Sasuke Haraguchi (Japanese: 原口沙輔, Hepburn: Haraguchi Sasuke; born May 21, 2003) is a Japanese music producer, composer…
Sasuke Haraguchi (Japanese: 原口沙輔, Hepburn: Haraguchi Sasuke; born May 21, 2003) is a Japanese music producer, composer and Vocaloid musician best known for his 2023 song "Hito Mania". He began producing music digitally from a young age, and was noticed by the internet at age fourteen when a recording of him playing the Akai MPC on the streets of Harajuku went viral online. In 2018, he signed a deal with Warner Music Japan and would release J-pop singles under the alias Sasuke until his departure from the label in 2021. In 2023, he rebranded to his full name, and began to produce electronic Vocaloid songs influenced by hyperpop, gaining popularity after submitting his work to the semi-annual event The Vocaloid Collection. Since then, he has produced music for several media properties and released three studio albums, "Acetone" (2023), "Screen II" (2023), and "Isan" (2026).
Famous Japanese People: Technician・Engineer
Technician・Engineer: 94 people
Takahiro Anno (Japanese: 安野 貴博, Hepburn: Anno Takahiro; born 1 December 1990) is a Japanese politician, writer, AI…
Takahiro Anno (Japanese: 安野 貴博, Hepburn: Anno Takahiro; born 1 December 1990) is a Japanese politician, writer, AI engineer and scientist who serves in the House of Councillors and founded Team Mirai. He was elected as Team Mirai's only seat in the 2025 Japanese House of Councillors election. Anno graduated from the University of Tokyo School of Engineering with a focus on Artificial Intelligence in 2014. He joined the Boston Consulting Group after, and would go on to found several companies focusing on the use of AI for business, such as BEDORE and MNTSQ. He also became an aspiring science fiction writer, winning awards for several of his short stories, such as "Continuous Integration". He was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan in 2022 after his novel "Circuit Switcher" was published. Anno began his political activities when he ran for Governor of Tokyo in 2024. He placed fifth, and then founded Team Mirai to contest the 2025 Councillor elections. The party won a seat with an estimated 2.3% of the vote, and met the legal requirement to become a political party.
Milojko Spajić (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Милојко Спајић; born 24 September 1987) is a Montenegrin politician serving as…
Milojko Spajić (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Милојко Спајић; born 24 September 1987) is a Montenegrin politician serving as Prime Minister of Montenegro since October 2023. He previously served as minister of finance and social welfare in the Krivokapić Cabinet from 2020 to 2022. He is also the leader and co-founder of the Europe Now! Movement. As of 2026, he is the fifth youngest serving state leader in the world, after Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso, Daniel Noboa of Ecuador, Kristrún Frostadóttir of Iceland and Balen Shah of Nepal.
Tatsuo Nomura (野村 達雄, Nomura Tatsuo; born 1986) is a Japanese software developer. Born in China with partial Japanese…
Tatsuo Nomura (野村 達雄, Nomura Tatsuo; born 1986) is a Japanese software developer. Born in China with partial Japanese descent, he moved to Japan as a child and studied computer science. He worked in the Google Maps development team before moving to Niantic Labs, where he directed the augmented reality mobile game Pokémon Go.
Emma Haruka Iwao (born April 21, 1984) is a Japanese computer scientist and cloud developer advocate at Google. In 2019…
Emma Haruka Iwao (born April 21, 1984) is a Japanese computer scientist and cloud developer advocate at Google. In 2019 Haruka Iwao calculated the then world record for most accurate value of pi (π); which included 31.4 trillion digits, exceeding the previous record of 22 trillion. This record was surpassed in 2020 by Timothy Mullican who calculated 50 trillion digits, but she reclaimed the record in 2022 with 100 trillion digits. The record was surpassed by a computer storage company in 2024, reaching roughly 105 trillion digits. She identifies as queer.
Masaaki Yaguchi (Japanese: 矢口雅哲; born July 26, 1979), better known as Miya (ミヤ), is a Japanese musician, songwriter…
Masaaki Yaguchi (Japanese: 矢口雅哲; born July 26, 1979), better known as Miya (ミヤ), is a Japanese musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as guitarist and leader of the visual kei rock band Mucc since 1997. He is also a guitarist of the supergroup Petit Brabancon. In addition to his work as a musician, Miya also works as a DJ and as a record producer and audio engineer for other artists. His private recording studio is named Sixinc Studio2. He also makes and sells homemade audio equipment with engineer Koji Watanabe under the brand name Yaguchi Watanabe Densen (矢口渡邉電線).
