Takahiro Koga (古賀 貴大, Koga Takahiro; born 11 March 1999) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a…Takahiro Koga (古賀 貴大, Koga Takahiro; born 11 March 1999) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Singapore Premier League club Hougang United.
Yūka Kobayashi (小林 優香, Kobayashi Yūka; January 1, 1994) comes from Tosu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. She is a…Yūka Kobayashi (小林 優香, Kobayashi Yūka; January 1, 1994) comes from Tosu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. She is a professional track cyclist.
Kyohei Nagae (永江 恭平, Nagae Kyōhei; born May 7, 1993) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder who is currently a…Kyohei Nagae (永江 恭平, Nagae Kyōhei; born May 7, 1993) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He has played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Saitama Seibu Lions.
Hitomi Shimura (紫村 仁美, Shimura Hitomi; born 8 November 1990) is a Japanese hurdler. She competed in the women's 100…Hitomi Shimura (紫村 仁美, Shimura Hitomi; born 8 November 1990) is a Japanese hurdler. She competed in the women's 100 metres hurdles at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics.
Ikumi Yoshimatsu (吉松 育美, Yoshimatsu Ikumi; born 21 June 1987) is a Japanese actress, stunt woman, book author, opinion…Ikumi Yoshimatsu (吉松 育美, Yoshimatsu Ikumi; born 21 June 1987) is a Japanese actress, stunt woman, book author, opinion leader, social activist and beauty queen who was crowned Miss International 2012 in Okinawa. It was Japan's first Miss International win in the 52-year history of the pageant. In 2014, she was intimidated and criticized by Japanese nationalist and right-wing groups for publicly advocating on behalf of the historical comfort women issues and has been an outspoken leader for women's rights issues. Yoshimatsu started the "STALKER-ZERO" campaign to introduce strict new laws to protect victims of stalking and intimidation in Japan, after becoming the first high-profile woman to go public with her personal experience in an international press conference. She was a featured presenter at Ted Talks where she advocated for stronger laws to protect women in Japan. Ikumi started the Global Student Diplomacy Network in 2015 to connect elementary and middle school classrooms from various countries with each other by Skype for cultural exchange. The first exchange featured special guest Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary and the governor of Saga Prefecture, Yasushi Furukawa." She obtained a degree in education and international education at the University of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo, Japan. Ikumi is both an actress and stunt double for Tao Okamoto in three episodes of the HBO series Westworld. She is also acting in Michael Bay's Netflix movie 6 Underground. Ikumi has been cast to star in, and is currently filming the 10 episode of, international action thriller series, LightStinger. Ikumi starred as the lead actress in Nico Santucci's movie Sarogeto, starring alongside Winsor Harmon and Eric Roberts.
Yuga Kawada (Japanese: 川田将雅, born October 15, 1985) is a Japanese jockey affiliated with the Japan Racing Association.…Yuga Kawada (Japanese: 川田将雅, born October 15, 1985) is a Japanese jockey affiliated with the Japan Racing Association. Born to a family of horse racing, he was the leading jockey of JRA races of 2022. Since July 2016, Kawada, together with Yuichi Fukunaga, has a management contract with Horipro.
Taizo Son (Japanese: 孫泰蔵, romanized: Son Taizō, Korean: 손태장, born September 29, 1972) is a Japanese businessman of…Taizo Son (Japanese: 孫泰蔵, romanized: Son Taizō, Korean: 손태장, born September 29, 1972) is a Japanese businessman of Korean ancestry. He is CEO of Mistletoe, a company that he founded in 2013, and chairman of mobile gaming company GungHo, which he founded in 2002. GungHo's market value in 2013 was $10.4 billion, making Son a billionaire. He is the youngest brother of SoftBank magnate Masayoshi Son.
Koichi Ogata (緒方 孝市, Ogata Kōichi; born December 25, 1968) is a Japanese former professional baseball player.…Koichi Ogata (緒方 孝市, Ogata Kōichi; born December 25, 1968) is a Japanese former professional baseball player. Throughout his 22-year career, he played only with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He served as the manager of the Carp from 2015 to 2019, during which he won the Central League for three consecutive years (2016–2018). His accomplishments as a player include: 200 home runs (241) 1500 games played (1808) 5000 at bats (5342) 1500 hits (1506) 900 runs (906) 200 doubles (257) 2500 total bases (2546) 200 stolen bases (268) 600 walks (630) In 1996, he married singer Kanako Ogata; they had two daughters and a son, including singer and voice actress Yuna Ogata.
