Otohikon Endō (乙彦 遠藤; born 1 February 1947) is a Japanese politician from the New Komeito Party, and a former member of…Otohikon Endō (乙彦 遠藤; born 1 February 1947) is a Japanese politician from the New Komeito Party, and a former member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature).
Takeshi Hosaka (保坂 武, Hosaka Takeshi; born 1 February 1945) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party…Takeshi Hosaka (保坂 武, Hosaka Takeshi; born 1 February 1945) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Kai, Yamanashi and high school graduate, he was elected to the town assembly of the town of Ryūō, Shiga in 1977, serving for three terms, and then to the assembly of Yamanashi Prefecture in 1991, serving for, again, three terms. In April 2003, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time as an independent. He represented the 3rd District of Yamanashi Prefecture until 2008.
Yasuhiro Takai (高井 保弘, Takai Yasuhiro; 1 February 1945 – 13 December 2019) was a Japanese professional baseball first…Yasuhiro Takai (高井 保弘, Takai Yasuhiro; 1 February 1945 – 13 December 2019) was a Japanese professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Hankyu Braves. Takai was born on 1 February 1945 in Imabari, Ehime. He attended Ehime Prefectural Imabari West High School and played for the Nagoya Nissan Motor Company baseball team before signing with the Hankyu Braves in 1964. Takai was originally signed to the practice squad and made his Nippon Professional Baseball debut in 1966. Over the course of his career, Takai became known for his extensive research into opposing pitchers. He set the NPB record for pinch-hit home runs, with 27. After he retired in 1982, Takai served as a broadcaster. Takai died of kidney failure on 13 December 2019, at a hospital in Nishinomiya, aged 74.
Tetsuo Owada (小和田 哲男, Owada Tetsuo; born February 1, 1944) is a Japanese historian and emeritus professor of Shizuoka…Tetsuo Owada (小和田 哲男, Owada Tetsuo; born February 1, 1944) is a Japanese historian and emeritus professor of Shizuoka University. Owada graduated from Waseda University. His work focuses on the studies of history and castles in the Sengoku period of Japan. He is especially famous for his research into the Imagawa clan and Later Hōjō clan. He often works as a historical consultant for the Taiga drama series and makes television appearances on NHK.
Katsutoshi Nekoda (猫田 勝敏, Nekoda Katsutoshi; born 1 February 1944, in Hiroshima – died 4 September 1983) was a Japanese…Katsutoshi Nekoda (猫田 勝敏, Nekoda Katsutoshi; born 1 February 1944, in Hiroshima – died 4 September 1983) was a Japanese volleyball player and four-time Olympian. Nekoda was a member of the Japanese men's national volleyball team as a setter. Nekoda led the Japan national volleyball team to a bronze medal in the 1964 Summer Olympics, a silver medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics, and a gold medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was the flagbearer of Japan at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Nekoda invented the ceiling serve, a serve where the ball is hit up towards the ceiling with all the lights to make it difficult to judge the landing. He retired in 1980, and died of stomach cancer in 1983. In 2023, Nekoda was posthumously inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
Koji Masuda (益田 弘二, Masuda Kōji; born 1 February 1944) is a Japanese boxer. He competed in the men's light middleweight…Koji Masuda (益田 弘二, Masuda Kōji; born 1 February 1944) is a Japanese boxer. He competed in the men's light middleweight event at the 1964 Summer Olympics. At the 1964 Summer Olympics, he defeated Jannie Gibson of Rhodesia in the Round of 32 before losing to Joseph Gonzales of France in the Round of 16.
Sakuji Yoshimura (吉村 作治, Yoshimura Sakuji; born 1 February 1943) is a Japanese Egyptologist. He currently works at the…Sakuji Yoshimura (吉村 作治, Yoshimura Sakuji; born 1 February 1943) is a Japanese Egyptologist. He currently works at the Higashi Nippon International University. He is a university president, professor emeritus at Waseda University, and visiting professor at Cyber University and TV personality. In 1978, Yoshimura and his team built a miniature pyramid for a Nippon Television documentary series. They originally planned to build a scaled-down model of the Cheops Pyramid, but the cost of limestone forced them to reduce the size. He was the first president of an online college Cyber University.
