Mako Ishino (石野真子/眞子; born January 31, 1961), is a Japanese singer and actress. After being discovered by the…Mako Ishino (石野真子/眞子; born January 31, 1961), is a Japanese singer and actress. After being discovered by the talent-search show Star Tanjō!, she received a newcomer award at the 20th Japan Record Awards (1978). She has been selected to compete twice on the NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen. Born in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, she is the elder sister of actresses Yōko Ishino and Atsuko Ishino. Ishino is affiliated with From First Production Co., Ltd.
Masahiko Katsuya (勝谷 誠彦, Katsuya Masahiko) (6 December 1960 – 28 November 2018) was a Japanese journalist, columnist…Masahiko Katsuya (勝谷 誠彦, Katsuya Masahiko) (6 December 1960 – 28 November 2018) was a Japanese journalist, columnist, television commentator, photographer and author. After graduating from Waseda University, he joined the publishing company Bungeishunjū in 1985 and worked as a reporter and desk editor for publications including Shūkan Bunshun, Bungeishunjū and Marco Polo. His reporting assignments included the Cambodian Civil War and the Gulf War. Katsuya left Bungeishunjū in 1996 and subsequently worked independently as a columnist, writer and television personality. He appeared regularly on Japanese television programmes including Yajiuma Plus, Sukkiri!! and Takajin no Sokomade Itte Iinkai, and later hosted the Sun Television talk programme Katsuyama Sahiko Show. In 2017, he unsuccessfully stood as an independent candidate in the 2017 Hyōgo gubernatorial election.
Seiichi Yamamoto (山本 精一, Yamamoto Seiichi; born July 16, 1958) is a Japanese musician. He is the guitarist of…Seiichi Yamamoto (山本 精一, Yamamoto Seiichi; born July 16, 1958) is a Japanese musician. He is the guitarist of psychedelic rock band Rovo as well as a former guitarist for the noise rock band Boredoms, and has also released records as a solo artist. He has also composed the soundtracks to several films, as well as collaborating with various other musicians and bands.
Keiko Tobe (戸部 けいこ, Tobe Keiko; 30 July 1957 – 28 January 2010) was a Japanese manga artist who wrote primarily josei…Keiko Tobe (戸部 けいこ, Tobe Keiko; 30 July 1957 – 28 January 2010) was a Japanese manga artist who wrote primarily josei manga. She was best known for creating With the Light, which won an Excellence Prize in the Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2004 from the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and inspired a television drama.
Masahiro Sayama (佐山 雅弘, Sayama Masahiro; November 26, 1953 – November 14, 2018) was a Japanese pianist, active in jazz…Masahiro Sayama (佐山 雅弘, Sayama Masahiro; November 26, 1953 – November 14, 2018) was a Japanese pianist, active in jazz and video game soundtracks. Sayama began playing piano as a child and became interested in jazz after seeing the film The Glenn Miller Story. He studied music at Kunitachi College of Music and began playing jazz professionally in the early 1970s, working with Toshiyuki Honda, Shigeharu Mukai, and Kazunori Takeda. He was a member of Shuichi Murakami's trio Ponta Box and also led his own ensembles. In 1991 he began playing with Masahiko Osaka. Sayama also played for video game soundtracks, including Final Fantasy X-2. Sayama died on November 14, 2018, at the age of 64.
