Anna Nagata (永田 杏奈, Nagata Anna; born 29 March 1982) is a Japanese actress best known for her performances in One…Anna Nagata (永田 杏奈, Nagata Anna; born 29 March 1982) is a Japanese actress best known for her performances in One Missed Call and Battle Royale.
Hideaki Takizawa (滝沢 秀明, Takizawa Hideaki; born 29 March 1982), also known professionally as Tackey (タッキー), is a…Hideaki Takizawa (滝沢 秀明, Takizawa Hideaki; born 29 March 1982), also known professionally as Tackey (タッキー), is a Japanese businessman, record producer and former singer and actor. He is the president of the Japanese talent agency Tobe. Takizawa debuted as an actor in 1995, and in 2002, he made his musical debut as the duo Tackey & Tsubasa with Tsubasa Imai. In 2018, Takizawa retired from entertainment and became the founder and president of Johnny's Island, a subdivision of Johnny & Associates, of which he oversaw the debuts of Snow Man and SixTones. In July 2019, he was made the vice president of Johnny & Associates, a position he held until he resigned in November 2022 to pursue other career ventures.
Mitsuhide Hirasawa (平澤 光秀, Hirasawa Mitsuhide; born 27 March 1982) is a Japanese former professional wrestler. He is…Mitsuhide Hirasawa (平澤 光秀, Hirasawa Mitsuhide; born 27 March 1982) is a Japanese former professional wrestler. He is best known for his two stints with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and a brief stint with World Wrestling Council (WWC). Hirasawa wrestled as a jobber, under the mask superhero, Captain New Japan (キャプテン・ニュージャパン, Kyaputen Nyū Japan). He has also worked under another mask as Bone Soldier, and unmasked under his real name, as well as the ring name Hideo Saito (ヒデオ・サイトー, Hideo Saitō). He is also known for his brief tenure with New Japan's stables Chaos and Bullet Club, but was kicked out for his poor performance.
Kurara Chibana (知花 くらら, Chibana Kurara) is a Japanese TV correspondent and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned…Kurara Chibana (知花 くらら, Chibana Kurara) is a Japanese TV correspondent and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Japan 2006 and competed at Miss Universe 2006 where she finished as the first runner-up.
Kayoko Fukushi (福士 加代子, Fukushi Kayoko; born 25 March 1982 in Itayanagi, Aomori) is a Japanese long-distance runner…Kayoko Fukushi (福士 加代子, Fukushi Kayoko; born 25 March 1982 in Itayanagi, Aomori) is a Japanese long-distance runner, who specializes in the 5000, 10,000 metres and marathon. Fukushi represented Japan at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics. She holds a marathon best of 2:22:17 hours. Fukushi won two silver medals at the 2002 Asian Games and then won the 10,000 m gold medal at the 2006 edition. She is a former world record holder in the 15 km road race and is the Japanese record holder in the 5000 m, 10,000 m, and 10K road distance. Fukushi is also a six-time national champion over the 5000 m. In addition, she has run more sub 34 minute 10,000 m runs in competition than any other woman in the world (as of 2014 this mark stands at 44). She was chosen as the torch lighter for the 2003 Asian Winter Games which was held in Aomori Prefecture, her home region.
Ken'ichirō Ōhashi (大橋 賢一郎, Ōhashi Ken'ichirō; born March 24, 1982), better known by the stage name Kenn (ケン, Ken)…Ken'ichirō Ōhashi (大橋 賢一郎, Ōhashi Ken'ichirō; born March 24, 1982), better known by the stage name Kenn (ケン, Ken), stylized as KENN, is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer from Tokyo, Japan.
Kōzō Takahashi (高橋幸造, Takahashi Kōzō; born (1982-03-21)21 March 1982) is a former Japanese male volleyball player who…Kōzō Takahashi (高橋幸造, Takahashi Kōzō; born (1982-03-21)21 March 1982) is a former Japanese male volleyball player who played the position of setter. He was part of the Japan men's national volleyball team. On club level he played for Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza.
