Wakaba Shimoguchi (下口 稚葉, Shimoguchi Wakaba; born 2 May 1998) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a…Wakaba Shimoguchi (下口 稚葉, Shimoguchi Wakaba; born 2 May 1998) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for J2 League club Shonan Bellmare.
Shōta Hiranuma (平沼 翔太, Hiranuma Shōta; born August 16, 1997) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays…Shōta Hiranuma (平沼 翔太, Hiranuma Shōta; born August 16, 1997) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays infielder for the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Ryoya Kurihara (栗原 陵矢, Kurihara Ryōya; born July 4, 1996) is a Japanese professional baseball catcher, infielder, and…Ryoya Kurihara (栗原 陵矢, Kurihara Ryōya; born July 4, 1996) is a Japanese professional baseball catcher, infielder, and outfielder for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Mika Nagata (born 28 May 1994) is a Japanese handball player for Hokkoku Bank and the Japanese national team. She…Mika Nagata (born 28 May 1994) is a Japanese handball player for Hokkoku Bank and the Japanese national team. She participated at the 2017 World Women's Handball Championship. At the 2022 Asian Championship, she won silver medals, losing to South Korea in the final.
Mana Horikawa (Japanese: 堀川真奈. born 4 March 1994) is a Japanese handball player for lzumi Maple Reds and the Japanese…Mana Horikawa (Japanese: 堀川真奈. born 4 March 1994) is a Japanese handball player for lzumi Maple Reds and the Japanese national team. She represented Japan at the 2019 World Women's Handball Championship.
Anna Kawamura (born 26 October 1991) is a Japanese handball player for Sony Semiconductor and the Japanese Republic…Anna Kawamura (born 26 October 1991) is a Japanese handball player for Sony Semiconductor and the Japanese Republic national team.
Nobuyoshi Yamada (山田 修義, Yamada Nobuyoshi; born September 19, 1991 in Fukui, Fukui, Japan) is a professional Japanese…Nobuyoshi Yamada (山田 修義, Yamada Nobuyoshi; born September 19, 1991 in Fukui, Fukui, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Orix Buffaloes.
Riko Koike (Japanese: 小池 理子, Hepburn: Koike Riko; born 1 January 1991) is a Japanese voice actress from Fukui, Fukui…Riko Koike (Japanese: 小池 理子, Hepburn: Koike Riko; born 1 January 1991) is a Japanese voice actress from Fukui, Fukui Prefecture, affiliated with Millennium Pro. Inspired by the 1994 film Mobile Fighter G Gundam, her voice acting career began in 2015 when she voiced Paru in Chain Chronicle, and she has also starred as Caracal in Kemono Friends 2 and Myamu in Waccha PriMagi!.
Takato Ishida (Japanese: 石田 嵩人, Hepburn: Ishida Takato; born 5 February 1990) is a Japanese politician who has been the…Takato Ishida (Japanese: 石田 嵩人, Hepburn: Ishida Takato; born 5 February 1990) is a Japanese politician who has been the governor of Fukui Prefecture since 2026. He was previously a diplomat under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Zambia and Australia. He resigned his ministry post to run for governor after his predecessor’s resignation and won the January 2026 election, campaigning on child‑rearing support, crisis management and greater use of social media to engage voters.
Yuta Matsuoka (松岡 祐太, Matsuoka Yūta; born (1989-11-06)6 November 1989) is a retired Japanese male volleyball player. He…Yuta Matsuoka (松岡 祐太, Matsuoka Yūta; born (1989-11-06)6 November 1989) is a retired Japanese male volleyball player. He used to be a part of the Japan men's national volleyball team. On club level, he played for Sakai Blazers.