Masayoshi Soken (祖堅 正慶, Soken Masayoshi; born January 10, 1975) is a Japanese video game composer who has worked for…
Masayoshi Soken (祖堅 正慶, Soken Masayoshi; born January 10, 1975) is a Japanese video game composer who has worked for Square Enix since 1998. Soken is best known for being the lead composer and sound director of Final Fantasy XIV and its expansions and lead composer of Final Fantasy XVI.
Muneaki Murai (村井 宗明, Murai Muneaki; born 30 May 1973) is a former Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of…
Muneaki Murai (村井 宗明, Murai Muneaki; born 30 May 1973) is a former Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of the former Ōyama, Toyama and graduate of Doshisha University, Murai was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2003.
Takeshi Tsuchiya (土屋 武士, Tsuchiya Takeshi; born November 4, 1972) is a Japanese professional race car driver.
Takayuki Ohira (大平 貴之, Ōhira Takayuki; born March 11, 1970) is a Japanese engineer and the creator of the Megastar, a…
Takayuki Ohira (大平 貴之, Ōhira Takayuki; born March 11, 1970) is a Japanese engineer and the creator of the Megastar, a planetarium projector which was recorded in Guinness World Records as the planetarium projector that can project the highest number of stars in the world. Ohira has also designed the Sega Homestar, a home planetarium projector for Sega. According to the Japan Planetarium Association, the popularity of this educational toy has contributed to an increase in visitors to full-sized planetaria in Japan. The newest model, released in 2019, is called Homestar Flux.
Koji Sato (佐藤 恒治, Satō Kōji; born October 19, 1969) is a Japanese mechanical engineer who served as president and chief…
Koji Sato (佐藤 恒治, Satō Kōji; born October 19, 1969) is a Japanese mechanical engineer who served as president and chief executive officer of Toyota from 2023 to 2026. He became chief executive officer in April 2023 and president in June 2023. On April 1, 2026, Kenta Kon became President and CEO of Toyota, and Satō became vice chairman and assumed a new position as chief industry officer.
Yoshinori Sunahara (砂原 良徳, Sunahara Yoshinori; born September 13, 1969) is a Japanese record producer and DJ from…
Yoshinori Sunahara (砂原 良徳, Sunahara Yoshinori; born September 13, 1969) is a Japanese record producer and DJ from Sapporo, Hokkaido. He is a former member of Denki Groove. He was also a member of Metafive.
Naoki Tokunaga (徳永 直紀, born 1966) is the Japanese former technical director of Renault Sport F1.
Akio Haga (Japanese: 羽下 晃生, Hepburn: Haga Akio) is a Japanese Formula One engineer. He is currently the chief engineer…
Akio Haga (Japanese: 羽下 晃生, Hepburn: Haga Akio) is a Japanese Formula One engineer. He is currently the chief engineer at Aston Martin Performance Technologies.
Yukihiro Matsumoto (まつもとゆきひろ, Matsumoto Yukihiro; born 14 April 1965), also known as Matz, is a Japanese computer…
Yukihiro Matsumoto (まつもとゆきひろ, Matsumoto Yukihiro; born 14 April 1965), also known as Matz, is a Japanese computer scientist and software programmer. He is best known as the chief designer of the Ruby programming language and its original reference implementation, Matz's Ruby Interpreter (MRI). As of 2011, Matsumoto is the Chief Architect of Ruby at Heroku, an online cloud platform-as-a-service in San Francisco. He is a fellow of the Rakuten Institute of Technology, a research and development organization within Rakuten Group, Inc. He was appointed to the role of technical advisor for VASILY, Inc. starting in June 2014.