Ramo Nakajima (中島らも, Nakajima Ramo; April 3, 1952 – July 26, 2004) was a Japanese cult novelist, essayist, and…Ramo Nakajima (中島らも, Nakajima Ramo; April 3, 1952 – July 26, 2004) was a Japanese cult novelist, essayist, and copywriter. He also appeared frequently on Japanese TV as an actor. He was born in Amagasaki City, Hyōgo Prefecture. He received eighth place in his entrance exam to the prestigious Nada High School, and continued to the Osaka University of Arts, where he graduated from the school of broadcasting. He then worked for a publishing company for five years, where he became famous for his catchy advertisements and commercials. He was given his own advice column in Asahi Shimbun, called the "Lighthearted Worry Column", which highlighted his strange and unique sense of humor and made him a household name. He began to work as a freelance copywriter in 1987, and in his free time, wrote the novels that would give him his cult following in Japan, as well as a variety of rakugo, essays, scripts and short stories. His best-known works include the novels Tonight, from Every Bar in Town (13th Eiji Yoshikawa New Author Prize), The Pigs of Gadara (Mystery Writers of Japan Award), and The Night of Human Models (Naoki Prize). After his success in novels, he then expanded into theater, producing Laugh-to-Death Lilliput Army, as well as creating his own rock band, PISS, of which he was the lead singer and guitar player. After the band dissolved, he then formed Ramo and the Mother's Boys, where he played rhythm guitar and sang. Nakajima was known for his wild lifestyle and his constant use of drugs and alcohol. His appearances on television in the late 1990s and early 2000s were always an audience draw because of his slurred speech—probably from years of alcohol and drug abuse—and humorous personality. He was arrested and convicted of marijuana possession in 2003; he was sentenced to five years incarceration. He was put into a mental hospital for a brief period, and then served his 10-month sentence, with a suspended sentence of five years. He then released an essay about his trials in prison called "The Prison Diet". After his release, he plunged back into alcoholism. On July 15, 2004, after drinking late at a bar, he fell down a staircase and suffered serious head injuries. He never recovered, dying on July 26, 2004.
Kunio Hiramatsu (平松 邦夫, Hiramatsu Kunio; born 15 November 1948) is a Japanese politician who served as the mayor of…Kunio Hiramatsu (平松 邦夫, Hiramatsu Kunio; born 15 November 1948) is a Japanese politician who served as the mayor of Osaka in Japan. He was elected in 2007 with centre-left support from the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), People's New Party and the Social Democratic Party, defeating the centre-right supported incumbent Jun'ichi Seki by 50,000 votes. Hiramatsu unsuccessfully ran for re-election in Osaka's mayoral election on 27 November 2011, when his challenger was the former Osaka Governor Tōru Hashimoto. Despite support from both major Japanese national parties (the DPJ and the Liberal Democratic Party), and the Japanese Communist Party retracting their candidate to support his re-election bid, Hiramatsu lost to Hashimoto by a margin of well over 200,000 votes.
Yutaka Enatsu (江夏 豊, Enatsu Yutaka; born May 15, 1948) is a Japanese former pitcher regarded as one of the best…Yutaka Enatsu (江夏 豊, Enatsu Yutaka; born May 15, 1948) is a Japanese former pitcher regarded as one of the best Japanese strikeout pitchers of all-time. In 1968, he recorded 401 strikeouts, which is still the world record. Enatsu was a big player in the Black Mist Scandal which embroiled Japanese baseball from 1969 to 1971. In November 1970 he received a stern warning from the Central League president due to "involvement with persons in baseball gambling." He recorded nine consecutive strikeouts in one of the 1971 All-Star games, and 15 consecutive strikeouts in three of the All-Star games between 1970 and 1971. His consecutive strikeouts were broken up by Katsuya Nomura. The two records are still unbroken. A starting pitcher for the first part of his career, in 1977 he became a relief specialist, altogether accumulating 193 saves. While playing with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in 1979, Enatsu was the Central League MVP, as he compiled a 9–5 record with a 2.67 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 104-2/3 innings. That year the Carp won the Central League pennant and the Japan Series. In 1981, with the Nippon-Ham Fighters, Enatsu was the Pacific League MVP, garnering 25 saves and a 2.82 ERA, as the Fighters won the Pacific League pennant. He is one of just two players to win the MVP in both leagues of NPB and the only one to do so until Michihiro Ogasawara. Enatsu joined the Milwaukee Brewers for spring training in 1985 at age 36 in an attempt to play Major League Baseball. Enatsu finished spring training with a 4.91 ERA in 11 innings and was among the team's final cuts before the season. He ranks fifth all-time in NPB history for strikeouts with 2,987. He has the most strikeouts of any player not in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
Shigeo Omae (大前 繁雄, Ōmae Shigeo; born 28 June 1942) is a retired Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party…Shigeo Omae (大前 繁雄, Ōmae Shigeo; born 28 June 1942) is a retired Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature).
Yoshio Okamoto (岡本佳男; born 10 January 1941) is a Japanese chemist, who was awarded the 2019 Japan Prize for his…Yoshio Okamoto (岡本佳男; born 10 January 1941) is a Japanese chemist, who was awarded the 2019 Japan Prize for his groundbreaking work in asymmetric polymerization and its practical applications in drug discovery. Okamoto was the first to prove that synthetic polymer conformations could be controllable, publishing work on asymmetric polymerization from 1979 onwards. This led to the development by Okamoto and others of helical polymers for use in high performance liquid chromatography columns (HPLC), enabling easy separation of chiral drug molecules.
