Yōichi Takahashi (高橋 陽一, Takahashi Yōichi; born 28 July 1960) is a Japanese cartoonist and manga artist, best known for…
Yōichi Takahashi (高橋 陽一, Takahashi Yōichi; born 28 July 1960) is a Japanese cartoonist and manga artist, best known for his work Captain Tsubasa. Takahashi has published art books, manga, novels, and guides, most of which are about Captain Tsubasa. He is also known for his soccer series, Hungry Heart: Wild Striker. He is currently the chairman of Nankatsu SC. Yoichi Takahashi visited FC Barcelona, Tsubasa Oozora's Spanish football club in the manga, on 17 January 2016 as a guest of the club. In 2018, Takahashi received the Honorary Citizen Award from Katsushika for his contributions to the city through his manga.
Famous People Born under Leo
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Katsuo Tokashiki (渡嘉敷 勝男, born July 27, 1960, in Okinawa, Japan) is a Japanese former WBA Light flyweight champion. He…
Katsuo Tokashiki (渡嘉敷 勝男, born July 27, 1960, in Okinawa, Japan) is a Japanese former WBA Light flyweight champion. He currently works as an actor and television persona, and runs his own boxing gym in Tokyo, Japan.
Akino Arai (新居 昭乃, Arai Akino; born August 21, 1959, in Tokyo) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and lyricist for…
Akino Arai (新居 昭乃, Arai Akino; born August 21, 1959, in Tokyo) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and lyricist for various anime theme songs and shows, including Record of Lodoss War, Please Save My Earth, Macross Plus, Outlaw Star, Kaze no Stigma, Maoyu, and Aria The Origination.
Michihiro Kandori (神取道宏, Kandori Michihiro; born 21 August 1959) is a Japanese economist. He is a professor at the…
Michihiro Kandori (神取道宏, Kandori Michihiro; born 21 August 1959) is a Japanese economist. He is a professor at the University of Tokyo. Kandori is the President of the Game Theory Society, replacing Matthew O. Jackson in 2023.
Kazuki Nakashima (中島 かずき, Nakashima Kazuki; born August 19, 1959 in Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese playwright, novelist…
Kazuki Nakashima (中島 かずき, Nakashima Kazuki; born August 19, 1959 in Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese playwright, novelist, contributing editor and screenwriter. In addition to working on Getter Robo, he is a fan of Ken Ishikawa.
Mitsutaka Fujita (藤田 光孝, Fujita Mitsutaka; August 16, 1959 – March 18, 1998) was a Japanese physicist. He proposed the…
Mitsutaka Fujita (藤田 光孝, Fujita Mitsutaka; August 16, 1959 – March 18, 1998) was a Japanese physicist. He proposed the edge state that is unique to graphene zigzag edges. Also, he theoretically pointed out the importance and peculiarity of nanoscale and edge shape effects in nanographene. The theoretical concept of graphene nanoribbons was introduced by him and his research group to study the nanoscale effect of graphene. He was an associate professor at Tsukuba University, and died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage on March 18, 1998. His posthumous name is Rikakuin-Shinju-Houkou-Koji (理覚院深珠放光居士) in Japanese.
Kazumi Yamashita (山下 和美, Yamashita Kazumi; born 15 August 1959 in Otaru, Hokkaido) is a Japanese manga artist.…
Kazumi Yamashita (山下 和美, Yamashita Kazumi; born 15 August 1959 in Otaru, Hokkaido) is a Japanese manga artist. Yamashita started her career as a shōjo manga artist. She made her debut as a professional artist in 1980 in the magazine Margaret. In her early years, she was inspired by the style of Mariko Iwadate. She is best known for The Life of Genius Professor Yanagizawa, which is being published in the seinen magazine Morning, and for which she received the 2003 Kodansha Manga Award for general manga. The main character of the manga is modeled after her father. For her series Land she received the Grand Prize at the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize 2021.