Michimasa Fujino (藤野 道格, Fujino Michimasa) (born March 1960) is a retired Japanese aeronautical engineer, entrepreneur…
Michimasa Fujino (藤野 道格, Fujino Michimasa) (born March 1960) is a retired Japanese aeronautical engineer, entrepreneur, and founder of the Honda Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of the Honda Motor Company. Fujino worked as chief engineer within Honda R&D, then as vice president, before he was named the project leader for HondaJet development. He was also a Honda Motor managing officer. At Honda Aircraft, he played a crucial role in the growth of the company, and was responsible for the overall strategy of its design, development, certification, marketing, sales, and production of the HondaJet. For his work at Honda Aircraft, Fujino has received the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aircraft Design Award (2012), the SAE International Award, the Clarence L. Kelly Johnson Aerospace and Vehicle Design Award (2014), and the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences Award for Innovation in Aeronautics. He is the first aircraft designer to receive all four awards, as well as the first individual of Asian descent to win the AIAA award, making him a notable figure in the contemporary aviation and very light jet industry. Fujino was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2017 for the creation of the HondaJet and the formation of the Honda Aircraft Company. In 2022, it was announced that he would retire as president and CEO of the company in April, a post he held since its founding in 2006, and continue as a consultant following his retirement.
Makoto Murata (村田 真, Murata Makoto; born 1960) is a Japanese computer scientist, Ph.D. in engineering, and Project…
Makoto Murata (村田 真, Murata Makoto; born 1960) is a Japanese computer scientist, Ph.D. in engineering, and Project Professor at Keio University. He participated in the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) XML Working Group. The Working Group designed XML1.0, a markup language specification. Murata and James Clark designed RELAX NG, an XML schema language. Murata is the convener of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34 WG 4, responsible for Office Open XML maintenance.
Koichi Tanaka (田中 耕一, Tanaka Kōichi; born August 3, 1959) is a Japanese electrical engineer who shared the Nobel Prize…
Koichi Tanaka (田中 耕一, Tanaka Kōichi; born August 3, 1959) is a Japanese electrical engineer who shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002 for developing a novel method for mass spectrometric analyses of biological macromolecules with John Bennett Fenn and Kurt Wüthrich (the latter for work in NMR spectroscopy).
Takahiro Hachigo (八郷隆弘, Hachigō Takahiro; born 19 May 1959) is a Japanese engineer and businessman, who has been the…
Takahiro Hachigo (八郷隆弘, Hachigō Takahiro; born 19 May 1959) is a Japanese engineer and businessman, who has been the chief executive officer of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., from June 2015 - April 2021 and was succeeded by Toshihiro Mibe. Prior to this, Hachigo was a managing officer at Honda, and started his career at Honda in 1982 as a chassis engineer. As CEO, Hachigo sought to streamline the manufacturing process by merging certain operations between motorcycles and cars, and while also lowering the costs of production by consolidating factories at home and abroad involving the budget. Hachigo is currently a member of the company board.
Jun Maekawa (前川 淳, Maekawa Jun; 1958-) is a Japanese software engineer, mathematician, and origami artist. He is known…
Jun Maekawa (前川 淳, Maekawa Jun; 1958-) is a Japanese software engineer, mathematician, and origami artist. He is known for popularizing the method of utilizing crease patterns in designing origami models, with his 1985 publication Viva Origami, as well as other paperfolding-related theorems and mathematical analysis. By the late 1980s, he was among the origami designers whose technical advances enabled increasingly complex folded subjects, including creatures and insects with multiple legs and antennae. One of them being Maekawa's theorem in relation to the flat-foldability of origami models. Maekawa currently serves on the committee board of the Japanese Origami Academic Society (JOAS), of which he also served as the committee-chief in the previous years. Outside of extensive research in mathematical-related topics, he also publishes articles on origami-related history and occurrences in the JOAS publications. He is the president of a software firm in Japan, and a member of the Astronomical Society of Japan.
Masahiro Hara (Japanese: 原 昌宏, Hepburn: Hara Masahiro, born on August 8, 1957) is a Japanese engineer and Hosei…
Masahiro Hara (Japanese: 原 昌宏, Hepburn: Hara Masahiro, born on August 8, 1957) is a Japanese engineer and Hosei University graduate who is best known for inventing the QR code in 1994.
