Takafusa Nakamura (中村隆英, Nakamura Takafusa; born October 15, 1925, Tokyo, died September 26, 2013) was a Japanese…
Takafusa Nakamura (中村隆英, Nakamura Takafusa; born October 15, 1925, Tokyo, died September 26, 2013) was a Japanese economist. After graduating from the Economics Department of Tokyo University, he worked as an assistant, lecturer, and assistant professor in the Education Department of the same university before becoming a professor in 1970. After retiring in 1986, he became a professor emeritus at his alma mater, and professor at Ochanomizu Women's University and Toyo Eiwa University. Between 1977 and 1979 he was director of the Economic Research Division of the now-defunct Economic Planning Agency. He died of hepatitis on September 26, 2013.
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Kim Sok-pom, also spelled Kim Suok-puom (born October 2, 1925) is a Zainichi Korean novelist who writes in Japanese.
Sadao Kondoh (近藤 貞雄, Kondoh Sadao; October 2, 1925 – January 2, 2006) was a former professional baseball pitcher and…
Sadao Kondoh (近藤 貞雄, Kondoh Sadao; October 2, 1925 – January 2, 2006) was a former professional baseball pitcher and manager in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He was elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Masao Haji (土師 政雄, Haji Masao; September 27, 1925 – June 9, 1998) was a Japanese political activist, mathematics…
Masao Haji (土師 政雄, Haji Masao; September 27, 1925 – June 9, 1998) was a Japanese political activist, mathematics lecturer and critic. He also wrote books under the name Ryūsuke Nomi (野見隆介, Nomi Ryusuke). He was chair of mathematics at the correspondence-course "Z-kai", and taught at the three top exam preparation schools (juku): Yoyogi Seminar, Sundai Preparatory School and Kawai Juku Groupwork.
Kunio Tsuji (辻 邦生, Tsuji Kunio; September 24, 1925 – July 29, 1999) was a Japanese author, novelist, and scholar of…
Kunio Tsuji (辻 邦生, Tsuji Kunio; September 24, 1925 – July 29, 1999) was a Japanese author, novelist, and scholar of French literature. Tsuji was born in Tokyo, attended Matsumoto High School with Kita Morio, and studied French literature at the University of Tokyo. After graduation, he became an instructor at Gakushūin University and a literary critic. He spent the years 1957-1960 in France, which strongly influenced his development as a novelist. In 1963 he published his first mature work, Kairō nite (In the Corridor), which was awarded the Prize for Modern Literature. Some of his more celebrated later novels include Azuchi ōkanki (1968, translated as The Signore), winner of a Ministry of Education Commendation in the Arts for New Artists; Haikyōsha Yurianusu (The Apostate Julianus, 1972), winner of a Mainichi Award for Art; and Saigyo kaden (西行花伝, The Life of Saigyo) for which he received the 1995 Tanizaki Prize. Tsuji's works were on the whole idealistic and spiritual. They included many historical novels in which the protagonists search for the meaning of life at times of great social change. Tsuji died of cardial infarction at a hospital in Karuizawa, Nagano.
Shigeru Oda (小田 滋, Oda Shigeru; 22 October 1924 – 4 September 2025) was a Japanese jurist who was a judge on the…
Shigeru Oda (小田 滋, Oda Shigeru; 22 October 1924 – 4 September 2025) was a Japanese jurist who was a judge on the International Court of Justice from 1976 until 2003, when he retired. He served as vice-president from 1991 to 1994. His main area of expertise was law of the sea. He was born in Sapporo. Oda earned his law degree from the University of Tokyo in 1947 and his doctorate in law from Yale Law School in 1953. He turned 100 in October 2024. Oda died on 4 September 2025, at the age of 100.
Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎, Kasuga Hachirō; October 9, 1924 – October 22, 1991), born Minoru Watabe, was a Japanese enka…
Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎, Kasuga Hachirō; October 9, 1924 – October 22, 1991), born Minoru Watabe, was a Japanese enka singer. He has been dubbed "the first enka singer". Having seen Ichiro Fujiyama on stage, he attempted to become a popular singer. After he graduated from the Toyo Music School, he was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army in 1944, and returned from Taiwan in 1946. He joined Shinjuku Moulin Rouge in 1947 and then King Records in 1949. In 1952, Kasuga made his debut with the song "Akai lamp no Shū Ressha" (赤いランプの終列車, lit. "Last Train with Red Lamp"), which at first got into the news in Nagoya. His popularity soon became widespread. His 1954 song "Otomi-san" (お富さん, lit. "Miss Otomi") became more successful throughout Japan. This single sold 500,000 copies in a half year, and eventually sold more than one million copies. In 1955, he also released the single "Wakare no Ipponsugi" (別れの一本杉, lit. "Farewell One Cedar") which he musically sought. The song was composed by Toru Funamura. His music, which was later called enka, had much effect on subsequent popular music of Japan. He died on October 22, 1991, aged 67.