Makate Asai (朝井 まかて, Asai Makate) is a Japanese writer of historical fiction. She has won the Naoki Prize and the Oda…
Makate Asai (朝井 まかて, Asai Makate) is a Japanese writer of historical fiction. She has won the Naoki Prize and the Oda Sakunosuke Prize, and two of her novels have been adapted for television by NHK.
Hisayasu Satō (佐藤 寿保, Satō Hisayasu; born 15 August 1959 in Shizuoka City, Japan) is a Japanese exploitation film…
Hisayasu Satō (佐藤 寿保, Satō Hisayasu; born 15 August 1959 in Shizuoka City, Japan) is a Japanese exploitation film director. He has worked prolifically in the genre of pinku eiga films, which refers to Japanese films that prominently feature nudity or sexual content. His best-known works are the 1992 pink film The Bedroom and the 1996 V-Cinema splatter film Splatter: Naked Blood. He is known for his "sledgehammer" filmmaking style, and using his exploitation career to tackle serious subjects like obsession, alienation, perversion and voyeurism. He has been likened to Canadian director David Cronenberg due to his penchant for body horror as well as dark eroticism. Along with fellow directors Kazuhiro Sano, Toshiki Satō and Takahisa Zeze, he is known as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Pink" (ピンク四天王, pinku shitenno).
Yukari Fujimoto (藤本 由香里, Fujimoto Yukari) is a manga researcher and professor of global Japanese studies at Meiji…
Yukari Fujimoto (藤本 由香里, Fujimoto Yukari) is a manga researcher and professor of global Japanese studies at Meiji University. She was born in Kumamoto Prefecture. She was an editor for Chikuma Shobō. She is a manga critic, gender theorist, author, and liberal feminist. She is a member of the Agency for Cultural Affairs awards selection committee. She is also a member of the Japanese National Diet Library legal deposit deliberation committee.
Shigeko Uchida (内田 滋子, Uchida Shigeko), known by the pen name Shungicu Uchida (内田春菊, Uchida Shungiku), is a Japanese…
Shigeko Uchida (内田 滋子, Uchida Shigeko), known by the pen name Shungicu Uchida (内田春菊, Uchida Shungiku), is a Japanese manga artist, novelist, essayist, actress, and singer.
Shinji Tarutoko (樽床 伸二, Tarutoko Shinji; born 6 August 1959) is a Japanese politician and former member of the House of…
Shinji Tarutoko (樽床 伸二, Tarutoko Shinji; born 6 August 1959) is a Japanese politician and former member of the House of Representatives.
Koichi Tanaka (田中 耕一, Tanaka Kōichi; born August 3, 1959) is a Japanese electrical engineer who shared the Nobel Prize…
Koichi Tanaka (田中 耕一, Tanaka Kōichi; born August 3, 1959) is a Japanese electrical engineer who shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002 for developing a novel method for mass spectrometric analyses of biological macromolecules with John Bennett Fenn and Kurt Wüthrich (the latter for work in NMR spectroscopy).
Otomo Yoshihide (大友 良英, Ōtomo Yoshihide; born August 1, 1959) is a Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist. He…
Otomo Yoshihide (大友 良英, Ōtomo Yoshihide; born August 1, 1959) is a Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist. He mainly plays guitar, turntables and electronics. He first came to international prominence in the 1990s as the leader of the experimental rock group Ground Zero, and has since worked in a variety of contexts, ranging from free improvisation to noise, jazz, avant-garde and contemporary classical. He is also a pioneering figure in the EAI-scene, and is featured on important records on labels like Erstwhile Records. He has composed music for many films, television dramas, and commercials. In 2017, Otomo became the 2nd Guest Artistic Director of The Sapporo International Art Festival 2017.
