Reki Kawahara (川原 礫, Kawahara Reki; born August 18, 1974) is a Japanese novelist. He is best known as the creator of…Reki Kawahara (川原 礫, Kawahara Reki; born August 18, 1974) is a Japanese novelist. He is best known as the creator of Sword Art Online and Accel World, both of which have been adapted into anime series. He has been described as one of the most successful writers of light novels in the 2010s.
Tomomi Kahara (華原 朋美, Kahara Tomomi) (formerly Tomomi Kahala) born Tomomi Shimogawara (下河原 朋美, Shimogawara Tomomi) on…Tomomi Kahara (華原 朋美, Kahara Tomomi) (formerly Tomomi Kahala) born Tomomi Shimogawara (下河原 朋美, Shimogawara Tomomi) on August 17, 1974 in Tokyo), is a Japanese pop singer. She is famous for working with Tetsuya Komuro who gave her much success in the 1990s, which led to her deep dip in popularity after 1999, the year in which she released her first non-TK produced album, One Fine Day. Tomomi Kahara and Tetsuya Komuro dated for a few years, but they suffered from personal problems which led to their breakup. After a period of sickness, Kahara's talent agency terminated her contract on June 29, 2007.
Eikei Suzuki (鈴木 英敬, Suzuki Eikei; born 15 August 1974) is a Japanese politician and the former governor of Mie…Eikei Suzuki (鈴木 英敬, Suzuki Eikei; born 15 August 1974) is a Japanese politician and the former governor of Mie Prefecture located in Kansai region of Japan. Since 2021 he has been a Member of the House of Representatives, representing Mie's 4th district.
Masato Harasaki (原崎 政人, Harasaki Masato; born August 13, 1974) is a Japanese football manager and former football…Masato Harasaki (原崎 政人, Harasaki Masato; born August 13, 1974) is a Japanese football manager and former football player. He is currently the manager of Japan Football League club, ReinMeer Aomori.
Ryūsui Seiryōin (清涼院 流水, Seiryōin Ryūsui; born August 9, 1974) is a Japanese novelist, active in mystery and various…Ryūsui Seiryōin (清涼院 流水, Seiryōin Ryūsui; born August 9, 1974) is a Japanese novelist, active in mystery and various other fields. He was born in 1974, in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. He won the 2nd Mephisto Prize in 1996 while in Kyoto University, and started to work as a novelist. After that, Ryusui published over 60 novels. His works are always controversial. The JDC (Japan Detectives Club) series has inspired tribute novels by authors like Ōtarō Maijō and Nisio Isin. In 2007, he achieved the publication of the series, "What a perfect world!", for 12 consecutive months. In the same year, he carried out "Doumo tour", the autograph sessions for 12 consecutive months held in Japanese major cities, and made a great success. On May 1, 2009, he launched "bbbcircle", his official website, with Kai Chamberlain, a Canadian cartoonist.
Junpei Shiina (椎名 純平, Shiina Junpei; born August 6, 1974), is a Japanese rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, and…Junpei Shiina (椎名 純平, Shiina Junpei; born August 6, 1974), is a Japanese rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, and older brother to the musician Ringo Sheena. Debuting as a soloist in 1999, Shiina released four albums with major label Sony Music Japan between 2001 and 2004, later signing a contract with R and C to release his fourth album Cruisin' (2006). In 2008 Shiina formed the band Junpei Shiina & The Soul Force, who renamed themselves Dezille Brothers in 2010, releasing their debut album Dashi no Torikata through King Records in the same year. In 2014, Shiina formed the four member band Hitosarai with Tomotaka Imamichi. Shiina has often collaborated with his sister Ringo Sheena by singing duets together, most notably the theme song of the Mika Ninagawa directed film Sakuran (2007), "Kono Yo no Kagiri".
Wasabi Mizuta (水田 わさび, Mizuta Wasabi; born August 4, 1974) is a Japanese voice actress and stage actress affiliated…Wasabi Mizuta (水田 わさび, Mizuta Wasabi; born August 4, 1974) is a Japanese voice actress and stage actress affiliated with Aoni Production. She was born in Aoyama, Mie. She is most well known for being the current voice actress of the titular character of Doraemon since 2005, starting with the Doraemon television series. Other notable voice acting roles of hers include Kintarō in Otogi Zoshi, Yūta Fukui in Hikaru no Go, Ash's Tepig in Pokémon, Buster in Hamtaro, and Monokuma in Danganronpa 2x2.