Nobuko Otowa (乙羽 信子, Otowa Nobuko; 1 October 1924 – 22 December 1994) was a Japanese actress who appeared in more than…
Nobuko Otowa (乙羽 信子, Otowa Nobuko; 1 October 1924 – 22 December 1994) was a Japanese actress who appeared in more than 100 films between 1950 and 1994.
Fukumi Shimura (志村ふくみ; born 30 September 1924) is a Japanese textile artist who has created kimono since 1958. Shimura…
Fukumi Shimura (志村ふくみ; born 30 September 1924) is a Japanese textile artist who has created kimono since 1958. Shimura was awarded multiple honours including the Living National Treasure in 1990 and the 2014 Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy.
Hidemaro Watanabe (渡部 英麿, Watanabe Hidemaro; September 24, 1924 – October 12, 2011) was a Japanese football player. He…
Hidemaro Watanabe (渡部 英麿, Watanabe Hidemaro; September 24, 1924 – October 12, 2011) was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Tomio Aoki (青木 富夫, Aoki Tomio; October 7, 1923 – January 24, 2004) aka Tokkan Kozō (突貫小僧) was a Japanese film actor.…
Tomio Aoki (青木 富夫, Aoki Tomio; October 7, 1923 – January 24, 2004) aka Tokkan Kozō (突貫小僧) was a Japanese film actor. Aoki became famous as a child actor after debuting at the age of six in silent films directed by Yasujirō Ozu. His leading role in Ozu's 1929 short comedy Tokkan kozo gave Aoki his nickname. I Was Born, But... (1932), Passing Fancy (1933) and An Inn in Tokyo (1935) were three other Ozu films in which Aoki had notable roles. Aoki disappeared from Japanese cinema in 1940, at the age of 16, but returned to film acting in Kon Ichikawa's The Burmese Harp (1956). During the 1960s he appeared in films for directors Seijun Suzuki and Teruo Ishii before retiring again in 1972. He again returned to the screen in 1995 in Makoto Shinozaki's Okaeri, and appeared in Suzuki's Pistol Opera (2001). He continued appearing in films, and in short comedies by Shinozaki until his death in 2004. He shared the Best Actor award at the French Three Continents Festival with two of his co-stars for Shinozaki's Not Forgotten (2000). By the time of his death, at the age of 80, Aoki had performed in over 300 films.
Tetsu Yano (Japanese 矢野徹 Yano Tetsu; October 5, 1923 – October 13, 2004) was a Japanese translator and writer of…
Tetsu Yano (Japanese 矢野徹 Yano Tetsu; October 5, 1923 – October 13, 2004) was a Japanese translator and writer of science fiction, fantasy, adventure stories and young adult novels. He was a founder and promoter of the Japanese science fiction at the dawn of this genre in Japan. Yano introduced the works of British and American science fiction writers to Japanese readers through almost half centuries from the late 1940s. He was also the first Japanese writer of the genre to visit the United States, in 1953. He took part in founding Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ, 日本SF作家クラブ) in 1963, and served as its president from 1978 to 1979.
Keiichiro Ryu (隆 慶一郎, Ryū Keiichirō; September 30, 1923 – November 4, 1989) was a Japanese editor, acclaimed screenplay…
Keiichiro Ryu (隆 慶一郎, Ryū Keiichirō; September 30, 1923 – November 4, 1989) was a Japanese editor, acclaimed screenplay writer, and historical fiction writer.
