Reo Shibata (柴田 獅子, Shibata Reo; born April 18, 2006 in Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese professional baseball…Reo Shibata (柴田 獅子, Shibata Reo; born April 18, 2006 in Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Kimiya Moriyama (森山 公弥, Moriyama Kimiya; born 4 April 2002) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a defender…Kimiya Moriyama (森山 公弥, Moriyama Kimiya; born 4 April 2002) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a defender for J2 League club Oita Trinita, on loan from Avispa Fukuoka.
Yudai Nagano (永野 雄大, Nagano Yūdai; born 22 January 1998) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a midfielder for…Yudai Nagano (永野 雄大, Nagano Yūdai; born 22 January 1998) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a midfielder for Giravanz Kitakyushu.
Ryoma Hashimoto (橋本 竜馬, Hashimoto Ryōma) is a Japanese professional basketball player, currently playing for the…Ryoma Hashimoto (橋本 竜馬, Hashimoto Ryōma) is a Japanese professional basketball player, currently playing for the Levanga Hokkaido club of the B.League in Japan. He represented Japan's national basketball team at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, China.
Mika Hijii (肘井 ミカ, Hijii Mika; born 肘井 美佳, October 13, 1982 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese actress and…Mika Hijii (肘井 ミカ, Hijii Mika; born 肘井 美佳, October 13, 1982 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese actress and gravure idol best known for her role as Kaoru Mitsuki in the Garo series. She is also known in the western world for her role as Namiko Takeda in the 2009 martial arts film Ninja and its 2013 sequel Ninja: Shadow of a Tear. Mika Hijii is affiliated with Stardust Promotion. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Hosei University. Hijii is an avid practitioner of Kung fu. In 2011, she participated in the team division of the 28th All Japan Wushu Tai Chi Championship. She and Yayoi Kumada, a stunt actress whose work includes Garo, placed fourth. Hijii speaks fluent English. She studied abroad in New York City from July 2013 to January 2014 and has appeared in English-language education programs on NHK. She has also worked as a reporter for English-language outlets. In 2019, she married a man who is not in the entertainment industry. The marriage was timed to coincide with the start of Japan's Reiwa era. She wrote on social media that she and her husband wanted to “cherish the joy of being able to build a relationship in a new way in the beginning of the new generation.” In June 2020, she changed her stage name, spelling her given name in phonetic katakana rather than kanji.
Hiromi Takase is a former Japanese politician who was a member of the House of Councillors of Japan. She was elected in…Hiromi Takase is a former Japanese politician who was a member of the House of Councillors of Japan. She was elected in 2016 but retired in 2022 for health reasons.
Ryota Arimitsu (有光 亮太, Arimitsu Ryōta; born 21 April 1981) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a…Ryota Arimitsu (有光 亮太, Arimitsu Ryōta; born 21 April 1981) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Yumi Yoshino (芳野 友美, Yoshino Yumi; born 2 July 1980, in Iizuka, Fukuoka) is a Japanese actress. She is represented with…Yumi Yoshino (芳野 友美, Yoshino Yumi; born 2 July 1980, in Iizuka, Fukuoka) is a Japanese actress. She is represented with Production Harmony.
Maenoshin Yasuo (born 17 April 1961 as Yasuo Sawabe) is a former sumo wrestler from Chikuho, Fukuoka, Japan. He made…Maenoshin Yasuo (born 17 April 1961 as Yasuo Sawabe) is a former sumo wrestler from Chikuho, Fukuoka, Japan. He made his professional debut in March 1977, and reached the top division in November 1985. His highest rank was komusubi. He retired in March 1990. He became an elder of the Sumo Association under the name Yamahibiki, but was forced to leave his position for disciplinary reasons in January 1997.
Mari Shirato (白都真理, Shirato Mari) (born December 24, 1958, in Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese actress. She won…Mari Shirato (白都真理, Shirato Mari) (born December 24, 1958, in Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese actress. She won the award for Best Actress at the 6th Yokohama Film Festival for Mermaid Legend.