Noriko Ishigaki (born Noriko Ogawa on August 1, 1974, in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese politician who has…Noriko Ishigaki (born Noriko Ogawa on August 1, 1974, in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese politician who has served as a member of the House of Councillors of Japan since 2019. She represents the Miyagi at-large district and is a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
Kaori Sakagami (坂上 香織, Sakagami Kaori; born 29 July 1974) is a former Japanese singer and actress who is noted for…Kaori Sakagami (坂上 香織, Sakagami Kaori; born 29 July 1974) is a former Japanese singer and actress who is noted for singing Platonic Tsuranuite, the first ending of Ranma ½. Also in Kiteretsu Daihyakka, she sang "Race no Cardigan" for the ending theme in the first season. In 1991, she portrayed Ai Amano in the live-action version of the popular manga series Video Girl Ai. She also portrays Deputy Captain Shinobu Mizuki in Ultraman Cosmos. She retired from the music industry at 15 years old. In 1993, she was in Japanese Playboy at the age of 19.
Buyūzan Takeyoshi (born July 29, 1974 as Takeyoshi Tominaga in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan) is a former sumo wrestler. His…Buyūzan Takeyoshi (born July 29, 1974 as Takeyoshi Tominaga in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan) is a former sumo wrestler. His highest rank was maegashira 1. He is now a sumo coach.
Masayuki Ishikawa (Japanese: 石川 雅之, Hepburn: Ishikawa Masayuki; born 23 October 1974 in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture) is a…Masayuki Ishikawa (Japanese: 石川 雅之, Hepburn: Ishikawa Masayuki; born 23 October 1974 in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture and Maria the Virgin Witch; both of which were adapted into anime television series.
Kenta Izumi (泉 健太, Izumi Kenta; born 29 July 1974) is a Japanese politician who served as leader of the Constitutional…Kenta Izumi (泉 健太, Izumi Kenta; born 29 July 1974) is a Japanese politician who served as leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) from 2021 to 2024. He is also a member of the House of Representatives in the National Diet, currently for the Kyoto 3rd district. He was first elected in 2000 under the Democratic Party of Japan. He served as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Cabinet Office from 2009 to 2010. After that, he served as chairman of the National Diet Measures Committee and Political Affairs Research Chairman of the Kibō no Tō, the Democratic Party for the People, and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Izumi was born in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and was raised in Ishikari. After graduating from junior high and high school, he attended Ritsumeikan University Law School. While in university, he began to assist Kazunori Yamanoi, and, in 1996, when the Democratic Party formed, served as permanent secretary inside the Kyoto Prefecture. When he graduated from university in 1998, he became Tetsuro Fukuyama's secretary. He ran as a candidate in the 2000 election for Kyoto-3, but lost, and did not win a seat proportionally. He ran again in 2003 election, and won. During the Democratic Party of Japan government's from 2009-2012, he served as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Cabinet Office and was in charge of the Administrative Reform Council. Although he lost his seat both in 2003 election and 2014 election, he won a seat proportionally both times, and won a by-election for the seat in 2016. When the Democratic Party split in 2017, he joined Kibō no Tō, where he served as the chairman of the National Assembly Committee from 2017 to 2018. In the Democratic Party for the People, which formed from a merger of Kibō no Tō and the Democratic Party, he served as the chairman of the National Assembly Committee in 2018 and the chairman of the Political Affairs Research Committee from 2018 to 2020. In 2020, following the merger of the DPP into the CDP, he ran for leadership, but lost to Yukio Edano. He then became the party's Political Affairs Research Chairman. When Edano resigned as party leader following the results of the 2021 election, Izumi ran again in the leadership election and won, defeating Seiji Osaka and others to become party leader. Izumi formed the CDP's 'Next Cabinet' in September 2022 and became the shadow Prime Minister. Losses in the 2022 House of Councillors election and the 2023 by-elections saw Izumi lose party support, and despite victories in early 2024, he was defeated in the 2024 CDP leadership election. He was one of seven CRA representatives to win his district, Kyoto-3rd, in 2026 general election.