Pailin Chuchottaworn (Thai: ไพรินทร์ ชูโชติถาวร, RTGS: Phairin Chuchotithawon; born 8 July 1956) is a Thai businessman…
Pailin Chuchottaworn (Thai: ไพรินทร์ ชูโชติถาวร, RTGS: Phairin Chuchotithawon; born 8 July 1956) is a Thai businessman, and from 2011 to 2015 was the chief executive officer (CEO) of PTT Public Company Limited, a Thai state-owned oil and gas company, and a Fortune Global 500 company.
Daisuke Hinata (born July 2, 1956) is a Japanese music producer, composer, keyboardist, synthesist, synthesizer…
Daisuke Hinata (born July 2, 1956) is a Japanese music producer, composer, keyboardist, synthesist, synthesizer programmer, recording engineer, and studio designer. He is the owner/producer of VSA Studio, a recording studio located in California, US. He is also the owner of the record label “Hyperdisc” and "Global Disc". His older brother is Toshifumi Hinata, also a music composer and producer.
Kazuhiko "Kay" Nishi (西 和彦, Nishi Kazuhiko; born February 10, 1956 in Kobe, Japan) is a Japanese businessman and…
Kazuhiko "Kay" Nishi (西 和彦, Nishi Kazuhiko; born February 10, 1956 in Kobe, Japan) is a Japanese businessman and personal computer pioneer.
Masao Yoshida (吉田 昌郎, Yoshida Masao; 17 February 1955 – 9 July 2013) was a nuclear engineer who served as plant manager…
Masao Yoshida (吉田 昌郎, Yoshida Masao; 17 February 1955 – 9 July 2013) was a nuclear engineer who served as plant manager of the Tokyo Electric Power Company Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant during the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Shuji Nakamura (中村 修二, Nakamura Shūji; born May 22, 1954) is a Japanese–American electrical engineer and co-inventor of…
Shuji Nakamura (中村 修二, Nakamura Shūji; born May 22, 1954) is a Japanese–American electrical engineer and co-inventor of the blue LED, a major breakthrough in lighting technology. For this achievement, Nakamura, together with Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano, received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014. Nakamura specializes in the field of semiconductor technology. He is Professor of Materials and of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) since 1999.
Nobukazu Teranishi (寺西 信一, Teranishi Nobukazu; born 1953) is a Japanese engineer who researches image sensors, and is…
Nobukazu Teranishi (寺西 信一, Teranishi Nobukazu; born 1953) is a Japanese engineer who researches image sensors, and is known for inventing the pinned photodiode, an important component of modern digital cameras. He was one of four recipients of the 2017 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. He worked at NEC Corporation (1978–2000) and Panasonic Corporation (2000–13). As of 2018, he is a professor at the University of Hyogo and at Shizuoka University.
Genichiro Sata (佐田 玄一郎, Sata Gen'ichirō; born 22 December 1952 in Maebashi, Gunma) is a former Japanese politician who…
Genichiro Sata (佐田 玄一郎, Sata Gen'ichirō; born 22 December 1952 in Maebashi, Gunma) is a former Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Hirohide Hamashima (浜島 裕英, Hirohide Hamashima; born 1952 in Tokyo), also known as Hammy, is the former director of the…
Hirohide Hamashima (浜島 裕英, Hirohide Hamashima; born 1952 in Tokyo), also known as Hammy, is the former director of the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team Tyre Development. He previously worked for Bridgestone as the director of its Motorsport Tyre Development until 2011.
Tadashi Yamashina (born 8 May 1951) is the former Team Principal of the Toyota Racing Formula One team, responsible for…
Tadashi Yamashina (born 8 May 1951) is the former Team Principal of the Toyota Racing Formula One team, responsible for conducting Toyota's Formula One operations, having taken over from Tsutomu Tomita in June 2007.
