Kotomi Kyono (京野ことみ, Kyōno Kotomi; born 18 October 1978) is a Japanese actress and occasional J-Pop singer (making her…Kotomi Kyono (京野ことみ, Kyōno Kotomi; born 18 October 1978) is a Japanese actress and occasional J-Pop singer (making her debut on 20 November 1992). She was born in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan. She has appeared in numerous TV series, including the 1999 drama Ring: The Final Chapter (Ring: Saishûshô).
Takeshi Morishima (森嶋 猛, Morishima Takeshi) (born October 15, 1978) is a Japanese former professional wrestler.…Takeshi Morishima (森嶋 猛, Morishima Takeshi) (born October 15, 1978) is a Japanese former professional wrestler. Morishima is best known for his work with Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a former three-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. He has also performed for Ring of Honor (ROH) in the United States in the past where he was a one-time ROH World Champion.
Hisashi Takeda (武田 久, Takeda Hisashi; born October 14, 1978) is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher with…Hisashi Takeda (武田 久, Takeda Hisashi; born October 14, 1978) is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's Pacific League.
Maki Eguchi (江口真紀, born 14 October 1978) is a Japanese former basketball player who competed in the 2004 Summer…Maki Eguchi (江口真紀, born 14 October 1978) is a Japanese former basketball player who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Jun Toba (鳥羽 潤, Toba Jun; born October 13, 1978 in Arida, Wakayama, Japan) is a Japanese actor and musician who is…Jun Toba (鳥羽 潤, Toba Jun; born October 13, 1978 in Arida, Wakayama, Japan) is a Japanese actor and musician who is represented by the talent agencies, Amuse, Inc., and later, Office Nigun Niiba.
Kie Kusakabe (日下部 基栄, Kusakabe Kie; born 11 October 1978 in Fukuoka) is a Japanese judoka. She won a –57 kg category…Kie Kusakabe (日下部 基栄, Kusakabe Kie; born 11 October 1978 in Fukuoka) is a Japanese judoka. She won a –57 kg category bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Kusakabe is a graduate of Junshin Junior College. She was an officer of the Fukuoka Prefectural Police. She retired from the police in March 2005 and got married in October 2005.
Kumiko Kashiwagi (柏木 久美子, Kashiwagi Kumiko; born 9 October 1978 in Tokyo) is a Japanese alpine skier. She competed in…Kumiko Kashiwagi (柏木 久美子, Kashiwagi Kumiko; born 9 October 1978 in Tokyo) is a Japanese alpine skier. She competed in slalom, giant slalom, and super-G at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.
Kei Horie (堀江 慶, Horie Kei; born 4 October 1978 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese writer, film producer, director, editor…Kei Horie (堀江 慶, Horie Kei; born 4 October 1978 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese writer, film producer, director, editor and former actor. He is known as Gaku Washio/GaoYellow in 2001's Super Sentai's series, Hyakujuu Sentai GaoRanger. He reprised his role on one more occasion in the Super Sentai teamup, Hurricanger vs Gaoranger in 2003. His older brother, Kazuma Horie, is a voice actor.
Aminishiki Ryūji (born October 3, 1978, as Ryūji Suginomori) is a retired Japanese sumo wrestler and the oyakata of the…Aminishiki Ryūji (born October 3, 1978, as Ryūji Suginomori) is a retired Japanese sumo wrestler and the oyakata of the Ajigawa stable. He made his professional debut in 1997 and reached the top makuuchi division in 2000. He earned twelve special prizes and won eight kinboshi or gold stars for defeating yokozuna. He was twice runner-up in a tournament. The highest rank he reached was sekiwake. After more than 22 years as an active wrestler he retired in July 2019 at the age of 40. He is in the all-time top ten for a number of sumo records, including most career wins, most top division appearances and most tournaments ranked in the top division. He wrestled for Isegahama stable.
Chūya Koyama (小山 宙哉, Koyama Chūya; born 30 September 1978) is a Japanese writer, best known for his Space Brothers…Chūya Koyama (小山 宙哉, Koyama Chūya; born 30 September 1978) is a Japanese writer, best known for his Space Brothers series, published regularly from 2007 to 2026. On 2 November 2016 his artwork was carried into space by the H-IIA rocket carrying the Himawari-9 weather satellite as part of an outreach project organized by the Young Astronauts Club Japan.