Kyoshi Miura (三浦 恭資, Miura Kyōshi; born 9 January 1961) is a Japanese former cyclist. He was eight times national road…Kyoshi Miura (三浦 恭資, Miura Kyōshi; born 9 January 1961) is a Japanese former cyclist. He was eight times national road race champion, raced professionally in Europe, represented Japan at world track championships, and even became national champion in mountain biking. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1996 Summer Olympics, the first in the men's individual road race, the second in men's cross-country mountain biking. He won the second edition of the Tour de Okinawa in 1990. After retirement, he began coaching and served as a coach for the national team at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Masayoshi Son (Japanese: 孫 正義; born Masayoshi Yasumoto, August 11, 1957) is a Japanese entrepreneur, investor, and…Masayoshi Son (Japanese: 孫 正義; born Masayoshi Yasumoto, August 11, 1957) is a Japanese entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. A Zainichi Korean, he is the founder, chairman and chief executive of SoftBank Group (SBG), a technology-focused investment holding company, as well as chairman of UK-based Arm Holdings and US-based Stargate LLC. As an entrepreneur, he achieved notability in software distribution, computing-related book and magazine publishing, and telecommunications in Japan, starting in the 1980s and booming throughout the 1990s and 2000s. His early $20 million investment in Alibaba Group in 2000 grew substantially over the years, reaching a valuation of around $75 billion by 2014 following Alibaba's IPO, and contributing significantly to SoftBank's financial success. SoftBank's 27 percent stake in Alibaba was worth $132 billion in 2018, including additional purchases of the stock since 2000. The morphing of his own telecom company SoftBank Corp. into an investment management firm called SoftBank Group Corp. made him noted worldwide as a stock investor. He is known for his bold investment strategies, sometimes resulting in major losses, particularly with the first and second SoftBank Vision Funds. In 2013, Son was placed 45th on the Forbes magazine's list of the World's Most Powerful People. In 2017 he was named Entrepreneur of the Year at The Asian Awards. As of May 2025, Son ranks 65th on the Forbes's list of The World's Billionaires and is No. 177 on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He had for many years the distinction of being the person who had lost the most money in history (more than $59 billion during the dot-com crash of 2000 alone, when his SoftBank shares plummeted), a feat surpassed by Elon Musk in the following decades.
Seiichiro Sasaki (佐々木 精一郎, Sasaki Seiichirō; born 2 September 1945) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He competed in…Seiichiro Sasaki (佐々木 精一郎, Sasaki Seiichirō; born 2 September 1945) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He competed in the marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Sasaki achieved a personal best in the marathon of 2:11:17, set in the 1967 Fukuoka Marathon, finishing second behind Derek Clayton, who ran 2:09:36.4, a world record for the marathon distance at that time. Sasaki's performance in this marathon was the second fastest in history up to that time.
Hiroshi Gondoh (権藤 博, Gondō Hiroshi; born December 2, 1938) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher…Hiroshi Gondoh (権藤 博, Gondō Hiroshi; born December 2, 1938) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher and manager. He played his entire career with the Chunichi Dragons. In his rookie season, he collected numerous accolades, including the Central League Rookie of the Year Award and the Eiji Sawamura Award. In 1998, Gondoh became the manager of the Yokohama BayStars and led them to a Japan Series title in his first year. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.
Wasaburo Oishi (大石 和三郎, Ōishi Wasaburō; 15 March 1874 – 18 December 1950) was a Japanese meteorologist. Born in Tosu…Wasaburo Oishi (大石 和三郎, Ōishi Wasaburō; 15 March 1874 – 18 December 1950) was a Japanese meteorologist. Born in Tosu, Saga, he is best known for his discovery of the high-altitude air currents now known as the jet stream. He was also an important Esperantist, serving as the second board president of the Japanese Esperanto Institute from 1930 to 1945.
Yasuko Matsuyuki (松雪 泰子, Yasuko Matsuyuki; born November 28, 1972 in Saga Prefecture) is a Japanese actress and singer…Yasuko Matsuyuki (松雪 泰子, Yasuko Matsuyuki; born November 28, 1972 in Saga Prefecture) is a Japanese actress and singer signed to Stardust Promotion.