Sega Corporation is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It…
Sega Corporation is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several multi-million-selling game franchises for arcades and consoles including Sonic the Hedgehog, Angry Birds, Football Manager, Phantasy Star, Puyo Puyo, Super Monkey Ball, Bayonetta, Total War, Virtua Fighter, Megami Tensei, Sakura Wars, Persona, and Yakuza. From 1983 until 2001, Sega also developed its own consoles. Sega was founded by Martin Bromley and Richard Stewart as Nihon Goraku Bussan on June 3, 1960. Shortly after, it acquired the assets of its predecessor, Service Games of Japan. In 1965, it became known as Sega Enterprises, Ltd., after acquiring Rosen Enterprises, an importer of coin-operated games. Sega developed its first coin-operated game, Periscope, in 1966. Sega was sold to Gulf and Western Industries in 1969. Following a downturn in the arcade business in the early 1980s, Sega began to develop video game consoles, starting with the SG-1000 and Master System, but struggled against competitors such as the Nintendo Entertainment System. In 1984, Sega executives David Rosen and Hayao Nakayama led a management buyout, with backing from CSK Corporation. In 1988, Sega released the Mega Drive (the "Genesis" in North America). The Mega Drive struggled against competition in Japan, but the Genesis found success overseas after the release of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991 and briefly outsold its main competitor, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, in the US. In 2001, after several commercial failures such as the 32X, Saturn, and Dreamcast, Sega stopped manufacturing consoles to become a third-party developer and publisher, and was acquired by Sammy Corporation in 2004. Sega Holdings Co., Ltd. was established in 2015; Sega Corporation was renamed to Sega Games Co., Ltd., and its arcade division was split into Sega Interactive. In 2020, Sega Games and Sega Interactive merged to become Sega Corporation. Sega's international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California, and London. Its development studios include its internal research and development divisions (which utilize the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sonic Team brands for several core franchise entries), Sega Sapporo Studio which mainly provides support for the Tokyo-based development teams as well as handling partial game development, and Atlus (including its R&D divisions) and five development studios in the UK and Europe: Creative Assembly, Sports Interactive, Sega Hardlight, Two Point Studios, and Rovio Entertainment (including Ruby Games). Sega is one of the world's most prolific arcade game producers and its mascot, Sonic, is internationally recognized. Sega is recognized for its video game consoles, creativity and innovations. In more recent years, it has been criticized for its business decisions and the quality of its creative output. Being the entertainment contents division of Sega Sammy Holdings, forming one half of the Sega Sammy Group, Sega also owns a toy and amusement machine company, Sega Fave, which comprises its arcade development and manufacturing divisions and two animation studios: TMS Entertainment, which animates, produces, and distributes anime, and Marza Animation Planet, which specializes in CG animation.
Ken Kutaragi (久夛良木 健, Kutaragi Ken; born 2 August 1950) is a Japanese engineering technologist and businessman…
Ken Kutaragi (久夛良木 健, Kutaragi Ken; born 2 August 1950) is a Japanese engineering technologist and businessman, currently president and CEO of Cyber AI Entertainment. Formerly the chairman and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), the video game division of Sony, Kutaragi is known as "The Father of the PlayStation" having overseen the development of the original console and its successors and spinoffs until departing the company in 2007, shortly after the PlayStation 3 was released. Kutaragi had also designed the sound processor for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. With Sony, he designed the VLSI chip that works in conjunction with the PS1's RISC CPU to handle the graphics rendering.
Masashi Goto (Japanese: 後藤政志, Gotō Manashi, born 1949) is a Japanese nuclear engineer, author, activist and commentator…
Masashi Goto (Japanese: 後藤政志, Gotō Manashi, born 1949) is a Japanese nuclear engineer, author, activist and commentator on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. He is the designer of the nuclear reactor vessels owned by Toshiba, where he worked from 1989 to 2009. His designs include the containment buildings of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant (Units 3 and 6), Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant (Units 3 and 4) and Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant (Unit 3). Toshiba manufactured four of the six reactors the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the 1970s. He rose to public prominence on 14 March 2011 by being the first "insider" (Note: he retired from Toshiba in 2009) addressing the press at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, three days after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Since then, he became a regular commentator and featured as an expert in hearings regarding the nuclear disaster at Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and House of Councillors. From April 2013, he joined as an expert on the Citizen's Commission on Nuclear Energy, a think tank composed of professors of public policy.
Eikō Harada (原田永幸, Harada Eikō; born December 3, 1948) is a Japanese business executive.
Akira Yoshino (吉野 彰, Yoshino Akira; born 30 January 1948) is a Japanese chemist. He is a fellow of Asahi Kasei…
Akira Yoshino (吉野 彰, Yoshino Akira; born 30 January 1948) is a Japanese chemist. He is a fellow of Asahi Kasei Corporation and a professor at Meijo University in Nagoya. He created the first safe, production-viable lithium-ion battery, which became used widely in cellular phones and notebook computers. Yoshino was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2019 alongside M. Stanley Whittingham and John B. Goodenough.
