Pisces: 1,872 people
Noboru Kawazoe (川添 登, Kawazoe Noboru) (1926–2015) was a Japanese author, editor, architectural critic and one of the…
Noboru Kawazoe (川添 登, Kawazoe Noboru) (1926–2015) was a Japanese author, editor, architectural critic and one of the founding members of the Japanese Metabolist Movement.
Zuiho Yamaguchi (山口 瑞鳳, Yamaguchi Zuihō; 21 February 1926 – 15 April 2023) was a Japanese Buddhologist and…
Zuiho Yamaguchi (山口 瑞鳳, Yamaguchi Zuihō; 21 February 1926 – 15 April 2023) was a Japanese Buddhologist and Tibetologist. He was an emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo, where he also took his doctorate degree in Sanskrit in 1954. He also studied in Paris and for many years was a researcher at the Tōyō Bunko. He retired in 1986.
Takeshi Umehara (梅原 猛, Umehara Takeshi; March 20, 1925 – January 12, 2019) was born in Miyagi Prefecture in Tōhoku and…
Takeshi Umehara (梅原 猛, Umehara Takeshi; March 20, 1925 – January 12, 2019) was born in Miyagi Prefecture in Tōhoku and graduated from the philosophical faculty of Kyoto University in 1948. He taught philosophy at Ritsumeikan University and was subsequently appointed president of the Kyoto City University of Arts. He is noted for his prolific essays on Japanese culture, in which he has endeavoured to refound the discipline of Japanese studies along more Japanocentric lines, notably in his book Nihongaku kotohajime (日本学事始) written in 1972 in collaboration with Shunpei Ueyama. Aside from his voluminous academic essays on numerous aspects of Japanese culture he has also composed theatrical works on figures as varied as Yamato Takeru and Gilgamesh. He was appointed in 1987 to head the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, otherwise known by the abbreviation of Nichibunken, established by Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone to function as a centralized academic body collecting and classifying all available information about Japanese culture, both within Japan and abroad. He retired as head administrator of Nichibunken in 1995.
Leo Esaki (江崎 玲於奈, Esaki Reona; born March 12, 1925) is a Japanese physicist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics…
Leo Esaki (江崎 玲於奈, Esaki Reona; born March 12, 1925) is a Japanese physicist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics with Ivar Giaever and Brian Josephson for his work on tunneling in semiconductors, which led to his invention of the tunnel diode that exploits this phenomenon. His research was done when he was with Sony. He has also contributed in being a pioneer of semiconductor superlattices. Since the death of Yoichiro Nambu in 2015, Esaki is the oldest living Japanese Nobel laureate.
Fukuzo Iwasaki (岩崎 福三, Iwasaki Fukuzō; March 11, 1925 – February 29, 2012) was a Japanese real estate magnate with an…
Fukuzo Iwasaki (岩崎 福三, Iwasaki Fukuzō; March 11, 1925 – February 29, 2012) was a Japanese real estate magnate with an estimated fortune of $5.7 billion, putting him among the five richest people in Japan. He was chairman of the Iwasaki Sangyo Group, a major transportation, tourism and hotel company in southern Japan, founded by his father, Yōhachirō Iwasaki. Forbes' 2007 list of billionaires estimates his net worth at $2.1 billion. Iwasaki was a resident of Kagoshima and held a bachelor's degree from Rikkyo University.