Kazuhiro Maeda (Japanese: 前田 和浩; born 19 April 1981) is a Japanese long-distance runner. Born in Shiroishi, Saga, Maeda…Kazuhiro Maeda (Japanese: 前田 和浩; born 19 April 1981) is a Japanese long-distance runner. Born in Shiroishi, Saga, Maeda made his international debut at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics, where he ran in the heats of the 5000 metres. He won the Karatsu 10-Miler in 2003. He was part of the Japanese men's team for the short race at the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. At the 2006 Asian Games he ran in the 5000 m and came in fourth place – however, he was the best Asian-born runner in the race as all the medallists were Kenyan emigrants to Qatar and Bahrain. Maeda competed twice at world level for Japan in 2007: he finished seventeenth in the 10,000 metres at the 2007 World Championships and then came 30th at the 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships in Udine. He made his marathon debut in 2009 at the Tokyo Marathon and he secured second place behind Salim Kipsang with a time of 2:11:01 hours. This automatically gained him a place for that year's World Championships team. He finished well off the pace at the 2009 World Championships Marathon, taking 39th place and crossing the line some eight minutes behind Japan's best performer Atsushi Sato. Maeda came third at the 2011 Beppu-Ōita Marathon as the first Japanese home on the 60th anniversary of the race and improved his personal best time to 2:10:29 hours. He was the third Japanese runner to finish at the Fukuoka Marathon later that year, coming sixth overall. A personal best time of 2:08:38 hours came at the 2012 Tokyo Marathon, where his sixth-place finish (the second Japanese home) improved his Olympic selection chances. Ultimately he was not selected for the Olympics and he ran at that year's Amsterdam Marathon instead, although he only managed 15th place. A new personal best of 2:08:00 came at the 2013 Tokyo Marathon, where he was the first Japanese with his fourth-place finish.
Conisch (コーニッシュ, Kōnisshu; born April 19, 1981) is a Japanese composer, arranger, music producer, pianist and…Conisch (コーニッシュ, Kōnisshu; born April 19, 1981) is a Japanese composer, arranger, music producer, pianist and keyboardist. His real name is Hiroaki Konishi (小西宏明, Konishi Hiroaki).
Hōmashō Noriyuki (born April 16, 1981 as Yōsuke Yamamoto in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan), is a former sumo…Hōmashō Noriyuki (born April 16, 1981 as Yōsuke Yamamoto in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan), is a former sumo wrestler. He turned professional in March 2004 and reached the top makuuchi division in May 2006 as the first sekitori from Shikoroyama stable, without any losing scores on his record. His highest rank was komusubi. He earned seven special prizes in his top division career and was a runner-up in three tournaments. In March 2014 he took the championship in the jūryō division. Hōmashō was a popular wrestler among sumo fans, and was noted for his deep and graceful bow at the end of a match. Upon his retirement in January 2015 he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name of Tatsutagawa.
Manabu Iwadate (岩舘 学, Iwadate Manabu; born April 14, 1981) is a Japanese professional baseball manager and former…Manabu Iwadate (岩舘 学, Iwadate Manabu; born April 14, 1981) is a Japanese professional baseball manager and former infielder who is a coach for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball. He played for the Yomiuri Giants and the Fighters during his playing career.
Shinjirō Koizumi (Japanese: 小泉 進次郎, Hepburn: Koizumi Shinjirō; born 14 April 1981) is a Japanese politician serving as…Shinjirō Koizumi (Japanese: 小泉 進次郎, Hepburn: Koizumi Shinjirō; born 14 April 1981) is a Japanese politician serving as the Minister of Defense since October 2025. He previously served as the Minister of the Environment from September 2019 to October 2021 and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from May to October 2025. He has also served as a Member of the House of Representatives for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), representing Kanagawa since 2009. He is the second son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and the younger brother of actor Kotaro Koizumi. After graduating from Kanto Gakuin University and Columbia University, Koizumi worked as a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and became active politically as Young Leader of the Pacific Forum CSIS. He also spent time working as a political secretary for his father in the final years of his second term as prime minister. In the 2009 election, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the seat his father had occupied for more than 35 years. Koizumi was appointed as a Vice-Minister for Reconstruction after the election of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2012, focusing on the northeastern region of Japan that was devastated by the March 2011 tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster. He publicly opposed his father's calls for Japan to abandon nuclear energy immediately. In 2019, Abe appointed Koizumi to the cabinet as Minister of the Environment, a role he retained when Yoshihide Suga succeeded Abe as prime minister in September 2020. Koizumi endorsed Taro Kono in the 2021 LDP leadership election, which resulted in Fumio Kishida becoming prime minister. He subsequently left the cabinet and returned to backbench politics. Koizumi ran as a candidate in the 2024 LDP presidential election to succeed Kishida and placed third, losing the first round to Sanae Takaichi and Shigeru Ishiba, with the latter leading the final runoff. The LDP would lose its majority in the 2024 general election, after which Koizumi resigned as head of the party's Election Strategy committee. After working at the LDP's political reform headquarters, he was made Minister of Agriculture by Ishiba in May 2025. Following Ishiba's announcement of his resignation, Koizumi again ran as a candidate in the 2025 LDP presidential election, this time losing to Takaichi in the runoff. Takaichi subsequently appointed Koizumi as Minister of Defense.
