Miyū Yamashita (山下 美夢有, Yamashita Miyū) (born 2 August 2001) is a Japanese professional golfer. She plays on the LPGA…Miyū Yamashita (山下 美夢有, Yamashita Miyū) (born 2 August 2001) is a Japanese professional golfer. She plays on the LPGA of Japan Tour where she has 14 wins and the LPGA Tour. She won the 2025 AIG Women's Open by two strokes over Charley Hull and Minami Katsu. This is her first major victory and first win outside Japan.
Mio Ootani (大谷 澪, Ōtani Mio; born July 13, 1992, in Neyagawa, Osaka Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese gravure idol who…Mio Ootani (大谷 澪, Ōtani Mio; born July 13, 1992, in Neyagawa, Osaka Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese gravure idol who is affiliated with K-point. She won the 2008 Miss Magazine Special Jury Prize.
Kazuto Takesako (竹迫和人, Takesako Kazuto) (born Tsujito Takesako (竹迫司登, Takesako Tsujito); 15 July 1991) is a Japanese…Kazuto Takesako (竹迫和人, Takesako Kazuto) (born Tsujito Takesako (竹迫司登, Takesako Tsujito); 15 July 1991) is a Japanese professional boxer who has held the WBC-OPBF middleweight title since January and the Japanese middleweight title since 2018.
Naoto Tsuru (鶴 直人, Tsuru Naoto; born April 25, 1987 in Neyagawa, Osaka) is a Japanese former professional baseball…Naoto Tsuru (鶴 直人, Tsuru Naoto; born April 25, 1987 in Neyagawa, Osaka) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He played for the Hanshin Tigers from 2008 to 2016.
Gōeidō Gōtarō (豪栄道 豪太郎; born April 6, 1986 as Gōtarō Sawai (澤井 豪太郎, Sawai Gōtarō)) is a former sumo wrestler from Osaka…Gōeidō Gōtarō (豪栄道 豪太郎; born April 6, 1986 as Gōtarō Sawai (澤井 豪太郎, Sawai Gōtarō)) is a former sumo wrestler from Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He made his professional debut in January 2005 and reached the top makuuchi division in September 2007. Long regarded as one of the most promising Japanese wrestlers in sumo, Gōeidō holds the modern record for the most consecutive appearances at sumo's third highest rank of sekiwake, at 14 tournaments. He was finally promoted to the rank of ōzeki following the July 2014 tournament, after scores of twelve wins against three losses in two of the previous three tournaments. However, he only managed to win ten or more bouts in a tournament as an ōzeki on six occasions, and was kadoban, or in danger of demotion, eight times. He won his only top division tournament in September 2016 with a perfect 15–0 record and was a runner-up seven times in his career. He retired in January 2020 after two consecutive losing records that would have seen him demoted, to become an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name of Takekuma.
Shimpei Sakurada (樱田 真平, Sakurada Shinpei; born May 5, 1984) is a Japanese football player. He is currently playing for…Shimpei Sakurada (樱田 真平, Sakurada Shinpei; born May 5, 1984) is a Japanese football player. He is currently playing for Yadanarbon FC.
Yuri Nakamura (中村 ゆり, 中村 友理, Nakamura Yuri; 15 March 1982 – 1 September 2026) was a Japanese and Korean actress and…Yuri Nakamura (中村 ゆり, 中村 友理, Nakamura Yuri; 15 March 1982 – 1 September 2026) was a Japanese and Korean actress and singer. Her real name was Yuri Sei (成 友理, Sei Yūri) or Woori Song (Korean: 성우리; RR: Seong Uri).
Fumitake Fujita (藤田 文武, Fujita Fumitake; born 27 December 1980) is a Japanese businessman and politician. A member of…Fumitake Fujita (藤田 文武, Fujita Fumitake; born 27 December 1980) is a Japanese businessman and politician. A member of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), he has served as a member of the House of Representatives since 2019 and co-leader of Ishin since August 2025, serving alongside Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura. He previously served as the party’s Secretary-General from 2021 to 2024.
Naoki Matayoshi (又吉 直樹, Matayoshi Naoki; born June 2, 1980) is a Japanese comedian, screenwriter, and novelist who won…Naoki Matayoshi (又吉 直樹, Matayoshi Naoki; born June 2, 1980) is a Japanese comedian, screenwriter, and novelist who won the Akutagawa Prize in 2015 for his book Hibana (火花, Spark), which was adapted into the Netflix series Hibana: Spark. Matayoshi is the boke of his comedy duo Peace alongside his partner Yuji Ayabe. Ayabe left Japan for New York in 2016 to continue his comedic career overseas while Matayoshi stayed in Japan, effectively making the duo inactive since then. He is from Neyagawa City in Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Hokuyo Senior High School (presently Kansai University Hokuyo Senior High School).
Koji Uehara (上原 浩治, Uehara Kōji; [ɯehara koːdʑi]; born April 3, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball…Koji Uehara (上原 浩治, Uehara Kōji; [ɯehara koːdʑi]; born April 3, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), as well as the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). A right-handed pitcher, Uehara has an MLB career strikeout rate of 10.7 K/9 innings and a walk rate of 1.5 BB/9 innings through the 2017 season. Through the 2017 season, his career 7.33 K/BB is the best in MLB history for a player with at least 100 innings pitched. Uehara won the 2013 ALCS MVP Award, and closed the final game of the 2013 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. With his World Series win, Uehara became one of sixteen players in history to have won both a World Series and a World Baseball Classic.
Yoshiyuki Fuchiwaki (渕脇 芳行) is a Japanese retired professional baseball player. He spent seven seasons with the Osaka…Yoshiyuki Fuchiwaki (渕脇 芳行) is a Japanese retired professional baseball player. He spent seven seasons with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and made one appearance in a first-team match.
