Minoru Kanehisa (金久 實) (born January 23, 1948) is a Japanese bioinformatician. He is a project professor at Kyoto…
Minoru Kanehisa (金久 實) (born January 23, 1948) is a Japanese bioinformatician. He is a project professor at Kyoto University, technical director of Pathway Solutions Inc and president of NPO Bioinformatics Japan. He is one of Japan's most recognized and respected bioinformatics experts and is known for developing the KEGG bioinformatics database. In 2018 he was listed on a list of Clarivate Citation Laureates for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for "contributions to bioinformatics, specifically for his development of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG)".
Famous People Born in 1948
1948: 232 people
Mieko Kamimoto (神本 美恵子, Kamimoto Mieko; born 22 January 1948) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic…
Mieko Kamimoto (神本 美恵子, Kamimoto Mieko; born 22 January 1948) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party and a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Asakura District, Fukuoka and graduate of Fukuoka University of Education, she was elected for the first time in 2001.
Masayuki Kikuchi (菊地 正幸; January 19, 1948 – October 18, 2003) was a Japanese seismologist. He was famous for real-time…
Masayuki Kikuchi (菊地 正幸; January 19, 1948 – October 18, 2003) was a Japanese seismologist. He was famous for real-time seismology.
Ryoko Moriyama (森山 良子, Moriyama Ryōko) (born January 18, 1948) is a Japanese folk singer and actress. Her father is…
Ryoko Moriyama (森山 良子, Moriyama Ryōko) (born January 18, 1948) is a Japanese folk singer and actress. Her father is Hisashi Moriyama, a pioneer of Japanese jazz. Her son Naotarō Moriyama is a singer. Her first cousin Hiroshi Kamayatsu is also a musician. She is known as the Japanese Joan Baez, or the Queen of college folk. Her songs tend not to become best sellers but her most famous song is "Satokibi Batake". This song is about a tragedy during the Battle of Okinawa. The song's full version is 10 minutes. When this song was first released, it was thought to be too long to air on the radio, but now the song is popular in Japan. Every summer, NHK air a shorter version as a symbol of the 'No War Campaign'. In the song, an imitative word 'Zawawa' is repeated 66 times, because of this, it is often called 'Zawawa'. Moriyama often called "Satokibi Batake" 'Zawawa' as a joke. Her 1969 recording of "Kinjirareta koi" ("Unpermitted Love") sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. A more recent hit song is "Nada Sōsō," a poem set to music by Begin, and sung by Rimi Natsukawa. Some of her songs, such as "Kono hiroi nohara ippai" and "Dona dona", now appear in school textbooks. She sang a theme song at Nagano Olympics opening ceremony in 1998. Inspired by "Satokibi Batake", a TV drama called Satokibi Batake no uta (Song of the Sugarcane field) was made. Akashiya Sanma takes the lead role as a soldier who refused to kill. Nada Sōsō' also features in a TV program. Nada Sōsō means teardrops in Okinawan. The song describes the experience of being unable to meet the person you love most. The song may refer to the death of Moriyama's brother.
Toshiki Tajima (Japanese: 田島俊樹, Hepburn: Tajima Toshiki; born January 18, 1948) is a Japanese theoretical plasma…
Toshiki Tajima (Japanese: 田島俊樹, Hepburn: Tajima Toshiki; born January 18, 1948) is a Japanese theoretical plasma physicist known for pioneering the laser wakefield acceleration technique with John M. Dawson in 1979. The technique is used to accelerate particles in a plasma and was experimentally realized in 1994, for which Tajima received several awards such as the Nishina Memorial Prize (2006), the Enrico Fermi Prize (2015), the Robert R. Wilson Prize (2019), the Hannes Alfvén Prize (2019) and the Charles Hard Townes Award (2020). Tajima is currently a professor of the University of California, Irvine, and is the Chief Science Officer of TAE Technologies. His works involve plasma physics, laser physics, nuclear fusion, plasma astrophysics, accelerator physics and medical applications of physics.
Tetsuo Suda (須田 哲夫, Suda Tetsuo; born 16 January 1948) is a Japanese TV presenter and news anchor. He was born in…
Tetsuo Suda (須田 哲夫, Suda Tetsuo; born 16 January 1948) is a Japanese TV presenter and news anchor. He was born in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Suda graduated from Keio University, and joined Fuji TV in 1971. Since April 2000, he has worked on Fuji Television's Super News evening news programme alongside Yūko Andō.
Musashi Kanbe (かんべむさし; born January 16, 1948, in Ishikawa Prefecture) is a Seiun Award winning author for the novel…
Musashi Kanbe (かんべむさし; born January 16, 1948, in Ishikawa Prefecture) is a Seiun Award winning author for the novel Saikoro Tokkōtai. Kanbe was also chair of honor at Daicon III in 1981.