Ichiro Nakagawa (中川 一郎, Nakagawa Ichirō; 9 March 1925 – 9 January 1983) was a Japanese politician from Hokkaidō. He was…
Ichiro Nakagawa (中川 一郎, Nakagawa Ichirō; 9 March 1925 – 9 January 1983) was a Japanese politician from Hokkaidō. He was a significant leader of the right wing of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Ken-Ichi Inada (稲田 献一, Inada Ken'ichi; March 8, 1925 – May 17, 2002) was a Japanese economist. Beginning in the 1950s…
Ken-Ichi Inada (稲田 献一, Inada Ken'ichi; March 8, 1925 – May 17, 2002) was a Japanese economist. Beginning in the 1950s, Inada wrote a number of important papers on welfare economics, economic growth and international trade. His contributions include an early extension of Kenneth Arrow's impossibility theorem on the existence of a social welfare function (1955). Inada's extension of the Stolper–Samuelson theorem to the many-good, many-factor case is also considered as a classic piece in trade theory (1971). Inada has taught at universities including Osaka University and Tokyo Metropolitan University, served as a member of the honorary board of editors for the Japanese Economic Review since its first publishing in 1995, as well as being elected president of the Japanese Economic Association in 1980. He is known for the Inada conditions on a production function that can guarantee the stability of an economic growth path in a neoclassical growth model.
Seiuemon Inaba (1925-2020) was a Japanese roboticist who was the founder and honorary chairman of FANUC. Inaba was born…
Seiuemon Inaba (1925-2020) was a Japanese roboticist who was the founder and honorary chairman of FANUC. Inaba was born in 1925 in Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo. Inaba played a key role in the development of the robot industry. In 1992, he was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for pioneering achievements in numerically controlled machine tools and factory automation and contributions to engineering research and education. Inaba died on October 2, 2020, at the age of 95.
Shoichiro Toyoda (Japanese: 豊田 章一郞, Hepburn: Toyoda Shōichirō; 27 February 1925 – 14 February 2023) was a Japanese…
Shoichiro Toyoda (Japanese: 豊田 章一郞, Hepburn: Toyoda Shōichirō; 27 February 1925 – 14 February 2023) was a Japanese business executive who served as chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation from 1992 to 1999, as well as chairman of the influential Japan Business Federation (日本経済団体連合会, Nippon Keidanren) from 1994 to 1998. Under Toyoda's leadership, Toyota started manufacturing vehicles overseas and undertook the development of the Lexus brand. He was the grandson of the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works founder Sakichi Toyoda and the son of the Toyota Motor founder Kiichiro Toyoda.
Tochinishiki Kiyotaka (Japanese: 栃錦 清隆; February 20, 1925 – January 10, 1990) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler…
Tochinishiki Kiyotaka (Japanese: 栃錦 清隆; February 20, 1925 – January 10, 1990) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Tokyo. He was the sport's 44th yokozuna. He won ten top division yūshō or tournament championships and was a rival of fellow yokozuna Wakanohana I. He became the head coach of Kasugano stable in 1959 and was head of the Japan Sumo Association from 1974 until 1988.
Yasushi Mieno (三重野 康, Mieno Yasushi; March 17, 1924 – April 15, 2012) was a Japanese businessman, central banker, the…
Yasushi Mieno (三重野 康, Mieno Yasushi; March 17, 1924 – April 15, 2012) was a Japanese businessman, central banker, the 26th Governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ) and a Director of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
Morihiko Hiramatsu (平松 守彦, Hiramatsu Morihiko; 12 March 1924 – 21 August 2016) was a Japanese politician who was…
Morihiko Hiramatsu (平松 守彦, Hiramatsu Morihiko; 12 March 1924 – 21 August 2016) was a Japanese politician who was governor of Ōita Prefecture from April 1979 to April 2003. He is best known for initiating the One Village One Product movement in the prefecture, which was later followed by various other countries.
Kimifusa Abe (安部 公房, Abe Kimifusa; March 7, 1924 – January 22, 1993), known by his pen name Kōbō Abe (安部 公房, Abe Kōbō)…
Kimifusa Abe (安部 公房, Abe Kimifusa; March 7, 1924 – January 22, 1993), known by his pen name Kōbō Abe (安部 公房, Abe Kōbō), was a Japanese writer, playwright and director. His 1962 novel The Woman in the Dunes was made into an award-winning film by Hiroshi Teshigahara in 1964. Abe has often been compared to Franz Kafka for his modernist sensibilities and his surreal, often nightmarish explorations of individuals in contemporary society. He died aged 68 of heart failure in Tokyo after a brief illness.