Yasuo Kubo (久保 康生, Kubo Yasuo; born April 8, 1958 in Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional…Yasuo Kubo (久保 康生, Kubo Yasuo; born April 8, 1958 in Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher.
Makoto Katamine (March 30, 1956 – September 25, 2023) was a Japanese politician and educator. He served two terms as…Makoto Katamine (March 30, 1956 – September 25, 2023) was a Japanese politician and educator. He served two terms as mayor of Iizuka, Fukuoka Prefecture.
Yōsui Inoue (井上 陽水, Inoue Yōsui; born August 30, 1948) is a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, guitarist and record…Yōsui Inoue (井上 陽水, Inoue Yōsui; born August 30, 1948) is a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, guitarist and record producer, who is an important figure in Japanese music. He is renowned for his unique tone, eccentric lyrics, and dark sunglasses which he always wears. Under the stage name Andre Candre, Inoue debuted in 1969 and released a single "Candre Mandre" by CBS Sony Records. After he changed his stage name and signed onto Polydor, he recorded his first studio album Danzetsu in 1971, and the album was acclaimed by critics. Inoue gained recognition as a folk-rock singer-songwriter through his 1973 Kōri no Sekai album, which became the first long-playing record that sold more than a million copies in Japan alone. His early work has been compared with the music of Paul McCartney and Roy Orbison. Mark Anderson writes in the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture, "His music was smart, melancholy and melodic. [...] Inoue's work of the early 1970s [...] is widely thought to have been a significant influence on the development of Japanese pop rock". Inoue has released 22 solo studio albums, and also produced two albums with Tamio Okuda. He has been one of the most commercially successful Japanese male solo recording artists of the last 40 years, selling in excess of 10.9 million copies on the country's Oricon albums chart up to May 2009 and has had seven number-one albums; Kori no Sekai, Nishoku no Koma, Good Pages, Shoutaijou no Nai Show, 9.5 Carats, Under the Sun, and the compilation Golden Best which was released in 1999 and has shipped over two million units.
Tarō Asō (麻生 太郎, Asō Tarō; born 20 September 1940) is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from…Tarō Asō (麻生 太郎, Asō Tarō; born 20 September 1940) is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2008 to 2009. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), he also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance from 2012 to 2021. He was the longest-serving Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in Japanese history, having previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2007 and as Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications from 2003 to 2005. He leads the Shikōkai faction within the LDP. Asō was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1979. He served in numerous ministerial roles before becoming Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 2008, having also held that role temporarily in 2007. He was later elected LDP President in September 2008, becoming prime minister the same month. He led the LDP to the worst election result in its history a year later, marking only the second time in post-war Japan that a governing party had lost re-election, and resigned as the President of the party immediately afterwards. After the LDP returned to government following the 2012 election under Shinzo Abe, Asō was appointed to the Cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, retaining those roles when Yoshihide Suga replaced Abe in 2020. After leaving cabinet, he's served as vice president of the LDP under Fumio Kishida and as senior advisor to the LDP under Shigeru Ishiba. He is a noted power broker inside the party, leading the Shikōkai. Asō has been attached to a number of controversies in his career. He conceded in 2008 that his family had benefitted from forced labor during World War II, although he has refused to apologize for it. Asō also had a reputation for political gaffes and controversial remarks.
Sakubei Yamamoto (山本作兵衛, 17 May 1892 – 19 December 1984) was a Japanese coal miner and artist. His sumi-e and…Sakubei Yamamoto (山本作兵衛, 17 May 1892 – 19 December 1984) was a Japanese coal miner and artist. His sumi-e and watercolour work, which was heavily annotated, depicted the life he had experienced as a miner, and a collection of his paintings and diaries formed the first Japanese entry in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, inscribed in 2011.