Hitomi Akano (赤野 仁美, Akano Hitomi; born 27 July 1974) is a retired Japanese female mixed martial artist. She announced…Hitomi Akano (赤野 仁美, Akano Hitomi; born 27 July 1974) is a retired Japanese female mixed martial artist. She announced her formal retirement from MMA on 1 August 2013. Akano used a song she penned herself called "Between the Sky" as her entrance music. She is a former Smackgirl Middleweight Champion at 128 pounds (58 kg).
Masayo Sawada (澤田 雅世, Sawada Masayo), (born July 26, 1974) better known by her stagename Sister MAYO, is a Japanese…Masayo Sawada (澤田 雅世, Sawada Masayo), (born July 26, 1974) better known by her stagename Sister MAYO, is a Japanese singer. She is a member of the Columbia Music Entertainment duo Cyber Nation Network, and a vocalist in Project.R which performs many theme songs for the Super Sentai series, some have reached the top ten in Oricon's charts. Her best-known songs as a soloist have been the opening theme of Haré+Guu and the ending theme of Mahou Sentai Magiranger. She is the younger sister of heavy metal musician Taiji, with whom she was in the rock band Otokaze. After attending vocational school, she got a job at a travel agency. After suffering from a herniated disc, she decided to pursue her dream of being a musician. She released her first single in 1997 under her own name. A producer gave her her stage name when she joined Cyber Nation Network. In appearances, she generally wears a baseball cap. Prior to the release of "Jumon Kōrin ~ Magical Force" (呪文降臨～マジカル・フォース, Jumon Kōrin ~ Majikaru Fōsu; "The Spell Advent ~ Magical Force"), she also wore glasses, out of shyness. Nippon Columbia asked her to take off one or the other, and she decided to keep the cap. In 2020, she started the unit Rainbow☆MAG!C with Hideyuki Takahashi and Natsuo.
Kōji Seo (瀬尾 公治, Seo Kōji; born July 26, 1974) is a Japanese manga creator from Shobara, Hiroshima, Japan. He has…Kōji Seo (瀬尾 公治, Seo Kōji; born July 26, 1974) is a Japanese manga creator from Shobara, Hiroshima, Japan. He has stated in an interview that he was a member of his high school's track and field team and that he loves to watch baseball, both of which are emphasized in his hit manga Suzuka. He debuted in 1996 with the one-shot HALF & HALF in Magazine Fresh. His first three series, W's, Cross Over and Suzuka mixed the genres of sports with high school romance. W's used tennis, Cross Over featured basketball, while Suzuka focused on track and field. He was an assistant to Tsukasa Ōshima, and respects Fujiko F. Fujio and Masahito Soda.
Shiori Yamao (山尾 志桜里, Yamao Shiori; née Kanno) is a former member of the Japanese House of Representatives for the…Shiori Yamao (山尾 志桜里, Yamao Shiori; née Kanno) is a former member of the Japanese House of Representatives for the Aichi 7th district. Yamao was a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan from 2017 to 2020. She was the policy chief of the Democratic Party and a former liberal member of the Democratic Party of Japan. She has been elected to the Japanese House of Representatives thrice. She rose to prominence by criticizing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for not handling the issue of nursery school waiting lists. Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China Japanese secletary-general.
Akemi Okazato (born 24 July 1974) is a Japanese basketball player. She competed in the women's tournament at the 1996…Akemi Okazato (born 24 July 1974) is a Japanese basketball player. She competed in the women's tournament at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Atsuhiro Miura (三浦 淳寛, Miura Atsuhiro; born 24 July 1974) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan…Atsuhiro Miura (三浦 淳寛, Miura Atsuhiro; born 24 July 1974) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. He is not related to fellow footballer Kazuyoshi Miura.