Satoshi Yamaguchi (山口 悟, Yamaguchi Satoshi; born August 1, 1959) is a former Japanese football player. He played for…
Satoshi Yamaguchi (山口 悟, Yamaguchi Satoshi; born August 1, 1959) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Katsuo Hirata (平田 勝男, Hirata Katsuo; born July 31, 1959) is a former professional baseball player from Matsuura…
Katsuo Hirata (平田 勝男, Hirata Katsuo; born July 31, 1959) is a former professional baseball player from Matsuura, Nagasaki, Japan.
Hiroshi Soejima (副島 博志, Soejima Hiroshi; born July 26, 1959) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He…
Hiroshi Soejima (副島 博志, Soejima Hiroshi; born July 26, 1959) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He played for Japan national team.
Keiichi Hara (原 恵一, Hara Keiichi; born July 24, 1959) is a Japanese director of animated films.
Yoshio Sakamoto (Japanese: 坂本 賀勇, Hepburn: Sakamoto Yoshio; born July 23, 1959) is a Japanese video game designer…
Yoshio Sakamoto (Japanese: 坂本 賀勇, Hepburn: Sakamoto Yoshio; born July 23, 1959) is a Japanese video game designer, director, and producer. He is a Senior officer at Nintendo EPD. He has worked at Nintendo since 1982. He has directed several games in the Metroid series and worked on series such as Rhythm Heaven, Tomodachi Life and WarioWare. He is one of the most prominent members of Nintendo's former Research and Development 1 division, along with Gunpei Yokoi and Toru Osawa.
Tatsuya Maeda (前田 達也, Maeda Tatsuya; was born 22 August 1958 in Naha, Okinawa, USCAR) is a Japanese musician and singer…
Tatsuya Maeda (前田 達也, Maeda Tatsuya; was born 22 August 1958 in Naha, Okinawa, USCAR) is a Japanese musician and singer from Japan. Maeda is best known as the singer and guitarist of the theme songs of Ultraman Dyna and Blue SWAT.
Hiroaki Nagasawa (長沢 広明, Nagasawa Hiroaki; born 19 August 1958) is a Japanese politician and member of the Komeito…
Hiroaki Nagasawa (長沢 広明, Nagasawa Hiroaki; born 19 August 1958) is a Japanese politician and member of the Komeito Party of Japan and former Senior Vice Minister for the Reconstruction Agency. He resigned in September 2017 after letting a female acquaintance use a housing complex reserved for lawmakers.
Minoru Kawasaki (河崎実), born 15 August 1958, is a Japanese filmmaker, best known for low-budget parody films featuring…
Minoru Kawasaki (河崎実), born 15 August 1958, is a Japanese filmmaker, best known for low-budget parody films featuring surreal humour and traditional practical effects. Kawasaki began his career with mostly self-financed work, including the Den-Ace short films, featuring a parody of kyodai-style Japanese superheroes, before working on Tsuburaya Production's Ultraman Tiga (1996-1997). He had his first hit with The Calamari Wrestler (2004), about a wrestler who inexplicably becomes a giant squid. He followed this up with Executive Koala (2005), about an anthropomorphic koala salaryman who may or may not have murdered his wife, and Kabuto-O Beetle (also 2005), another wrestling-themed movie, this time with a giant stag beetle. In 2006, he released The World Sinks Except Japan, a spoof of Shinji Higuchi's remake of Japan Sinks, and Crab Goalkeeper (also 2006), a film Kawasaki describes as being his Forrest Gump (1994). Kawasaki has also directed 2008's Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit, a sequel to the 1967 Shochiku kaiju film The X from Outer Space. While the original, made during the height of Japan's "Kaiju Boom" (1966–1967), is "played straight", the sequel is another parody. Kawasaki has since directed two more kaiju films: Kaiju Mono (2016) and Monster Seafood Wars (2020).
Yuji Abe (阿部 祐二, Abe Yūji; born 14 August 1958) is a Japanese television reporter and actor. He is represented by…
Yuji Abe (阿部 祐二, Abe Yūji; born 14 August 1958) is a Japanese television reporter and actor. He is represented by Tender Pro.