Michiko Imai (今井通子) (born 1 February 1942) is a Japanese medical doctor, mountaineer and alpinist. She is notable for…Michiko Imai (今井通子) (born 1 February 1942) is a Japanese medical doctor, mountaineer and alpinist. She is notable for making the first all-female ascent of the north face of the Matterhorn, and for being the only female member of the Japanese team of mountaineers who established the Japanese Direct alpine climbing route on the north face of the Eiger. She was also the first Japanese woman to scale all of the three great north faces of the Alps (the Matterhorn, the Eiger, and the Grandes Jorasses), and has been credited as the first woman in the world to have achieved that.
Takao Ishii (born 1 February 1941) is a Japanese sport shooter who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics and in the 1964…Takao Ishii (born 1 February 1941) is a Japanese sport shooter who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics and in the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Nobuya Hoshino (星野 展弥, Hoshino Nobuya) (February 1, 1937 – February 22, 2020) was an international table tennis player…Nobuya Hoshino (星野 展弥, Hoshino Nobuya) (February 1, 1937 – February 22, 2020) was an international table tennis player from Japan.
Sadao Watanabe (渡辺 貞夫, Watanabe Sadao; born 1 February 1933) is a Japanese jazz musician who plays alto saxophone and…Sadao Watanabe (渡辺 貞夫, Watanabe Sadao; born 1 February 1933) is a Japanese jazz musician who plays alto saxophone and sopranino saxophone. He is known for his bossa nova recordings, although his work encompasses many styles, with collaborations from musicians all over the world.
Mitsuo Sato (佐藤 光夫, February 1, 1933 – October 20, 2002) was a Japanese government official who served as the 6th…Mitsuo Sato (佐藤 光夫, February 1, 1933 – October 20, 2002) was a Japanese government official who served as the 6th president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He also served as the vice president of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Jinzō Toriumi (鳥海 尽三, Toriumi Jinzō; February 1, 1929 – January 17, 2008) was a Japanese screenwriter who first began…Jinzō Toriumi (鳥海 尽三, Toriumi Jinzō; February 1, 1929 – January 17, 2008) was a Japanese screenwriter who first began his career during the "revolutionary era" of Japanese animation on Mach GoGoGo (Speed Racer), Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets/G-Force), and Yatterman. Toriumi was born in the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaidō. After trying his hand at live-action at Nikkatsu, he began writing animation scripts at Mushi Productions for Mighty Atom (Astro Boy) in 1964. He went on to devote himself full-time to television at Tatsunoko Production in 1965. He contributed to Casshern, Tekkaman and Time Bokan. He later began writing for such Sunrise works as Armored Trooper VOTOMS, Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors), Mister Ajikko. He also wrote the novel versions of Gatchaman, Shin Heiyōden and Dororo, as well as the Anime Scenario Nyūmon (The Introduction to Anime Scriptwriting). He used the Anime Scenario Nyūmon book when he became a vocational school teacher for future generations of scriptwriters. He also chaired Ohtori Koubou, a support organization for scriptwriters. He received the (Scenario) Scriptwriting Award from the Japan Writers Guild on May 26, 2000.
Kitanonada Noboru (February 1, 1923 – January 8, 2002), born Noboru Ogata, was a sumo wrestler from Abashiri, Hokkaido…Kitanonada Noboru (February 1, 1923 – January 8, 2002), born Noboru Ogata, was a sumo wrestler from Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake. He was ranked in the top makuuchi division from 1950 until 1962 and earned ten gold stars for defeating yokozuna. After his retirement from active competition he was an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and worked as a coach at Tatsunami stable until his mandatory retirement in 1988 upon reaching 65 years of age. He then became a sumo TV commentator.
Kenzō Okuzaki (Japanese: 奥崎 謙三, Hepburn: Okuzaki Kenzō; 1 February 1920 – 16 June 2005) was a former Imperial Japanese…Kenzō Okuzaki (Japanese: 奥崎 謙三, Hepburn: Okuzaki Kenzō; 1 February 1920 – 16 June 2005) was a former Imperial Japanese Army soldier, writer, actor, anti-monarchist and anarchist. He was known for an attempted assault on Emperor Shōwa, and his starring role in the documentary The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (1987).
Tomoshige Tsunoda (津野田 知重, Tsunoda Tomoshige) was a major in the Imperial Japanese Military during World War II. He was…Tomoshige Tsunoda (津野田 知重, Tsunoda Tomoshige) was a major in the Imperial Japanese Military during World War II. He was known for his failed assassination attempt on controversial Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo.
