, 2013) was a Japanese scholar and translator of French literature. Watanabe, who was born in Tokyo, graduated from the Literature Department, School of French Studies of the University of Tokyo in 1955. After getting his Ph.D at the same university, he became a lecturer at Rikkyo University's General Education Department in 1960, and an assistant professor in 1963. In 1965, he became an assistant professor at the School of French Literature of the same university and in 1970 a full professor. From 1981 to 1983, he was the dean of the Literature Department. After his retirement in 1997, he was named professor emeritus. His wife, Hitomi, is the eldest daughter of Shūichi Sakō, a diplomat. Watanabe died at the age of 81 from sepsis in December 2013.
Shoshichi Kobayashi (小林 昭七, Kobayashi Shōshichi; 4 January 1932 – 29 August 2012) was a Japanese mathematician. He was…Shoshichi Kobayashi (小林 昭七, Kobayashi Shōshichi; 4 January 1932 – 29 August 2012) was a Japanese mathematician. He was the eldest brother of electrical engineer and computer scientist Hisashi Kobayashi. His research interests were in Riemannian and complex manifolds, transformation groups of geometric structures, and Lie algebras.
Setsuko Thurlow (サーロー 節子, Sārō Setsuko; born 3 January 1932), born Setsuko Nakamura (中村 節子, Nakamura Setsuko), is a…Setsuko Thurlow (サーロー 節子, Sārō Setsuko; born 3 January 1932), born Setsuko Nakamura (中村 節子, Nakamura Setsuko), is a Japanese–Canadian nuclear disarmament campaigner and Hibakusha who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. She is mostly known throughout the world for being a leading figure of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons (ICAN) and to have given the acceptance speech for its reception of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.
Tatsuya Futakami (二上 達也, Futakami Tatsuya; January 2, 1932 – November 1, 2016) was a Japanese professional shogi player…Tatsuya Futakami (二上 達也, Futakami Tatsuya; January 2, 1932 – November 1, 2016) was a Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9-dan. He is a former president of the Japan Shogi Association as well as a former Kisei and Ōshō title holder.
Tadashi Kume (久米 是志, Kume Tadashi; 2 January 1931 – 11 September 2022) was a Japanese businessman who was the president…Tadashi Kume (久米 是志, Kume Tadashi; 2 January 1931 – 11 September 2022) was a Japanese businessman who was the president and CEO of the Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Kimiko Okamoto is a Japanese athlete. She won gold medals in the 4 × 100 m relay and individual 200 metres in the 1951…Kimiko Okamoto is a Japanese athlete. She won gold medals in the 4 × 100 m relay and individual 200 metres in the 1951 Asian Games.
Jun Mitsuhashi (三橋 淳, Mitsuhashi Jun; 19 April 1932 – 12 August 2024) was a Japanese entomologist, author, and a…Jun Mitsuhashi (三橋 淳, Mitsuhashi Jun; 19 April 1932 – 12 August 2024) was a Japanese entomologist, author, and a retired professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture.
