Keita Dohi (土肥 圭太 Dohi Keita; born October 17, 2000) is a Japanese competition climber who specializes in competition…Keita Dohi (土肥 圭太 Dohi Keita; born October 17, 2000) is a Japanese competition climber who specializes in competition bouldering.
Mitsunori Takaboshi (高星 明誠, Takaboshi Mitsunori; born 24 January 1993) is a Japanese racing driver. In 2017, he was…Mitsunori Takaboshi (高星 明誠, Takaboshi Mitsunori; born 24 January 1993) is a Japanese racing driver. In 2017, he was crowned champion in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship.
Asabenkei Daikichi (Japanese 朝弁慶 大吉, born February 12, 1989, as Yasunobu Sakai) is a Japanese retired sumo wrestler…Asabenkei Daikichi (Japanese 朝弁慶 大吉, born February 12, 1989, as Yasunobu Sakai) is a Japanese retired sumo wrestler (rikishi) from Kanagawa. He debuted in March 2007 and he reached his highest rank of juryo 7 in July 2016. He wrestled for Takasago stable and has won one yusho in the sandanme division. He retired in July 2024.
Tsuyoshi Sato (佐藤健, Satō Tsuyoshi; born 5 February 1988 in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa) is a former Japanese footballer who…Tsuyoshi Sato (佐藤健, Satō Tsuyoshi; born 5 February 1988 in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa) is a former Japanese footballer who last played for SC Sagamihara.
Hinata Watanabe (born August 26, 1986 in Hiratsuka), or HINATA, is a Japanese welterweight kickboxer fighting out of…Hinata Watanabe (born August 26, 1986 in Hiratsuka), or HINATA, is a Japanese welterweight kickboxer fighting out of Hiratsuka, Japan for the Shonan Kakuto Club. He is the 2008 R.I.S.E. champion currently competing in R.I.S.E. and K-1 MAX.
Hiroyo Matsumoto (松本 浩代, Matsumoto Hiroyo; born November 6, 1985) is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently…Hiroyo Matsumoto (松本 浩代, Matsumoto Hiroyo; born November 6, 1985) is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer. Emi Sakura gave her the nickname of Lady Destroyer (破壊する女, Hakai Suru Onna) because Matsumoto broke a wall in the Ichigaya arena during her Ice Ribbon debut. She is best known with other wrestling promotions such as Oz Academy and Seadlinnng. She graduated from Hiratsuka Konan High School in the Kanagawa Prefecture.
Yukari Fukui (福井 裕佳梨, Fukui Yukari; born October 28, 1982) is a Japanese actress, voice actress and gravure idol known…Yukari Fukui (福井 裕佳梨, Fukui Yukari; born October 28, 1982) is a Japanese actress, voice actress and gravure idol known by the nickname Yukarin (ゆかりん) in Japan.
Yuki Kubota (久保田 悠来, Kubota Yūki; born June 15, 1981, in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese actor and…Yuki Kubota (久保田 悠来, Kubota Yūki; born June 15, 1981, in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese actor and model whose work has included stage, television and film roles. He is best known as the character Takatora Kureshima / Kamen Rider Zangetsu / Kamen Rider Zangetsu Shin in the Kamen Rider series Kamen Rider Gaim. He is currently affiliated with the Japan Music Entertainment agency.
Kayoko Obata (小幡 佳代子, Obata Kayoko; born September 18, 1971) is a female long-distance runner from Japan. She set her…Kayoko Obata (小幡 佳代子, Obata Kayoko; born September 18, 1971) is a female long-distance runner from Japan. She set her personal best in the women's marathon on January 30, 2000 in Osaka, clocking 2:25:14.
Yoshino Aoki (青木 佳乃, Aoki Yoshino) (born August 19, 1971) is a Japanese video game music composer and lyricist. She…Yoshino Aoki (青木 佳乃, Aoki Yoshino) (born August 19, 1971) is a Japanese video game music composer and lyricist. She began her career with video game company Capcom, and later co-founded the music studio Unique Note with another ex-Capcom composer, Tetsuya Shibata.
Minami Ozaki (尾崎南, Ozaki Minami) is a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist and illustrator of novels born on February 27…Minami Ozaki (尾崎南, Ozaki Minami) is a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist and illustrator of novels born on February 27, 1968, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. She is famous for her best-selling manga series Zetsuai 1989, which is considered to have redefined the Shōnen-ai/Yaoi genres in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Her old pen name is Ryo Minami (南亮, Minami Ryo), but in 1986 she changed her pen name to Minami Ozaki. She sometimes uses other pseudonym—Minami Himemuro (姫室ミナミ). In 1988 (at the age of 20), her first manga series, Chūsei no Akashi (Proof of Loyalty), was serialized in Margaret Comics. Her success with Zetsuai 1989 has led Helen McCarthy to describe Ozaki as "one of the queens of shojo and shonen-ai manga". Through her Captain Tsubasa dojinshi, Ozaki "played a strong role" in "revamping the boys-love genre" in the 1980s. Her hallmark is "prolonged erotic psychodramas" which has earned her a "cult following" through Margaret. Rachel Thorn describes her as being a "mania-oriented" artist, with "extremely stylized" character designs and page layouts with a "dream-like quality". Her style had an enormous influence on later shōjo writers.
Sachiko Kamachi (Japanese: 蒲池 幸子, Hepburn: Kamachi Sachiko; February 6, 1967 – May 27, 2007), known professionally as…Sachiko Kamachi (Japanese: 蒲池 幸子, Hepburn: Kamachi Sachiko; February 6, 1967 – May 27, 2007), known professionally as Izumi Sakai (坂井 泉水, Sakai Izumi), was a Japanese pop singer and core member of the group Zard. As Sakai was the only member in the group for the majority of the 16 years which it was active, Zard and Sakai may be referred to interchangeably. She was the best-selling female recording artist of the 1990s and has sold over 38 million copies of sales, making her one of the best-selling music artists in Japan of all time.