Yoshitada Konoike (鴻池 祥肇, Konoike Yoshitada; November 28, 1940 – December 25, 2018) was a Japanese politician of the…Yoshitada Konoike (鴻池 祥肇, Konoike Yoshitada; November 28, 1940 – December 25, 2018) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party and member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature), formerly Minister of State for Disaster Management. A native of Amagasaki, Hyōgo and graduate of Waseda University, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1986 after an unsuccessful run in 1983. After losing his seat in 1993, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1995 and is currently serving his fourth 6-year term.
Fusao Sekiguchi (関口房朗) (born December 20, 1935, in Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan) is a businessman and Thoroughbred horse…Fusao Sekiguchi (関口房朗) (born December 20, 1935, in Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan) is a businessman and Thoroughbred horse racing enthusiast. He was the founder and CEO of Meitec in Nagoya before also founding Venture Safe Net, Inc (VSN, Inc) of Tokyo. The owner of a number of racehorses, the most notable of which was 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus whom he sold for a reported US$64 million to Ireland's Coolmore Stud. Other successful thoroughbred horses Sekiguchi has owned include Tokyo Yushun winner Fusaichi Concorde and Fusaichi Pandora, winner of the 2006 Q.E.II Cup and dam of Almond Eye.
Shuzen Tanigawa (谷川 秀善, Tanigawa Shūzen; born February 3, 1934) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic…Shuzen Tanigawa (谷川 秀善, Tanigawa Shūzen; born February 3, 1934) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature).
Hiroaki Sato (佐藤 弘明, Satō Hiroaki; February 5, 1932 – January 1, 1988) was a Japanese football player. He played for…Hiroaki Sato (佐藤 弘明, Satō Hiroaki; February 5, 1932 – January 1, 1988) was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Hiroyuki Kanai (金井 宏之, Kanai Hiroyuki; 16 May 1925 in Amagasaki – 26 January 2012) was a Japanese businessman, writer…Hiroyuki Kanai (金井 宏之, Kanai Hiroyuki; 16 May 1925 in Amagasaki – 26 January 2012) was a Japanese businessman, writer and philatelist.
Akira Kanayama (金山明 Kanayama Akira; 1924–2006) was a Japanese avant-garde artist and an early member of The Gutai Art…Akira Kanayama (金山明 Kanayama Akira; 1924–2006) was a Japanese avant-garde artist and an early member of The Gutai Art Association. An active contributor to Gutai's exhibitions and performance events, Kanayama was one of the pivotal figures of the group. His artworks were characterised by witty experiments with unconventional materials such as toy cars and signal lights for level crossing. He left Gutai in 1965 with Atsuko Tanaka, whom he married later in the same year.
Yoichi Hiraoka (平岡 養一, Yoichi Hiraoka; August 16, 1907 – July 13, 1981) was a xylophonist in Japan. He permanently…Yoichi Hiraoka (平岡 養一, Yoichi Hiraoka; August 16, 1907 – July 13, 1981) was a xylophonist in Japan. He permanently resided in the United States in 1963.
Katsukiyo Kubomatsu (久保松勝喜代; 25 October 1894 – 15 December 1941) was a Japanese professional go player. Nicknamed the…Katsukiyo Kubomatsu (久保松勝喜代; 25 October 1894 – 15 December 1941) was a Japanese professional go player. Nicknamed the Great Amateur, Kubomatsu was responsible for sending Utaro Hashimoto and Minoru Kitani to Kensaku Segoe and Tamejiro Suzuki respectively and also taught Nobuaki Maeda. Kubomatsu was known as one of the earliest innovators of the shin-fuseki, a revolution in Go theory pioneered by his student Minoru Kitani and Go Seigen in the 1930s. Kubomatsu was known for starting on the tengen, the center point of the board. He was posthumously promoted to 9 dan by the Nihon Ki-in and Kansai Ki-in in 2009, 67 years after his death.
Andy Wu (アンディ・ウー, Andi Ū) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently performs independent circuit. He is best…Andy Wu (アンディ・ウー, Andi Ū) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently performs independent circuit. He is best known for his time with Wrestle-1 and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW).