Fujio Ishihara (石原藤夫, Ishihara Fujio; born in Tokyo in 1933) is a former professor of electronics at Tamagawa…
Fujio Ishihara (石原藤夫, Ishihara Fujio; born in Tokyo in 1933) is a former professor of electronics at Tamagawa University, and a Japanese science fiction author. He graduated Waseda University with a degree in electronics. He made his science fiction debut in 1965. During the 1970s and 1980s he has been an active hard SF advocate. In the first half of the 1980s, he coined the term "Kōseiki Sekai" (光世紀世界, Light Century Universe), defined as the sphere with a diameter of 100 light years (within 50 light years radius from the Sun). He also edited Kōseiki Seihyō (光世紀星表, Light Century Catalogue), the star catalogue of Light Century Universe (738 stars had been known at the time, include the Sun). Also he is known for bibliographies of Japanese science fiction. He received the Seiun Award best non-fiction book in 1985 for Kōseiki no Sekai, and Nihon SF Taisho Award special award in 1991 for his bibliography works.
Famous People Born on April 1
April 1: 78 people
Kazuko Nakamura (中村和子, Nakamura Kazuko; April 1, 1933 – August 3, 2019) was a Chinese-born Japanese animator. Nakamura…
Kazuko Nakamura (中村和子, Nakamura Kazuko; April 1, 1933 – August 3, 2019) was a Chinese-born Japanese animator. Nakamura has worked on Princess Knight, A Thousand and One Nights and Cleopatra.
Sengaku Mayeda (Japanese: 前田專學, romanized: Maeda Sengaku; 1 April 1931 – 22 August 2026) was a Japanese writer…
Sengaku Mayeda (Japanese: 前田專學, romanized: Maeda Sengaku; 1 April 1931 – 22 August 2026) was a Japanese writer, philosopher and teacher, known for his writings on Indian philosophy and Adi Shankara. He was honoured by the Government of India, in 2014, by bestowing on him the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his services to the fields of literature and education. He is the fourth Japanese to be honoured with Padma Shri, after Taro Nakayama, Shoji Shiba and Prof. Noboru Karashima. He is also a recipient of the Third Order of Merit with the Middle Cordon of the Rising Sun of the Government of Japan, which he received in 2002.
Chimako Tada (多田智満子, Tada Chimako; April 1, 1930 – January 23, 2003) was a Japanese poet renowned for her surreal style…
Chimako Tada (多田智満子, Tada Chimako; April 1, 1930 – January 23, 2003) was a Japanese poet renowned for her surreal style and evocation of women's experience in post-war Japan. She authored more than 15 books of Japanese poetry, and also translated prose and poetry from French. Tada wrote in traditional styles, such as tanka and haiku, as well as contemporary prose poetry.
Itsuo Sonobe (Japanese: 園部逸夫 Sonobe Itsuo; 1 April 1929 – 13 September 2024) was a Japanese lawyer and politician. He…
Itsuo Sonobe (Japanese: 園部逸夫 Sonobe Itsuo; 1 April 1929 – 13 September 2024) was a Japanese lawyer and politician. He served as a Justice of the Supreme Court from 1989 to 1999. Sonobe died on 13 September 2024, at the age of 95.
Yoshihide Kozai (Japanese: 古在 由秀; 1 April 1928 – 5 February 2018) was a Japanese astronomer specialising in celestial…
Yoshihide Kozai (Japanese: 古在 由秀; 1 April 1928 – 5 February 2018) was a Japanese astronomer specialising in celestial mechanics. He is best known for discovering, simultaneously with Michael Lidov, the Kozai mechanism, for which he received the Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy in 1979. He was the first Japanese president of the International Astronomical Union from 1988 to 1991, and was director of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan from 1988 to 1994. He was professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and The Graduate University for Advanced Studies.