Kunitaka Sueoka (末岡 圀孝, Sueoka Kunitaka; February 1, 1917 – November 10, 1998) was a Japanese football player. He…Kunitaka Sueoka (末岡 圀孝, Sueoka Kunitaka; February 1, 1917 – November 10, 1998) was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Eiji Sawamura (沢村 栄治, Sawamura Eiji; February 1, 1917 – December 2, 1944) was a Japanese professional baseball player.…Eiji Sawamura (沢村 栄治, Sawamura Eiji; February 1, 1917 – December 2, 1944) was a Japanese professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he played in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants. He is one of just two pitchers in Japanese baseball history to throw three no-hitters (the other being Yoshiro Sotokoba) and the only one to do so for thirty years. He is one of just six numbers to be retired by the Giants in their history.
Kazoh Kitamori (北森 嘉蔵, Kitamori Kazō; 1916 – September 1998) was a Japanese theologian, pastor, author, professor, and…Kazoh Kitamori (北森 嘉蔵, Kitamori Kazō; 1916 – September 1998) was a Japanese theologian, pastor, author, professor, and churchman. His most famous work in the West is The Theology of the Pain of God, which was published in 1946 in Japan and in the United States in 1965. He was a longtime professor at Tokyo Union Theological Seminary. He was, along with Kōsuke Koyama, a leading contributor to Protestant Christian theology from twentieth century Japan.
Yoshinori Ohkoso (大社 義規, Ōkoso Yoshinori) (1 February 1915—27 April 2005) was a Japanese businessman and baseball team…Yoshinori Ohkoso (大社 義規, Ōkoso Yoshinori) (1 February 1915—27 April 2005) was a Japanese businessman and baseball team owner. Ohkoso was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009. Ohkoso founded the Nippon Meat Packers company, but stepped down as its chairman in 2002.
Shigeo Kamiyama (神山 茂夫, Kamiyama Shigeo) (1 February 1905 – 8 July 1974) was a Japanese communist. He was born in 1905…Shigeo Kamiyama (神山 茂夫, Kamiyama Shigeo) (1 February 1905 – 8 July 1974) was a Japanese communist. He was born in 1905 in Shimonoseki. In 1928, he joined the Japanese Communist Party. On 1 May 1941, he was arrested as the leader of the Communist Party Rebuilding Committee. He was imprisoned in Sugamo prison where he met Hotsumi Ozaki. Kamiyama remained in jail until 1945. After the war, he was active in the Japanese Communist Party.
Kyoko Asanuma (浅沼 享子, Asanuma Kyōko; 1 February 1904 – 10 March 1981) was a Japanese politician of the Shōwa era. She…Kyoko Asanuma (浅沼 享子, Asanuma Kyōko; 1 February 1904 – 10 March 1981) was a Japanese politician of the Shōwa era. She served one term as a member of the House of Representatives for the Japan Socialist Party (JSP) and played a prominent public role following the assassination of her husband, Inejirō Asanuma, then chairman of the JSP, by 17-year-old far-right ultranationalist Otoya Yamaguchi, and after Yamaguchi’s suicide in custody shortly thereafter, she publicly expressed pity for him while condemning the forces that had incited his actions. Beyond her brief political career, she was known for her efforts in women's activism and fostering diplomatic and cultural ties between Japan and China.
Takaji Wachi (和知 鷹二, Wachi Takaji; 1 February 1893 – 30 October 1978) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese…Takaji Wachi (和知 鷹二, Wachi Takaji; 1 February 1893 – 30 October 1978) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II.
Kan Shimozawa (子母澤 寛, Shimozawa Kan; sometimes spelled Shimosawa; February 1, 1892 – July 19, 1968) was a Japanese…Kan Shimozawa (子母澤 寛, Shimozawa Kan; sometimes spelled Shimosawa; February 1, 1892 – July 19, 1968) was a Japanese novelist and historical writer best known for originating the character Zatoichi. He was awarded the Kikuchi Kan Prize in 1962 for a series of works set at the end of the Tokugawa period and the Meiji era.
Miyagi Tamayo (宮城タマヨ, Miyagi Tamayo; 1 February 1892 – 19 November 1960), née Ueda (植田, Ueda), was a Japanese social…Miyagi Tamayo (宮城タマヨ, Miyagi Tamayo; 1 February 1892 – 19 November 1960), née Ueda (植田, Ueda), was a Japanese social worker and politician who was a member of the House of Councillors.