Takeshi Taketsuru (Japanese: 竹鶴威, 6 March 1924 – 17 December 2014) was a Japanese whisky distiller. He was the nephew…
Takeshi Taketsuru (Japanese: 竹鶴威, 6 March 1924 – 17 December 2014) was a Japanese whisky distiller. He was the nephew of Masataka Taketsuru, from his sister Nobuyo, and his wife Rita Taketsuru, the founders of the Nikka Whisky company before being adopted by them after his father's death in 1943. After their deaths, he took over the company, and expanded its business substantially. He died on 17 December 2014, at the age of 90. Having married his wife, Utako, in 1951, he is survived by his two children, Kotaro and Minobu.
Noboru Minowa (Japanese: 箕輪登, romanized: Minowa Noboru) (March 5, 1924 – May 14, 2006) was a member of the House of…
Noboru Minowa (Japanese: 箕輪登, romanized: Minowa Noboru) (March 5, 1924 – May 14, 2006) was a member of the House of Representatives of Japan from Hokkaido 1st district. He was from Otaru, Hokkaido, and a graduate of Hokkaido University.
Tomiichi Murayama (村山 富市, Murayama Tomiichi; 3 March 1924 – 17 October 2025) was a Japanese politician who served as…
Tomiichi Murayama (村山 富市, Murayama Tomiichi; 3 March 1924 – 17 October 2025) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1994 to 1996. He was the country's only socialist premier since Tetsu Katayama in 1948, and is best remembered for the Murayama Statement on the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, in which he officially apologized for Japan's past colonial wars and aggression. Born in Ōita Prefecture, Murayama graduated from Meiji University in 1946, and became a labor union official in his home prefecture. He was elected to the Ōita City Council in 1955 as a member of the Japan Socialist Party; he was then elected to the Ōita Prefectural Assembly in 1963 and to the National Diet in 1972. After the JSP joined the government following the 1993 election, he became its leader, then became prime minister in 1994 as the head of a new coalition of the JSP, Liberal Democratic Party, and New Party Sakigake. During his time as prime minister, Murayama was noted for his Murayama Statement in which he apologised for the country's actions during World War II, oversaw a crumbling relationship between Japan and the United States, and his government was criticized for its responses to the Great Hanshin earthquake and Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995. He resigned as prime minister in 1996, and reorganized the JSP as the Social Democratic Party. The new party lost many of its seats in the 1996 election, and he resigned as its leader soon after.
Daihachi Oguchi (小口 大八, Oguchi Daihachi; February 27, 1924 – June 27, 2008) was a Japanese drummer best known for…
Daihachi Oguchi (小口 大八, Oguchi Daihachi; February 27, 1924 – June 27, 2008) was a Japanese drummer best known for popularizing taiko. Master Japanese drummer Daihachi Oguchi is credited with inventing kumi-daiko, the taiko ensemble, in 1951. After founding his own ensemble, Osuwa Daiko, he led the spread of modern Taiko throughout Japan and the U.S. A former jazz drummer, Daihachi Oguchi took ancient rhythms, broke them down and created new arrangements and compositions to accommodate an ensemble of drummers. One day, he was asked to interpret an old sheet of taiko music for Suwa Shrine, which was found in an old warehouse. The sheet music was written in an old Japanese notation and he could not understand it at first. He found an old man who had performed the tune, and then he succeeded in interpreting it at last. However, as a jazz player, the rhythm pattern of the tune was too simple for him to play. He wondered why nobody played taiko together. A marvelous idea came across his mind and made him decide to break through the tradition. Inspired by a western drum set, he formed a group in which each player beats a different taiko; in short, he gave the group a function as a drum set. A high-pitched Shime-daiko established a basic rhythm like a snare drum does. A growling Nagado-daiko added accents like a bass drum. His intention was right to the point, and this epoch-making invention changed the taiko music forever. Oguchi helped turn the traditional form into a dramatic performance spectacle, elevating the traditional folk sounds of taiko to modern music played in concert halls, not just festivals and shrines. The period from 1970s to 1990s in Japan seemed to be the Renaissance of taiko music. The activities of Osuwa Daiko and other early kumi-daiko groups in 1960s, and the taiko performance at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 ignited the phenomenal taiko boom for next decades. Mr. Oguchi helped found top taiko groups, including San Francisco Taiko Dojo, which has performed in Hollywood movies and on international tours since forming 40 years ago. Oguchi also led and starred in the performance of drumming and dance at the closing ceremony of the 1998 Nagano Olympics. "Your heart is a taiko. All people listen to a taiko rhythm dontsuku-dontsuku in their mother's womb," Daihachi Oguchi told The Associated Press at that time. "It's instinct to be drawn to taiko drumming." "In taiko, man becomes the sound. In taiko, you can hear the sound through your skin". In 2008, Daihachi Oguchi died at age 84 after being hit by a motorist while crossing the street. Oguchi had been scheduled to perform with Kodo, the world-renowned Taiko performance group.