Hisashi Iwakuma (岩隈 久志, Iwakuma Hisashi; born April 12, 1981) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He…Hisashi Iwakuma (岩隈 久志, Iwakuma Hisashi; born April 12, 1981) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes from 2000 to 2004, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles from 2005 to 2011, and Yomiuri Giants in 2019, and all of his time in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners from 2012 to 2017. Iwakuma retired in 2020 due to lingering shoulder issues that had prevented him from playing that year. Iwakuma made his professional debut with the Buffaloes in 2000. He was named a NPB All-Star in 2003 and 2004, and played in the 2004 Athens Olympics. He joined the Eagles in 2005. As the Eagles' reigning staff ace, Iwakuma won the Eiji Sawamura Award in 2008, and was also a NPB All-Star that year. He appeared in the 2009 World Baseball Classic for Japan. Iwakuma was posted to MLB after the 2010 season, but he failed to come to an agreement with the winning bidder. After the 2011 season, Iwakuma signed with the Mariners. He was an All-Star in 2013, as well as the third-place finisher for the 2013 American League Cy Young Award. On August 12, 2015, Iwakuma became the second Japanese player ever to pitch a no-hitter in MLB (joining Hideo Nomo, who threw two), throwing a three-walk, seven-strikeout 3–0 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Safeco Field. It was also his first MLB complete game and the Mariners' fifth no-hitter in team history.
Shinya Tsuruoka (鶴岡 慎也, born April 11, 1981, in Kagoshima, Japan) is a Japanese professional baseball catcher for the…Shinya Tsuruoka (鶴岡 慎也, born April 11, 1981, in Kagoshima, Japan) is a Japanese professional baseball catcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
Miyuki Yanagita (柳田 美幸, Yanagita Miyuki; born April 11, 1981) is a former Japanese football player. She played for…Miyuki Yanagita (柳田 美幸, Yanagita Miyuki; born April 11, 1981) is a former Japanese football player. She played for Japan national team.
Kosuke Iwase (岩瀬浩介, Iwase Kosuke; born April 8, 1981 in Ibaraki) is a Japanese former professional football player. He…Kosuke Iwase (岩瀬浩介, Iwase Kosuke; born April 8, 1981 in Ibaraki) is a Japanese former professional football player. He is currently the chairman of the Blaublitz Akita, a Japanese association football team based in Akita, Akita.
Satoshi Yamazaki (山崎 敏, Yamazaki Satoshi; born in Gunma, Japan) is a Japanese professional Nippon Professional Baseball…Satoshi Yamazaki (山崎 敏, Yamazaki Satoshi; born in Gunma, Japan) is a Japanese professional Nippon Professional Baseball player. He is 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) in height and currently with the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League.
Naoko Kawashima (born 7 April 1981) is a Japanese synchronized swimmer who competed in the 2004 and 2008 Summer…Naoko Kawashima (born 7 April 1981) is a Japanese synchronized swimmer who competed in the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics.
Kazuki Watanabe (渡辺和樹, Watanabe Kazuki; April 7, 1981 – October 31, 2000), known by his stage name Kazuki (華月), was a…Kazuki Watanabe (渡辺和樹, Watanabe Kazuki; April 7, 1981 – October 31, 2000), known by his stage name Kazuki (華月), was a Japanese musician known as guitarist and lead songwriter of the visual kei rock band Raphael. The group became quite popular, with all their releases entering the top 40 of the Oricon chart, before disbanding after Kazuki died at the age of 19.
Kosei Nakamura (中村 幸聖, Nakamura Kōsei; born April 5, 1981) is a Japanese football coach and former football player, who…Kosei Nakamura (中村 幸聖, Nakamura Kōsei; born April 5, 1981) is a Japanese football coach and former football player, who is the assistant coach of BG Tampines Rovers, Singapore and the head coach of BG Tampines Rovers II.
Hoshiko Yamane (山根星子, Yamane Hoshiko; born 4 April 1981) is a Japanese violinist, composer and performer based in…Hoshiko Yamane (山根星子, Yamane Hoshiko; born 4 April 1981) is a Japanese violinist, composer and performer based in Berlin. She has been a member of Tangerine Dream since 2011.
Ryōko Shintani (新谷良子, Shintani Ryōko; born March 31, 1981) is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Kanazawa…Ryōko Shintani (新谷良子, Shintani Ryōko; born March 31, 1981) is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Kanazawa, Ishikawa. She is under the Lantis and Vi-vo Recording Label and famous as the voice of Milfeulle Sakuraba in the Galaxy Angel Series. She also sang along with Yukari Tamura, Miyuki Sawashiro, Mayumi Yamaguchi and Mika Kanai as the group Angel-Tai.