Kiyoshi Ogawa (小川 清, Ogawa Kiyoshi; October 23, 1922 – May 11, 1945) was a Japanese naval aviator ensign (少尉) of the…
Kiyoshi Ogawa (小川 清, Ogawa Kiyoshi; October 23, 1922 – May 11, 1945) was a Japanese naval aviator ensign (少尉) of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. As a kamikaze pilot, Ensign Ogawa's final action took place on May 11, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa. Piloting a bomb-laden Mitsubishi Zero fighter during Operation Kikusui No. 6, Ogawa flew through American anti-aircraft fire and struck the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill, less than one minute after his flight leader, sub-lieutenant Seizō Yasunori, crashed into the ship. Ogawa dropped a 250-kilogram (551 lb) bomb, never pulled out of the dive, and crashed deliberately into the flight deck near the control tower of the aircraft carrier. The bomb penetrated Bunker Hill's flight deck and exploded. Gasoline fires flamed up and several explosions took place when re-armed and re-fueled planes on deck exploded and caught fire. 393 American sailors died with Yasunori and Ogawa, 264 were wounded, while the carrier was under repair for the remainder of the war.
Yasuo Komamiya (駒宮 安男, Komamiya Yasuo, October 14, 1922 – March 11, 1993) was a Japanese electrical engineer. Komamiya…
Yasuo Komamiya (駒宮 安男, Komamiya Yasuo, October 14, 1922 – March 11, 1993) was a Japanese electrical engineer. Komamiya graduated from the Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Engineering, Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo) in 1944. He joined the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry's Electrical Testing Laboratory (ETL, now the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology). In 1952, together with Suekane Ryota, he completed the ETL Mark I, a relay-based automatic computer, which was Japan's first digital automatic computer. He proved the Singleton-Joshi-Komamiya bound in 1953 on the size of an arbitrary block code. In 1980, he was appointed professor of Kyushu University. In 1986, he retired from Kyushu University and was appointed professor at Meiji University.
Park Tong-jin (Korean: 박동진; 1922– 11 November 2013) was a South Korean politician. Much of his efforts involved…
Park Tong-jin (Korean: 박동진; 1922– 11 November 2013) was a South Korean politician. Much of his efforts involved building trade routes between the Soviet Union and non-Soviet countries through South Korea. From 19 December 1975 to 2 September 1980, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. From 1988 to 1991, he served as South Korean Ambassador to the United States. He also served as Minister of Unification.
Takehiko Bessho (別所 毅彦, Bessho Takehiko; October 1, 1922 – June 24, 1999), born Akira Bessho (別所 昭, Bessho Akira), was…
Takehiko Bessho (別所 毅彦, Bessho Takehiko; October 1, 1922 – June 24, 1999), born Akira Bessho (別所 昭, Bessho Akira), was a Japanese baseball player whose professional career as a player lasted from 1942 until 1960. Bessho first achieved fame as a pitcher in Japanese professional baseball; later, he served as a Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) manager. Bessho spent his first five seasons in the Japanese Baseball League (the predecessor of NPB) with the Nankai franchise (1942–43, 1946–48) and his final 12 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants (1949–1960). He quickly established himself as a top pitcher and went on to earn two Sawamura Awards, the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award, and six Best Nine Awards. In 1947, Bessho set the JBL record for most complete games in a single season (47). In addition, Bessho earned the NPB Most Valuable Player Award in 1952 and 1956. Bessho retired after the 1960 season with 310 wins, a 2.18 earned run average, and 1,932 strikeouts. Up until 2019, he was also the only Hawk to ever throw a no-hitter. After he retired from the sport as a player and a manager, Bessho became a sports broadcaster. In recognition of his accomplishments, the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Bessho in 1979.
Morio Kasai (葛西 森夫; September 29, 1922 – December 8, 2008) was a Japanese surgeon who had a strong interest in…
Morio Kasai (葛西 森夫; September 29, 1922 – December 8, 2008) was a Japanese surgeon who had a strong interest in pediatric surgery. While Kasai went into practice at a time when pediatric surgery was not an established subspecialty, much of his clinical and research work was related to the surgical care of children. He is best known for devising a surgical procedure, the hepatoportoenterostomy, to address a life-threatening birth defect known as biliary atresia. The modern form of the operation is still known as the Kasai procedure. A graduate of the medical school at Tohoku University, Kasai remained there for most of his medical career, chairing the university's 2nd Department of Surgery and serving on the school's Board of Councilors. Though best known for the procedure that came to bear his name, Kasai also studied peritonitis in infants and children, and he made contributions to the understanding of esophageal cancer, pediatric liver cancer and a colon abnormality known as Hirschsprung's disease. Kasai practiced from the 1940s until 1993, spending the last few years of his career leading a hospital in Tohoku. He suffered a debilitating stroke in 1999 and died in 2008.