Noboru Takeshita (竹下 登, Takeshita Noboru; 26 February 1924 – 19 June 2000) was a Japanese politician who served as…
Noboru Takeshita (竹下 登, Takeshita Noboru; 26 February 1924 – 19 June 2000) was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1987 to 1989. Born in Shimane Prefecture, Takeshita attended Waseda University and was drafted into the army during the Pacific War. He was first elected to the National Diet in 1958, and served as chief cabinet secretary in 1971–1972 and in 1974, and as finance minister from 1979–1980, 1982–1986, and in 1988, during which he signed the Plaza Accord in 1985. In 1987, Takeshita became head of the Liberal Democratic Party and succeeded Yasuhiro Nakasone as prime minister. He inherited the powerful LDP faction of Kakuei Tanaka, and was dubbed the "last shadow shogun" for his behind-the-scenes influence in politics. Takeshita was forced to resign in 1989 after being implicated in the Recruit scandal, but continued to lead the largest LDP faction until his death in 2000. He was the last prime minister to serve during the rule of Emperor Shōwa.
Chikage Awashima (淡島 千景, Awashima Chikage; born Keiko Nakagawa, 24 February 1924 – 16 February 2012) was a Japanese…
Chikage Awashima (淡島 千景, Awashima Chikage; born Keiko Nakagawa, 24 February 1924 – 16 February 2012) was a Japanese film and stage actress.
Sachio Otani (大谷 幸夫, Ōtani Sachio; February 20, 1924 – January 2, 2013) was a noted Japanese architect.
Eiji Hamano (浜野 栄次, Hamano Eiji; 1923–1992) was a renowned Japanese photographer.
Ryūichi Tamura (田村 隆一, Tamura Ryūichi; 18 March 1923 – 26 August 1998) was a Japanese poet, essayist and translator of…
Ryūichi Tamura (田村 隆一, Tamura Ryūichi; 18 March 1923 – 26 August 1998) was a Japanese poet, essayist and translator of English language novels and poetry who was active during the Shōwa period of Japan.
Takashi Eda (江田 孝, Eda Takashi; March 18, 1923 – February 11, 1978) was a Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. From…
Takashi Eda (江田 孝, Eda Takashi; March 18, 1923 – February 11, 1978) was a Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. From 1948 to 1955 he went by the name of Koichi Eda. He finished his career in 1957.
Eiji Funakoshi (船越 英二, Funakoshi Eiji; 17 March 1923 – 17 March 2007) was a Japanese actor. He received the Kinema…
Eiji Funakoshi (船越 英二, Funakoshi Eiji; 17 March 1923 – 17 March 2007) was a Japanese actor. He received the Kinema Junpo Award for Best Actor and the Mainichi Film Concours for Best Actor for his performance in Fires on the Plain.
Ishihara Tōru (Japanese: 石原 徹; March 15, 1923 – June 19, 1998), known by the pseudonyms Ishihara Gōjin (石原 豪人) and…
Ishihara Tōru (Japanese: 石原 徹; March 15, 1923 – June 19, 1998), known by the pseudonyms Ishihara Gōjin (石原 豪人) and Hayashi Gekkō (林 月光), was a Japanese painter and illustrator.
