Risa Takashima (born 8 February 1999) is a Japanese fencer. She won the bronze medal in the women's team sabre event at…Risa Takashima (born 8 February 1999) is a Japanese fencer. She won the bronze medal in the women's team sabre event at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Kazunari Abe (阿部 和成, Abe Kazunari; born May 19, 1989) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in Japan's…Kazunari Abe (阿部 和成, Abe Kazunari; born May 19, 1989) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He played with the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2011 to 2013 and from 2015 to 2019.
Takuzo Nagano (長野 拓造 (Nagano Takuzō), born June 1, 1979) is a Japanese video game artist and character designer best…Takuzo Nagano (長野 拓造 (Nagano Takuzō), born June 1, 1979) is a Japanese video game artist and character designer best known for his work at Level-5 Inc.. He is recognized as one of the company's principal character designers, having created the distinctive visual identities for several of Level-5's most successful multimedia franchises, including Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, and Yo-kai Watch.
Masahiko Tomouchi (塘内 将彦, Tomouchi Masahiko; born 13 July 1977 in Ōmuta, Fukuoka) is a Japanese judoka, who competed in…Masahiko Tomouchi (塘内 将彦, Tomouchi Masahiko; born 13 July 1977 in Ōmuta, Fukuoka) is a Japanese judoka, who competed in the men's half-middleweight category. He picked up a bronze medal in the 81-kg division at the 2004 Asian Judo Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and later represented his nation Japan at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Tomouchi qualified for the Japanese squad in the men's half-middleweight class (81 kg) at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by placing third and receiving a berth from the Asian Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He got off to a rough start with a waza-ari awasete ippon defeat from Russia's Dmitri Nossov in his opening match, but bounced back to compete for the bronze medal after Nossov qualified for the final. In the repechage round, Tomouchi could not tightly grapple Italy's Roberto Meloni with a kata guruma (shoulder wheel), and lost the match again after the five-minute limit.
Ryuji Sonoda (園田 隆二, Sonoda Ryūji; born September 16, 1973) is a Japanese judoka. He was born in Ōmuta, Fukuoka, and…Ryuji Sonoda (園田 隆二, Sonoda Ryūji; born September 16, 1973) is a Japanese judoka. He was born in Ōmuta, Fukuoka, and began judo at the age of a first grader. He won a gold medal at the -60 kg category of the Junior World Championships in 1992 and World Championships in 1993. After graduating from Meiji University, he entered the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Sonoda retired from competition in 2004. By 2009, he coached All-Japan women's judo team before announcing his resignation on January 31, 2013, following accusations of physical abuse by team members. He married judoka Noriko Anno in 2010.
Akihiro Hino (日野 晃博, Hino Akihiro; born July 20, 1968) is a Japanese video game designer, producer, scriptwriter, and…Akihiro Hino (日野 晃博, Hino Akihiro; born July 20, 1968) is a Japanese video game designer, producer, scriptwriter, and businessman. He is the founder, president, and chief executive officer of Level-5. Hino has held multiple roles in game development, including programming, scenario writing, directing, and executive production.
Yasuhiro Kai (甲斐 康浩, Kai Yasuhiro; born 30 April 1968) is a Japanese judoka. He competed in the men's half-heavyweight…Yasuhiro Kai (甲斐 康浩, Kai Yasuhiro; born 30 April 1968) is a Japanese judoka. He competed in the men's half-heavyweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Takayuki Murakami (村上 隆行, Murakami Takayuki; born August 26, 1965) is a Japanese former professional baseball…Takayuki Murakami (村上 隆行, Murakami Takayuki; born August 26, 1965) is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder, and current first squad hitting coach for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). As a player he spent 16 years with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and 1 year with the Seibu Lions. He also managed the 06 Bulls, leading them to become champions of Hyogo in the Kansai independent league in 2015.
Yoshiie Tachibana (立花 義家, Tachibana Yoshiie; born October 27, 1958) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball…Yoshiie Tachibana (立花 義家, Tachibana Yoshiie; born October 27, 1958) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball outfielder.
Tetsuya Saruwatari (猿渡 哲也, Saruwatari Tetsuya; born June 25, 1958) is a mangaka. He was born in Ōmuta, Fukuoka…Tetsuya Saruwatari (猿渡 哲也, Saruwatari Tetsuya; born June 25, 1958) is a mangaka. He was born in Ōmuta, Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. After dropping out of high school, he worked as assistant of Shinji Hiramatsu and Hiroshi Motomiya. He made the debut as solo manga artist with 海の戦士 (Umi No Senshi) in Weekly Shōnen Jump. Saruwatari's longest running manga is the action comic Tough, which has been serialized in Young Jump for over a decade. Saruwatari also created Riki-Oh, a cult manga sensation featuring graphic martial arts fighting, which was adapted in a Hong Kong live-action film and Japanese OVA. Saruwatari illustrated ZIG, written by Takashi Nagasaki, for Shueisha's Grand Jump in 2017.
Akinobu Mayumi (真弓 明信, Mayumi Akinobu; born July 12, 1953) is the former manager for the Hanshin Tigers baseball team…Akinobu Mayumi (真弓 明信, Mayumi Akinobu; born July 12, 1953) is the former manager for the Hanshin Tigers baseball team in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. After serving 3 seasons (2009–2011) with the team, he was released in October after failing to make the 2011 play-offs. He was shortly replaced with by Yutaka Wada, who had also previously played for the team during his baseball career. Mayumi had been a star player for the Tigers during his playing days. He was part of the Tigers' team that won the 1985 Japan Series, and hit a home run in the series. Before playing for the Tigers, he was drafted by the Taiheiyo Lions and played for them, as well as a minor-league stint with the Lodi Orioles of the California League as part of a development program piloted by the Lions in the 1970s.