Tōru Doi (土井 亨, Doi Tōru; born 12 August 1958) is a Japanese politician who is serving as a member of the House of…
Tōru Doi (土井 亨, Doi Tōru; born 12 August 1958) is a Japanese politician who is serving as a member of the House of Representatives. He has served as State Minister of Reconstruction (Third Abe Cabinet (Third Reshuffle) and Fourth Abe Cabinet), State Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Third Abe Cabinet (First Reshuffle)), Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Second Abe Cabinet), Chairman of the House of Representatives Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Committee, and Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's Finance and Banking Committee.
Takanori Jinnai (陣内孝則, Jinnai Takanori; born August 12, 1958 in Okawa, Fukuoka) is a Japanese actor, film director, and…
Takanori Jinnai (陣内孝則, Jinnai Takanori; born August 12, 1958 in Okawa, Fukuoka) is a Japanese actor, film director, and singer. He made his directorial debut with Rockers (ロッカーズ or Rokkazu), a 2003 film based on his years as vocalist for the punk rock band The Rockers (ザ・ロッカーズ). He was nominated best actor for a Japanese Academy Award three times, once in 1988 and twice in 1989. He won the award for Best Actor at the 12th Hochi Film Awards for Chōchin.
Akihiro Nishimura (西村 昭宏, Nishimura Akihiro; born August 8, 1958) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He…
Akihiro Nishimura (西村 昭宏, Nishimura Akihiro; born August 8, 1958) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He played for Japan national team.
Rieko Matsuura (松浦 理英子, Matsuura Rieko; born August 15, 1958) is a Japanese novelist and short story writer. She is a…
Rieko Matsuura (松浦 理英子, Matsuura Rieko; born August 15, 1958) is a Japanese novelist and short story writer. She is a recipient of the Yomiuri Prize.
Sen Yamanaka (山中泉, Yamanaka Sen; born 7 August 1958) is a Japanese businessman, author, and politician. He is a member…
Sen Yamanaka (山中泉, Yamanaka Sen; born 7 August 1958) is a Japanese businessman, author, and politician. He is a member of the House of Councillors, elected in 2025 as a candidate of Sanseito, a right-wing party that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Isamu Ueda (上田 勇, Ueda Isamu; born 5 August 1958) is a Japanese politician of the New Komeito Party, who serves as a…
Isamu Ueda (上田 勇, Ueda Isamu; born 5 August 1958) is a Japanese politician of the New Komeito Party, who serves as a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Yokohama, Kanagawa and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he worked at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from 1981 to 1993. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1993.
Satoshi Nakamura (中村 哲, Nakamura Satoshi; born 1958) is a Japanese computer scientist specialising in speech and…
Satoshi Nakamura (中村 哲, Nakamura Satoshi; born 1958) is a Japanese computer scientist specialising in speech and language processing. He is a Presidential Chair Professor in the School of Data Science at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen; Professor Emeritus at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST); and Honorary professor of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany. He is widely recognised for pioneering work in speech-to-speech translation, having led international initiatives such as C-Star, A-Star and the International Workshop on Spoken Language Translation (IWSLT), and currently chairs the ISCA Special Interest Group on Spoken Language Translation (SIG-SLT). His research covers speech recognition and synthesis, spoken-dialog systems, simultaneous translation, natural-language processing and data-science applications. Earlier in his career he directed the ATR Spoken Language Communication Laboratories (2000–2008), headed Keihanna Research Laboratories at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) (2009–2010), and founded the Data Science Center at NAIST (2017–2021). He is a Fellow of IEEE, ISCA, IPSJ and ATR, and received the Antonio Zampolli Prize in 2012.
Satoshi Kataoka (片岡聡, born August 3, 1958) is a professional Go player.
Shoji Kokami (鴻上尚史, Kōkami Shōji; born 2 August 1958) is a Japanese playwright, director, actor, and filmmaker.
