Ōsama (王様, Ōsama; born Ōsama Jirō (王様 治郎, Ousama Jirou)) is a Japanese musician and guitarist. He is from Nishinomiya…Ōsama (王様, Ōsama; born Ōsama Jirō (王様 治郎, Ousama Jirou)) is a Japanese musician and guitarist. He is from Nishinomiya in Hyōgo Prefecture.
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki (Japanese: 芳垣安洋; born 1959) is a Japanese drummer and percussionist, noted for his command of rhythm…Yasuhiro Yoshigaki (Japanese: 芳垣安洋; born 1959) is a Japanese drummer and percussionist, noted for his command of rhythm in jazz and ensemble settings. He is also highly regarded in free improvisation and has collaborated with musicians in Japan and abroad, including Otomo Yoshihide and John Zorn. He is one of the twin drummers of the post-rock band Rovo and the leader of Vincent Atmicus, an ensemble distinguished by twin drums, strings, brass, and layered percussion to create dense, polyrhythmic textures. He has also led long-running projects as a bandleader, including Orquesta Libre and Orquesta Nudge! Nudge!.
Masao Akashi (明石昌夫, Akashi Masao; March 25, 1957 – May 19, 2025) was a Japanese music arranger in distributors Being…Masao Akashi (明石昌夫, Akashi Masao; March 25, 1957 – May 19, 2025) was a Japanese music arranger in distributors Being Inc., mainly in their label B-Gram Records. In 1988, he debuted as arranger in debut single Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite by Japanese hard-rock band B'z. By 1998, his arrangement work had been involved with many Being artists including Manish, Wands and Zard. Although Akashi was no longer working for Being Inc., he sometimes provided producing jobs for various artists such as Naomi Tamura, Maria, Color Bottle and Sonoda Band. Akashi died on May 19, 2025, at the age of 68.
Toshiyuki Adachi (Japanese: 足立 敏之; May 20, 1954 – December 27, 2024) was a Japanese politician who served as a Liberal…Toshiyuki Adachi (Japanese: 足立 敏之; May 20, 1954 – December 27, 2024) was a Japanese politician who served as a Liberal Democratic Party member of the House of Councillors of Japan from 2016, after serving as vice minister for engineering affairs. He represented the National proportional representation block. At the time of his death, he was serving on the following committees: Committee on Land and Transport (Director) Special Committee on Disasters (Director) Research Committee on National Life and Economy Committee on Audit
Ryosuke Otani (大谷 亮介, Ōtani Ryōsuke; born March 18, 1954) is a Japanese actor and voice actor represented by the talent…Ryosuke Otani (大谷 亮介, Ōtani Ryōsuke; born March 18, 1954) is a Japanese actor and voice actor represented by the talent agency Fathers Corporation. He graduated from Rokko Junior and Senior High School and Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.
Masahito Moriyama (盛山 正仁, Moriyama Masahito) is a Japanese politician. He is a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic…Masahito Moriyama (盛山 正仁, Moriyama Masahito) is a Japanese politician. He is a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and a former member of the House of Representatives in the National Diet (national legislature). A native of Nishinomiya, Hyogo, and an alumnus of the University of Tokyo, he joined the Ministry of Transport in 1977. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2005 but lost his seat in the 2009 General Election, regaining it in 2012. During his time out of office, he matriculated as a postgraduate student and studied international law and business at Kobe University, which is located in his constituency. He earned a Master’s degree in Law in 2011, a PhD in International Law in 2013, and an additional PhD in Business Studies in 2014. In 2024, Moriyama won a no-confidence motion issued by the Constitutional Democratic Party after reports emerged that he received a letter of recommendation and campaign support from an organization linked to the Unification Church during the 2021 Japanese general election. On 10 April 2024, Moriyama was among the guests invited to the state dinner hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden in honor of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House.