Yaeko Yamazaki (山崎 八重子, Yamazaki Yaeko; born September 2, 1950) is a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in…Yaeko Yamazaki (山崎 八重子, Yamazaki Yaeko; born September 2, 1950) is a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics. She was born in Ōmuta. In 1972 she was part of the Japanese team which won the silver medal in the Olympic tournament. She played two matches.
Nobuyuki Koga (古賀 信行, Koga Nobuyuki; born August 22, 1950) is a Japanese businessman and lobbyist, as well as the…Nobuyuki Koga (古賀 信行, Koga Nobuyuki; born August 22, 1950) is a Japanese businessman and lobbyist, as well as the chairman of the Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
Moto Hagio (萩尾 望都, Hagio Moto; born May 12, 1949) is a Japanese manga artist. Regarded for her contributions to shōjo…Moto Hagio (萩尾 望都, Hagio Moto; born May 12, 1949) is a Japanese manga artist. Regarded for her contributions to shōjo manga (manga aimed at young and adolescent women), Hagio is considered the most significant artist in the demographic and among the most influential manga artists of all time, being referred to as the "god of shōjo manga" (少女漫画の神様, shōjo manga no kami-sama) by critics. Hagio made her debut as a manga artist in 1969 at the publishing company Kodansha before moving to Shogakukan in 1971, where she was able to publish her more radical and unconventional works that had been rejected by other publishers. Her first serializations at Shogakukan – the vampire fantasy The Poe Clan, the shōnen-ai (male–male romance) drama The Heart of Thomas, and the science fiction thriller They Were Eleven – were among the first works of shōjo manga to achieve mainstream critical and commercial success. Hagio subsequently emerged as a central figure in the Year 24 Group, a grouping of female manga artists who significantly influenced shōjo manga in the 1970s by introducing new aesthetic styles and expanding the category to incorporate new genres. Since the 1980s, Hagio has drawn primarily adult-oriented manga in the manga magazine Petit Flower and its successor publication Flowers, notably Marginal, A Cruel God Reigns, and Nanohana. While Hagio primarily authors works in the science fiction, fantasy, and shōnen-ai genres, her manga explores a wide range of themes and subjects, including comedy, historical drama, and social and environmental issues. She has been recognized with numerous awards both in Japan and internationally, including the Order of the Rising Sun, a Medal of Honor, and commendation as a Person of Cultural Merit.
Yoshiko Tōma (当摩 好子, Tōma Yoshiko; born 26 April 1949) is a Japanese politician from Ōmuta, Fukuoka. Having graduated…Yoshiko Tōma (当摩 好子, Tōma Yoshiko; born 26 April 1949) is a Japanese politician from Ōmuta, Fukuoka. Having graduated from Keio University, Tōma was elected to Tokorozawa City Council in 1979. She ran unsuccessfully for the Tokorozawa mayoral election in 1991 and for the national lower house election in 1996 before she was elected to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly in 1999. Elected as mayor of Tokorozawa in October 2007, Tōma became the first woman to hold that post.
Ryuko Sakurai (桜井 龍子, Sakurai Ryūko; born January 16, 1947) was a member of the Supreme Court of Japan. She joined on…Ryuko Sakurai (桜井 龍子, Sakurai Ryūko; born January 16, 1947) was a member of the Supreme Court of Japan. She joined on September 11, 2008. Sakurai, a former bureaucrat of the Ministry of Labor, replaced Kazuko Yokoo, who resigned. She was the third woman to take a post in the Supreme Court of Japan.
Shinsaku Tsukawaki (塚脇伸作, Tsukawaki Shinsaku; 3 January 1931 – 15 September 1993) was a Japanese gymnast who competed…Shinsaku Tsukawaki (塚脇伸作, Tsukawaki Shinsaku; 3 January 1931 – 15 September 1993) was a Japanese gymnast who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Mieno Shigeko (Japanese: みえの しげこ; 10 May 1926 – 27 November 2013), better known as Mieno Eiko (Japanese: 三重野栄子), was a…Mieno Shigeko (Japanese: みえの しげこ; 10 May 1926 – 27 November 2013), better known as Mieno Eiko (Japanese: 三重野栄子), was a Japanese politician for the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Born in Ōmuta, Fukuoka, Mieno enrolled into the Kyushu Imperial University, in 1951, and graduated from the Faculty of Economics also in 1951. In the same year, she served as general secretary and union member of the department store chain Iwataya. In 1988, she was appointed vice chairman of the Social Democratic Party. She also served as a member of the House of Councillors, in 1995 and 2001. Mieno died of chronic heart failure on 27 November 2013, aged 87.
Itsurō Sakisaka (向坂 逸郎, Sakisaka Itsurō) (6 February 1897 – 22 January 1985) was a Japanese Marxian economist and…Itsurō Sakisaka (向坂 逸郎, Sakisaka Itsurō) (6 February 1897 – 22 January 1985) was a Japanese Marxian economist and socialist thinker. A professor of economics at Kyushu University, he was a leading theoretician of the left wing of the Japan Socialist Party (JSP) and co-founder and long-time leader of the Socialist Association (Shakaishugi Kyōkai).
Ichiya "Ichy" Kumagae (熊谷 一弥, Kumagai Ichiya; 10 September 1890 – 16 August 1968) was a Japanese tennis player and the…Ichiya "Ichy" Kumagae (熊谷 一弥, Kumagai Ichiya; 10 September 1890 – 16 August 1968) was a Japanese tennis player and the first Japanese Olympic medalist.