Yasuharu Ōyama (大山 康晴 Ōyama Yasuharu, March 13, 1923 - July 26, 1992) was a professional shogi player, 15th Lifetime…
Yasuharu Ōyama (大山 康晴 Ōyama Yasuharu, March 13, 1923 - July 26, 1992) was a professional shogi player, 15th Lifetime Meijin and president of Japan Shogi Association (1976 - 1989). He studied shogi under Kinjiro Kimi (木見金治郎, Kinjirō Kimi). He won 80 titles (2nd on record), 44 other type tournaments (2nd on record) and 1433 games (2nd on record) in life, and was awarded five lifetime titles: Lifetime Meijin, Lifetime Jūdan, Lifetime Ōi, Lifetime Kisei and Lifetime Ōshō. Among his 80 titles, 18 were the Meijin title (most prestigious title in shogi, along with Ryūō). He has appeared in the Meijin title match 25 times winning 18; he also holds the record for the most consecutive Meijin titles (13 in a row from 1959 to 1971), the most overall Meijin titles, and being the oldest player to challenge for the Meijin title, at age 63 in 1986. Ōyama played as professional from 1940 until his death in 1992. His students include Michio Ariyoshi, Isao Nakata and Hisashi Namekata. He was awarded as honorary citizen of Kurashiki, Okayama, his birthplace and then Hyakkoku, Aomori (now merged to Oirase, Aomori). Ōyama had a strong interest in other kinds of boardgames, including go, mahjong, chess, chu shogi and xiangqi. He founded the Japan Xiangqi Association in 1973 and served as its president.
Masao Ono (大埜 正雄, Ono Masao; March 2, 1923 – February 11, 2001) was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan…
Masao Ono (大埜 正雄, Ono Masao; March 2, 1923 – February 11, 2001) was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Noritoshi Kanai (金井紀年, カナイ・ノリトシ) (February 25, 1923 – April 22, 2017) was a Japanese-born executive of the Los Angeles…
Noritoshi Kanai (金井紀年, カナイ・ノリトシ) (February 25, 1923 – April 22, 2017) was a Japanese-born executive of the Los Angeles branch of the food importer, Mutual Trading Company. He has been credited with the idea of opening the first authentic sushi bar in the United States during the 1960s.
Takeo Kajiwara (梶原 武雄, Kajiwara Takeo; February 25, 1923 – November 28, 2009) was a professional Go player.
Takamasa Inamura (稲村 隆正, Inamura Takamasa; 1923–1989) was a renowned Japanese photographer.
Kiyoyuki Terada (寺田精之, Terada Kiyoyuki, March 20, 1922 – July 13, 2009) was a Japanese aikido teacher. He was ranked…
Kiyoyuki Terada (寺田精之, Terada Kiyoyuki, March 20, 1922 – July 13, 2009) was a Japanese aikido teacher. He was ranked 10th dan in Yoshinkan Aikido and served as the most senior instructor in Yoshinkan Aikido until his death.
Hiroo Onoda (Japanese: 小野田 寛郎, Hepburn: Onoda Hiroo; IPA: [o̞no̞da̠ çiɾo̞ː]) (19 March 1922 – 16 January 2014) was a…
Hiroo Onoda (Japanese: 小野田 寛郎, Hepburn: Onoda Hiroo; IPA: [o̞no̞da̠ çiɾo̞ː]) (19 March 1922 – 16 January 2014) was a Japanese soldier who served as a second lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. One of the last Japanese holdouts, Onoda continued fighting for nearly 29 years after the war's end in 1945, carrying out guerrilla warfare on Lubang Island in the Philippines until 1974. Onoda initially held out with three other soldiers. One surrendered in 1950, and two were killed, one in 1954 and one in 1972. The men did not believe flyers and letters from their families stating that the war was over. They survived on wild fruits, game, and stolen rice, and occasionally engaged in shootouts (using their service rifles) with locals and police. Onoda was contacted in the jungles of Lubang by Japanese adventurer Norio Suzuki in 1974 but still refused to surrender until he was formally relieved of duty by his former commanding officer, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, who flew from Japan to the island to issue the order. Onoda surrendered on 10 March 1974 and received a hero's welcome when he returned to Japan. That year, he wrote and published an autobiography and later moved to Brazil, where he became a cattle rancher. In 1984, Onoda returned to Japan, where he died in 2014 at the age of 91.