Takahito Kudo (工藤 隆人, Kudo Takahito; born March 30, 1981 in Kuroishi, Aomori) is a retired Nippon Professional Baseball…Takahito Kudo (工藤 隆人, Kudo Takahito; born March 30, 1981 in Kuroishi, Aomori) is a retired Nippon Professional Baseball player. He played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Yomiuri Giants, Chiba Lotte Marines and Chunichi Dragons over a 14-year professional career.
Atsushi Abe (阿部 敦, Abe Atsushi; born March 25, 1981) is a Japanese voice actor and narrator represented by Ken…Atsushi Abe (阿部 敦, Abe Atsushi; born March 25, 1981) is a Japanese voice actor and narrator represented by Ken Production. Some of his major roles include Toma Kamijo in the A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun series, Kukai Soma in Shugo Chara!, Moritaka Mashiro in Bakuman, Takashi Kosuda in B Gata H Kei, Koichi Sakakibara in Another, Touichirou Izumida in Yowamushi Pedal, and Kokonotsu Shikada in Dagashi Kashi. Abe has used aliases for some of his work, especially when voicing adult games, visual novels, and drama CDs. He has also been credited as Jun Teradake (寺竹 順, Teradake Jun), Hakana Kannagi (神凪 儚, Kannagi Hakana), Magic (マジック, Majikku), Kaoru Nagihara (凪原 薫, Nagihara Kaoru), and Tatsumi Shirogane (銀 巽, Shirogane Tatsumi).
Takeshi Honda (本田 武史, Honda Takeshi; born 23 March 1981) is a former Japanese competitive figure skater. He is a…Takeshi Honda (本田 武史, Honda Takeshi; born 23 March 1981) is a former Japanese competitive figure skater. He is a two-time World bronze medalist (2002, 2003), two-time Four Continents champion (1999, 2003), and six-time Japanese national champion.
Shinya Taniguchi (谷口 晋矢, Taniguchi Shin'ya; 23 March 1981 – 4 September 2013) was a Japanese swimmer who competed in…Shinya Taniguchi (谷口 晋矢, Taniguchi Shin'ya; 23 March 1981 – 4 September 2013) was a Japanese swimmer who competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Kiyoteru Higuchi (樋口 清輝, Higuchi Kiyoteru; born March 22, 1981) is a male Japanese Taekwondo practitioner. He won the…Kiyoteru Higuchi (樋口 清輝, Higuchi Kiyoteru; born March 22, 1981) is a male Japanese Taekwondo practitioner. He won the bronze medal in the men's bantamweight division (-62 kg) at the 2001 World Taekwondo Championships held in Jeju City, South Korea. Higuchi competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Ryūhei Tamura (Japanese: 田村 隆平, Hepburn: Tamura Ryūhei; born April 19, 1980) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best…Ryūhei Tamura (Japanese: 田村 隆平, Hepburn: Tamura Ryūhei; born April 19, 1980) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for being the author and illustrator of the manga Beelzebub, which was first published as a one-shot in Weekly Shōnen Jump, 2008. It was then serialized in 2009. Tamura was formerly an assistant/student to Toshiaki Iwashiro, the author of Psyren, which was also serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump.
Shogo Kimura (木村 昇吾, Kimura Shōgo; born April 16, 1980 in Osaka, Osaka, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball…Shogo Kimura (木村 昇吾, Kimura Shōgo; born April 16, 1980 in Osaka, Osaka, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player and cricketer. He plays infielder for the Saitama Seibu Lions. He took up cricket with the Japan Cricket Association after going unsigned following his release by the Seibu Lions. In September 2022, he was named in Japan's T20I squad for the 2022–23 ICC Men's T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier. Kimura was part of Japan's squad against the Indonesia cricket team that toured Japan in October 2022 to play a three-match Twenty20 International series. He made his T20I debut on 10 October 2022, in the second T20I of the series against Indonesia.
Masayuki Kono (河野 真幸, Kōno Masayuki; born April 12, 1980 in Noboribetsu, Hokkaidō) is a Japanese professional wrestler…Masayuki Kono (河野 真幸, Kōno Masayuki; born April 12, 1980 in Noboribetsu, Hokkaidō) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is working as a freelancer. He is best known for his time in Wrestle-1, where he is a former two-time Wrestle-1 Champion.
Keiji Tamada (玉田 圭司, Tamada Keiji; born 11 April 1980) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a…Keiji Tamada (玉田 圭司, Tamada Keiji; born 11 April 1980) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward. As of 2024, he is the manager of Shohei High School's football team, who plays in the Prince Takamado JFA U-18 Premier League.