Kiyofumi Ohno (オーノキヨフミ, 大野清文, Ôno Kiyofumi; born September 29, 1978) is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter from Kitami…Kiyofumi Ohno (オーノキヨフミ, 大野清文, Ôno Kiyofumi; born September 29, 1978) is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter from Kitami, Hokkaido. He came out with the song "Heibon" in 2004.
Masaaki Kato (加藤 正明, Kato Masaaki; born December 22, 1958) is a former Japanese football player. He played for the…Masaaki Kato (加藤 正明, Kato Masaaki; born December 22, 1958) is a former Japanese football player. He played for the Japan national team.
Akiko Iwamoto (岩本 亜希子, Iwamoto Akiko; born September 25, 1978) is a Japanese rower. She was born in Nagano Prefecture.…Akiko Iwamoto (岩本 亜希子, Iwamoto Akiko; born September 25, 1978) is a Japanese rower. She was born in Nagano Prefecture. She competed in the Women's lightweight double sculls at the 2012 Summer Olympics, reaching the semi-finals with her teammate Atsumi Fukumoto and ranking 12th overall. She competed in the same event at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, finishing 9th, 14th and 13th respectively. She won a silver medal in the Women's double sculls at the 2002 Asian Games. She also won a silver medal in the Women's lightweight double sculls at the 2006 Asian Games, and another silver medal in the Women's lightweight double sculls at the 2010 Asian Games.
Hiroshi Sasano (笹野 浩志, Sasano Hiroshi; born 23 September 1978 in Aichi Prefecture) is a Japanese middle-distance…Hiroshi Sasano (笹野 浩志, Sasano Hiroshi; born 23 September 1978 in Aichi Prefecture) is a Japanese middle-distance runner. He was a three-time Japanese national champion in the 800 metres.
Ōga Atsushi (born 22 October 1977 as Atsushi Moriyasu) is a former sumo wrestler from Nogata, Fukuoka, Japan. His…Ōga Atsushi (born 22 October 1977 as Atsushi Moriyasu) is a former sumo wrestler from Nogata, Fukuoka, Japan. His highest rank was jūryō 6. He was well known to sumo audiences for his performance of the bow twirling ceremony (yumitori-shiki) which takes place at the end of every tournament day, a role he began in 2004. It is normally performed by an apprentice ranked in the makushita division or below, but Ōga continued to do it even after promotion to the jūryō division.
Kenji Fukuda (福田 健二, Fukuda Kenji; born October 21, 1977) is a former Japanese football player. He is a left-footed…Kenji Fukuda (福田 健二, Fukuda Kenji; born October 21, 1977) is a former Japanese football player. He is a left-footed forward.
Makoto Sasamoto (笹本 睦, Sasamoto Makoto; born January 21, 1977, in Sagamihara, Kanagawa) is an amateur Japanese…Makoto Sasamoto (笹本 睦, Sasamoto Makoto; born January 21, 1977, in Sagamihara, Kanagawa) is an amateur Japanese Greco-Roman wrestler, who competed in the men's lightweight category. He is a three-time Olympian, a two-time Asian Games medalist (2002 in Busan, South Korea and 2006 in Doha, Qatar), and a bronze medalist at the 2005 Asian Wrestling Championships in Wuhan, China. He also won a silver medal for his division at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, losing out to Georgia's David Bedinadze. Sasamoto is a member of the wrestling team for Sogokeibi Sports Club in Tokyo, and is coached and trained by Hideo Fujimoto. Sasamoto made his official debut for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he placed second in the four-man prelim pool of the men's 58 kg class, against Bulgarian wrestler and two-time Olympic champion Armen Nazaryan, Turkmenistan's Nepes Gukulov, and Australia's Brett Cash. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Sasamoto switched to a heavier class by competing in the 60 kg class. He reached the knock-out stage of the competition, by winning the preliminary pool round against Peru's Sidney Guzman, and Serbia and Montenegro's Davor Štefanek. He lost a controversial ruling to Nazaryan in the quarterfinal match, with a score of 3–5, but bounced back to clinch the fifth spot in a consolation playoff against Kazakhstan's Nurlan Koizhaiganov with a comfortable 4–0 decision. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Sasamoto defeated Armenia's Karen Mnatsakanyan in the qualifying rounds of the men's 60 kg class, before losing out his next match for the third consecutive time to Nazaryan, with a three-set technical score (4–0, 0–2, 0–2), and a classification point score of 1–3.