Yuta Wakimoto (脇本 雄太, Wakimoto Yūta; born 21 March 1989) is a Japanese track and road cyclist, who currently rides for…Yuta Wakimoto (脇本 雄太, Wakimoto Yūta; born 21 March 1989) is a Japanese track and road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team Team Bridgestone Cycling. He competed in the keirin event at the 2014 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. He is also a professional keirin cyclist. He has qualified to represent Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Mayuko Ishitate (石立 真悠子, Ishitate Mayuko; born 18 January 1987) is a Japanese handballer for MIE violet' IRIS and the…Mayuko Ishitate (石立 真悠子, Ishitate Mayuko; born 18 January 1987) is a Japanese handballer for MIE violet' IRIS and the Japanese national team. She participated at the 2011 World Women's Handball Championship in Brazil and the 2013 World Women's Handball Championship in Serbia.
Takumi Ishizaki (石崎 巧, Ishizaki Takumi; born July 6, 1984) is a Japanese retired professional basketball player who…Takumi Ishizaki (石崎 巧, Ishizaki Takumi; born July 6, 1984) is a Japanese retired professional basketball player who formerly played for the Riesen Ludwigsburg in the German Basketball Bundesliga and BV Chemnitz 99 of the German ProA. He has been a member of the Japan national basketball team.
Tomonobu Shimizu (清水 智信, Shimizu Tomonobu; born June 28, 1981) is a Japanese professional boxer who is a former WBA…Tomonobu Shimizu (清水 智信, Shimizu Tomonobu; born June 28, 1981) is a Japanese professional boxer who is a former WBA super flyweight champion. He is an alumnus of the Tokyo University of Agriculture.
Kazuo Inoue (井上 和郎, Inoue Kazuo; born 17 February 1981) is a Japanese former professional racing cyclist. He finished…Kazuo Inoue (井上 和郎, Inoue Kazuo; born 17 February 1981) is a Japanese former professional racing cyclist. He finished second in the Japanese National Road Race Championships in 2008 and 2014, and represented Japan in the 2008 UCI Road World Championships. He has won the elite road race competition at the National Sports Festival of Japan four times.
Yōichirō Morikawa (森川 陽一郎, Morikawa Yōichirō; born 14 August 1979, Fukui, Fukui) is a Japanese Independent film…Yōichirō Morikawa (森川 陽一郎, Morikawa Yōichirō; born 14 August 1979, Fukui, Fukui) is a Japanese Independent film director, screenwriter, actor and calligrapher. He gained media attention when he was arrested and charged on suspicion of paying a 17-year-old girl for sexual services in March 2006.
Hiroko Sakai (坂井 寛子, Sakai Hiroko; born 3 November 1978 in Fukui) is a Japanese softball player who won the gold medal…Hiroko Sakai (坂井 寛子, Sakai Hiroko; born 3 November 1978 in Fukui) is a Japanese softball player who won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She is 177 cm (5-9.5) tall and weighs 73 kg (161 lbs).
Hiroshi Takeshima (竹島 宏, Takeshima Hiroshi; born August 28, 1978) is a Japanese enka singer. He has one major hit with…Hiroshi Takeshima (竹島 宏, Takeshima Hiroshi; born August 28, 1978) is a Japanese enka singer. He has one major hit with "Sapporo Elegy" in 2001. On December 30, 2021, Takeshima won the Japan Composer's Association Award at the 63rd Japan Record Awards.
Masakazu Ishiguro (Japanese: 石黒正数, Hepburn: Ishiguro Masakazu; born September 8, 1977) is a Japanese manga artist. He…Masakazu Ishiguro (Japanese: 石黒正数, Hepburn: Ishiguro Masakazu; born September 8, 1977) is a Japanese manga artist. He debuted in 2000 with the one-shot Hero prior to launching And Yet the Town Moves in 2005, which won the Seiun Award for Best Comic and an Excellence Award at the Japan Media Arts Festival. In 2018, he launched Heavenly Delusion, which topped the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook's list of the top manga for male readers.
