Akira Ishikawa (石川 晶, Ishikawa Akira; November 10, 1934 - February 10, 2002) was a Japanese jazz drummer and…
Akira Ishikawa (石川 晶, Ishikawa Akira; November 10, 1934 - February 10, 2002) was a Japanese jazz drummer and bandleader. Ishikawa began his music career with Shin Matsumoto and New Pacific. In the following years he toured with his own formations like Akira Miyazawa Modern Allstars and Toshio Hosaka. In later years he played with Toshiyuki Miyama and his band New Herd; in 1964/65 he recordEd with Miyamas Modern Jazz Highlights and Modern Jukebox. From the late '60s, he recorded under his own name, releasing Soul Session (1969) and The Gentures in Beat Pops (1970), with, among others, Hiromasa Suzuki, Kiyoshi Sugimoto and Masaoki Terakawa. With his band Count Buffaloes, the jazz-rock oriented album Electrum was out in 1970, followed by Drums Concerto (1971), African Rock (1972), Uganda (1972) and Get Up! (1975). He also worked with Yoshiko Goto, Koichi Oki, Kiyoshi Sugimoto (Our Time, 1974) and Akio Sasaki (Berklee Connection, 1980) in the 1970s. In the field of jazz he was involved between 1964 and 1980 in 14 recording sessions.
Famous People Born under Scorpio
Scorpio: 1,746 people
Kenjiro Haitani (灰谷 健次郎, Haitani Kenjirō; October 31, 1934 – November 23, 2006) was a Japanese author of children's…
Kenjiro Haitani (灰谷 健次郎, Haitani Kenjirō; October 31, 1934 – November 23, 2006) was a Japanese author of children's literature. He was the author of Usagi no me ("A Rabbit's Eyes") and Taiyo no Ko ("Children of the Sun"), both best-sellers. Haitani died of esophageal cancer on 23 November 2006, aged 72. According to his wishes, no funeral services were held.
Ōyō Mitsunobu (光延 旺洋, Mitsunobu Ōyō; 1934–2003) was a Japanese chemist specializing in organic synthesis. In 1967, he…
Ōyō Mitsunobu (光延 旺洋, Mitsunobu Ōyō; 1934–2003) was a Japanese chemist specializing in organic synthesis. In 1967, he introduced the Mitsunobu reaction, which is named after him. His father was Tōyō Mitsunobu, an admiral (posthumously) of the Japanese navy. Mitsunobu earned his bachelor's degree at Gakushuin University in Tokyo and subsequently studied at the Tokyo Institute of Technology starting in 1959, where he obtained his doctorate in 1966 under the supervision of Teruaki Mukaiyama. From 1986-2002 he was a Professor in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Aoyama Gakuin University. His work focused on the chemistry of nucleosides and nucleotides, as well as stereoselective reactions. He is best known for the Mitsunobu reaction which involves the substitution of (primary or secondary) alcohols with nucleophiles (the original reaction was an esterification) and has found widespread application, particularly in the synthesis of natural products and in biochemistry. It proceeds under relatively mild conditions and is stereospecific. It is an oxidation-reduction condensation reaction in which triphenylphosphine is oxidized and diethyl azodicarboxylate (DEAD) is reduced to its corresponding hydrazine derivative (reagents serving a similar function to triphenylphosphine and DEAD in the original version of the reaction are known as Mitsunobu reagents). Mitsunobu introduced the reaction in 1967 and developed several variants shortly thereafter. Between 1996 and 2008, 1,615 papers with "Mitsunobu reaction" in the title were published according to SciFinder, including 186 patents. In 1984 he received the Synthetic Organic Chemistry Award, Japan. The text of the award states that it is for the "Discovery and development of stereospecific reactions through activation of alcoholic hydroxyl groups".
Tomohiko Sekine (関根 友彦, Sekine Tomohiko; 22 November 1933 – 16 January 2022), a.k.a. Thomas T. Sekine was a Japanese…
Tomohiko Sekine (関根 友彦, Sekine Tomohiko; 22 November 1933 – 16 January 2022), a.k.a. Thomas T. Sekine was a Japanese economist and was considered to be one of the most important theorists on the field of Marx's labor theory of value. His main work The Dialectic of Capital was published in 1986. He was a scholar of Kozo Uno.