Ryōji Uehara (上原良司, Uehara Ryōji; 27 September 1922 – 11 May 1945) was a flight captain of the Imperial Japanese Army…
Ryōji Uehara (上原良司, Uehara Ryōji; 27 September 1922 – 11 May 1945) was a flight captain of the Imperial Japanese Army and was killed in action as a kamikaze pilot. Uehara was born in what is now the town of Ikeda, Nagano. He entered the Department of Economics at Keio University in 1942 and joined the IJA 50th Regiment in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, later that same year. He was a member of the 56th Shinmu squadron (第56振武隊) of the IJA Air Corps when he carried out his final mission against the US carrier fleet near Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture on 11 May 1945. He was 22 years old. His letter, written to his parents the night before his final mission, was published after the war and it is still regarded as a masterpiece of wartime literary works in Japan.
Otis Cary (October 20, 1921 – April 14, 2006) was an American Japanologist.
Kamikaze Shoichi (born Shoichi Akazawa; October 19, 1921 – May 15, 1990) was a sumo wrestler from Higashikagawa, Kagawa…
Kamikaze Shoichi (born Shoichi Akazawa; October 19, 1921 – May 15, 1990) was a sumo wrestler from Higashikagawa, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. He made his professional debut in May 1937 and reached the top division in May 1942. His highest rank was sekiwake. He won six gold stars against grand champion yokozuna in the course of his career. Upon retirement from active competition he became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association under the name Kataonami. He left the Sumo Association in September 1952.
Tadao Uesako (上迫 忠夫, Uesako Tadao; 14 October 1921 – 20 October 1986) was a Japanese gymnast who competed in the 1952…
Tadao Uesako (上迫 忠夫, Uesako Tadao; 14 October 1921 – 20 October 1986) was a Japanese gymnast who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Yumeji Tsukioka (月丘夢路, Tsukioka Yumeji; born Akiko Hinotsume, 14 October 1922 – 3 May 2017) was a Japanese film…
Yumeji Tsukioka (月丘夢路, Tsukioka Yumeji; born Akiko Hinotsume, 14 October 1922 – 3 May 2017) was a Japanese film actress. She appeared in more than 150 films between 1940 and 1994, including works by Yasujirō Ozu, Keisuke Kinoshita, Kinuyo Tanaka and others. She was married to the director Umetsugu Inoue from 1957 until his death in 2010.
Masajuro Shiokawa (塩川 正十郎, Shiokawa Masajūrō; 13 October 1921 – 19 September 2015) was a Japanese economist and…
Masajuro Shiokawa (塩川 正十郎, Shiokawa Masajūrō; 13 October 1921 – 19 September 2015) was a Japanese economist and politician.
Takao Umemoto was a Japanese psychologist whose specific interest was music psychology; he was also an academic, and…
Takao Umemoto was a Japanese psychologist whose specific interest was music psychology; he was also an academic, and pianist.
Professor Nobuo Kanda (神田 信夫, Kanda Nobuo; October 2, 1921 – December 30, 2003) was a Japanese historian who…
Professor Nobuo Kanda (神田 信夫, Kanda Nobuo; October 2, 1921 – December 30, 2003) was a Japanese historian who specialized in early Manchu history.
Nobuo Oshima (大島 信雄, Ōshima Nobuo; October 2, 1921 – January 8, 2005) was a Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher for…
Nobuo Oshima (大島 信雄, Ōshima Nobuo; October 2, 1921 – January 8, 2005) was a Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher for Shochiku Robins and the Chunchi Dragons. His professional career record was 64 wins and 41 losses. In 1940, he pitched shutouts in all 4 games at the Senbatsu Baseball Tournament, helping Gifu Prefectural Commercial High School win. He attended Keio University.
Jiro Kumamaru (September 26, 1921 – June 8, 2007) was a Japanese tennis player in the years after World War 2.
Hiromu Murakami (Japanese: 村上 弘, Murakami Hiromu; 24 September 1921 – 22 March 2007) was a Japanese politician who…
Hiromu Murakami (Japanese: 村上 弘, Murakami Hiromu; 24 September 1921 – 22 March 2007) was a Japanese politician who served as the third chairman of the Japanese Communist Party from 1987 until 1989.