Ichiro Miyashita (宮下 一郎, Miyashita Ichirō; born 1 August 1958) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party…
Ichiro Miyashita (宮下 一郎, Miyashita Ichirō; born 1 August 1958) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Nagoya, Aichi and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he worked at The Sumitomo Bank from 1983 to 1991. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2003. His father is former Health minister Sohei Miyashita. Miyashita was appointed minister of agriculture in the Kishida cabinet in September 2023, but resigned in December due to his faction's involvement in a slush fund scandal. In November 2024, he was appointed chairman of the LDP agriculture and forestry policy research council (総合農林政策調査会). In April 2026, he also became executive vice chairman of the Election Strategy Committee under Yasutoshi Nishimura.
Shigekazu Nakamura (中村 重和, Nakamura Shigekazu; born July 30, 1958) is a former Japanese football player and manager.
Yuko Mitsuya (三屋 裕子 Mitsuya Yūko, born 29 July 1958) is a Japanese former volleyball player who was a member of the…
Yuko Mitsuya (三屋 裕子 Mitsuya Yūko, born 29 July 1958) is a Japanese former volleyball player who was a member of the Japanese women's national volleyball team that won the bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Yoshinobu Miyake (jp:三宅善信 Miyake Yoshinobu, born July 27, 1958) is a Japanese Shinto priest and scholar. Rev. Miyake…
Yoshinobu Miyake (jp:三宅善信 Miyake Yoshinobu, born July 27, 1958) is a Japanese Shinto priest and scholar. Rev. Miyake was appointed the Superior General of Konko Church of Izuo in 2006 and appointed chair of the Board of International Shinto Studies Association in 2013.
Chikubayama Masakuni (born August 21, 1957, as Makoto Tazaki) is a former sumo wrestler from Ukiha, Fukuoka, Japan. He…
Chikubayama Masakuni (born August 21, 1957, as Makoto Tazaki) is a former sumo wrestler from Ukiha, Fukuoka, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1973, breaking into the top makuuchi division thirteen years later in 1986. His highest rank was maegashira 13. After retiring in 1989 he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association. He was the head coach of the Miyagino stable and his most successful wrestler is yokozuna Hakuhō.
Kōbōyama Daizō (born 15 August 1957 as Kōkichi Yomogida) is a former sumo wrestler from Tsukidate, Kurihara, Miyagi…
Kōbōyama Daizō (born 15 August 1957 as Kōkichi Yomogida) is a former sumo wrestler from Tsukidate, Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1973 and reached the top makuuchi division in 1981. His highest rank was sekiwake. He earned two special prizes for Technique and was a runner-up in one tournament. He retired in 1990. He is now a sumo coach and ran the Takashima stable from 1993 until 2011. He was elected to the Japan Sumo Association's board of directors in 2018.
Nobumitsu Yuhara (湯原 信光, Yuhara Nobumitsu; born 14 August 1957) is a Japanese professional golfer.