Kiyonori Kikutake (菊竹 清訓, Kikutake Kiyonori) (April 1, 1928 – December 26, 2011) was a prominent Japanese architect…
Kiyonori Kikutake (菊竹 清訓, Kikutake Kiyonori) (April 1, 1928 – December 26, 2011) was a prominent Japanese architect known as one of the founders of the Japanese Metabolist group. He was also the tutor and employer of several important Japanese architects, such as Toyo Ito, Shōzō Uchii and Itsuko Hasegawa.
Tatsuo Endo (遠藤 達雄, Endō Tatsuo; 1925 – 1989) was a Japanese engineer. In 1968, while a visiting professor at the…
Tatsuo Endo (遠藤 達雄, Endō Tatsuo; 1925 – 1989) was a Japanese engineer. In 1968, while a visiting professor at the University of Illinois, he developed the rainflow-counting algorithm for fatigue analysis of structures, along with M. Matsuishi.
Kunio Busujima (毒島 邦雄, Busujima Kunio; 1 April 1925 – 22 October 2016) was a Japanese billionaire businessman, and the…
Kunio Busujima (毒島 邦雄, Busujima Kunio; 1 April 1925 – 22 October 2016) was a Japanese billionaire businessman, and the founder and chairman of Sankyo, one of the three major pachinko machine makers in Japan. According to Forbes in January 2015, he had an estimated net worth of US$4.2 billion. He died in October 2016 at the age of 91.
Tsunetoshi Tanaka (田中 恒利, Tanaka Tsunetoshi; April 1, 1925 - January 12, 2014) was a Japanese politician. He was a…
Tsunetoshi Tanaka (田中 恒利, Tanaka Tsunetoshi; April 1, 1925 - January 12, 2014) was a Japanese politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives (1969–1972, 1980–1996).
Takeo Kimura (木村 威夫, Kimura Takeo; April 1, 1918 – March 21, 2010) was a Japanese art director, writer and film…
Takeo Kimura (木村 威夫, Kimura Takeo; April 1, 1918 – March 21, 2010) was a Japanese art director, writer and film director. Beginning his career in 1945 he art-directed well over 200 films. He was one of Japan's best known art directors, most famously for his collaborations with cult director Seijun Suzuki through the 1960s at the Nikkatsu Company, exemplified by Tokyo Drifter (1966). Other directors with whom he frequently worked include Toshio Masuda, Kazuo Kuroki, Kei Kumai and Kaizo Hayashi. At age 90 he made his feature film directorial debut with Dreaming Awake (2008). He had also worked as a critic, writer, painter, photographer and teacher.
Utako Okamoto (岡本歌子, Okamoto Utako; 1 April 1918 – 21 April 2016) was a Japanese medical doctor working as a medical…
Utako Okamoto (岡本歌子, Okamoto Utako; 1 April 1918 – 21 April 2016) was a Japanese medical doctor working as a medical scientist who discovered tranexamic acid in the 1950s in her quest to find a drug that would treat bleeding after childbirth (post-partum haemorrhage). After publishing results in 1962 she became a chair at Kobe Gakuin University, where she worked from 1966 until her retirement in 1990. Okamoto's career was hampered by a very male dominated environment. During her lifetime she was unable to persuade obstetricians at Kobe to trial the antifibrinolytic agent, which had become a drug on the WHO list of essential medicines in 2009. She lived to see the 2010 beginning of the study of tranexamic acid in 20.000 women with post-partum haemorrhage, but died before its completion in 2016 and the publication of tranexamic acids fatality preventing results in 2017, that she had predicted.
Paul Kazuo Kuroda (1 April 1917 – 16 April 2001) was a Japanese-American chemist and nuclear scientist.
Monta Suzuki (鈴木 聞多, Suzuki Monta; 1 April 1913 – 10 July 1939) was a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 100…
Monta Suzuki (鈴木 聞多, Suzuki Monta; 1 April 1913 – 10 July 1939) was a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 100 metres at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He died at the front in China on 10 July 1939 during the Second Sino-Japanese War while serving as a lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Army.