Mikijirō Hira (平 幹二朗, Hira Mikijirō; 21 November 1933 – 23 October 2016) was a Japanese actor. Starting as a stage…
Mikijirō Hira (平 幹二朗, Hira Mikijirō; 21 November 1933 – 23 October 2016) was a Japanese actor. Starting as a stage actor in the 1950s, he also worked in film and television and was active until the time of his death. From the 1970s he starred in several of Yukio Ninagawa's productions, including an acclaimed role as Macbeth. Described as "Japan's best Shakespearean actor", Hira received several awards throughout his career, including an excellence award at the 2011 National Arts Festival hosted by the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Atsushi Tani (谷 野, Tani Atsushi; born 14 November 1933) is a Japanese former swimmer. He competed in two events at the…
Atsushi Tani (谷 野, Tani Atsushi; born 14 November 1933) is a Japanese former swimmer. He competed in two events at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Jūkei Fujioka (藤岡 重慶, Fujioka Jūkei; 19 November 1933 – 23 July 1991) was a Japanese actor. He is known as an actor who…
Jūkei Fujioka (藤岡 重慶, Fujioka Jūkei; 19 November 1933 – 23 July 1991) was a Japanese actor. He is known as an actor who often played villains, but is famous for playing the role of detective Daisaku Tani in the detective drama Seibu Keisatsu. Fujioka started his acting career at the Haiyuza Theatre Company. His film debut was in the 1961 film A New Wind Over the Mountain Pass directed by Seijun Suzuki. Following year, he signed his contract with Nikkatsu film company. In May 1991, while performing at the New Kabukiza in Osaka, he complained of poor health and was hospitalized at Kitasato University East Hospital in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture. At 7:06 a.m. on July 23 of the same year, he died due to intracerebral hemorrhage (died at the age of 57).
Isao Iwabuchi (岩淵 功, Iwabuchi Isao; November 17, 1933 – April 16, 2003) was a Japanese football player. He played for…
Isao Iwabuchi (岩淵 功, Iwabuchi Isao; November 17, 1933 – April 16, 2003) was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Akira Endo (遠藤 章, Endō Akira; 14 November 1933 – 5 June 2024) was a Japanese biochemist whose research into the…
Akira Endo (遠藤 章, Endō Akira; 14 November 1933 – 5 June 2024) was a Japanese biochemist whose research into the relationship between fungi and cholesterol biosynthesis led to the development of statin drugs, which are some of the best-selling pharmaceuticals in history. Endo received the Japan Prize in 2006, the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award in 2008, the Canada Gairdner International Award in 2017.
Shutaro Shoji (東海林 周太郎, 12 November 1933 – 15 January 2017) was a Japanese basketball player. He competed in the men's…
Shutaro Shoji (東海林 周太郎, 12 November 1933 – 15 January 2017) was a Japanese basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Nakaakira Tsukahara (November 11, 1933 - August 12, 1985) was a Japanese doctor, cerebral physiologist, and neurologist…
Nakaakira Tsukahara (November 11, 1933 - August 12, 1985) was a Japanese doctor, cerebral physiologist, and neurologist who served as professor at the Faculty of Engineering Science at Osaka University.
Keiko Tanaka-Ikeda (田中-池田 敬子, born Keiko Tanaka; November 11, 1933 – May 13, 2023) was the first Japanese female…
Keiko Tanaka-Ikeda (田中-池田 敬子, born Keiko Tanaka; November 11, 1933 – May 13, 2023) was the first Japanese female gymnast to win a world title, which she accomplished on the balance beam in 1954 (by becoming the first Asian female gymnast to win a world gold medal). For 63 years, she remained the only Japanese female gymnast who won a world gold medal - until Mai Murakami won the floor exercise at the 2017 World Championships. Tanaka-Ikeda won seven more medals at the world championships from 1958 to 1966. She also competed at the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Olympics in all artistic gymnastics events and won a team bronze medal in 1964; her best individual achievement was a fourth place on the floor in 1956. In retirement she taught at Japan's Sports Science University and served as director of the Japanese Gymnastics Association. In 2002, she became the first Japanese woman to be inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Tanaka-Ikeda died from brain cancer at a nursing home in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, on May 13, 2023, at the age of 89.
Jusaburō Tsujimura (辻村寿三郎) (1 November 1933 – 5 February 2023) was a Japanese puppeteer, puppet and doll maker, and art…
Jusaburō Tsujimura (辻村寿三郎) (1 November 1933 – 5 February 2023) was a Japanese puppeteer, puppet and doll maker, and art director.