Kazuaki Ichimura (市村 和昭, Ichimura Kazuaki; born 11 August 1957) is a Japanese speed skater. He competed in two events…
Kazuaki Ichimura (市村 和昭, Ichimura Kazuaki; born 11 August 1957) is a Japanese speed skater. He competed in two events at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Masayoshi Son (Japanese: 孫 正義; born Masayoshi Yasumoto, August 11, 1957) is a Japanese entrepreneur, investor, and…
Masayoshi Son (Japanese: 孫 正義; born Masayoshi Yasumoto, August 11, 1957) is a Japanese entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. A Zainichi Korean, he is the founder, chairman and chief executive of SoftBank Group (SBG), a technology-focused investment holding company, as well as chairman of UK-based Arm Holdings and US-based Stargate LLC. As an entrepreneur, he achieved notability in software distribution, computing-related book and magazine publishing, and telecommunications in Japan, starting in the 1980s and booming throughout the 1990s and 2000s. His early $20 million investment in Alibaba Group in 2000 grew substantially over the years, reaching a valuation of around $75 billion by 2014 following Alibaba's IPO, and contributing significantly to SoftBank's financial success. SoftBank's 27 percent stake in Alibaba was worth $132 billion in 2018, including additional purchases of the stock since 2000. The morphing of his own telecom company SoftBank Corp. into an investment management firm called SoftBank Group Corp. made him noted worldwide as a stock investor. He is known for his bold investment strategies, sometimes resulting in major losses, particularly with the first and second SoftBank Vision Funds. In 2013, Son was placed 45th on the Forbes magazine's list of the World's Most Powerful People. In 2017 he was named Entrepreneur of the Year at The Asian Awards. As of May 2025, Son ranks 65th on the Forbes's list of The World's Billionaires and is No. 177 on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He had for many years the distinction of being the person who had lost the most money in history (more than $59 billion during the dot-com crash of 2000 alone, when his SoftBank shares plummeted), a feat surpassed by Elon Musk in the following decades.
Masahiro Hara (Japanese: 原 昌宏, Hepburn: Hara Masahiro, born on August 8, 1957) is a Japanese engineer and Hosei…
Masahiro Hara (Japanese: 原 昌宏, Hepburn: Hara Masahiro, born on August 8, 1957) is a Japanese engineer and Hosei University graduate who is best known for inventing the QR code in 1994.
Chubee Kagita (鍵田 忠兵衛, Kagita Chūbee; 6 August 1957 – 16 December 2011) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal…
Chubee Kagita (鍵田 忠兵衛, Kagita Chūbee; 6 August 1957 – 16 December 2011) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). Kagita was born in Nara, son of former House of Representative member Kagita Saburou Tadashi. Kagita graduated from Kokushikan University with a Bachelor's degree in Politics and Economics. He had served in the assembly of Nara Prefecture for three terms since 1995 and became the mayor of Nara in 2004. Resigning as mayor in 2005, he ran unsuccessfully for the mayor of Nara in the same year (defeated by current mayor Gen Nakagawa in the 2009 elections). He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2005 and resigned in 2009 to run as mayor of Nara.
Shigeru Ban (坂 茂, Ban Shigeru; born 5 August 1957) is a Japanese architect, known for his innovative work with paper…
Shigeru Ban (坂 茂, Ban Shigeru; born 5 August 1957) is a Japanese architect, known for his innovative work with paper, particularly recycled cardboard tubes used to quickly and efficiently house disaster victims. Many of his notable designs are structures which are temporary, prefabricated, or incorporate inexpensive and unconventional materials in innovative ways. He was profiled by Time magazine in their projection of 21st-century innovators in the field of architecture and design. In 2014, Ban was named the 37th recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the most prestigious prize in modern architecture. The Pritzker Jury cited Ban for his innovative use of material and his dedication to humanitarian efforts around the world, calling him "a committed teacher who is not only a role model for younger generation, but also an inspiration."
Yasutoshi Moriyama (森山泰年, Moriyama Yasutoshi; born 4 August 1957) is a Japanese former wrestler who competed in the…
Yasutoshi Moriyama (森山泰年, Moriyama Yasutoshi; born 4 August 1957) is a Japanese former wrestler who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics, in the 1988 Summer Olympics, and in the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Masayoshi Nataniya (那谷屋 正義, Nataniya Masayoshi; born 3 August 1957) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional…
Masayoshi Nataniya (那谷屋 正義, Nataniya Masayoshi; born 3 August 1957) 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 Yokohama, Kanagawa and graduate of Yokohama National University, he was elected for the first time in 2004.
Yoshio Kato (加藤 好男, Katō Yoshio; born August 1, 1957) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan…
Yoshio Kato (加藤 好男, Katō Yoshio; born August 1, 1957) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Shigeru Sugimura (杉村 繁, Sugimura Shigeru; born July 31, 1957) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball…
Shigeru Sugimura (杉村 繁, Sugimura Shigeru; born July 31, 1957) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball infielder.