Takamasa Suga (須賀 貴匡, Suga Takamasa; born 19 October 1977, in Edogawa-ku, Tokyo) is a Japanese actor who had several…Takamasa Suga (須賀 貴匡, Suga Takamasa; born 19 October 1977, in Edogawa-ku, Tokyo) is a Japanese actor who had several lead roles, most prominently as the protagonist Shinji Kido in Kamen Rider Ryuki.
Hiroyuki Hirayama (平山浩行, Hirayama Hiroyuki; born 17 October 1977) is a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 40…Hiroyuki Hirayama (平山浩行, Hirayama Hiroyuki; born 17 October 1977) is a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 40 films since 2003.
John Clayton Mayer ( MAY-ər; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended…John Clayton Mayer ( MAY-ər; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he left for Atlanta in 1997 with fellow guitarist Clay Cook, with whom he formed the short-lived rock duo Lo-Fi Masters. After their split, Mayer continued to play at local clubs, refining his skills and gaining a minor following. He performed at the 2000 South by Southwest festival, and was subsequently signed by Aware Records, an imprint of Columbia Records through which he released his debut extended play (EP), Inside Wants Out (1999). His first two studio albums—Room for Squares (2001) and Heavier Things (2003)—were both met with critical and commercial success. The former album spawned the single "Your Body Is a Wonderland", which won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards, while the latter album peaked atop the Billboard 200. By 2005, Mayer had moved away from the acoustic music that characterized his early records, and further delved into the blues and rock music that had originally influenced him. Forming the John Mayer Trio, he released the live album Try! (2005) and his third studio album, Continuum (2006). The latter was met with positive critical reception and was nominated for Album of the Year, and won both Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for its single "Waiting on the World to Change" at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. It was followed by Battle Studies (2009), which marked his return to pop. After having several controversial incidents with the media, Mayer withdrew from public life in 2010 and drew inspiration from the 1970s pop music of Laurel Canyon for the sound of his fifth studio album, Born and Raised (2012). Discovery of a granuloma on his vocal cords delayed the release of the album until May 2012, and forced him to cancel its accompanying tour. Despite favorable reception and becoming his second release to peak atop the Billboard 200, the album was less commercially successful than his previous work. Mayer recovered in January 2013 and released his sixth studio album, Paradise Valley in August of that year, which peaked at number two on the chart and incorporated country, folk, and Americana influences. His seventh album, The Search for Everything (2017) was a loose concept album based around themes of a romantic break-up. His eighth, Sob Rock (2021), was inspired by 1980s soft rock music. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Mayer at number 61 on "The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list. Outside of his solo career, Mayer has produced and provided music for various artists spanning multiple genres, such as Frank Ocean, Kanye West, Travis Scott, Alicia Keys, Jack Harlow, Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, Harry Styles, Daniel Caesar, Khalid, Jhené Aiko, Barbra Streisand, and Alex Warren, among others. In 2015, three former members of the Grateful Dead joined with Mayer and two other musicians to form the band Dead & Company. It was the latest of several reunions of the band's surviving members since Jerry Garcia's death in 1995. Mayer's secondary career pursuits extend to television hosting, comedy, and writing; he has authored columns for magazines such as Esquire. He supports various causes and has performed at charity benefits. He is a watch aficionado (with a collection he values in the "tens of millions" of dollars), contributing to the watch site Hodinkee, has been on the jury at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, and was appointed as the Creative Conduit of Audemars Piguet in 2024. By 2014, he had sold a total of over 20 million albums worldwide.
Kojiro Kaimoto (海本 幸治郎, Kaimoto Kojiro; born October 14, 1977) is a former Japanese football player. His elder brother…Kojiro Kaimoto (海本 幸治郎, Kaimoto Kojiro; born October 14, 1977) is a former Japanese football player. His elder brother Keiji is also a former footballer.