Kim Chung-up (Korean: 김중업; Hanja: 金重業; 9 March 1922 – 11 May 1988) was a Korean architect and educator.
Shigeru Mura (Japanese: 武良 茂, Hepburn: Mura Shigeru; March 8, 1922 – November 30, 2015), best known by his pen name…
Shigeru Mura (Japanese: 武良 茂, Hepburn: Mura Shigeru; March 8, 1922 – November 30, 2015), best known by his pen name Shigeru Mizuki (水木 しげる, Mizuki Shigeru), was a Japanese manga artist, illustrator and folklorist. He is best known for popularizing and reviving interest in yōkai, supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore, especially through his most famous series GeGeGe no Kitarō. Raised in Sakaiminato, Mizuki developed an early interest in art and the supernatural. Drafted during World War II, he lost his left arm in combat, an experience that deeply shaped his later antimilitarist works, including Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths. Mizuki began his career in kamishibai (paper theater) and transitioned to manga in the late 1950s. His signature style contrasted cartoonish characters with highly detailed backgrounds and grotesque depictions of yōkai. Deeply influenced by oral folklore, especially stories told by a woman he called "Nonnonba," he also engaged in extensive ethnographic research. His works often combined autobiography, history, and fantasy to critique modernization, nationalism, and imperialism. A recipient of numerous awards, his legacy extends into global pop culture through translations, adaptations, and homages in media.
Akira Yamada (山田 晶, Yamada Akira; 7 March 1922 – 29 February 2008) was a Japanese scholar and philosopher of the West…
Akira Yamada (山田 晶, Yamada Akira; 7 March 1922 – 29 February 2008) was a Japanese scholar and philosopher of the West European Medieval philosophy. He was member of the Japan Academy since 1998.
Kotonishiki Noboru (March 7, 1922 – July 14, 1974, born Noboru Fujimura) was a sumo wrestler and coach from Kanonji…
Kotonishiki Noboru (March 7, 1922 – July 14, 1974, born Noboru Fujimura) was a sumo wrestler and coach from Kanonji, Kagawa, Japan. His highest rank was komusubi. He was runner-up in the January 1949 tournament and earned seven gold stars for defeating yokozuna. After his retirement in 1955 he founded the Sadogatake stable and produced yokozuna Kotozakura among others. He ran the stable until his death in 1974.
Kazuo Nakamoto (Japanese: 中本 一男, 1 March 1922 - 7 June 2011) was a Japan-born American chemist and Professor Emeritus…
Kazuo Nakamoto (Japanese: 中本 一男, 1 March 1922 - 7 June 2011) was a Japan-born American chemist and Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Marquette University. He specialized in infrared and Raman spectroscopy.
Hiromori Kawashima (27 February 1922 – 9 December 2012) was a Japanese police officer and executive who served as the…
Hiromori Kawashima (27 February 1922 – 9 December 2012) was a Japanese police officer and executive who served as the Commissioner of Baseball in Nippon Professional Baseball from 1998 to 2004. He is a member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. Kawashima was an alumnus of Chuo University. He was a senior police officer after the war and served as chief of the Security Bureau of the National Police Agency from 1968 to 1970, director of the Cabinet Research Office in 1971 and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary from 1973 to 1976. In 1979 Kawashima was president of the Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation (JRCC). He was one of six JRCC executives forced to step down in September 1979 when it was revealed that the corporation had used money intended for overtime and other expenses for personal vacations. In December 1998 Kawashima and Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig and signed the revised United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement, which initiated the "posting system." It required MLB teams to place "bids" for NPB players, which became the basis of transfer fees that are paid as compensation to NPB teams whose star players sign with MLB. Kawashima died on 9 December 2012, at the age of 90.