Keiko Tobe (戸部 けいこ, Tobe Keiko; 30 July 1957 – 28 January 2010) was a Japanese manga artist who wrote primarily josei…
Keiko Tobe (戸部 けいこ, Tobe Keiko; 30 July 1957 – 28 January 2010) was a Japanese manga artist who wrote primarily josei manga. She was best known for creating With the Light, which won an Excellence Prize in the Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2004 from the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and inspired a television drama.
Fumio Kishida (born 29 July 1957) is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the…
Fumio Kishida (born 29 July 1957) is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2021 until his resignation in 2024. He has represented Hiroshima 1st in the House of Representatives since 1996. Before his premiership, he was the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2017, as acting Minister of Defense in 2017, and he also chaired the LDP Policy Research Council from 2017 to 2020. Born into a political family, Kishida spent part of his childhood in the United States, where he attended elementary school in New York City. After beginning his career in finance, Kishida entered politics and was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1993 general election as a member of the LDP. Kishida was appointed to Minister of State for Special Missions in the premiership of Shinzo Abe and Yasuo Fukuda from 2007 to 2008, and was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2012 after Abe regained the premiership following the 2012 general election, serving for five years and becoming the longest-serving Foreign Affairs Minister in Japanese history. Kishida resigned from the Abe cabinet in 2017 in order to head the LDP's Policy Research Council. Kishida also assumed leadership of the LDP's more moderate Kōchikai faction in 2012 following the retirement of faction leader Makoto Koga, a position he held until his resignation in 2023. Long considered a potential future prime minister, Kishida ran in the 2020 LDP presidential election, but lost to Yoshihide Suga. He ran again for the party leadership in 2021, this time winning in a second round run-off against opponent Taro Kono. Kishida was confirmed as prime minister by the National Diet four days later on 4 October 2021. Upon assuming office as prime minister, Kishida stated that his administration would pursue a "new model of capitalism" by implementing redistributive policies aimed at raising wages and expanding the middle class. His tenure saw a reversal of decades-long deflationary economic policies, with Japan experiencing its highest wage growth in 30 years, driven by record wage increases achieved through annual wage negotiations. He led the LDP to victory in 2021 general election and 2022 House of Councillors election, albeit at a slightly reduced majority. He oversaw the dissolution of the Unification Church (UC) in Japan following the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022 and the disbandment of his faction Kōchikai, along with Seiwakai and Shisuikai following a party-wide slush fund corruption scandal. His tenure also oversaw the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean in August 2023, less than 12 years since the Great East Japan earthquake in March 2011. He reshuffled his cabinet twice, in August 2022 to remove cabinet members affiliated with the UC and in September 2023 to remove cabinet members associated with the slush fund scandal. On foreign policy, Kishida continued strengthening the Quad Security Dialogue and close cooperation with NATO in pursuit of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy, signed the American–Japanese–Korean trilateral pact in 2023, formed security pacts with the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Philippines, and took steps to repair ties with South Korea. In 2022 he instructed the cabinet to increase Japan's military budget by 65% by 2027, the most significant defense budget increase in decades. Kishida responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by becoming the first Asian country to impose sanctions on Russia and Belarus and authorizing civilian aid to Ukraine. Kishida survived an assassination attempt on 15 April 2023 while delivering a campaign speech. The end of his premiership was marked by a struggle to recover from record-low approval ratings amid fallout from the LDP slush fund scandal. On 14 August 2024, Kishida announced that he would resign from office and step down as LDP party leader, thereby not seeking re-election in September of the same year. In the LDP leadership election, Kishida initially endorsed Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, then, in the second round, whipped votes for Shigeru Ishiba, who defeated Sanae Takaichi to become the next party leader and prime minister.