Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture: 65 people
Machiko Watanabe (渡辺真知子; born 23 October 1956) is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter.
Shinichi Sakamoto (born 16 April 1954) is a Japanese former professional tennis player. Sakamoto competed in the…
Shinichi Sakamoto (born 16 April 1954) is a Japanese former professional tennis player. Sakamoto competed in the doubles main draw of the 1979 Wimbledon Championships and 1980 French Open, both times with Shigeyuki Nishio as his partner. During the early 1980s, Sakamoto played in six Davis Cup ties for Japan. This included a 1981 tie against France, in which he lost a match to Thierry Tulasne by a scoreline of 0–6, 0–6, 0–6. In 1985 he played in a World Group fixture against the United States.
Emiko Shiratori (白鳥 英美子 Shiratori Emiko; born March 16, 1950) is a Japanese singer and songwriter. In 1969, the record…
Emiko Shiratori (白鳥 英美子 Shiratori Emiko; born March 16, 1950) is a Japanese singer and songwriter. In 1969, the record label Toshiba EMI (now EMI Music Japan) paired her with Sumio Akutagawa, and they formed the folk group Toi et Moi. They achieved great success in Japan, and from 1969 to 1973 released an average of two albums and four singles a year. In 1973, Shiratori released her first solo album and continued as a solo artist throughout the 1970s. She performed at the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics and the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. As a vocalist for the video game Final Fantasy IX, she performed the main theme "Melodies of Life" in both Japanese and English. Due to the English version's popularity, a special single was released, "Final Fantasy IX" Original Soundtrack. In 2006, she was asked by Nobuo Uematsu to perform a "defining version" of the song at the Final Fantasy Voices Concert; she sang a version that combined the Japanese and English lyrics. Shiratori also performed a vocal arrangement of "Epona's Song" for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Re-Arranged Album, and narrated, as well as performed, the opening and ending themes to the 1990–1992 Moomin anime television series. She also performed "Do-Re-Mi-Fa Lullaby", the ending theme to the second Unico movie, Unico in the Island of Magic, although the song was changed to an instrumental in the film's English version. Shiratori has had at least one song on the NHK program Minna no Uta. Shiratori is married to composer and music producer Sumio Shiratori, and mother of singer Maika Shiratori.
Ushio Amagatsu (天児 牛大, Amagatsu Ushio; 31 December 1949 – 25 March 2024) was a Japanese choreographer known as the…
Ushio Amagatsu (天児 牛大, Amagatsu Ushio; 31 December 1949 – 25 March 2024) was a Japanese choreographer known as the leader of the Butoh dance group Sankai Juku, which he founded in 1975.
Kazutaka Watanabe (Japanese: 渡邊 一貴, Hepburn: Watanabe Kazutaka; born September 21, 1949), better known as Kazutaka…
Kazutaka Watanabe (Japanese: 渡邊 一貴, Hepburn: Watanabe Kazutaka; born September 21, 1949), better known as Kazutaka Miyatake (宮武 一貴, Miyatake Kazutaka), is a Japanese visual artist and anime designer known for the mechanical design of the Macross TV series and a number of its continuations from Studio Nue, of which he is a founding member. He has also contributed to the mecha design of other series such as Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny.