Hiroshi Sato (佐藤博, June 3, 1947 – October 24, 2012) was a Japanese singer-songwriter. He was an influential keyboardist…
Hiroshi Sato (佐藤博, June 3, 1947 – October 24, 2012) was a Japanese singer-songwriter. He was an influential keyboardist in the Japanese jazz fusion and soft rock scenes during the late 1970s and 1980s, later dubbed "city pop".
Takeshi Uchiyamada (内山田 竹志, Uchiyamada Takeshi; born August 17, 1946) is a Japanese businessman who was chairman of…
Takeshi Uchiyamada (内山田 竹志, Uchiyamada Takeshi; born August 17, 1946) is a Japanese businessman who was chairman of Toyota from 2013 to 2023. He graduated from Nagoya University. He is known as the "father of the Prius" for his role in leading the development of the Toyota Prius, the world's best-selling hybrid electric vehicle in history.
Akira Haraguchi (原口 證, Haraguchi Akira; born 1946, Miyagi Prefecture) is a retired Japanese engineer known for…
Akira Haraguchi (原口 證, Haraguchi Akira; born 1946, Miyagi Prefecture) is a retired Japanese engineer known for memorizing and reciting digits of pi. He is known to have recited more than 80,000 decimal places of pi in 12 hours.
Tsutomu Tomita (Japanese: 冨田務, Hepburn: Tomita Tsutomu; born October 14, 1943) is the president of Fuji Speedway from…
Tsutomu Tomita (Japanese: 冨田務, Hepburn: Tomita Tsutomu; born October 14, 1943) is the president of Fuji Speedway from 2007. He was the chairman of Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG, ex-Toyota Team Europe) and team principal of Toyota F1, the Formula One racing branch of Toyota, until June 2007.
Masayuki Uemura (上村雅之, Uemura Masayuki; 20 June 1943 – 6 December 2021) was a Japanese engineer, video game producer…
Masayuki Uemura (上村雅之, Uemura Masayuki; 20 June 1943 – 6 December 2021) was a Japanese engineer, video game producer, and professor. He was known for his work as an employee of Nintendo from 1971 to 2004, most notably for serving as a key factor in the development of the Family Computer. A former employee of Sharp Corporation, Uemura joined Nintendo in 1971 working with Gunpei Yokoi and Genyo Takeda on solar cell technology for the Laser Clay Shooting System arcade game. After becoming General Manager of Nintendo R&D2, Uemura served as the lead architect for the Family Computer and Super Famicom video game consoles. He retired from Nintendo in 2004 and became director for the Center for Game Studies at Ritsumeikan University.
Akio Kanai (金井 昭雄, Kanai Akio) is the CEO of Fuji Optical in Hokkaido, Japan, and the recipient of the 2006 Nansen…
Akio Kanai (金井 昭雄, Kanai Akio) is the CEO of Fuji Optical in Hokkaido, Japan, and the recipient of the 2006 Nansen Refugee Award.
Kazuo Okada (岡田 和生, Okada Kazuo; born 3 October 1942) is a Japanese billionaire businessman and art collector. Okada…
Kazuo Okada (岡田 和生, Okada Kazuo; born 3 October 1942) is a Japanese billionaire businessman and art collector. Okada was formerly an executive at Wynn Resorts, and co-founder and former chairman of the Universal Entertainment Corporation, until his ousting in 2017 after allegations of financial mismanagement.
Hirotoshi Honda (本田 博俊, Honda Hirotoshi; born 11 April 1942) is a Japanese businessman, engineer and the founder of…
Hirotoshi Honda (本田 博俊, Honda Hirotoshi; born 11 April 1942) is a Japanese businessman, engineer and the founder of Mugen Motorsports. He is the son of Soichiro Honda, founder of the Honda Motor Company.