Kenji Kitahashi (北橋 健治, Kitahashi Kenji; born 19 March 1953, in Nishinomiya) is a Japanese politician and a former…Kenji Kitahashi (北橋 健治, Kitahashi Kenji; born 19 March 1953, in Nishinomiya) is a Japanese politician and a former mayor of Kitakyushu, Japan. A graduate of the University of Tokyo, he was elected to the House of Representatives in Diet of Japan (parliament) for the first time in 1986 as a member of Democratic Socialist Party, which later became part of Democratic Party of Japan. After losing his seat in 1990, he was re-elected in 1993. In February 2007 he was elected mayor of Kitakyushu and went on to serve four terms, until 2023.
Inuhiko Yomota (四方田 犬彦, Yomota Inuhiko; born February 20, 1953) is a Japanese author, cultural essayist, translator…Inuhiko Yomota (四方田 犬彦, Yomota Inuhiko; born February 20, 1953) is a Japanese author, cultural essayist, translator, film historian, and critic. His real name is Goki Yomota (四方田 剛己, Yomota Gōki).
Kazuko Sawamatsu (Japanese: 沢松和子, born 5 January 1951) is a retired tennis player from Japan. She competed in a number…Kazuko Sawamatsu (Japanese: 沢松和子, born 5 January 1951) is a retired tennis player from Japan. She competed in a number of major LTA tournaments in the 1970s on the world circuit. At the 1975 Australian Open, she reached the quarterfinals as well as reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and U.S. Open the same year. She also reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in 1973, and won the 1975 Wimbledon ladies doubles title with partner Ann Kiyomura. In November 1975, she won the singles title at the Japan Open Tennis Championships, defeating Kiyomura in the final in three sets, and together they won the doubles title. Sawamatsu is the sister of tennis player Junko Sawamatsu and the aunt of Naoko Sawamatsu.
Musashi Kanbe (かんべむさし; born January 16, 1948, in Ishikawa Prefecture) is a Seiun Award winning author for the novel…Musashi Kanbe (かんべむさし; born January 16, 1948, in Ishikawa Prefecture) is a Seiun Award winning author for the novel Saikoro Tokkōtai. Kanbe was also chair of honor at Daicon III in 1981.
Akira Tonomura (外村 彰, Tonomura Akira; April 25, 1942 – May 2, 2012) was a Japanese physicist, best known for his…Akira Tonomura (外村 彰, Tonomura Akira; April 25, 1942 – May 2, 2012) was a Japanese physicist, best known for his development of electron holography and his experimental verification of the Aharonov–Bohm effect.
Haruko Wakita (脇田晴子, Wakita Haruko; March 9, 1934 – September 27, 2016) was a Japanese academic, editor and expert in…Haruko Wakita (脇田晴子, Wakita Haruko; March 9, 1934 – September 27, 2016) was a Japanese academic, editor and expert in medieval Japanese women's history.
Hidesaburo Hanafusa (花房 秀三郎, Hanafusa Hidesaburō; December 1, 1929 – March 15, 2009) was a Japanese virologist. He…Hidesaburo Hanafusa (花房 秀三郎, Hanafusa Hidesaburō; December 1, 1929 – March 15, 2009) was a Japanese virologist. He shared the 1982 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research with Harold E. Varmus and J. Michael Bishop for demonstrating how RNA tumor viruses cause cancer, and elucidating their role in combining, rescuing and maintaining oncogenes in the viral genome.
Seiichiro Tarui (垂井 清一郎, Tarui Seiichirō; born 1927) is a Japanese physician and metabolic disorder researcher. He…Seiichiro Tarui (垂井 清一郎, Tarui Seiichirō; born 1927) is a Japanese physician and metabolic disorder researcher. He received the Uehara Award in 1990 while working as a professor at the University of Osaka. He also received the Takeda Medical Science Prize in 1995.