Junichiro Koizumi ( koy-ZOO-mee; 小泉 純一郎, Koizumi Jun'ichirō [ko̞iꜜzɨmʲi (d)ʑɨ̃ɰ̃iꜜtɕiɾo̞ː]; born 8 January 1942) is a…
Junichiro Koizumi ( koy-ZOO-mee; 小泉 純一郎, Koizumi Jun'ichirō [ko̞iꜜzɨmʲi (d)ʑɨ̃ɰ̃iꜜtɕiɾo̞ː]; born 8 January 1942) is a Japanese retired politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics in 2009. He is the sixth-longest serving and second longest-uninterrupted serving Prime Minister in Japanese history. Coming from the prominent Koizumi family, Koizumi was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1972. He became the Parliamentary Vice Minister of Finance in 1979, before gaining his ministerial post in 1988 as Minister of Health and Welfare, which he served until 1989. He served as the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications from 1992 to 1993, and again as the Minister of Health and Welfare from 1996 to 1998. During this time, he became part of a new LDP faction, Shinseiki, and ran in the LDP leadership elections of 1995 and 1998, losing both times. In 2001, he again contested the LDP leadership, which he won. Widely seen as a maverick leader of the LDP upon his election to the position in 2001, Koizumi became known as a neoliberal economic reformer, focusing on reducing Japan's government debt and the privatisation of the Japan Post. In the 2005 election, Koizumi led the LDP to win one of the largest parliamentary majorities in modern Japanese history. Koizumi also attracted international attention through his deployment of the Japan Self-Defense Forces to Iraq, and through his visits to the Yasukuni Shrine that fueled diplomatic tensions with neighbouring China and South Korea. Koizumi resigned as prime minister in 2006. Although Koizumi maintained a low profile for several years after he left office, he returned to national attention in 2013 as an advocate for abandoning nuclear power in Japan, in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, which contrasted with the pro-nuclear views espoused by the LDP governments both during and after Koizumi's term in office.
Kazumasa Hirai (平井 和正, Hirai Kazumasa; May 13, 1938 – January 17, 2015) was a Japanese novelist and science fiction…
Kazumasa Hirai (平井 和正, Hirai Kazumasa; May 13, 1938 – January 17, 2015) was a Japanese novelist and science fiction writer from Yokosuka, Kanagawa. He graduated from Yokosuka Industrial High School and the law department of Chuo University. Hirai is well known for his SF-manga work. He is the creator of 8 Man (aka 8th Man in the USA) and was well known as the story creator of the 1960s manga series "Genma Taisen" (Genma Wars) about a hero with psychokinetic powers and his battle against a space villain called Genma. Hirai wrote stories for the Wolf Guy comic series, and also published comics co-authored with cartoonist Shotaro Ishinomori that were later adapted into an animated film in 1983.
Isao Inokuma (猪熊 功, Inokuma Isao; February 4, 1938 – September 28, 2001) was a Japanese judoka. He won a gold medal in…
Isao Inokuma (猪熊 功, Inokuma Isao; February 4, 1938 – September 28, 2001) was a Japanese judoka. He won a gold medal in the heavyweight division (above 80 kg) at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and a world title in 1965.
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.
Susumu Ishii (Japanese: 石井 進; 1924–1991) was the second kaicho (godfather) of the Inagawa-kai yakuza gang in Japan. He…
Susumu Ishii (Japanese: 石井 進; 1924–1991) was the second kaicho (godfather) of the Inagawa-kai yakuza gang in Japan. He was also fifth socho of the Yokosuka-ikka. Ishii was born in Yokosuka in 1924. As a child, he moved with his family to Kamakura where they ran a small noodle shop. In World War II, he was assigned to a kaiten unit of the Japanese Navy but was not given the chance to take part in a suicide attack. After the war, he became a yakuza and joined the Inagawa-kai in 1958. He rose to the number two position in that gang, but was imprisoned for a gambling scam from 1978 to 1984. After serving his time in prison Ishii spoke to the media, saying; "We cannot succeed in the yakuza world unless we are active and aggressive until our early forties. After that, we have to adapt our lives to ordinary society. We cannot always be so forceful." His house remains in Yokosuka city, a three-storey, brick house in French, Greek and Italian styles. Ishii owned the Iwama Country Club, with a 36 holes, luxurious golf course. Ishii gathered the wealthiest of Japan and asked them to buy memberships, at a cost of over 200,000 USD. The golf course was a success, bringing millions to Ishii. He was released from prison at the start of Japan's bubble economy in 1984. Through various loans, banking deals, and real estate scams, he accumulated assets of over $4 billion which he invested in projects around the world, including in Korea and the United States. In 1989, his group even hired Prescott Bush Jr., the brother of President George H. W. Bush, as an advisor (Bush denied knowing his clients' criminal background). The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper stated, "Almost every money transaction was related to Susumu Ishii in the 80s and 90s." Ishii's money went overseas as well. He invested in hotels in Monaco, Hong Kong and America. In total he invested 700 million dollars around the world. Throughout various investments he was able to have successful international relations and grow his money. Ishii was known as the "World's Richest Gangster" or "The Gangster With the Golden Touch".
