Yūtarō Oda (小田 裕太郎, Oda Yūtarō; born 12 August 2001) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a forward or a winger for…Yūtarō Oda (小田 裕太郎, Oda Yūtarō; born 12 August 2001) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a forward or a winger for Japanese J1 club Shonan Bellmare.
Tatsushi Masuda (増田 達至, Masuda Tatsushi; born April 23, 1988 in Hyōgo, Hyōgo, Japan) is a former Japanese professional…Tatsushi Masuda (増田 達至, Masuda Tatsushi; born April 23, 1988 in Hyōgo, Hyōgo, Japan) is a former Japanese professional baseball pitcher. He previous plays for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Masanori Suda (born July 7, 1973) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight, Middleweight and…Masanori Suda (born July 7, 1973) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight divisions. Suda is known primarily for his time in Shooto, where he is a former Light Heavyweight Champion.
Mayumi Morita (森田 真裕美, Morita Mayumi; née Tada (多田), born February 5, 1956), better known as Mao Daichi (大地 真央, Daichi…Mayumi Morita (森田 真裕美, Morita Mayumi; née Tada (多田), born February 5, 1956), better known as Mao Daichi (大地 真央, Daichi Mao), is a Japanese actress and former Top Star otokoyaku (an actress who plays male roles) of the Japanese Takarazuka Revue's Moon Troupe. Her nicknames are Mao (真央) and Mami (マミ).
Keiji Yamada (山田 啓二, Yamada Keiji; born 5 April 1954) is a Japanese politician and former Governor of Kyoto Prefecture.…Keiji Yamada (山田 啓二, Yamada Keiji; born 5 April 1954) is a Japanese politician and former Governor of Kyoto Prefecture. A native of Hyōgo Prefecture and 1977 graduate of the University of Tokyo, he had worked at the Ministry of Home Affairs since 1977 and served as the vice governor of Kyoto Prefecture before elected governor for the first time in 2002. In 2011 he also took over from Wataru Asō as President of the National Governors Association. Yamada ended his 16-year tenure as governor in April 2018. While stating that he had accomplished his goals in office, Yamada was believed to be preparing for a run in the 2019 House of Councillors election.
Yuji Horii (Japanese: 堀井 雄二, Hepburn: Horii Yūji; born January 6, 1954) is a Japanese author, video game designer…Yuji Horii (Japanese: 堀井 雄二, Hepburn: Horii Yūji; born January 6, 1954) is a Japanese author, video game designer, writer and director best known as the creator of the Dragon Quest franchise, supervising and writing the scenario for Chrono Trigger, and The Portopia Serial Murder Case, released in 1983 as one of the first visual novel adventure games. Horii is CEO of his own company, Armor Project, a company that has an exclusive production contract with Square Enix, a contract established with Enix before the company merged with Square, and is also one of the companies who co-own the Dragon Quest franchise alongside Square Enix. In 2025, Horii became the first video game creator to receive the Order of the Rising Sun from the Japanese government for his contributions to the arts.
Syuichi Nakano (中野 主一, Nakano Shuichi; born September 11, 1947) is a Japanese astronomer. He specializes in the study…Syuichi Nakano (中野 主一, Nakano Shuichi; born September 11, 1947) is a Japanese astronomer. He specializes in the study of comets, in particular calculating their orbits and making predictions about when periodic comets will return for another perihelion approach. It is considerably more difficult to predict the orbits of comets than of other types of Solar System objects, since their orbits are susceptible not only to perturbations from the planets but also to non-gravitational forces due to the release of gaseous material in the form of a comet's coma and tail. He is affiliated with the Computing & Minor Planet Sections (Center for Astrodynamics) of the Oriental Astronomical Association in Sumoto, Japan. He publishes the Nakano Notes on comet observations and ephemerides. In 2001 he won the Amateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The asteroid 3431 Nakano is named after him, and asteroid 3983 Sakiko is named after his sister. 1026 Ingrid was reidentified in 1986 by Syuichi Nakano, ending its time as a lost asteroid. 3568 ASCII is another long-lost asteroid whose recovery was made by Nakano.
Yū Aku (阿久 悠, Aku Yū), occasionally credited as You Aku (February 7, 1937 – August 1, 2007), was a Japanese lyricist…Yū Aku (阿久 悠, Aku Yū), occasionally credited as You Aku (February 7, 1937 – August 1, 2007), was a Japanese lyricist, poet, and novelist.
Kiichi Okamoto (Japanese: 岡本 歸一, romanized: Okamoto Kiichi; 12 June 1888 – 29 December 1930) was a Japanese painter…Kiichi Okamoto (Japanese: 岡本 歸一, romanized: Okamoto Kiichi; 12 June 1888 – 29 December 1930) was a Japanese painter best known for his illustrations for children.
Takadaya Kahei (高田屋 嘉兵衛) was a Japanese merchant credited with transforming the trading outpost of Hakodate in Japan's…Takadaya Kahei (高田屋 嘉兵衛) was a Japanese merchant credited with transforming the trading outpost of Hakodate in Japan's northern island of Hokkaidō into a thriving city. He is also recognised for opening the northern Etorofu sea route to the Kuril island fisheries and helping settle territorial disputes with Russia over the islands. Takadaya Kahei was born to a farming family, but left his birthplace when was 13, to work in Kobe as a sailor. He earned sufficient money to purchase his own Kitamaebune trading ship and sailed to Hakodate in the summer of 1796. He set up a business in the town, which at the time was a small trading outpost. He is reputed to have made a fortune through trade by importing sake, salt, rice and other staples to Ezochi (the Japanese area of Hokkaidō) and exporting herring, salmon and kelp to Honshū. He later developed trading routes to the Kuril Islands and operated many fisheries around Nemuro, a town on Hokkaidō's east coast. Takadaya is also known for his services in developing Hakodate. He repaired streets, cultivated the land and forested trees for lumber. After a destructive fire in 1806 he provided food, clothing and new housing for victims of the disaster. He also paid for workmen from Osaka to sink new wells and donated water pumps for fire fighting. He acquired a status as one of the most famous merchants in the era for his role in the Golovnin Incident. In 1812, during a dispute over the Kuril Island territorial waters, Takadaya Kahei was captured by Petr Rikord, captain of the Russian navy sloop in retaliation for the Japanese capture of explorer Vasily Golovnin. Along with his four sailors who were also captured on board the Kanze-maru, Takadaya was confined to Kamchatka for several months, his release finally secured through diplomacy. During his imprisonment he learned the Russian language and later worked with Vasily Golovnin to settle the Kuril Islands territorial border between the two countries. At the age of 50, Takadaya returned to his birthplace of Awaji Island. He died in 1827. A festival is held in Hakodate every year in late July to commemorate Takadaya Kahei.