Ayako Wakao (若尾 文子, Wakao Ayako; born November 8, 1933, in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress who was one of the…
Ayako Wakao (若尾 文子, Wakao Ayako; born November 8, 1933, in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress who was one of the country's biggest stars of the 20th century.
Sumiko Nakazawa (中沢 純子, Nakazawa Sumiko; 4 November 1933 – 26 September 2010), known professionally as Junko Ikeuchi…
Sumiko Nakazawa (中沢 純子, Nakazawa Sumiko; 4 November 1933 – 26 September 2010), known professionally as Junko Ikeuchi (池内 淳子, Ikeuchi Junko), was a Japanese actress. She joined the film studio Shintoho after being recruited from Mitsukoshi's Nihonbashi store, and subsequently starred in films and television series like Super Giant (1957), The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959), A Woman and the Beancurd Soup (1965), Illusion of Blood (1965), and Tora-san's Love Call (1971). Gaining popularity on television dramas, she also earned the nicknames "20% Actress" and "Queen of TV Dramas".
Takao Mikami (Japanese: 三上隆雄 Mikami Takao; 2 November 1933 – 9 July 2026) was a Japanese politician. A member of the…
Takao Mikami (Japanese: 三上隆雄 Mikami Takao; 2 November 1933 – 9 July 2026) was a Japanese politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the House of Councillors from 1989 to 1995. Mikami died on 9 July 2026, at the age of 92.
Ikuo Kamei (亀井 郁夫, Kamei Ikuo; November 1, 1933 – May 15, 2019) was a Japanese politician of the People's New Party, a…
Ikuo Kamei (亀井 郁夫, Kamei Ikuo; November 1, 1933 – May 15, 2019) was a Japanese politician of the People's New Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Shōbara, Hiroshima and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1998 after serving in the assembly of Hiroshima Prefecture. Shizuka Kamei, a member of the House of Representatives, is his brother.
Ryō Hanmura (Japanese: 半村 良, Hepburn: Hanmura Ryō; October 27, 1933 – March 4, 2002) was a Japanese science fiction…
Ryō Hanmura (Japanese: 半村 良, Hepburn: Hanmura Ryō; October 27, 1933 – March 4, 2002) was a Japanese science fiction, fantasy, and horror author. His name is alternatively transliterated as Ryō Hammura. While he wrote books as Ryō Hanmura his real name was Heitarō Kiyono (清野 平太郎, Kiyono Heitarō). He won the first Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature for his novel Musubi no Yama Hiroku (産霊山秘録) in 1973. He won the Naoki Prize for his 1975 novel Amayadori (雨やどり). He won also the 1988 Nihon SF Taisho Award. One of his novels was the basis of the 1979 film G.I. Samurai (戦国自衛隊, Sengoku Jieitai). A series of role-playing video games called The Legend of Heroes (英雄伝説, Eiyū Densetsu) is loosely based on his novel by the same name.
Jun'ichi Watanabe (渡辺 淳一, Watanabe Jun'ichi; 24 October 1933 – 30 April 2014) was a Japanese writer.
Umeko Ando (安東 ウメ子, Andō Umeko; November 20, 1932 – July 15, 2004) was an Ainu singer and mukkuri player. Her…
Umeko Ando (安東 ウメ子, Andō Umeko; November 20, 1932 – July 15, 2004) was an Ainu singer and mukkuri player. Her participation in Oki Kano's second album Hankapuy, helped her gain recognition. She recorded several albums, including her solo debut album, Ihunke, produced by Oki in 2001, that was praised by critics and artists alike, and many music publications in Japan declared it the best world music album of the year. It was followed by her second studio album, Upopo Sanke, in 2003, with Chikar Studio, which gained worldwide attention. She died from cancer on July 15, 2004, at her hometown Makubetsu-cho, Hokkaido, at the age of 71. She is featured posthumously on the Samurai Champloo soundtrack with her song "Pekambe Uk" (ペカンベ ウㇰ; "Wheat Harvesting Song"). The seventeenth episode, "Lullabies of the Lost", which featured this song, was dedicated to her memory with the message "May her soul rest in peace" in the ending credits.