Hiromi Misaki (三崎 宏美, Misaki Hiromi; born August 13, 1976 in Fukui) is a Japanese sport shooter. She has been selected…Hiromi Misaki (三崎 宏美, Misaki Hiromi; born August 13, 1976 in Fukui) is a Japanese sport shooter. She has been selected to compete for Japan in rifle shooting at two Olympics (2000 and 2004), and has attained a total of five medals in a major international competition, spanning the ISSF World Cup series. Misaki trains full-time for Hitachi Shooting Team under her longtime coach Yoko Miki. Misaki's Olympic debut came at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. There, she finished in a five-way tie for fifteenth position in the 10 m air rifle with a qualifying score of 392, just two points below the Olympic final cutoff. Misaki also competed in the 50 m rifle 3 positions, but slumped to a distant thirty-eighth in a 42-shooter field with 558 points, after she flubbed few shots in the kneeling series that contributed to her descent in the leaderboard. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Misaki qualified for her second Japanese team in rifle shooting. She managed to get a minimum qualifying standard of 397 to secure an Olympic berth for Japan in air rifle, following her top finish at the ISSF World Cup meet in Changwon, South Korea a year earlier. In the 10 m air rifle, held on the first day of the Games, Misaki fired a modest 392 out of a possible 400 to force in a massive draw with six others for twenty-second place. Nearly a week later, in the 50 m rifle 3 positions, Misaki marked a brilliant 195 in prone, 185 in standing, and 189 in the kneeling series to accumulate a total score of 569 points in the qualifying round, closing her out of the final to twenty-fourth place.
Makoto Kawamoto (川本真琴, Kawamoto Makoto; born January 19, 1974), is a Japanese pop singer, songwriter and…Makoto Kawamoto (川本真琴, Kawamoto Makoto; born January 19, 1974), is a Japanese pop singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Fukui, Japan. She currently sings under the pseudonym Tiger Fake Fur.
Yuichi Nakagaichi (中垣内 祐一, Nakagaichi Yuichi; born 2 November 1967) is a professional volleyball coach from Japan.…Yuichi Nakagaichi (中垣内 祐一, Nakagaichi Yuichi; born 2 November 1967) is a professional volleyball coach from Japan. Nakagaichi was a top player for the Japanese men's national volleyball team in the 1990s. Nakagaichi played at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and he also competed at the 1998 FIVB World Championship in Japan.
Ryoichi Yoshida (吉田 良一, Yoshida Ryōichi; born 2 March 1965) is a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 4 × 400…Ryoichi Yoshida (吉田 良一, Yoshida Ryōichi; born 2 March 1965) is a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Ryuzo Sasaki (笹木 竜三, Sasaki Ryūzō; 27 November 1956 – 28 June 2022) was a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party…Ryuzo Sasaki (笹木 竜三, Sasaki Ryūzō; 27 November 1956 – 28 June 2022) was a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature).
Kazuo Kawasaki (川崎和男) is a Japanese industrial designer born in Fukui Prefecture in 1949. He graduated from Kanazawa…Kazuo Kawasaki (川崎和男) is a Japanese industrial designer born in Fukui Prefecture in 1949. He graduated from Kanazawa College of Art in 1972. Kawasaki is a professor at Osaka University and a visiting professor at Tama Art University and Kanazawa Institute of Technology. Representative works include the wheelchair "CARNA" (part of the permanent collection at MoMA New York), the "Kazuo Kawasaki" brand of eyeware and the "EIZO" brand of computer displays. One of his research projects is artificial heart design. Kawasaki was Apple design director in the early 1990s and designed portable computer devices (named MindTop, POPEYE, Pluto, Sweatpea, JEEP).
Seiji Isobe (磯部清次, Isobe Seiji; born March 1, 1948) is a Japanese karate instructor residing in Brazil. He is a member…Seiji Isobe (磯部清次, Isobe Seiji; born March 1, 1948) is a Japanese karate instructor residing in Brazil. He is a member of the IKO1 (Kyokushin Matsui Group)'s international committee and is the General Manager of the South American Regional Federation. He holds a rank of 9th Dan Black in Kyokushin Karate. Seiji Isobe, although unsuccessful in Full-Contact Karate competitions himself, became renowned as one of the best Kyokushin and/or Full-Contact Karate coaches. He is known for training various highly prestigious Brazilian Karateka, including Francisco Filho, Glaube Feitosa, Ewerton Teixeira, Andrews Nakahara and Ademir da Costa.