Ken Noguchi (野口 健, Noguchi Ken; born August 21, 1973 in Boston) is a Japanese mountaineer and environmental activist.…Ken Noguchi (野口 健, Noguchi Ken; born August 21, 1973 in Boston) is a Japanese mountaineer and environmental activist. His father was a diplomat, so he lived in the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Japan. He was often bullied because he was half-Japanese. In 1999, at the age of 25, he became the youngest person (at that time) to scale the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. He graduated from Asia University in 2000, and studied environmental education at Aomori University. Since then, he has worked on various mountain clean-up projects around the world, including projects at Mount Everest, Mount Fuji and Manaslu. His work has had a notable effect on efforts in Japan, where he has given many lectures to promote better environmental practices.
Isao Machii (町井勲, Machii Isao; born August 20, 1973) is a Japanese Iaido master (Shūshinryū Iaijutsu hyōhō, Shūshin-kan…Isao Machii (町井勲, Machii Isao; born August 20, 1973) is a Japanese Iaido master (Shūshinryū Iaijutsu hyōhō, Shūshin-kan head master) based in Kawanishi, Hyōgo, Japan. He holds a number of Guinness World Records for his katana skills, including "Most martial arts katana cuts to one mat (suegiri)", "Fastest 1,000 martial arts sword cuts", "Most sword cuts to straw mats in three minutes", and "Fastest tennis ball (708km/h) cut by sword".
Gojōrō Katsuhiro (born 18 August 1973 as Akitomo Kojima) is a former sumo wrestler from Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan. Making…Gojōrō Katsuhiro (born 18 August 1973 as Akitomo Kojima) is a former sumo wrestler from Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan. Making his professional debut in 1989, he spent a total of 53 tournaments as an elite sekitori ranked wrestler, reaching a highest rank of maegashira 3 in 1998. After a number of injury problems he retired in 2005 at the age of 32. He is now a sumo coach under the name Hamakaze-oyakata.
Kōbō Kenichi (born as Kenichi Mineyama; August 18, 1973 – July 2, 2021) was a Japanese sumo wrestler. His highest rank…Kōbō Kenichi (born as Kenichi Mineyama; August 18, 1973 – July 2, 2021) was a Japanese sumo wrestler. His highest rank was maegashira 9.
Yūko Ōtsubaki (Japanese: 大椿 裕子, Hepburn: Ōtsubaki Yūko; born August 14, 1973) is a Japanese politician and labor…Yūko Ōtsubaki (Japanese: 大椿 裕子, Hepburn: Ōtsubaki Yūko; born August 14, 1973) is a Japanese politician and labor activist. She was a member of the House of Councillors from 2023 to 2025, representing the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and served as a vice-chair of the party until 2026. She previously served as the chairperson of the Osaka Educational Workers' Union. She is married; her spouse is a Catalan from Barcelona.
Akinori Ogata (尾形 明紀, Ogata Akinori; born 14 August 1973) is a Japanese professional stock car racing driver. He last…Akinori Ogata (尾形 明紀, Ogata Akinori; born 14 August 1973) is a Japanese professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 63 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Akinori Performance. He has also competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in the past.
Ryoko Shinohara (篠原 涼子, Shinohara Ryōko; born August 13, 1973) is a Japanese singer and actress. As a singer, she is…Ryoko Shinohara (篠原 涼子, Shinohara Ryōko; born August 13, 1973) is a Japanese singer and actress. As a singer, she is best known for the 1994 song "Itoshisa to Setsunasa to Kokoro Zuyosa to" with producer Tetsuya Komuro, which charted at number one and made her the first female artist in Japan to record a double million in CD single sales. It was followed by the number one album Lady Generation: Shukujo no Jidai (1995). Shinohara's musical output saw waning commercial reception in the latter half of the decade, at which she began concentrating on her acting career. Highlighted by the Japan Times for her "long reign as a TV drama queen", Shinohara's best known acting credits include detective Yukihira Natsumi in the drama series Unfair, which spawned three feature films and several specials; and temp worker Haruko Oomae in Haken no Hinkaku. She has starred in several acclaimed films, winning two Japan Academy Film Prizes for her roles in The House Where the Mermaid Sleeps and Sakura Guardian in the North, both in 2018.
Nobuaki Arai (荒井 修光, Arai Nobuaki; born August 11, 1973 in Abiko, Chiba) is a Japanese former professional baseball…Nobuaki Arai (荒井 修光, Arai Nobuaki; born August 11, 1973 in Abiko, Chiba) is a Japanese former professional baseball catcher. He played for Nippon Ham Fighters in the Japan Pacific League in parts of five seasons from 1996 to 2002.