Nui Sano (Japanese: 佐野 ぬい, romanized: Sano Nui; November 16, 1932 – August 23, 2023) was a Japanese yōga…
Nui Sano (Japanese: 佐野 ぬい, romanized: Sano Nui; November 16, 1932 – August 23, 2023) was a Japanese yōga ("Western-style") painter. She was known for her rhythmic, abstract style and her frequent use of the color blue. A longtime instructor at the Joshibi University of Art and Design, she served as the school's president from 2007 to 2011.
Takashi Itoyama (糸山 隆司, Itoyama Takashi; born 14 November 1936 – 17 August 1983) is a Japanese basketball player. He…
Takashi Itoyama (糸山 隆司, Itoyama Takashi; born 14 November 1936 – 17 August 1983) is a Japanese basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1960 Summer Olympics.
The Yokota family, husband Shigeru (November 14, 1932 – June 5, 2020) and wife Sakie (born February 4, 1936) along with…
The Yokota family, husband Shigeru (November 14, 1932 – June 5, 2020) and wife Sakie (born February 4, 1936) along with their twin sons Takuya and Tetsuya founded the Japanese National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea in 1997. The Association supports the victims of North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Yokotas' daughter Megumi was kidnapped in 1977 by North Korean spies; her current whereabouts are unknown. Sakie Yokota once met with U.S. President George W. Bush to talk about demanding sanctions on North Korea and in 2013 she testified about her daughter's abduction. In 2014, the Yokotas met Megumi's Korean daughter. Also in 2014, Sakie Yokota met U.S. President Barack Obama to discuss the case of her daughter and other abductees. The meeting came after a press conference Obama held with then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. During the meeting, Obama said he was "moved by their tragic experiences." On September 19, 2017, President of the United States Donald Trump, in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, included Yokota in a series of accusations against the North Korean government, saying, "We know it kidnapped a sweet 13-year-old Japanese girl from a beach in her own country to enslave her as a language tutor for North Korea's spies." On June 5, 2020, Shigeru Yokota died at age 87. He had been hospitalized in Kawasaki for more than two years. On October 24, 2020, former Prime Minister Abe and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attended a memorial service for Shigeru, where Suga praised him and said he would "take the lead in making a breakthrough (on the abductees issue), without missing any opportunity." Sakie Yokota wrote a book, North Korea Kidnapped My Daughter, about the issue.
Junya Satō (佐藤 純彌, Satō Jun'ya; 6 November 1932 – 9 February 2019) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His…
Junya Satō (佐藤 純彌, Satō Jun'ya; 6 November 1932 – 9 February 2019) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His son, Tōya Satō (佐藤 東弥, Satō Tōya), is also a film director.
Sadako Yamashita (山下 貞子, Yamashita Sadako; born 5 November 1932) is a Japanese former freestyle swimmer. She competed…
Sadako Yamashita (山下 貞子, Yamashita Sadako; born 5 November 1932) is a Japanese former freestyle swimmer. She competed in three events at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Issei Tanaka (田仲 一成, Tanaka Issei; 1932 or 1933 – 29 March 2025) was a Japanese writer and professor at the Institute…
Issei Tanaka (田仲 一成, Tanaka Issei; 1932 or 1933 – 29 March 2025) was a Japanese writer and professor at the Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo. Tanaka was notable for writing about Chinese literature, publishing books that include, among others, The Social and Historical Content of Ming-Ch'ing Local Drama, and Development of Local Plays in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Tanaka died on 30 March 2025, at the age of 92.
Taneaki Tanami (Japanese: 田並胤明 Tanami Taneaki; 31 October 1932 – 18 March 2026) was a Japanese politician. A member of…
Taneaki Tanami (Japanese: 田並胤明 Tanami Taneaki; 31 October 1932 – 18 March 2026) was a Japanese politician. A member of the Japan Socialist Party and the Democratic Party of Japan, he served in the House of Representatives from 1983 to 1993 and again from 2000 to 2003. Tanami died of multiple organ failure in Hanyū, on 18 March 2026, at the age of 93.
Shizuo Satō (Japanese: 佐藤静雄 Satō Shizuo; 4 November 1931 – 16 January 2022) was a Japanese politician. A member of the…
Shizuo Satō (Japanese: 佐藤静雄 Satō Shizuo; 4 November 1931 – 16 January 2022) was a Japanese politician. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, he served in the House of Councillors from 1992 to 1998. He died from a myocardial infarction on 16 January 2022, at the age of 90.