Shigeru Fukudome (福留 繁, Fukudome Shigeru; 1 February 1891 – 6 February 1971) was an admiral and Chief of Staff of the…Shigeru Fukudome (福留 繁, Fukudome Shigeru; 1 February 1891 – 6 February 1971) was an admiral and Chief of Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet during World War II.
Shōjirō Ishibashi (石橋 正二郎, Ishibashi Shōjirō; February 1, 1889 – September 11, 1976) was a Japanese businessman who…Shōjirō Ishibashi (石橋 正二郎, Ishibashi Shōjirō; February 1, 1889 – September 11, 1976) was a Japanese businessman who founded the Bridgestone Corporation, the world's largest maker of tires, in 1931 in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The company was named after its founder: in the Japanese language, ishi means "stone" and hashi (here voiced to bashi) means "bridge", whence the origin of the company's name in English. After the end of the Second World War and the subsequent occupation of Japan, Ishibashi became extensively embroiled in Japanese politics. Ishibashi was close to Ichiro Hatoyama, who was a rival to prime minister Shigeru Yoshida. Ishibashi became an advisor to Hatoyama on Japan's post-war economic development, expressing his views on the economic policy of the parties of Hatoyama's political affiliation. Ishibashi's daughter, Yasuko Hatoyama, became heir to Ishibashi's considerable fortune and has used the inheritance to fund her family's political causes. She married former Japanese Foreign Minister Iichirō Hatoyama. The couple had two sons, who are Ishibashi's grandchildren – politicians Kunio Hatoyama, who served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, and Yukio Hatoyama, who was Prime Minister from 2009 to 2010. Ishibashi's motto for Bridgestone was to "serve society with products of superior quality". He founded Ishibashi Cultural Center and the Bridgestone Museum of Art (also located at 10 Kyobashi 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104) and was a major benefactor of the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, having also constructed the building in which it is housed.
Haru Wazaki (Japanese: 和崎ハル; 1 February 1885 – 30 December 1952) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first…Haru Wazaki (Japanese: 和崎ハル; 1 February 1885 – 30 December 1952) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Cho Man-sik (Korean: 조만식; 1 February 1883 – ?), also known by his art name Godang (고당), was a Korean independence…Cho Man-sik (Korean: 조만식; 1 February 1883 – ?), also known by his art name Godang (고당), was a Korean independence activist. He became involved in the power struggle that enveloped North Korea in the months following the Japanese surrender after World War II. Originally, Cho was supported by the Soviet Union for the eventual rule of North Korea. However, due to his opposition to the USA proposed trusteeship, Cho lost Soviet support and was forced from power by the Soviet-backed and pro Soviet communists in the north (a predecessor of the Workers' Party of Korea). Placed under house arrest in January 1946, he later disappeared into the North Korean prison system, where confirmed reports of him end. He is generally believed to have been executed soon after the start of the Korean War, possibly in October 1950.
Shunji Miyao (宮尾 舜治, Miyao Shunji; 1 February 1868 – 3 April 1937) was a Japanese government official, colonial…Shunji Miyao (宮尾 舜治, Miyao Shunji; 1 February 1868 – 3 April 1937) was a Japanese government official, colonial administrator, and politician.
Inoue Tetsujirō (井上 哲次郎; February 1, 1855 – December 7, 1944) was a Japanese philosopher, poet and educator. He is…Inoue Tetsujirō (井上 哲次郎; February 1, 1855 – December 7, 1944) was a Japanese philosopher, poet and educator. He is known for introducing Western philosophy in Japan and for being a pioneer in Eastern philosophy. He became the first Japanese professor of philosophy at Tokyo Imperial University, and also served as the 2nd President of Daito Bunka Academy. He condemned Christianity as fundamentally incompatible with the theocratic, polytheistic Japanese polity and thus considered its followers "inherently disloyal" to Japan. He compiled A Dictionary of Philosophy (哲学字彙, Tetsugaku jii), which was first published in 1881, again in 1884, and finally in 1912.
Mari Ozawa (小沢真理, Ozawa Mari) is a Japanese josei manga artist from Sapporo, Hokkaido, who writes primarily for Kiss…Mari Ozawa (小沢真理, Ozawa Mari) is a Japanese josei manga artist from Sapporo, Hokkaido, who writes primarily for Kiss and Young You. She won the 1995 Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo for Sekai de Ichiban Yasashii Ongaku.