Tsuneo Horiuchi (堀内 恒夫, Horiuchi Tsuneo; born January 16, 1948) is a former professional baseball player in Japan's…
Tsuneo Horiuchi (堀内 恒夫, Horiuchi Tsuneo; born January 16, 1948) is a former professional baseball player in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and a politician. A right-handed pitcher, in 2008 he was voted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
Shinji Sōmai (相米 慎二, Sōmai Shinji; 13 January 1948 – 9 September 2001) was a Japanese film director. He directed 13…
Shinji Sōmai (相米 慎二, Sōmai Shinji; 13 January 1948 – 9 September 2001) was a Japanese film director. He directed 13 films between 1980 and 2000 and was noted for his work within seishun-eiga, which include films such as the successful Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (1981) and critically acclaimed Typhoon Club (1985).
Sansei Shiomi (塩見 三省, Shiomi Sansei; born 12 January 1948) is a Japanese actor.
Hiroshi Wajima (Japanese: 輪島大士, Hepburn: Wajima Hiroshi; 11 January 1948 – 8 October 2018) was a Japanese sumo and…
Hiroshi Wajima (Japanese: 輪島大士, Hepburn: Wajima Hiroshi; 11 January 1948 – 8 October 2018) was a Japanese sumo and professional wrestler. Born in Nanao, Ishikawa, he was the sport's 54th yokozuna and is the first wrestler with a collegiate background to reach its highest rank. Entering professional sumo in January 1970, he won a total of 14 tournament championships or yūshō during his career before retiring in March 1981. He was nicknamed "Golden Left" (黄金の左, Ōgon no Hidari) in reference to his trademark gold mawashi and his preferred technique of a left-handed underarm throw. He was later head coach of Hanakago stable, but after several controversies, Wajima was forced to leave the sumo world and turned to professional wrestling, retiring in 1988.
Mikihiko Renjō (連城 三紀彦, Renjō Mikihiko; real name: Jingo Katō; January 11, 1948 – October 19, 2013) was a Japanese…
Mikihiko Renjō (連城 三紀彦, Renjō Mikihiko; real name: Jingo Katō; January 11, 1948 – October 19, 2013) was a Japanese writer, winner of the Naoki Prize. He was also an ordained priest within the Ōtani-ha branch of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism.
Itsurō Terada (寺田 逸郎, Terada Itsurō; born 9 January 1948) is a Japanese lawyer who served as Chief Justice of the…
Itsurō Terada (寺田 逸郎, Terada Itsurō; born 9 January 1948) is a Japanese lawyer who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan from 2014 to 2018.
Yasuo Saitō (齋藤 泰雄, Saitō Yasuo; born 5 January 1948 in Okayama Prefecture) is the Ambassador Extraordinary and…
Yasuo Saitō (齋藤 泰雄, Saitō Yasuo; born 5 January 1948 in Okayama Prefecture) is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to France and a former ambassador of Japan to Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Ōshio Kenji (born Kenji Hatano; 4 January 1948 – 25 May 2024) was a Japanese sumo wrestler from Kitakyushu. His highest…
Ōshio Kenji (born Kenji Hatano; 4 January 1948 – 25 May 2024) was a Japanese sumo wrestler from Kitakyushu. His highest rank was komusubi. His career lasted twenty-six years, from 1962 until 1988, and he holds the record for the most bouts contested in professional sumo. After his retirement at the age of 40 he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and set up Shikihide stable in 1992. He left the Sumo Association upon turning 65 in 2013. He died in 2024.
Kohzoh Imai (今井浩三, Kohzoh Imai; born January 1, 1948) is a Japanese physician and oncologist specializing in molecular…
Kohzoh Imai (今井浩三, Kohzoh Imai; born January 1, 1948) is a Japanese physician and oncologist specializing in molecular diagnosis and novel medical treatment of cancer. He is well known for the discovery of a Melanoma-related antigen (Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan-4, or CSPG4) by producing a monoclonal antibody. In addition, he produced monoclonal antibodies against CEA or ICAM-1 and discovered their use in diagnosis and pathological analysis. He is a former professor and president of Sapporo Medical University. He was a Council Member of the Science Council of Japan. Imai is currently a professor at the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo and the director of Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute. In 2013, he received the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon.
Tadatsugu Taniguchi (谷口 維紹, Taniguchi Tadatsugu; born January 1, 1948 in Wakayama Prefecture) is a Japanese…
Tadatsugu Taniguchi (谷口 維紹, Taniguchi Tadatsugu; born January 1, 1948 in Wakayama Prefecture) is a Japanese immunologist known for his pioneer research on Interferons and Interferon regulatory factors.