Ikkō Narahara (奈良原 一高, Narahara Ikkō; November 3, 1931 – January 19, 2020) was a Japanese photographer. His work is…
Ikkō Narahara (奈良原 一高, Narahara Ikkō; November 3, 1931 – January 19, 2020) was a Japanese photographer. His work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Shunsuke Kikuchi (菊池 俊輔, Kikuchi Shunsuke; November 1, 1931 – April 24, 2021) was a Japanese composer who was active…
Shunsuke Kikuchi (菊池 俊輔, Kikuchi Shunsuke; November 1, 1931 – April 24, 2021) was a Japanese composer who was active from the early 1960s until 2017. He specialized in incidental music for media such as television and film. Kikuchi was regarded as one of Japan's most highly demanded film and TV composers, working principally on tokusatsu and anime, popular action films, jidaigeki, and television dramas.
Chōsuke Ikariya (いかりや長介, Ikariya Chōsuke; November 1, 1931 – March 20, 2004) was a Japanese comedian and film actor…
Chōsuke Ikariya (いかりや長介, Ikariya Chōsuke; November 1, 1931 – March 20, 2004) was a Japanese comedian and film actor, and leader of the comedy group The Drifters. His nickname was "Chō-san" (長さん).
Banri Namikawa (並河 萬里, Namikawa Banri; 1931–2006) was a Japanese photographer.
Kenkichi Sonogashira (薗頭 健吉, Sonogashira Kenkichi; born 25 October 1931) is a Japanese chemist and was a professor of…
Kenkichi Sonogashira (薗頭 健吉, Sonogashira Kenkichi; born 25 October 1931) is a Japanese chemist and was a professor of chemistry at Osaka University in Japan. He discovered the Sonogashira coupling in 1975. Sonogashira was later a professor at Osaka City University and retired in 2004.
Ken Utsui (宇津井健, Utsui Ken) (24 October 1931 – 14 March 2014) was a Japanese actor who worked on stage, film, and…
Ken Utsui (宇津井健, Utsui Ken) (24 October 1931 – 14 March 2014) was a Japanese actor who worked on stage, film, and television from the 1950s to the 2010s.
Sasazawa Saho (笹沢左保; November 15, 1930 – October 21, 2002) was a Japanese author, known as the creator of the Kogarashi…
Sasazawa Saho (笹沢左保; November 15, 1930 – October 21, 2002) was a Japanese author, known as the creator of the Kogarashi Monjirō novels, which became a hit televised drama series. He was a self-declared member of the shinhonkaku-ha or "new orthodox" school of detective fiction writing. Aside from mysteries, he also wrote thrillers, essays and history books, with some 380 books to his credit.
Fumiko Kometani (米谷ふみ子, Kometani Fumiko; born 1930 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese author and artist (painter) and a…
Fumiko Kometani (米谷ふみ子, Kometani Fumiko; born 1930 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese author and artist (painter) and a longtime resident of the United States. Kometani moved to the US in 1960 when she was working as an abstract painter, spending time at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire where she met her husband, Josh Greenfeld (they later moved to California). She changed her focus to writing when her developmentally disabled son Noah became too hard to handle when he was around the art supplies in her studio. Her older son, Karl Taro Greenfeld, is also a writer. Kometani is also noted for her expressed displeasure of what she terms the fascist mentality of the World War II Japanese Army. She regularly participates in anti-war and anti-nuclear protests. Her first book, Passover, received the distinguished Akutagawa Prize. It was subsequently described in The New York Times as "anti-Semitic" and an example of Japan's "widespread anti-Semitism", although Kometani's husband is Jewish, and the novel was an adaption of a visit to his parents' house. A judge for the Akutagawa Prize claimed that the Times had misinterpreted the sardonic and self-ridiculing tone of the novel. In January 2025 Kometani's home was destroyed in the Palisades Fire.
Minako Ōba (大庭 みな子, Ōba Minako; born November 11, 1930, death May 24, 2007) was a Japanese author and social critic.…
Minako Ōba (大庭 みな子, Ōba Minako; born November 11, 1930, death May 24, 2007) was a Japanese author and social critic. She was awarded the 1968 Akutagawa Prize for Sanbiki no kani (Three Crabs), and the 1982 Tanizaki Prize for Katachi mo naku (寂兮寥兮). Ōba suffered a stroke in 1996 and died on May 24, 2007.