Kazuki Hoshino (星野一樹 - Hoshino Kazuki; born October 13, 1977) is a semi-retired Japanese professional racing driver and…Kazuki Hoshino (星野一樹 - Hoshino Kazuki; born October 13, 1977) is a semi-retired Japanese professional racing driver and current team principal (team director) of Team Impul in the Super GT Series and Super Formula Championship. He is the son of former racing driver and Impul co-founder, Kazuyoshi Hoshino. He is a two-time Super GT GT300 class champion (2008, 2010), a four-time Super Taikyu Series champion (2004 ST-3 class, 2014, 2018, and 2019 ST-X class), and a former Nissan factory GT500 driver with his father's team from 2006 to 2007 where he won the 2006 Suzuka 1000km. He also raced in the Formula Nippon (now Super Formula) Championship for Impul in 2006. Hoshino announced his retirement from racing in Super GT after the 2021 season, and became the Technical Director at Team Impul in 2022. That season, Impul won its first GT500 class championship in 27 years. In 2023, Hoshino succeeded his father as the team director of Impul's Super GT and Super Formula teams. Hoshino also announced the creation of a new team in Super Taikyu, which would compete in the ST-Z (GT4) class with a new Nissan Z GT4. Outside of Japan, Hoshino competed in the Nürburgring 24 Hours on several occasions, finishing ninth overall in 2015 alongside Michael Krumm, Lucas Ordoñez, and Alex Buncombe. In 2013, Hoshino participated in the Blancpain Endurance Series (now GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with JRM Motorsport alongside Steven Kane and Peter Dumbreck.
Sohei Kamiya (神谷 宗幣, Kamiya Sōhei; born 12 October 1977) is a Japanese politician who is the founder and leader of the…Sohei Kamiya (神谷 宗幣, Kamiya Sōhei; born 12 October 1977) is a Japanese politician who is the founder and leader of the right-wing populist political party Sanseitō. Kamiya has been serving as a member of the House of Councillors since 2022 through the Proportional Representation Block. He advocates "Japanese first" and anti-globalism. A conspiracy theorist who promotes COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation among others, Kamiya gained international media attention while campaigning for the 2022 House of Councillors election due to his antisemitic rhetoric during public appearances and campaign rallies. He has been described as a controversial politician and his party a cult by his political opponents.
Shūhei Izumi (和泉 宗兵, Izumi Shūhei; born October 11, 1977, in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese actor…Shūhei Izumi (和泉 宗兵, Izumi Shūhei; born October 11, 1977, in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese actor who has appeared in a number of television series and stage plays. He is affiliated with Seinenza Theater Company. His real name and former stage name was Tomohide Koizumi (小泉 朋英, Koizumi Tomohide). His nickname was Dehi (デヒ). He graduated from Tokai University.
Shinya Nakano (Japanese: 中野 真矢, Hepburn: Nakano Shin'ya; born in Tokyo on 10 October 1977, and raised in Chiba) is a…Shinya Nakano (Japanese: 中野 真矢, Hepburn: Nakano Shin'ya; born in Tokyo on 10 October 1977, and raised in Chiba) is a Japanese retired Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Superbike rider. He is not related to the former Formula One racer Shinji Nakano.
Mitsuru Hattori (はっとりみつる, Hattori Mitsuru; born October 8, 1977) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his…Mitsuru Hattori (はっとりみつる, Hattori Mitsuru; born October 8, 1977) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his works Kenkō Zenrakei Suieibu Umishō, Sankarea: Undying Love, and Wash It All Away, all of which were adapted into anime television series.
Atsushi Fujimoto (藤本 敦士, Fujimoto Atsushi; born October 4, 1977) is a former professional baseball player from Akashi…Atsushi Fujimoto (藤本 敦士, Fujimoto Atsushi; born October 4, 1977) is a former professional baseball player from Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan. After a nine-year career for the Hanshin Tigers, Fujimoto finished his career with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows before retiring at the end of the 2013 season. On 6 November 2014 it was announced that Fujimoto will return to Hanshin as an infield and baserunning coach for the farm team. He joined the Japanese Olympic baseball team for the 2004 Summer Olympics, and won a bronze medal. He played in every inning of every game in the olympic tournament for the Japanese team.
Akihiro Yasui (安井 章泰, Yasui Akihiro; born 2 October 1977 in Shiga Prefecture) is a Japanese retired track and field…Akihiro Yasui (安井 章泰, Yasui Akihiro; born 2 October 1977 in Shiga Prefecture) is a Japanese retired track and field sprinter who specialized in the 100 metres. He competed in the 100 metres at the 2001 World Championships.
Koji Nakamura (中村 弘二, Nakamura Kōji; born September 28, 1977 in Towada, Aomori) is a Japanese musician who is most…Koji Nakamura (中村 弘二, Nakamura Kōji; born September 28, 1977 in Towada, Aomori) is a Japanese musician who is most famous for being the lead singer/songwriter in the Japanese band Supercar. His music style in general involves drone-like guitar riffs and mixed in raw electronica. He presently records music under the names iLL and Nakamura Koji, and also participates in a band called Lama.