Hachiro Maekawa (前川 八郎, Maekawa Hachirō) (1912 – March 16, 2010) was a former Yomiuri Giants player, and head of…
Hachiro Maekawa (前川 八郎, Maekawa Hachirō) (1912 – March 16, 2010) was a former Yomiuri Giants player, and head of scouting (1967–1972) for the Giants. In 1936, Maekawa joined the Giants and contributed to their first championship the same year. After fighting in and surviving World War II, Maekawa played for the 1946 Hankyu Braves, the predecessor of the current Orix Buffaloes. Maekawa posted a record of 21–23 with a 3.34 ERA over four years in professional baseball. In 1967, years after his playing career was through, Maekawa was appointed the head of scouting for the Giants, and served in that capacity for almost five years until he retired from baseball management in 1972 at the age of 59.
Masao Okahara (Japanese: 岡原昌男; April 1, 1909 – July 14, 1994) was the 8th Chief Justice of Japan (1977–1979). He was…
Masao Okahara (Japanese: 岡原昌男; April 1, 1909 – July 14, 1994) was the 8th Chief Justice of Japan (1977–1979). He was graduate of the University of Tokyo. He was a recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun.
Takuma Yasui (安井 琢磨, Yasui Takuma; April 1, 1909 – December 17, 1995) was a Japanese economist known for his…
Takuma Yasui (安井 琢磨, Yasui Takuma; April 1, 1909 – December 17, 1995) was a Japanese economist known for his contributions to mathematical economics. In particular, he is recognized as one of the first economists to utilize Lyapunov stability theory for analyzing the stability of economic equilibria. In 1970, he served as president of the Japanese Economic Association.
Fumio Kamei (亀井文夫, Kamei Fumio) (1 April 1908 – 27 February 1987) was a Japanese documentary and fiction film director.
Hsu Shih-hsien (Chinese: 許世賢; pinyin: Xǔ Shìxián; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Khó͘ Sè-hiân; 1 April 1908 – 30 June 1983) was a…
Hsu Shih-hsien (Chinese: 許世賢; pinyin: Xǔ Shìxián; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Khó͘ Sè-hiân; 1 April 1908 – 30 June 1983) was a Taiwanese physician, academic and politician. Born in 1908 in Japanese Taiwan, Hsu opposed colonialism at an early age. As a student, she refused to acknowledge Hirohito's birthday and defended others who spoke Hokkien. Hsu later became the first Taiwanese woman to earn a doctorate. She was also the first female high school principal and city council member in Taiwan. In 1940, Hsu and her husband established a hospital in Chiayi City. Hsu joined the Kuomintang after their arrival in Taiwan in 1945, and was later elected to the Taiwan Provincial Assembly. She attempted to withdraw from the party three times, after disagreeing with the suspension of county commissioner Lee Mao-sung before courts had ruled on charges of corruption against him. She was reelected to the Taiwan Provincial Assembly as an independent in April 1957. Hsu was formally expelled from the Kuomintang in 1958, because she had joined the Chinese Local Autonomy Research Society. As an assembly member, Hsu became known for asking rigorous questions of the ruling party, and was one of six Taiwan-born provincial legislators, referred to as Five Dragons, One Phoenix. In 1960, she worked with Lei Chen to establish the China Democracy Party. It was shut down shortly thereafter, and Lei was arrested. Hsu joined the tangwai movement soon afterwards, coordinating a campaign team for independent candidates from January 1961. She was elected mayor of Chiayi City in 1968, and was the first woman to be elected mayor in Taiwan. Hsu left the provincial legislature after four terms to assume the mayoralty. By the end of Hsu's mayoral term in 1972, the Kuomintang had instituted an age limit of 60 for local offices, making it illegal for her to run for a second term. Instead, Hsu campaigned for a seat on the Legislative Yuan, leading the December 1972 elections with the highest vote total. She stepped down in 1981, choosing to launch a second mayoral campaign in Chiayi because the age limit had been lifted. Hsu died in office in 1983. Two of her daughters, Chang Po-ya and Chang Wen-ying, later served as Mayor of Chiayi. A museum dedicated to Hsu opened in 2014.