Michiya Mihashi (三橋美智也 Mihashi Michiya, November 10, 1930 – January 8, 1996), born Michiya Kitazawa (北沢 美智也 Kitazawa…
Michiya Mihashi (三橋美智也 Mihashi Michiya, November 10, 1930 – January 8, 1996), born Michiya Kitazawa (北沢 美智也 Kitazawa Michiya) in Kamiiso, Hokkaidō, was an enka singer in postwar Japan. Along with Hachiro Kasuga and Hideo Murata, he was regarded as one of the most notable singers to have established the genre enka. Mihashi was among the leading Enka singers in his time and was known for his high-pitched and elastic singing voice. He recorded around 2,500 songs. By 1983, he sold more than 100 million records. Takashi Hosokawa was his pupil.
Kazuo Kuroki (黒木和雄, Kuroki Kazuo) was a Japanese film director who was particularly known for his films on World War II…
Kazuo Kuroki (黒木和雄, Kuroki Kazuo) was a Japanese film director who was particularly known for his films on World War II and the question of personal guilt.
Shigeaki Uno (宇野 重昭, Uno Shigeaki; October 28, 1930 – 1 April 2017) was a political scientist; Professor Emeritus of…
Shigeaki Uno (宇野 重昭, Uno Shigeaki; October 28, 1930 – 1 April 2017) was a political scientist; Professor Emeritus of Seikei University; Honorary President and Professor Emeritus of University of Shimane. Majored in International Relations (Modern Chinese History, Study on Northeast Asian Region). Shigeaki Uno was born in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture; His wife, Mieko Uno is Educator and Professor Emeritus of Ferris University. Shigeki Uno, Political Scientist and Professor of Research Institute for Social Science, University of Tokyo is a son of Mr. & Mrs. Uno.
Tsutomu "Ben" Goto (五島 勉, Gotō Ben, 17 November 1929 – 16 June 2020) was a Japanese journalist and writer best known…
Tsutomu "Ben" Goto (五島 勉, Gotō Ben, 17 November 1929 – 16 June 2020) was a Japanese journalist and writer best known for his books on Nostradamus.
Asashio Tarō (Japanese: 朝潮 太郎; November 13, 1929 – October 23, 1988) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from…
Asashio Tarō (Japanese: 朝潮 太郎; November 13, 1929 – October 23, 1988) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Tokunoshima in the Amami Islands. He was the sport's 46th yokozuna. He was also a sumo coach and head of Takasago stable.
Akio Suzuki (鈴木章夫, Suzuki Akio; November 7, 1929 – October 28, 2010) was a Japanese doctor, medical scientist, educator…
Akio Suzuki (鈴木章夫, Suzuki Akio; November 7, 1929 – October 28, 2010) was a Japanese doctor, medical scientist, educator and president of Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU). He was best known as an expert on heart surgery.
Kazuo Ikehiro (池広一夫, Ikehiro Kazuo; 25 October 1929 – 15 October 2025) was a Japanese film director. He is known for…
Kazuo Ikehiro (池広一夫, Ikehiro Kazuo; 25 October 1929 – 15 October 2025) was a Japanese film director. He is known for directing Zatoichi series and the highly acclaimed film Onna Gokuakuchō. In 1950, he joined the Daiei Film and started working as an assistant director under Kenji Mizoguchi etc. In 1960, he was promoted to director and debuted with Bara Daimyo. Ikehiro died of a heart attack in Tokyo, on 15 October 2025, at the age of 95.
Hosei Norota (野呂田 芳成, Norota Hōsei; 25 October 1929 – 23 May 2019) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic…
Hosei Norota (野呂田 芳成, Norota Hōsei; 25 October 1929 – 23 May 2019) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Noshiro, Akita and graduate of Chuo University he joined the Ministry of Construction in 1953. Leaving the ministry, he was elected to the House of Councillors in the Diet for the first time in 1977. In 1983 he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time. From 1995 to 1996 he served as the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Tomiichi Murayama's cabinet. In 1998 he served briefly as Director General of the Japan Defense Agency. In 2001, Norota received the civilian honor Padma Vibhushan from the President of India. Norota died of bladder cancer on 23 May 2019 at a Tokyo hospital, aged 89.
Hideo Takamatsu (高松 英郎, Hideo Takamatsu; 24 October 1929 – 26 February 2007) was a Japanese actor from Nankoku, Kōchi…
Hideo Takamatsu (高松 英郎, Hideo Takamatsu; 24 October 1929 – 26 February 2007) was a Japanese actor from Nankoku, Kōchi Prefecture. Takamatsu appeared in more than 120 films between 1948 and 2007.