Naoshi Kanno (菅野 直; 23 September 1921 – 1 August 1945) was a Japanese fighter ace in World War II. He is credited with…
Naoshi Kanno (菅野 直; 23 September 1921 – 1 August 1945) was a Japanese fighter ace in World War II. He is credited with 25 confirmed kills. Piloting his Shiden-Kai, which had yellow stripes painted on its fuselage, he invented the "anti-large bomber tactic" of flipping over and diving headfirst vertically into the enemy aircraft from an altitude of more than 1,000 meters ahead of it, attacking it from directly above. So, he was feared by the pilots of large fighter planes of the US military and was nicknamed the "Yellow Fighter."
Masao Sugiuchi (杉内雅男, Sugiuchi Masao; October 20, 1920 – November 21, 2017) was a professional Go player.
Lin Tuan-chiu (Chinese: 林摶秋; October 6, 1920 - April 4, 1998) was a playwright, theater director, film producer, and…
Lin Tuan-chiu (Chinese: 林摶秋; October 6, 1920 - April 4, 1998) was a playwright, theater director, film producer, and film director from Taoyuan, Taiwan. During the Japanese rule and the early post-war years, he concentrated mainly on writing and directing plays, earning praise from the Tokyo Shimbun (東京新聞) as "Taiwan's first native playwright". After the war, he devoted himself to the film industry, founding the Yufeng Film Company and the Hushan Film Studio. The plays he wrote include The Tribe in the Deep Mountains (奧山の社), Castrated Chicken (閹雞), Takasago Inn (高砂館), Geothermal (地熱), and Lights of the Marketplace from the Mountain (從山上看街市的燈火). He also directed films such as The Election Campaign of Brother Ah San (阿三哥出馬), Sigh for Fireworks 1 and 2 (嘆煙花), Wrong Love (錯戀), and May 13 Heartbreaking Night (五月十三傷心夜).
Akimitsu Takagi (高木 彬光, Takagi Akimitsu; 25 September 1920 – 9 September 1995) was the pen-name of a popular Japanese…
Akimitsu Takagi (高木 彬光, Takagi Akimitsu; 25 September 1920 – 9 September 1995) was the pen-name of a popular Japanese crime fiction writer active during the Shōwa period of Japan. His real name was Seiichi Takagi (高木 誠一, Takagi Seiichi).
Kiichi Miyazawa (宮澤 喜一, Miyazawa Kiichi; 8 October 1919 – 28 June 2007) was a Japanese politician who served as prime…
Kiichi Miyazawa (宮澤 喜一, Miyazawa Kiichi; 8 October 1919 – 28 June 2007) was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1991 to 1993. Born in Tokyo, Miyazawa graduated from Tokyo Imperial University with a law degree, and in 1942 joined the Ministry of Finance. He was first elected to the National Diet in 1953 and held a number of prominent posts, including international trade and industry minister under Eisaku Sato, foreign minister under Takeo Miki, director of the Economic Planning Agency under Takeo Fukuda, chief cabinet secretary under Yasuhiro Nakasone, and finance minister under Noboru Takeshita. Miyazawa became prime minister in 1991, but was forced to resign after the 1993 election after a failure to pass political reforms caused his Liberal Democratic Party to face its first defeat in a national election since its formation in 1955. Miyazawa later returned as finance minister from 1999 to 2001 in the cabinets of Keizō Obuchi and Yoshirō Mori.
Kikuji Yamashita (山下 菊二, Yamashita Kikuji; October 8, 1919 – November 23, 1986) was a Japanese Surrealist painter…
Kikuji Yamashita (山下 菊二, Yamashita Kikuji; October 8, 1919 – November 23, 1986) was a Japanese Surrealist painter associated with the postwar avant-garde art movement in Japan. His artworks were featured prominently in the 2010 documentary film ANPO: Art X War by American documentary filmmaker Linda Hoaglund.
Tokuo Yamashita (山下 徳夫, Yamashita Tokuo; 7 October 1919 – 1 January 2014) was a Japanese politician.
Kin’ichi Sawaki (Japanese: 沢木 欣一; October 6, 1919 – November 5, 2001) was a Japanese haiku poet and essayist. Sawaki…
Kin’ichi Sawaki (Japanese: 沢木 欣一; October 6, 1919 – November 5, 2001) was a Japanese haiku poet and essayist. Sawaki was born in Toyama. Since his father worked as a teacher in Korea, he spent his childhood in Korea until he graduated from junior high school. He studied at the University of Tokyo. In 1946, he founded the magazine Kaze ("Wind"). He advocated for the idea of "social haiku" in the magazine. In 1966, he was appointed Professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts. From 1987 to 1993, he was president of the Association of Haiku Poets. In 1993, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class. He also won the Dakotsu Prize in 1996. He was married to the poet Ayako Hosomi.