Akemi Sugiyama (Japanese: 杉山 明美; born 1 March 1965) is a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1988…Akemi Sugiyama (Japanese: 杉山 明美; born 1 March 1965) is a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. In 1988, Sugiyama finished fourth with the Japanese team in the Olympic tournament.
Taro Kono (河野 太郎, Kōno Tarō; born 10 January 1963) is a Japanese politician who served as the Minister for Digital…Taro Kono (河野 太郎, Kōno Tarō; born 10 January 1963) is a Japanese politician who served as the Minister for Digital Transformation from 2022 to 2024. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), he previously served as Minister for Administrative Reform and Regulatory Reform from 2015 to 2016 and from 2020 to 2021, and was the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He is also a member of the House of Representatives representing Kanagawa's 15th district since 1996. Born in 1963 the eldest son of House Speaker and LDP President Yōhei Kōno, Kono grew up in a political family. Originally planning to study economics in Japan, he dropped out to attend Georgetown University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service in 1983. After working in the private sector for more than a decade, Kono was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996. In his career in the House, Kono served on various committees before running in the 2009 LDP leadership election; after losing to Sadakazu Tanigaki, he became Deputy Secretary-General of the LDP. After two years in the opposition, the LDP returned to power in the 2012 general election, while Kono remained a backbencher. In October 2015, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appointed Kono Minister for Administrative Reform and Regulatory Reform, a position he served in for less than year before resigning amidst a cabinet reshuffle. Kono returned to government in 2017 as Foreign Minister under Abe. His tenure oversaw a trade dispute with South Korea and deepening of ties with the United States. After about two years in that role, Abe designated Kono as Minister of Defense in 2019. As Defense Minister, he presided over the cancellation of the Aegis Ashore missile defense system, a more tense relationship with China, and the strengthening of security partnerships with nations in the Indo-Pacific. After Abe resigned in 2020, he was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga who retained Kono in his cabinet. Kono returned to his prior role as the Administrative Reform Minister, organizing Japan's vaccine rollout in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Suga supported Kono to replace him as party president in the 2021 LDP leadership election, losing to Fumio Kishida in a second round run-off. After spending less than a year in the backbenches, Kono was appointed Digital Affairs Minister by Kishida in 2022. In this role he attempted to revive the My Number card system, and rolled out reforms for thousands of regulations in an effort to cut down on bureaucratic red tape. After Kishida resigned, he ran for party leadership for the third time in the 2024 LDP presidential election, coming in eighth place. He subsequently resigned as Digital Affairs Minister and has since continued as a backbencher in the Diet. Kono has developed a reputation as a political maverick, with a tendency to hold positions on issues contrary to his party. Belonging to the conservative and centre-right Shikōkai faction, he is considered a centrist within the LDP, supporting same-sex marriage and more acceptance of immigrants into Japan. Kono also favors a strong national defense, strengthening alliances with the US and Canada, as well as Pacific partners like Australia and South Korea, and is a proponent of the concept of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. He is also known for his large following on social media and his fluency in English. Kono has long been speculated as a potential future prime minister, running for party leadership three times.
Reiko Kobayashi (小林 禮子, Kobayashi Reiko; 1939–1996), formerly Reiko Kitani (木谷 禮子, Kitani Reiko), was a Japanese female…Reiko Kobayashi (小林 禮子, Kobayashi Reiko; 1939–1996), formerly Reiko Kitani (木谷 禮子, Kitani Reiko), was a Japanese female 7-dan professional Go player at Nihon Ki-in.
Isamu Togawa (戸川猪佐武, Togawa Isamu; 16 December 1923 – 19 March 1983) was a Japanese writer and political commentator.…Isamu Togawa (戸川猪佐武, Togawa Isamu; 16 December 1923 – 19 March 1983) was a Japanese writer and political commentator. Togawa was born in the city of Hiratsuka in Kanagawa Prefecture. His father was a novelist and former mayor of Hiratsuka Sadao Togawa and his younger brother was the novelist Itaru Kikumura.
Minami Umezawa (Japanese: 梅澤 美波, romanized: Umezawa Minami; born January 6, 1999) is a Japanese singer, model and…Minami Umezawa (Japanese: 梅澤 美波, romanized: Umezawa Minami; born January 6, 1999) is a Japanese singer, model and actress. She is a former third generation member and captain of the idol girl group Nogizaka46. She is also an exclusive model for the fashion magazine "with" and a regular model for "Classy".
Michiko Kawai (河合 美智子, Kawai Michiko; born 13 June 1968, in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa) is a Japanese actress and singer. Her…Michiko Kawai (河合 美智子, Kawai Michiko; born 13 June 1968, in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa) is a Japanese actress and singer. Her real name is Kazue Suzuki (鈴木 一栄, Suzuki Kazue). She was represented with ABC inc. As a singer she is nicknamed Aurora Teruko (オーロラ輝子, Ōrora Teruko).
Eri Hozumi (穂積 絵莉, Hozumi Eri; born 17 February 1994) is a Japanese tennis player. On 10 November 2014, she reached a…Eri Hozumi (穂積 絵莉, Hozumi Eri; born 17 February 1994) is a Japanese tennis player. On 10 November 2014, she reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 144. On 6 October 2025, she peaked at No. 27 in the WTA doubles rankings. Partnering with Makoto Ninomiya, she finished runner-up in the doubles draw of the 2018 French Open.