Makoto Tanabe (田邊 誠; 25 February 1922 – 2 July 2015) was the chairman of the former Japan Socialist Party, now known as…
Makoto Tanabe (田邊 誠; 25 February 1922 – 2 July 2015) was the chairman of the former Japan Socialist Party, now known as the Social Democratic Party of Japan. He was elected to the position in 1991. Tanabe was from the right wing of the party and was a reformer. He served in the Japanese House of Representatives 11 times. Tanabe was a supporter of giving Japanese aide to deal with the lack of food in North Korea. He was also supportive of apologizing for Japan's behaviour during World War II and of giving reparations to those in Asian countries. He died on 2 July 2015, at the age of 93.
Hitoshi Motoshima (本島 等, Motoshima Hitoshi; 20 February 1922 – 31 October 2014) was a Japanese politician. He served…
Hitoshi Motoshima (本島 等, Motoshima Hitoshi; 20 February 1922 – 31 October 2014) was a Japanese politician. He served four terms as mayor of Nagasaki from 1979 to 1995. He publicly made controversial statements about the responsibility of Japan and its then-reigning Emperor for World War II, and survived a retaliatory assassination attempt in 1990 by a right wing fanatic. His mayoral successor, Iccho Itoh, was killed in an unrelated assassination in 2007.
Heitaro Nakajima (中島 平太郎, Nakajima Heitarō; 19 March 1921 – 9 December 2017) was a Japanese digital audio pioneer, who…
Heitaro Nakajima (中島 平太郎, Nakajima Heitarō; 19 March 1921 – 9 December 2017) was a Japanese digital audio pioneer, who led Sony's Compact Disc project in the 1970s. Born in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Nakajima graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1944, and earned a Doctor of Engineering degree from Kyushu University in 1958. In 1971, Nakajima joined Sony as a managing director, hired by Sony's co-founder and president at large, Masaru Ibuka. He became president of Aiwa in 1984. In 1989, he received the first IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award and in 1993 he was awarded the Purple Ribbon Medal for CD development.
Xie Xide (simplified Chinese: 谢希德; traditional Chinese: 謝希德; pinyin: Xiè Xīdé; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chiā Hi-tek; 19 March 1921 –…
Xie Xide (simplified Chinese: 谢希德; traditional Chinese: 謝希德; pinyin: Xiè Xīdé; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chiā Hi-tek; 19 March 1921 – 4 March 2000), also known as Hsi-teh Hsieh and as Hilda Hsieh, was a Chinese physicist. She was president of Fudan University from 1983 to 1989, and remained as advisor to the university from 1989 until her death. She helped to set up the university's Centre for American Studies and founded its Modern Physics Institute in 1977. Xie also served as a member in the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party from 1982 to 1992.
Motofumi Makieda (Japanese: 槙枝元文, 4 March 1921 – 4 December 2010) was a Japanese trade union leader. Makieda qualified…
Motofumi Makieda (Japanese: 槙枝元文, 4 March 1921 – 4 December 2010) was a Japanese trade union leader. Makieda qualified as a teacher during World War II, then taught at a junior high school. After the war, he was a founding member of the Japan Teachers' Union (JTU), and became its general secretary in 1962, and then president in 1971, in which role he promoted education for peace. In 1974, he led the union in a national strike. As it was illegal for teachers to strike, he was imprisoned, being released following an international campaign. From 1976, he was additionally president of the General Council of Trade Unions of Japan (Sohyo). In 1978, he was elected as president of the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession, serving until 1982, during which time he built links between the federation and the rival International Federation of Free Teachers' Unions. Makieda retired in 1983, and thereafter devoted his time to the Japan-China Friendship Society. He also supported the merger of Sohyo into RENGO, a new trade union federation.