Seiichi Tagawa (田川 誠一, Tagawa Seiichi; 4 June 1918 – 7 August 2009) was a Japanese politician who co-founded the now…
Seiichi Tagawa (田川 誠一, Tagawa Seiichi; 4 June 1918 – 7 August 2009) was a Japanese politician who co-founded the now defunct New Liberal Club in 1976, and served as its president from 1979 until 1984. Tagawa graduated from Keio University with a B.L. in December 1941. After that, he worked in the Imperial Japanese Army and The Asahi Shimbun Company. Tagawa was first elected to the House of Representatives of Japan in 1960. He would ultimately be re-elected to the House in eleven elections. Tagawa and a group of other lawmakers, including Yōhei Kōno, broke away from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 1976. Tagawa, Yohei and the others founded the New Liberal Club political party on 25 June 1976. The New Liberal Club formed a coalition government with the LDP in December 1983. Tagawa became the Minister of Home Affairs within the government of Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone as part of the coalition agreement. The New Liberal Club was disbanded in 1986 and rejoined the LDP on 15 August 1986. Following the disbanding of the New Liberal Club, Tagawa went on to found a second political party, the short-lived and now defunct Progressive Party. Tagawa spent the rest of his career campaigning against political corruption. He retired from politics in 1993. Seiichi Tagawa died from complications of old age at a nursing home in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on 7 August 2009, at the age of 91. Tagawa's cousin, Yōhei Kōno, served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan until the House was dissolved in July 2009 in preparation for the 2009 general election.
Kaede Dobashi (土橋 楓, Dobashi Kaede; born January 11, 1996), professionally known by her mononym Kaede (楓, Kaede) is a…
Kaede Dobashi (土橋 楓, Dobashi Kaede; born January 11, 1996), professionally known by her mononym Kaede (楓, Kaede) is a Japanese dancer, singer, model and actress who is affiliated with LDH. She is a member of the J-pop girl group f5ve and a former member of collective girl group E-girls and its dance and vocal unit Happiness. Kaede is an exclusive model for CanCam.
Yoriko Madoka (Japanese: 円 より子, Hepburn: Madoka Yoriko; born 10 February 1947) is a Japanese politician who served in…
Yoriko Madoka (Japanese: 円 より子, Hepburn: Madoka Yoriko; born 10 February 1947) is a Japanese politician who served in the House of Councillors from 1993 to 2010 and served as a member of the House of Representatives from 2024 to 2026.
Haruko Saida (斎田 晴子, Saida Haruko; born December 4, 1966) is a Japanese retired women's professional shogi player who…
Haruko Saida (斎田 晴子, Saida Haruko; born December 4, 1966) is a Japanese retired women's professional shogi player who acchieved the rank of 5-dan. She is a former Women's Meijin, Women's Ōshō and Kurashiki Tōka title holder. She is a non-executive director of the Japan Shogi Association.
Aki Higashihara (東原 亜希, Higashihara Aki; born November 11, 1982) is a Japanese television personality, fashion model…
Aki Higashihara (東原 亜希, Higashihara Aki; born November 11, 1982) is a Japanese television personality, fashion model and gravure idol. She married Judo athlete Kosei Inoue in 2008. She is represented by Platinum Production. Higashihara also blogs, and a tongue-in-cheek internet meme holds that items which she blogs about are certain to suffer misfortune. In 2007, she was one of the reporters on the Super Keiba TV show.