Sōhei Niikawa (Japanese: 新川宗平, Hepburn: Niikawa Sōhei) is a Japanese video game developer and executive known for…Sōhei Niikawa (Japanese: 新川宗平, Hepburn: Niikawa Sōhei) is a Japanese video game developer and executive known for creating the Disgaea series. He joined Nippon Ichi Software in 1996, and was its CEO and president from 2009 to 2022. In March 2025, Niikawa announced that he had founded a new company, SuperNiche. Two games were listed as them being involved with: an adaptation of Etrange Overlord where they were working with developer Gemdrops in production, and an untitled production. It later emerged that after his resignation in 2022, Niikawa shopped around game pitches, manga scripts, and novels under the pen name "Roman Kitayama". The eventual result was Etrange Overlord, which was credited to Kitayama (really Niikawa) as author.
Hiroshi Ōsaka (逢坂 浩司, Ōsaka Hiroshi; 20 June 1963 – 24 September 2007) was a Japanese animator, character designer and…Hiroshi Ōsaka (逢坂 浩司, Ōsaka Hiroshi; 20 June 1963 – 24 September 2007) was a Japanese animator, character designer and illustrator, born in Neyagawa, Osaka Prefecture. He was a graduate of the Kyoto Saga University of Arts. He was the co-founder of Bones.
Emiko Ueno (植野恵美子, Ueno Emiko; born on September 3, 1957, in Neyagawa) is a retired female badminton player of Japan…Emiko Ueno (植野恵美子, Ueno Emiko; born on September 3, 1957, in Neyagawa) is a retired female badminton player of Japan, who specialized in doubles.
Tomokatsu Kitagawa (北川 知克, Kitagawa Tomokatsu; 8 November 1951 – 26 December 2018) was a Japanese politician from the…Tomokatsu Kitagawa (北川 知克, Kitagawa Tomokatsu; 8 November 1951 – 26 December 2018) was a Japanese politician from the Liberal Democratic Party, and a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature).
From Osaka came the 'musical anarchist' Tadamaru Sakuragawa (桜川 唯丸, Sakuragawa Tadamaru), who sang in a style called…From Osaka came the 'musical anarchist' Tadamaru Sakuragawa (桜川 唯丸, Sakuragawa Tadamaru), who sang in a style called Goshu ondo. With the backing of the now disbanded Spiritual Unity, Tadamaru broke out of the festival circuit with his only album, Ullambana, released in 1991. Ullambana is a Sanskrit word that refers to a Buddhism sutra, and is the origin of the Japanese word Urabonne whose shortened form Bon or Obon is now widely used throughout Japan. Tadamaru's music is characterized as a radical new workout of summer festival music from Kansai area of Japan. The song Yui Maru Bushi from the album can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/guidejapan2.shtml https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1W7EGULc6s Tadamaru retired in 1995 and passed his name to one of his pupils who now sings as Tadamaru Sakuragawa II (二代目 桜川唯丸). Music of Japan
Puffy AmiYumi, or PUFFY, are a Japanese pop rock duo formed in Tokyo in 1995, consisting of singers Ami Ōnuki and Yumi…Puffy AmiYumi, or PUFFY, are a Japanese pop rock duo formed in Tokyo in 1995, consisting of singers Ami Ōnuki and Yumi Yoshimura. In the United States, they adopted the name Puffy AmiYumi to avoid legal naming conflicts with Sean Combs, who also performed under the name Puffy. The duo sings in Japanese, English, and Mandarin Chinese. Ōnuki and Yoshimura were scouted by Sony-affiliated talent agencies and put together in the mid-1990s. Most of their work was produced or co-written by Okuda Tamio and Andy Sturmer, formerly of the bands Unicorn and Jellyfish, respectively. The duo's first single, "Asia no Junshin" (1996), sold one million records. They gained mainstream success in Japan in 1998 following the release of their album Jet and continued with several more full-length releases (totaling 15 million sales in Japan). In 2004, an animated series featuring fictionalized versions of themselves, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, premiered on the US's Cartoon Network. While the singers portrayed themselves for short live-action segments taped in Japan, their characters were voiced by Janice Kawaye and Grey DeLisle respectively.
Gōnoyama Tōki (Japanese: 豪ノ山 登輝; born April 7, 1998 as Tōki Nishikawa (西川 登輝, Nishikawa Tōki)) is a Japanese…Gōnoyama Tōki (Japanese: 豪ノ山 登輝; born April 7, 1998 as Tōki Nishikawa (西川 登輝, Nishikawa Tōki)) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Neyagawa, Osaka. Wrestling for Takekuma stable, he made his professional debut in March 2021. He reached the second-highest jūryō division in July 2022, and has won one championship in both makushita and jūryō. He was promoted to the top makuuchi division in July 2023. His highest rank has been maegashira 2.
Ura Kazuki (Japanese: 宇良 和輝; born 22 June 1992) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Neyagawa, Osaka. After…Ura Kazuki (Japanese: 宇良 和輝; born 22 June 1992) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Neyagawa, Osaka. After winning a gold medal in sumo at the 2013 World Combat Games, he made his professional debut in 2015, wrestling with the Kise stable and he won the jonokuchi division championship in his first tournament. He reached the top makuuchi division in March 2017, but a pair of serious injuries led to two extended layoffs, and his rank dropped to the lowest since his debut tournament, and it was three and a half years before he returned to top-level competition. He has two kinboshi, or gold stars, for defeating a yokozuna. Ura's highest rank has been komusubi, which he achieved in January 2024. His unpredictable style and willingness to use rare kimarite have made him a favourite with tournament crowds.