Yoshito Shintani (新谷 義人, Shintani Yoshito; born December 7, 1981 in Fukui Prefecture) is a Japanese weightlifter.…Yoshito Shintani (新谷 義人, Shintani Yoshito; born December 7, 1981 in Fukui Prefecture) is a Japanese weightlifter. Shintani represented Japan at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he competed for the men's lightweight category (69 kg). Shintani placed tenth in this event, as he successfully lifted 135 kg in the single-motion snatch, and hoisted 175 kg in the two-part, shoulder-to-overhead clean and jerk, for a total of 310 kg.
Hiromi Kawabata (川畑宏美, born 23 March 1979) is a Japanese former basketball player who competed in the 2004 Summer…Hiromi Kawabata (川畑宏美, born 23 March 1979) is a Japanese former basketball player who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Fumiyo Yamashita-Kaizu (born 1 April 1967) is a Japanese table tennis player. She competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics…Fumiyo Yamashita-Kaizu (born 1 April 1967) is a Japanese table tennis player. She competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics and the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Mamiko Takai (高井麻巳子, Takai Mamiko, born December 28, 1966) is a Japanese idol from the eighties, who debuted in 1985…Mamiko Takai (高井麻巳子, Takai Mamiko, born December 28, 1966) is a Japanese idol from the eighties, who debuted in 1985 with the J-pop girl band Onyanko Club, and its first sub-group, duo Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi with her co-worker Yukiko Iwai. She quit those two bands in 1987, becoming a solo artist, and released four albums before marrying producer Yasushi Akimoto and subsequently retiring. Her older sister Masayo made her record debut in July 1986 as a part of a 20-member dance group named Dee-Dee (Dee-Dee). She has two other younger sisters.
Makoto Kumada (熊田 誠, Kumada Makoto; 17 January 1920 – 28 June 2007) was a Japanese chemist and was a Professor of…Makoto Kumada (熊田 誠, Kumada Makoto; 17 January 1920 – 28 June 2007) was a Japanese chemist and was a Professor of Chemistry first at Osaka City University until his retirement in 1983 at Kyoto University in Japan. In 1972, Kumada's group reported nickel-catalyzed cross coupling reactions nearly concurrently with the Corriu group working in France. The Kumada coupling now bears his name. In an interview after the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was announced, Nobel Committee member Jan Bekvall (professor at Stockholm University) said: "If Professor Kumada been alive, he could have won this year's Nobel Prize for his work in developing cross-coupling."
Hamao Umezawa (梅沢 浜夫, Umezawa Hamao; October 1, 1914 – December 25, 1986) was a Japanese scientist who discovered…Hamao Umezawa (梅沢 浜夫, Umezawa Hamao; October 1, 1914 – December 25, 1986) was a Japanese scientist who discovered several antimicrobial agents and enzyme inhibitors. Umezawa was born in Obama City, Fukui Prefecture, as the second son in a family of seven children. After graduating from Musashi Junior and Senior High School, he entered the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine in 1933, and completed his medical degree in 1937. After serving in the Japanese army during World War II, Umezawa did work on tuberculosis which led to his discovery, in 1955, of the aminoglycoside antibiotic kanamycin. By this stage Umezawa was heading the Institute of Microbial Chemistry in Tokyo where his main focus was antimicrobial agents manufactured through fermentation processes. In 1963, he discovered the anticancer drug bleomycin, and in 1965 he discovered kasugamycin, a compound useful in combating rice molds. His elder brother, Sumio Umezawa, was a chemist who had sometimes assisted in his work. He was married to Mieko Ishizaki on December 2, 1944; they had two sons. Umezawa died of pneumonia on December 25, 1986. The Hamao Umezawa Memorial Museum in Setagaya, Tokyo was named in his honor.