Juichi Yoshikawa (吉川 壽一, Yoshikawa Jūichi; born 1943 in Fukui) is a Japanese calligraphist, or sho artist, who studied…Juichi Yoshikawa (吉川 壽一, Yoshikawa Jūichi; born 1943 in Fukui) is a Japanese calligraphist, or sho artist, who studied calligraphy formally under Inamura Undo, and later with Ueda Sokiu. Yoshikawa's avant garde trademark "three and a half dimensions" style applies observation as the additional dimension. To an untrained observer, this approach might be characterized as artistic flamboyance known by the use of giant brushes and stadium-sized canvases - or, as in the large 1990 Beijing installation, by almost completely covering the 5,000 square metres of Tiananmen Square. Yoshikawa's work has been presented throughout Japan, China, and the Middle East, and he is the author of a 1993 French publication on his form, Sho. He has collaborated several times with the lyricist, Chris Mosdell, illustrating what are essentially poetic works with experimental calligraphy. The first collection, Shake the Whole World To Its Foundations (2001 Shichosha Publishing), is an epic rhythmical chant densely type-set on the page with delicate and often simple brush-stroke accompaniments. The second publication, The Erotic Odes: A Pillow Book, couples verse by Mosdell with digitally stylized erotic shunga woodcut prints from the Edo Era overlaid with sensual calligraphy and ink-seepage creations by Yoshikawa. A full-color edition, originally published by Libroport in 1997, was fully color-enhanced and re-printed in 2008 by Seigensha Publishing.
Ryuji Matsumura (松村 龍二, Matsumura Ryūji; February 25, 1938 – September 19, 2025) was a Japanese politician of the…Ryuji Matsumura (松村 龍二, Matsumura Ryūji; February 25, 1938 – September 19, 2025) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature).
Shunya Itō (伊藤 俊也, Itō Shun'ya; born February 17, 1937) is a Japanese film director known for starting the Sasori /…Shunya Itō (伊藤 俊也, Itō Shun'ya; born February 17, 1937) is a Japanese film director known for starting the Sasori / Female Prisoner Scorpion series of 1970s exploitation films starring Meiko Kaji. Itō worked for Toei Company for most of his career. In 1972, he won a Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Citation for his first film, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion. He won Picture of the Year at the Japanese Academy Awards in 1985 with his film Gray Sunset, a story of a man suffering from Alzheimer's disease. This thus became Japan's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film instead of Akira Kurosawa's Ran, which caused a slight uproar in Western media as many critics thought Ran had a real chance of winning, whereas Gray Sunset was not even shortlisted. In 1995, he directed Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus. In 1998, he directed the World War II drama Pride: The Fateful Moment, presenting a sympathetic view of Hideki Tōjō on trial at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, attracting accusations of revisionism.
Yoshishige Yoshida (吉田 喜重, Yoshida Yoshishige; 16 February 1933 – 8 December 2022), also known as Kijū Yoshida, was a…Yoshishige Yoshida (吉田 喜重, Yoshida Yoshishige; 16 February 1933 – 8 December 2022), also known as Kijū Yoshida, was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.
Setsuko Tsumura (津村節子, Tsumura Setsuko; born 5 June 1928) is a Japanese novelist. She is a 1965 recipient of the…Setsuko Tsumura (津村節子, Tsumura Setsuko; born 5 June 1928) is a Japanese novelist. She is a 1965 recipient of the Akutagawa Prize.