Kaoru Betto (別当 薫, Bettō Kaoru; August 23, 1920 - April 16, 1999) was a Nippon Professional Baseball player and…Kaoru Betto (別当 薫, Bettō Kaoru; August 23, 1920 - April 16, 1999) was a Nippon Professional Baseball player and manager. He made his professional debut as a 28-year old for the Ōsaka Tigers in 1948. He played for the team for two seasons. Betto achieved his most noted success for the Mainichi Orions from 1950 to 1957. In his first season with the Orions, Betto won the first Pacific League MVP Award and helped lead the team to victory in the first Japan Series; he batted .500 and had twelve hits with 3 RBIs during the Series to win the very first Japan Series MVP Award. As an outfielder, Betto was named to the Best Nine six straight times from 1948 to 1953. After his playing days ended, he became a manager for four different teams, where he had a managerial record of 1,237–1,156. Betto was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
Tokiko Iwatani (岩谷時子, Iwatani Tokiko; March 28, 1916 – October 25, 2013) was a Japanese lyricist, poet, and translator.…Tokiko Iwatani (岩谷時子, Iwatani Tokiko; March 28, 1916 – October 25, 2013) was a Japanese lyricist, poet, and translator. Born Tokiko Iwatani (岩谷トキ子, Iwatani Tokiko) in Seoul, Korea, she moved with her family to Japan at the age of 5, where they settled in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. After attending schools in her hometown she entered the English Literature Department of Kobe College, and graduated in 1939. She then joined the publishing department of the Takarazuka Revue, where she became acquainted with the future star Fubuki Koshiji. When Koshiji decided to leave the revue in 1951 to join Tōei and become an actress and singer, Iwatani also quit the company, and moved to Tokyo with Koshiji, whose manager she was for about 30 years, until Koshiji died in 1980. After becoming a full-time independent lyricist in 1963, she wrote the lyrics to or translated over 3000 songs, for singers or groups including The Peanuts, Yūzō Kayama, Frank Nagai, Hiromi Go, and translated the lyrics of, among others, Hymne à l'amour, Save the Last Dance for Me, Million Roses, My Way, and the musicals Kiss Me, Kate, Anne of Green Gables – The Musical, Me and My Girl, and Les Misérables. In 2010 she established the Iwatani Tokiko Foundation, which awards the annual ¥3,000,000 yen Iwatani Tokiko Award. She died in October 2013 from pneumonia.
Shunichi Amachi (天知 俊一, Amachi Shunichi) (December 20, 1903 in Nishinomiya – March 12, 1976) was a Japanese baseball…Shunichi Amachi (天知 俊一, Amachi Shunichi) (December 20, 1903 in Nishinomiya – March 12, 1976) was a Japanese baseball manager with the Chunichi Dragons and Nishitetsu Lions. He was inducted as a member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970.
Aimyon (あいみょん; born on March 6, 1995) is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Her agency is ENS Entertainment, and her…Aimyon (あいみょん; born on March 6, 1995) is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Her agency is ENS Entertainment, and her label is Unborde under Warner Music Japan.
Hideo Ishikawa (石川 英郎, Ishikawa Hideo; born December 13, 1969) is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Hyōgo…Hideo Ishikawa (石川 英郎, Ishikawa Hideo; born December 13, 1969) is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. He is currently affiliated with Aoni Production. He is known for being the voice of Kicchō Fukuda in Slam Dunk, Jūshirō Ukitake in Bleach, Auron in Final Fantasy X, Itachi Uchiha in Naruto, Squall Leonhart in the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series, Pierre de Chaltier in Tales of Destiny, and Ryoma Nagare in Getter Robo and Super Robot Wars.
Yuichiro "Jienotsu" Nagashima (長島☆自演乙☆雄一郎, Nagashima Jien'otsu Yūichirō; born July 2, 1984) is a Japanese cosplayer…Yuichiro "Jienotsu" Nagashima (長島☆自演乙☆雄一郎, Nagashima Jien'otsu Yūichirō; born July 2, 1984) is a Japanese cosplayer, retired kickboxer, mixed martial artist, known for his career in K-1.