Masao Takemoto (竹本正男, Takemoto Masao; September 29, 1919 – February 2, 2007) was a Japanese artistic gymnast who won…
Masao Takemoto (竹本正男, Takemoto Masao; September 29, 1919 – February 2, 2007) was a Japanese artistic gymnast who won two world titles and seven Olympic medals. At the 1952 Summer Olympics he won the silver medal in the vault with a score of 19.150, which was 0.050 short of the gold medal. Two years later he became world champion in the floor exercise, sharing the first placed with Valentin Muratov; he also won a silver medal with the Japanese team and a bronze at the parallel bars. At the 1956 Summer Olympics Takemoto won three bronze medals: in the horizontal bar, parallel bars and rings; he also received a silver medal as part of the Japanese team. His main skills were on the floor exercise and he proved it once again at the 1958 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, where he successfully defended his title; he also won silver medals in the vault and team event, as well as a bronze medal in the horizontal bar. At the 1960 Summer Olympics Takemoto won a team gold medal and placed second in the horizontal bar. Takemoto had a degree in physical education from Nippon Sport Science University and later coached the national gymnastics team. In 1997 he was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. He died from cholangiocarcinoma on 2 February 2007 at the age of 87 in Kanagawa.
Tōta Kaneko (金子 兜太, Kaneko Tōta), (September 23, 1919 – February 20, 2018) was a Japanese writer. Kaneko was born in…
Tōta Kaneko (金子 兜太, Kaneko Tōta), (September 23, 1919 – February 20, 2018) was a Japanese writer. Kaneko was born in Chichibu. He studied at the University of Tokyo and worked for the Bank of Japan. Kaneko died in Kumagaya on February 20, 2018, of Acute respiratory distress syndrome in Kumagaya, Saitama at the age of 98.
Kazuo Tsunoda (角田 和男, Tsunoda Kazuo; October 11, 1918 – February 14, 2013) was an officer and ace fighter pilot in the…
Kazuo Tsunoda (角田 和男, Tsunoda Kazuo; October 11, 1918 – February 14, 2013) was an officer and ace fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the Second Sino-Japanese War and Pacific Campaign of World War II. In his combat career, Tsunoda was officially credited with destroying nine enemy aircraft. From May 1942 to May 1943, Tsunoda participated in the New Guinea Campaign, Solomon Islands and Guadalcanal Campaigns as a member of the 2nd Air Group and 582 Air Group. During the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 14 November 1942, Tsunoda was shot down near the Russell Islands while covering an army transport convoy delivering troops to Guadalcanal. Tsunoda was rescued by the destroyer Amagiri. In November 1944, while stationed at Cebu in the Philippines, Tsunoda volunteered as a kamikaze pilot. He was unable, however, to find any enemy ships to attack. Later, he escaped the Philippines to Japanese-occupied Taiwan after the American landings and survived the war. He was a farmer in Ibaraki prefecture after the war. He died on February 14, 2013.
Sanae Takasugi (高杉 早苗, Takasugi Sanae; 8 October 1918 – 26 November 1995) was a Japanese film and television actress.…
Sanae Takasugi (高杉 早苗, Takasugi Sanae; 8 October 1918 – 26 November 1995) was a Japanese film and television actress. She starred in over 80 films, directed by notable filmmakers like Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu, Mikio Naruse, and Keisuke Kinoshita.
Kenichi Fukui (福井 謙一, Fukui Ken'ichi; October 4, 1918 – January 9, 1998) was a Japanese chemist. He became the first…
Kenichi Fukui (福井 謙一, Fukui Ken'ichi; October 4, 1918 – January 9, 1998) was a Japanese chemist. He became the first person of East Asian ancestry to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry when he won the 1981 prize with Roald Hoffmann, for their independent investigations into the mechanisms of chemical reactions. Fukui's prize-winning work focused on the role of frontier orbitals in chemical reactions: specifically that molecules share loosely bonded electrons which occupy the frontier orbitals, that is, the Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) and the Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (LUMO).