Yoichiro Nambu (南部 陽一郎, Nanbu Yōichirō; 18 January 1921 – 5 July 2015) was a Japanese-American physicist and professor…Yoichiro Nambu (南部 陽一郎, Nanbu Yōichirō; 18 January 1921 – 5 July 2015) was a Japanese-American physicist and professor at the University of Chicago. Known for his groundbreaking contributions to theoretical physics, Nambu was the originator of the theory of spontaneous symmetry breaking, a concept that revolutionized particle physics. He was also a pioneer of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), one of the founding figures of string theory, and the proposer of Nambu mechanics. In addition, he co-created the Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model, which explained the dynamical origin of mass in nucleons. He was awarded half of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2008 for the discovery in 1960 of the mechanism of spontaneous broken symmetry in subatomic physics, related at first to the strong interaction's chiral symmetry and later to the electroweak interaction and Higgs mechanism. The other half was split equally between Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa "for the discovery of the origin of the broken symmetry which predicts the existence of at least three families of quarks in nature".
Satoshi Matsui (12 March 1915 – 1 August 1995) was a Japanese basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at…Satoshi Matsui (12 March 1915 – 1 August 1995) was a Japanese basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He later served as vice president of the Japan Basketball Association.
Jūkichi Uno (宇野重吉, Uno Jūkichi) (real name Nobuo Terao (寺尾 信夫); 27 September 1914 – 9 January 1988) was a Japanese…Jūkichi Uno (宇野重吉, Uno Jūkichi) (real name Nobuo Terao (寺尾 信夫); 27 September 1914 – 9 January 1988) was a Japanese actor. In 1950, he formed the Gekidan Mingei (劇団民藝) with Osamu Takizawa and others.
Kōyō Ishikawa (石川 光陽, Ishikawa Kōyō; July 5, 1904 – December 26, 1989) was a Japanese photographer. As an officer of…Kōyō Ishikawa (石川 光陽, Ishikawa Kōyō; July 5, 1904 – December 26, 1989) was a Japanese photographer. As an officer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, he was one of the few known photographers of the immediate aftermath of the U.S. bombings of Tokyo in World War II, since strict regulations prohibited civilians from taking pictures of war damage.
Kazuto Ishida (Japanese: 石田和外; May 20, 1903 – May 9, 1979) was a Japanese jurist who served as Chief Justice of the…Kazuto Ishida (Japanese: 石田和外; May 20, 1903 – May 9, 1979) was a Japanese jurist who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan from 1969 to 1973. He was a practitioner of kendo. He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo. As an associate justice in the mid-1960s, Ishida penned a dissenting opinion in a Grand Bench decision limiting criminal prosecution of labor leaders. This was a contributing factor to his appointment as Chief Justice by Prime Minister Eisaku Sato in 1968, in an attempt to give the court more conservative leadership at a time when Japan saw massive radical student demonstrations. One of Ishida's final decisions, in 1973, expanded police powers to punish demonstrators. Ishida's court was the first in a line of conservative Supreme Court benches that continued into the early 21st century. After his tenure as Chief Justice, Ishida became chairman of the All Japan Kendo Federation. He also became the first chairman of the Eirei ni Kotaeru Kai (英霊にこたえる会, Society to Honour the War Dead), which supports Yasukuni Shrine, in June 1976. Ishida formed the National Congress to Achieve Legislation of the Gengo System in order to establish a law formalizing the system of imperial era names. Ishida was a recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun.
Katō Hiroharu, alternatively named Katō Kanji (23 December 1870 – 9 February 1939), was a Japanese naval officer during…Katō Hiroharu, alternatively named Katō Kanji (23 December 1870 – 9 February 1939), was a Japanese naval officer during the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. The given name reading 'Kanji' was used in his later life after he became famous, perhaps just before he was promoted to rear-admiral. He served as the Chief of Navy General Staff from 22 January 1929 to 11 June 1930.
Senbon Hisanobu (13 July 1827 – 15 October 1885) was a Japanese politician of the early Meiji period who served as…Senbon Hisanobu (13 July 1827 – 15 October 1885) was a Japanese politician of the early Meiji period who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from 15 to 27 November 1871.
Fumino Hayashi (林ふみの, Hayashi Fumino) is a Japanese manga artist of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days, a manga…Fumino Hayashi (林ふみの, Hayashi Fumino) is a Japanese manga artist of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days, a manga based on the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion by Gainax). This was the first project Hayashi had worked on for Kadokawa Shoten.