Toshitada Doi (土井 利忠, Doi Toshitada; born February 2, 1943) is a Japanese electrical engineer, who played a significant…
Toshitada Doi (土井 利忠, Doi Toshitada; born February 2, 1943) is a Japanese electrical engineer, who played a significant role in the digital audio revolution. He received a degree in electrical engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1964, and a PhD from Tohoku University in 1972. He joined Sony Japan in 1964 and started the first digital audio project within Sony. He was the driving force behind the PCM adaptor, and was a prominent member of the Sony/Philips taskforce responsible for the design of the Compact Disc. He created, among others, the CIRC error correction system. He, with Kees Immink, refutes the myth that the Compact Disc's playing time was determined by Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. He was the lead engineer of the DASH multi-track digital audio tape recorder. In the 1990s, he headed Sony's Digital Creatures Laboratory, where he was responsible for the Aibo, Sony's robotic dog. In 2003, Doi created the Qrio, a running humanoid robot.
Gunpei Yokoi (Japanese: 横井 軍平, Hepburn: Yokoi Gunpei; 10 September 1941 – 4 October 1997), sometimes transliterated as…
Gunpei Yokoi (Japanese: 横井 軍平, Hepburn: Yokoi Gunpei; 10 September 1941 – 4 October 1997), sometimes transliterated as Gumpei Yokoi, was a Japanese toy maker, video game designer, and producer. During his 31-year tenure at Nintendo, he served as general manager of Nintendo Research & Development 1 (R&D1) and designed several of the company's most prominent hardware products, including the Ultra Hand toy, the cross-shaped D-pad, the Game & Watch and Game Boy handheld systems, the R.O.B. accessory, and the Virtual Boy. As a producer and mentor to Shigeru Miyamoto, Yokoi oversaw major Nintendo franchises and titles including Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., Metroid, Kid Icarus, Fire Emblem, and Super Mario Land. His design philosophy of "Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology" (枯れた技術の水平思考, Kareta Gijutsu no Suihei Shikō)—finding novel, creative uses for mature, inexpensive hardware rather than relying on cutting-edge specifications—shaped Nintendo's hardware strategy for decades and informed its later Blue Ocean Strategy with the Nintendo DS and Wii.
Naganori Ito (伊藤 修令, Itō Naganori; born 1937) is a Japanese automotive engineer, and was responsible for the…
Naganori Ito (伊藤 修令, Itō Naganori; born 1937) is a Japanese automotive engineer, and was responsible for the development of the eighth generation R32 Nissan Skyline including the BNR32 Skyline GT-R.
Nobuhiko Kawamoto (川本 信彦, Kawamoto Nobuhiko; born March 3, 1936) is a Japanese businessman and the CEO of Honda Motor…
Nobuhiko Kawamoto (川本 信彦, Kawamoto Nobuhiko; born March 3, 1936) is a Japanese businessman and the CEO of Honda Motor from 1990 to 1998.
Yoshihisa Maitani (January 8, 1933 – July 30, 2009) was a designer of cameras for the Japan-based camera manufacturer…
Yoshihisa Maitani (January 8, 1933 – July 30, 2009) was a designer of cameras for the Japan-based camera manufacturer Olympus Corporation. After studying mechanical engineering at university, he joined Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (now Olympus Corporation) in 1956. Maitani went on to work for them for 40 years. He was involved with the design of many of the company's most well-known cameras, including the Pen and the Pen F half frame cameras, the OM System, and the XA.
Kazuo Inamori, (稲盛 和夫, Inamori Kazuo; 30 January 1932 – 24 August 2022) was a Japanese philanthropist, entrepreneur…
Kazuo Inamori, (稲盛 和夫, Inamori Kazuo; 30 January 1932 – 24 August 2022) was a Japanese philanthropist, entrepreneur, Zen Buddhist priest, and the founder of Kyocera and KDDI. He was the chairman of Japan Airlines. Inamori was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2000 for innovation in ceramic materials and solar cell development/manufacturing, entrepreneurship of advanced technologies, and for being a role model for relating science to society. In 2011, he received the Othmer Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to progress in science and chemistry.
Nobuo Mii (Japanese: 三井 信雄=Mii Nobuo; July 4, 1931 – July 14, 2015), often called Nobi by English speakers, was a…
Nobuo Mii (Japanese: 三井 信雄=Mii Nobuo; July 4, 1931 – July 14, 2015), often called Nobi by English speakers, was a Japanese computer pioneer who made various contributions, working for NHK and IBM, and also is an investment fund executive.