Daijiro Takakuwa (高桑 大二朗, Takakuwa Daijirō; born August 10, 1973) is a Japanese former football player. He played for…Daijiro Takakuwa (高桑 大二朗, Takakuwa Daijirō; born August 10, 1973) is a Japanese former football player. He played for the Japan national team.
Hideki Tsukamoto (塚本 秀樹, Tsukamoto Hideki; born August 9, 1973) is a Japanese former football goalkeeper. He is…Hideki Tsukamoto (塚本 秀樹, Tsukamoto Hideki; born August 9, 1973) is a Japanese former football goalkeeper. He is currently the goalkeeper coach of J1 League club Avispa Fukuoka.
Hiroyuki Gotō (後藤 裕之, Gotō Hiroyuki) recited pi from memory to 42,195 decimal places at NHK Broadcasting Centre, Tokyo…Hiroyuki Gotō (後藤 裕之, Gotō Hiroyuki) recited pi from memory to 42,195 decimal places at NHK Broadcasting Centre, Tokyo on 18 February 1995. This set the world record at the time, which was held for more than a decade until Lu Chao beat it in 2005. Goto was born in Tokyo, Japan. He is a game designer at Namco. He is the creator of word puzzle video game Kotoba no Puzzle Moji Pittan, which was released as an arcade game in 2001 and later become available for various console and portable gaming systems.
Ken Kadokura (門倉 健, Kadokura Ken; born March 9, 1973) is a retired Japanese professional baseball pitcher. He played in…Ken Kadokura (門倉 健, Kadokura Ken; born March 9, 1973) is a retired Japanese professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (Chunichi Dragons, Yomiuri Giants) and the KBO League. He threw a four-seam fastball, a slider, and a fork ball.
Ryota Nakano is a Japanese film director known for his films Her Love Boils Bathwater (2016), A Long Goodbye (2019)…Ryota Nakano is a Japanese film director known for his films Her Love Boils Bathwater (2016), A Long Goodbye (2019), and The Asadas (2020).
Hiromitsu Agatsuma (上妻 宏光 Agatsuma Hiromitsu, born July 27, 1973) is a Japanese shamisen artist who plays the…Hiromitsu Agatsuma (上妻 宏光 Agatsuma Hiromitsu, born July 27, 1973) is a Japanese shamisen artist who plays the Tsugaru-jamisen, a larger shamisen with thicker strings than those used for most other styles. He was born in Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture.
Yukio Sakaguchi (坂口 征夫, Sakaguchi Yukio; born July 26, 1973) is a Japanese former professional mixed martial artist…Yukio Sakaguchi (坂口 征夫, Sakaguchi Yukio; born July 26, 1973) is a Japanese former professional mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, actor and judoka. In professional wrestling, he is primarily known for his tenure with DDT Pro-Wrestling, but has fought and competed for All Japan Pro Wrestling, World Victory Road, DREAM, Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, Pancrase, Pro Wrestling Wave, S-Cup, Shooto, Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Union Pro Wrestling, Kaientai Dojo, Dradition, Legend The Pro-Wrestling and K-1. Sakaguchi is known for his fight with Nigerian K-1 kickboxer, Film actor and male model Andy Ologun. Yukio is the son of former judoka and professional wrestling legend Seiji Sakaguchi and the older brother of actor Kenji Sakaguchi, who notably co-starred in Ikebukuro West Gate Park when the television show made its debut run in 2000 and most recently in 2012 started making regular appearances on the show Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi, he also co-starred in the film Face. In 2009 Yukio was featured in Kamui Gaiden; the film was a box office hit in Japan and the Netherlands. After positive reviews on Yukio's performance he was later chosen to play a small supporting role in the sequel to Ninja Assassin, set to be released in 2014, but never materialized after the project was put into development hell. In October 2012 Sakaguchi signed a multi-fight deal with Pancrase and in January 2013 re-signed with DDT for the rest of that year. He is a former one-time KO-D Openweight Champion, two-time KO-D Tag Team Champion, nine-time KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions and the winner of the 2015 King of DDT tournament.