Miracle Hikaru (ミラクルひかる, Mirakuru Hikaru) (born 9 April 1980), is a Japanese impressionist of the comedic performing…Miracle Hikaru (ミラクルひかる, Mirakuru Hikaru) (born 9 April 1980), is a Japanese impressionist of the comedic performing arts from Toyooka, Hyōgo. She is best known for her impersonation of Hikaru Utada. Her professional activities are currently managed by Jinsei Pro. Prior to her career as an Impressionist, she was a hairstylist. She initially came to Tokyo to gain a position as a stylist at a renowned hair salon. Miracle has been noted to have a sheep phobia. On January 23, 2008, Miracle Hikaru released "Miracle (1)," a hip-hop album in the mimicry style of Hikaru Utada. It has 8 tracks, distributed by King Records.
Yuta Yazaki (矢嵜 雄大, Yazaki Yūta; born 8 April 1980) is a Japanese judoka. He won a gold medal at the -90 kg category of…Yuta Yazaki (矢嵜 雄大, Yazaki Yūta; born 8 April 1980) is a Japanese judoka. He won a gold medal at the -90 kg category of the 2002 Asian Games. He is from Toshima, Tokyo. He became famous with Keiji Suzuki and Yasuyuki Muneta, when he was a student of high school. After graduation from Meiji University, He belongs to Ryotokuji Gakuen.
Mariko Seyama (脊山 麻理子, Seyama Mariko; born April 8, 1980, in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese announcer and former…Mariko Seyama (脊山 麻理子, Seyama Mariko; born April 8, 1980, in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese announcer and former model who is represented by the talent agency Shabell. She was an announcer for Nippon Television.
Tetsuji Tamayama (玉山 鉄二, Tamayama Tetsuji; born April 7, 1980) is a Japanese TV, film actor and model. He joined…Tetsuji Tamayama (玉山 鉄二, Tamayama Tetsuji; born April 7, 1980) is a Japanese TV, film actor and model. He joined modeling competitions and was active in Checkmate and other fashion magazines. In 2001, Tamayama debuted in Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger as Tsukumaro Ogami/GaoSilver. He continued to star in more movies and TV dramas such as Casshern, Tokyo Love Cinema, and Rockers.
Terunosuke Takezai (Japanese: 竹財 輝之助, Hepburn: Takezai Terunosuke) is a Japanese actor. He made his acting debut in the…Terunosuke Takezai (Japanese: 竹財 輝之助, Hepburn: Takezai Terunosuke) is a Japanese actor. He made his acting debut in the 2004 show, Kamen Rider Blade. He's also famous for his lead role in the Pornographer series.
Hirotaka Usui (臼井 弘貴, Usui Hirotaka; born 6 April 1980) is a Japanese football manager. He was once in charge of…Hirotaka Usui (臼井 弘貴, Usui Hirotaka; born 6 April 1980) is a Japanese football manager. He was once in charge of Singapore Premier League side Geylang International, and is currently employed as the Assistant Manager of J2 League side Blaublitz Akita.
Yasuhiro Yoshiura (吉浦 康裕, Yoshiura Yasuhiro) (born 3 April 1980) is a Japanese writer and director of animated short…Yasuhiro Yoshiura (吉浦 康裕, Yoshiura Yasuhiro) (born 3 April 1980) is a Japanese writer and director of animated short films. Many of his works such as Pale Cocoon and Time of Eve have garnered awards and featured at film festivals. His production studio is called Studio Rikka. Yoshiura is known for maintaining a high degree of creative control over his projects, often personally handling the screenplay, cinematography, and editing. In a May 2026 interview, he explained that this "indie-style" approach allows him to ensure his original artistic vision remains intact throughout the production process. He also emphasized that his creative routine is deeply influenced by his interest in how technology integrates into daily life, which he uses to ground his science-fiction concepts in reality.
Yuuko Ishibashi (石橋優子, Ishibashi Yūko) is a Japanese singer, born April 3, 1980, in Tokyo, with a four octave vocal…Yuuko Ishibashi (石橋優子, Ishibashi Yūko) is a Japanese singer, born April 3, 1980, in Tokyo, with a four octave vocal range. She is most well known for her vocal performances in Gust-produced video games such as the Ar tonelico series and Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm. She has also performed in various Japanese television advertisements and events, theater, and children's programmes. Her debut album Haruka naru Toki no Utagoe was released January 2008. She is the younger sister of Chie Ishibashi, better known as Chie Sawaguchi.