Chihiro Sasakawa (笹川 千尋, Sasakawa Chihiro; born January 1948) is a Japanese bacteriologist well known for his…
Chihiro Sasakawa (笹川 千尋, Sasakawa Chihiro; born January 1948) is a Japanese bacteriologist well known for his pioneering research into the invasive mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria and the host’s subsequent immune response to infection. In his work on Shigella species and Helicobacter pylori, Sasakawa was an early adopter of a multi-disciplinary research strategy, combining molecular biology, cellular biology, biochemistry and immunological approaches. This research strategy and his discoveries greatly influenced later research on the invasive mechanisms of other pathogenic bacteria.
Toshiro Fujita. M.D., PhD (1948-) is a Japanese physician-scientist. He is a professor emeritus of The University of…
Toshiro Fujita. M.D., PhD (1948-) is a Japanese physician-scientist. He is a professor emeritus of The University of Tokyo and received the Medal of Honor (Japan) (with purple ribbon). He served as chair and director for Japan Societies of Internal Medicine, Nephrology, Endocrinology and Hypertension.
Okihide Hikosaka is a neuroscience research professor who specializes in the mechanisms of motivation, learning, skill…
Okihide Hikosaka is a neuroscience research professor who specializes in the mechanisms of motivation, learning, skill, decision-making, attention, and oculomotor control. His research into neuronal mechanisms of voluntary behavior and basal ganglia function created breakthroughs in the understanding of the neurochemistry behind information-seeking behavior and the efficacy of grouping motor sequence learning actions (otherwise known as “chunking”) in order to remember more than individual actions. Hikosaka’s research proved that the brain is chemically wired to be rewarded with dopamine for learning information about the future. “This result supports the notion that midbrain dopamine neurons are coding for both primitive and cognitive rewards. So why do dopamine neurons treat information as a reward? It’s easy to see how treating information this way might be a useful evolutionary adaptation. For many animals, each day consists of numerous decisions that pertain to eating, reproducing and socializing. Obviously, having access to more relevant information – such as knowing where the food is located - allows animals to make better decisions. Furthermore, having access to such information might give us better control over our environment, thus increasing our chances of survival.” Hikosaka's research impacts the understanding of drug abuse, Parkinson’s and many other aspects of behavior and brain function and dysfunction.
Mieko Hirano is a former international table tennis player from Japan.
Inoue Nobutaka (Japanese: 井上 順孝; born 1948), is a Japanese scholar of religious studies, who specializes in modern…
Inoue Nobutaka (Japanese: 井上 順孝; born 1948), is a Japanese scholar of religious studies, who specializes in modern Shinto studies. He is a professor emeritus at Kokugakuin University.
Takura Izumi (泉 拓良, Izumi Takura; born 1948) is a Japanese archaeologist and writer. He is a Professor of Archaeology…
Takura Izumi (泉 拓良, Izumi Takura; born 1948) is a Japanese archaeologist and writer. He is a Professor of Archaeology at Kyoto University and Professor Emeritus of Nara University. He specializes in the archeology of prehistoric times, and has authored books on the appearance of Jōmon pottery and the early history of Japan. He is a member of the Japanese Archaeological Association, Japan Society of Scientific Studies on Cultural Properties, West Asian Archaeology Society, Japanese Society for West Asian Archeology, Japan Orient Society, and The Society For Near Eastern Studies on Japan.
Atsunobu Tomomatsu (友松 篤信, Tomomatsu Atsunobu) is a Japanese scholar in international relations. His specializations…
Atsunobu Tomomatsu (友松 篤信, Tomomatsu Atsunobu) is a Japanese scholar in international relations. His specializations are studies of international cooperation, technical cooperation and international exchange. He is professor emeritus at Utsunomiya University, Japan.
Tomoko Yonezu (Japanese: 米津知子, romanized: Yonezu Tomoko; born 1948) is a Japanese human rights activist. A key member…
Tomoko Yonezu (Japanese: 米津知子, romanized: Yonezu Tomoko; born 1948) is a Japanese human rights activist. A key member of ūman ribu, the women's liberation movement in Japan, she advocated for intersectionality within the movement to involve the rights of women with disabilities during the 1970s and 1980s.
Toshikazu Sunada (砂田 利一, Sunada Toshikazu; born September 7, 1948) is a Japanese mathematician and author of many books…
Toshikazu Sunada (砂田 利一, Sunada Toshikazu; born September 7, 1948) is a Japanese mathematician and author of many books and essays on mathematics and mathematical sciences. He is professor emeritus of both Meiji University and Tohoku University. He is also distinguished professor of emeritus at Meiji in recognition of achievement over the course of an academic career. Before he joined Meiji University in 2003, he was professor of mathematics at Nagoya University (1988–1991), at the University of Tokyo (1991–1993), and at Tohoku University (1993–2003). Sunada was involved in the creation of the School of Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences at Meiji University and is its first dean (2013–2017). Since 2019, he is President of Mathematics Education Society of Japan.