Morikazu Toda (戸田 盛和, Toda Morikazu; 20 October 1917 – 6 October 2010) was a Japanese physicist, best known for the…
Morikazu Toda (戸田 盛和, Toda Morikazu; 20 October 1917 – 6 October 2010) was a Japanese physicist, best known for the discovery of the Toda lattice. His main interests were in statistical mechanics and condensed matter physics.
Teisuke Chiba (千葉 禎介, Chiba Teisuke; 1917–1965) was a Japanese amateur photographer of rural life around the area where…
Teisuke Chiba (千葉 禎介, Chiba Teisuke; 1917–1965) was a Japanese amateur photographer of rural life around the area where he lived in Akita, Japan.
Tony Tani (トニー谷) (14 October 1917 – 16 July 1987) was a popular Japanese entertainer of the 1950s. His flamboyant stage…
Tony Tani (トニー谷) (14 October 1917 – 16 July 1987) was a popular Japanese entertainer of the 1950s. His flamboyant stage persona satirized American stereotypes of the Japanese as well as the influence of the U.S. occupation on Japanese culture.
Genyoshi Kadokawa (Japanese: 角川 源義, 9 October 1917 – 27 October 1975) was a Japanese businessman who was the founder of…
Genyoshi Kadokawa (Japanese: 角川 源義, 9 October 1917 – 27 October 1975) was a Japanese businessman who was the founder of Kadokawa Shoten. Several academic prizes have been named in his honor.
Kusuo Kitamura (北村 久寿雄, Kitamura Kusuo; October 9, 1917 – June 6, 1996) was a Japanese swimmer who competed at the 1932…
Kusuo Kitamura (北村 久寿雄, Kitamura Kusuo; October 9, 1917 – June 6, 1996) was a Japanese swimmer who competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. Kitamura was born in Kōchi, Japan. Selected as one of the youngest members of the Japanese swimming team in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, he won the gold medal in the Men's 1500 meter freestyle swimming event. He was 14 years and 309 days old at the time, setting a record for youngest ever swimmer to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. This record lasted until the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea, when Hungarian swimmer Krisztina Egerszegi won the gold in the Women's 200-meter backstroke event. However, Kitamaura still holds the record for the youngest male swimmer. After the 1932 Olympics, Kitamura retired from competitive sports, and eventually graduated from Tokyo Imperial University, and obtained a job at the Japanese Ministry of Labor. He rose through the bureaucratic ranks, eventually becoming a department head, before retiring in 1984 to become a director at Sumitomo Cement.
Osamu Matsubara (松原 治, Matsubara Osamu; October 7, 1917 – January 3, 2012) was a Japanese businessman, business…
Osamu Matsubara (松原 治, Matsubara Osamu; October 7, 1917 – January 3, 2012) was a Japanese businessman, business executive, and former chairman and CEO of Books Kinokuniya. Matsubara was President of Kinokuniya Company Ltd., the parent company of Books Kinokuniya, from October 1980 to November 2002. In November 2002, he became the Chief Executive Office and board chairman for Kinokuniya Company Ltd. Outside Japan, Matsubara oversaw the 2007 relocation of Books Kinokuniya's New York City location from Rockefeller Center to a new, 23,800 sq. feet, three-floor store across from Bryant Park. The store, with its 250,000 items, is considered the largest Japanese bookstore in the United States. The inventory of the New York location includes an equal amount of Japanese and English books, which is in line with the company's goal to offer a wide assortment of titles in both Japanese and English. Osamu Matsubara died from heart failure on January 3, 2012, at the age of 94.
Katsura Ōyama (大山 桂, Ōyama Katsura; October 6, 1917 – December 30, 1995) was a Japanese paleontologist and zoologist…
Katsura Ōyama (大山 桂, Ōyama Katsura; October 6, 1917 – December 30, 1995) was a Japanese paleontologist and zoologist, best known for his work on the Tertiary and Recent Mollusca of Japan.
Yōichi Nakanishi (Japanese: 中西陽一, Hepburn: Nakanishi Yōichi; 23 September 1917 – 2 February 1994) was a Japanese…
Yōichi Nakanishi (Japanese: 中西陽一, Hepburn: Nakanishi Yōichi; 23 September 1917 – 2 February 1994) was a Japanese politician who served as Governor of Ishikawa Prefecture from 1963 until his death in 1994. He holds the records for the most terms served and longest-serving governor in Japan. He was a graduate of Kyoto University and a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. Prior to being elected as a governor, he was a member of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War.