Kimiko Hida (飛田 季実子, Hida Kimiko; born 26 September 1977) is a Japanese handball goalkeeper for Sony Semiconductor and…Kimiko Hida (飛田 季実子, Hida Kimiko; born 26 September 1977) is a Japanese handball goalkeeper for Sony Semiconductor and the Japanese national team. She represented Japan at the 2013 World Women's Handball Championship in Serbia.
Atsushi Aoki (青木 篤志, Aoki Atsushi; September 25, 1977 – June 3, 2019) was a Japanese professional wrestler who worked…Atsushi Aoki (青木 篤志, Aoki Atsushi; September 25, 1977 – June 3, 2019) was a Japanese professional wrestler who worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) as a wrestler, president of talent relations and head trainer at their dojo. Aoki began his career in Pro Wrestling Noah in 2005, where he went on to become a two-time winner of the Global Junior Heavyweight Tag League and hold the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship twice during his 7-year run with the promotion. Aoki jumped to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in December 2012 where he became the top star of the junior heavyweight division, winning the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship four times and the All Asia Tag Team Championship 3 times. Aoki was killed in a motorcycle accident on June 3, 2019, at the age of 41. At the time of his death, he was the reigning World Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Hideo Fukui (福井 英郎, Fukui Hideo; born September 25, 1977) is an athlete from Japan. He competes in triathlon. Fukui…Hideo Fukui (福井 英郎, Fukui Hideo; born September 25, 1977) is an athlete from Japan. He competes in triathlon. Fukui competed at the first Olympic triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He took thirty-sixth place with a total time of 1:52:04.79.
Junichi Okayama (岡山 純一, Okayama Jun'ichi; born September 23, 1977, in Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan), better known as Jin…Junichi Okayama (岡山 純一, Okayama Jun'ichi; born September 23, 1977, in Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan), better known as Jin Shirosaki (城咲 仁, Shirosaki Jin), is a Japanese entertainer and radio personality who is represented by the talent agency, Sun Music. Shirosaki worked at a host club.
Juri Takayama (高山 樹里, Takayama Juri; born October 21, 1976) is a Japanese softball player who played as a pitcher…Juri Takayama (高山 樹里, Takayama Juri; born October 21, 1976) is a Japanese softball player who played as a pitcher between 1996 and 2004 in the Olympic Games. She won two medals for Japan.
Ken Kaneko (Japanese: 金子 賢, Kaneko Ken; born October 19, 1976 in Shinjuku) is a Japanese actor, TV personality and…Ken Kaneko (Japanese: 金子 賢, Kaneko Ken; born October 19, 1976 in Shinjuku) is a Japanese actor, TV personality and former mixed martial artist. He is currently employed by Platinum Production. His blood type is O. Ken Kaneko is best known for his role in the Takeshi Kitano film Kids Return (1996), in which he and Masanobu Andō portrayed a couple of high school dropouts trying to find purpose and direction in life. He was also a mixed martial artist in the Welterweight division and fought Charles Bennet in Pride FC Shockwave 2005.
Nobuyuki Zaizen (財前 宣之, Zaizen Nobuyuki; born 19 October 1976) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played…Nobuyuki Zaizen (財前 宣之, Zaizen Nobuyuki; born 19 October 1976) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Shuhei Taniguchi (谷口 周平, Taniguchi Shūhei; born October 18, 1976) is a Japanese professional wrestler who has worked…Shuhei Taniguchi (谷口 周平, Taniguchi Shūhei; born October 18, 1976) is a Japanese professional wrestler who has worked for Pro Wrestling Noah since his debut in December 2005. He is also known by the ring name Maybach Taniguchi (マイバッハ谷口, Maibahha Taniguchi), under which he portrays a villainous masked character.
Rena Inoue (井上 怜奈, Inoue Rena; born October 17, 1976) is a Japanese-born American retired pair skater. With partner…Rena Inoue (井上 怜奈, Inoue Rena; born October 17, 1976) is a Japanese-born American retired pair skater. With partner John Baldwin, she is the 2004 and 2006 U.S. National Champion. Inoue previously competed for Japan as both a single skater and pair skater. Inoue and Baldwin are the first skaters to perform a throw triple Axel in competition.