Minoru Kitamura (北村稔, Kitamura Minoru; born 1948) is a Japanese historian. He is a professor at Ritsumeikan University…
Minoru Kitamura (北村稔, Kitamura Minoru; born 1948) is a Japanese historian. He is a professor at Ritsumeikan University whose academic speciality is modern Chinese history.
Naohisa Inoue (井上 直久, Inoue Naohisa; born in 1948 in Osaka, Japan) is a fantasy artist influenced by both the…
Naohisa Inoue (井上 直久, Inoue Naohisa; born in 1948 in Osaka, Japan) is a fantasy artist influenced by both the Surrealism and Impressionism movements. Most of his paintings are set in the fantastical land of Iblard (イバラード, Ibarādo). He created reference and background art for the Studio Ghibli film Whisper of the Heart and also provided a cameo appearance as the voice of Minami. More recently, his works were given a more direct adaptation in the short film The Day I Harvested a Star (星をかった日, Hoshi o Katta Hi) which is shown exclusively at the Ghibli Museum. He directed the 2007 OVA Iblard Jikan, produced by Studio Ghibli. Inoue is currently a professor at Seian University of Art and Design. He attended the Kanazawa College of Art from 1971 to 1973.
Shinjiro Ono (小野 新次郎, Ono Shinjirō; 1947/1948 – 3 June 2022) was the deputy commissioner of the Japan Patent Office…
Shinjiro Ono (小野 新次郎, Ono Shinjirō; 1947/1948 – 3 June 2022) was the deputy commissioner of the Japan Patent Office from June 2002 until October 2005. He served in numerous positions in the Japan Patent Office and as the First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Japan in Geneva, Switzerland. Ono worked with a Japanese patent firm.
Kiyoshi Yoshimoti (吉用 清, Yoshimochi Kiyoshi; 1948 in Usa, Ōita, Japan – 4 January 2020 in Usa, Ōita, Japan) was a…
Kiyoshi Yoshimoti (吉用 清, Yoshimochi Kiyoshi; 1948 in Usa, Ōita, Japan – 4 January 2020 in Usa, Ōita, Japan) was a Japanese swordsman. His father, Gosho Motoharu, is one of the more important master of koryū budō of the region, being menkyo kaiden and shihan of two important schools, the Niten Ichi-ryū and the Sekiguchi-ryū. Since his youth, Yoshimoti Kiyoshi practiced budō under his father's care, reaching menkyo kaiden in both Niten Ichi-ryū and Sekiguchi-ryū. In 2007, attending to a request of the Ōita Kendo Association, the Kiyonaga family, the family of the late 9th sōke of the Niten Ichi-ryū (Kiyonaga Tadanao) and of the 11th successor (Kiyonaga Fumiya), chose Kiyoshi Yoshimoti to reestablish the main line of this school in Ōita. He became the 12th successor of Miyamoto Musashi, reintegrating his family line, the Gosho-ha Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū and the Seito line.
Masao Miyamoto (宮本 政於, Miyamoto Masao; 1948 – July 18, 1999) was a Japanese psychiatrist, cultural critic, and one-time…
Masao Miyamoto (宮本 政於, Miyamoto Masao; 1948 – July 18, 1999) was a Japanese psychiatrist, cultural critic, and one-time deputy director for Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生省 Kōseishō). Miyamoto graduated from Nihon University Medical College (日本大学医学部 Nihon Daigaku Igakubu) in Tokyo in 1973 ja:宮本政於. He subsequently spent a year in post-graduate training for pathology before moving to the United States where he spent three years studying psychiatry and psychoanalysis at Yale University. Upon completion, he took the position of assistant professor at Cornell University in 1980. In 1984, he accepted a position as assistant professor at New York Medical College. In 1986, he joined the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as deputy director of the Mental Health Division. In 1992, he began writing a series of articles critical of Japan's bureaucratic culture for the monthly magazine Gekkan Asahi. These were later published in the best-selling book Oyakusho no Okite (お役所の掟) or "Code of the Bureaucrats", which was later published in English under the title Straitjacket Society. Following the publication of his articles, he experienced a series of demotions and was finally fired by the Ministry in February 1995. After being fired, he published a second book in 1997 titled Oyakusho no Seishinbunseki (お役所の精神分析) or Psychoanalyzing the Bureaucrats . This second book has not yet been translated into English. He spent the remainder of his life giving lectures on Japanese society and the Japanese bureaucracy. Dr. Miyamoto died in Paris from colorectal cancer on July 18, 1999.