Koji Sone (曽根 康治, Sone Kōji; November 14, 1928 – April 27, 1981) was a Japanese judoka and world champion. He was born…
Koji Sone (曽根 康治, Sone Kōji; November 14, 1928 – April 27, 1981) was a Japanese judoka and world champion. He was born in the city Chichibu, Saitama and started judo in his childhood. His father was a 6th Dan in judo and his uncle a 9th Dan. Sone is a university-trained judoka from Meiji University. After that he belonged to Fuji Iron & Steel. As fifth dan, measuring 5 feet and 10 1/2 inches in height and weighing 215 pounds, he received a gold medal at the 1958 World Judo Championships in Tokyo against teammate and 4th dan Akio Kaminaga. Sone was surprisingly eliminated in the second round of the 1960 All-Japan Judo Championships, a contemporary report by the martial artist Donn F. Draeger calling his performance there a "pitiful sight" and mentioning that he was aging. Sone won a silver medal at the 1961 World Judo Championships in Paris, behind Anton Geesink. His loss against Geesink, 5th dan, was heralded as the end of the era in which the best Japanese judokas could not be defeated by foreigners. Within nine minutes of the 20-minute contest, a foot sweep forced Sone onto the ground where he was held for the necessary 30 seconds with a Mune-gatame. Despite that, many believed that Sone was the technically better judoka. At the age of 33 Sone was relatively old for a judoka. It would be the last World Championship without a division into weight classes. After the loss against Geesink, Sone became coach of the Japanese judo team. Sone was accused by Geesink's teammates in the 1965 World Judo Championships of having Seiji Sakaguchi lose against the more rested Matsunaga to have Matsunaga take on the weary Geesink in the final round. Matsunaga still lost, Geesink winning the heavy-weight title by decision. But the Japanese team hoped to beat him with Isao Inokuma in the all-weight class the next day. Before the match, however, Geesink quit. The jubilant Japanese team carried Sone on their shoulders and paraded him around the gym. In 1977 he achieved the rank of 8th Dan. In 1981 he died of cerebral hemorrhage in Tokyo.
Yoshiko Sembon (せんぼんよしこ; born November 6, 1928 in Dalian) is a Japanese screenwriter and director.
Tomi Taira (平良 とみ, Taira Tomi; 5 November 1928 – 6 December 2015) was a Japanese actress with a long history of…
Tomi Taira (平良 とみ, Taira Tomi; 5 November 1928 – 6 December 2015) was a Japanese actress with a long history of performing in Okinawan theatre. She was mainly active as an actress, narrator, dialect coach and in other capacities in shows and films taking place in Okinawa and in projects otherwise representing the region, as well as working more directly and officially with the Okinawa Tourist Bureau in promoting the island prefecture. Acting both on stage and in films for many years, her first notable role in films was that of the title role of Nabbie, the grandmother in the 1999 film Nabbie no koi.
Osamu Tezuka (手塚 治虫, born 手塚 治, Tezuka Osamu, (1928-11-03)3 November 1928 – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga…
Osamu Tezuka (手塚 治虫, born 手塚 治, Tezuka Osamu, (1928-11-03)3 November 1928 – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist and animator. Considered to be among the greatest and most influential cartoonists of all time, his prolific output, pioneering techniques and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such titles as "the Father of Manga" (マンガの父, Manga no Chichi), "the Godfather of Manga" (マンガの教父, Manga no Kyōfu) and "the God of Manga" (マンガの神様, Manga no Kami-sama). Additionally, he is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, who served as a major inspiration during Tezuka's formative years. Though this phrase praises the quality of his early manga works for children and animations, it also blurs the significant influence of his later, more literary, gekiga works. Inspired by the early Chinese animated film Princess Iron Fan, Tezuka began what was known as the manga revolution in Japan with his New Treasure Island published in 1947. His output would spawn some of the most influential, successful and well-received manga series including the children's manga Astro Boy, Princess Knight and Kimba the White Lion, and the adult-oriented series Black Jack, Phoenix and Buddha, all of which won several awards. Tezuka died of stomach cancer in 1989. His death had an immediate impact on the Japanese public and other cartoonists. A museum was constructed in Takarazuka dedicated to his memory and life works, and Tezuka received many posthumous awards. Several animations were in production at the time of his death along with the final chapters of Phoenix, which were never released.