Kenji Misumi (三隅 研次, Misumi Kenji) (2 March 1921 – 24 September 1975) was a Japanese film director. He created film…
Kenji Misumi (三隅 研次, Misumi Kenji) (2 March 1921 – 24 September 1975) was a Japanese film director. He created film series such as Lone Wolf and Cub and the initial film in the long-running Zatoichi series, and also directed Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice, starring Shintaro Katsu. He died at age 54. In 2012, his 1973 film Sakura no Daimon was voted for by Makoto Shinozaki at the BFI The Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time.
Kita Rentarō (北廉太郎) (also known as Kita Kan (紀多寛); born Kita Koretsugu (紀太惟次); March 20, 1920 – September 16, 1940) was…
Kita Rentarō (北廉太郎) (also known as Kita Kan (紀多寛); born Kita Koretsugu (紀太惟次); March 20, 1920 – September 16, 1940) was a Japanese ryūkōka singer. He was popularly known as Kitaren (キタレン). Tending towards delinquency in adolescence, Kita dropped out of school in 1936 and began to train as a boxer. His father's death soon after, as well as encouragement from Kikuchi Tansui, caused him to pursue singing as a vocation instead. In 1937, Kita made his recording debut on Taihei Records; he moved to the Japanese branch of Polydor Records the following year. After initial success, his career stalled. He died from leukemia in 1940 after a rapid decline in his health.
Flight Petty Officer Third Class Hajime Toyoshima (豊嶋 一, Toyoshima Hajime; 29 March 1920 – 5 August 1944) was a…
Flight Petty Officer Third Class Hajime Toyoshima (豊嶋 一, Toyoshima Hajime; 29 March 1920 – 5 August 1944) was a Japanese airman in World War II. His A6M Zero was the first of that type to be recovered relatively intact on Allied territory (after those recovered after the attack on Pearl Harbor) when he crash landed on Melville Island, Northern Territory, Australia. Toyoshima was the first Japanese prisoner of war to be captured in Australia. In August 1944, while a POW in rural New South Wales, Toyoshima was one of the instigators of the Cowra breakout, sounding a bugle to signal the commencement of the escape, and died during the fight.
Takeo Doi (土居 健郎, Doi Takeo; March 17, 1920 – July 5, 2009) was a Japanese academic, psychoanalyst and author.
Kōhan Kawauchi (川内 康範, Kawauchi Kōhan); February 26, 1920 – April 6, 2008), also known as Yasunori Kawauchi, was a…
Kōhan Kawauchi (川内 康範, Kawauchi Kōhan); February 26, 1920 – April 6, 2008), also known as Yasunori Kawauchi, was a Japanese screenwriter who created various tokusatsu series, including the first, Moonlight Mask, in 1958. He was originally from Hakodate, Hokkaido. His series Warrior of Love Rainbowman (1972) is considered to be an inspiration for Go Nagai's Cutie Honey. Other tokusatsu shows he created include Seven Color Mask (1959) and Messenger of Allah (1960). He also wrote the screenplay for Seijun Suzuki's Tokyo Drifter.
Gorō Azumaya (東屋 五郎, Azumaya Gorō; February 26, 1920– July 8, 2010) was a Japanese mathematician who introduced the…
Gorō Azumaya (東屋 五郎, Azumaya Gorō; February 26, 1920– July 8, 2010) was a Japanese mathematician who introduced the notion of Azumaya algebra in 1951. His advisor was Shokichi Iyanaga. At the time of his death he was an emeritus professor at Indiana University.
Moritake Kimura (Japanese: 木村 盛武, Hepburn: Kimura Moritake; 1920 – September 6, 2019) was a Japanese non-fiction…
Moritake Kimura (Japanese: 木村 盛武, Hepburn: Kimura Moritake; 1920 – September 6, 2019) was a Japanese non-fiction writer. He is best known for his investigation of the Sankebetsu brown bear incident, which caused the greatest damage in the history of Japanese animal damage.