Takashi Inukai (犬養 孝, Inukai Takashi; April 1, 1907 – October 3, 1998) was professor emeritus at Osaka University and…
Takashi Inukai (犬養 孝, Inukai Takashi; April 1, 1907 – October 3, 1998) was professor emeritus at Osaka University and Kōnan Women's University, and a noted scholar of Japanese literature and especially the Man'yōshū poetry. He earned his bachelor's degree in Japanese literature from the University of Tokyo in 1932, as well as its Ph.D. in 1962. He received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon from the Japanese Government in 1978. He was qualified as a Person of Cultural Merit in 1987. Upon his death, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Star, was posthumously conferred on him. After graduating from the Faculty of Letters at the University of Tokyo, Inukai Takashi taught at Taipei High School, where he served as the homeroom teacher for students such as Koo Kuan-min(辜寬敏) and Takeuchi Akihiro(竹內昭太郎). During his time at Taipei High School (officially known as Taiwan Governor-General's Taipei Senior High School(臺灣總督府臺北高等學校)), Inukai captivated many students with his unique "Inukai melody" while reciting the *Man'yōshū* (萬葉集). Students like Huang Bo-chao(黃伯超, Koo Kuan-min(辜寬敏), and Wu Jiantang(吳建堂) (pen name: 孤蓬萬里) were so enchanted by it that they continued to recite *Man'yōshū* (萬葉集) using the "Inukai melody" (犬養節) even into their old age (around 2023). In addition, he mentored future luminaries such as Dr. Wu Jiantang(吳建堂) (pen name: 孤蓬萬里), who later became a renowned physician. In 1996, Dr. Wu received the prestigious Kikuchi Kan Prize in Japan for his book *Taiwan Man'yōshū*. When he was a professor of Osaka University, he walked around with his students the places where each verse of the Man'yōshū was composed, in order to help them understand the essences of the Man'yōshū more deeply. His idea impressed the students very much, and they went for more than 250 trips all over the country for almost 50 years, until he died in 1998. The total number of participants of those Osaka University Man'yo trips reached more than 40,000. In addition to teaching his students, he helped the people be more familiar with the Man'yōshū. Countless of people was attracted by the Man'yōshū thanks to his activities. He gave a lecture on Man'yōshū to Emperor Shōwa on the top of a hill in Asuka, Nara, on December 4, 1979. Inukai Man'yō Memorial Hall in Asuka, Nara Prefecture is dedicated to Inukai.
Asaichi Isobe (磯部 浅一, Isobe Asaichi; 1 April 1905 – 19 August 1937) was an Imperial Japanese Army officer who was one…
Asaichi Isobe (磯部 浅一, Isobe Asaichi; 1 April 1905 – 19 August 1937) was an Imperial Japanese Army officer who was one of the leaders of the 26 February Incident, a coup d'etat attempt by young officers of the Imperial Way Faction.
Iku Takenaka (竹中郁, Takenaka Iku 1904–1982) was a Japanese poet from Hyogo prefecture. He graduated from Kwansei Gakuin…
Iku Takenaka (竹中郁, Takenaka Iku 1904–1982) was a Japanese poet from Hyogo prefecture. He graduated from Kwansei Gakuin University. His best-known work is a cinepoem Rugby. He met Ryunosuke Akutagawa who wrote closet screenplays, just before Akutagawa's suicide, and then, in Akutagawa's home, he also met Tatsuo Hori, whose work 'Kaze Tachinu' inspired Hayao Miyazaki's last work. He also met Man Ray in Paris, when Ray created cinepoems, to interview Ray for a magazine. His Dharma name was Shunkōin Shisen Ikudō Koji (春光院詩仙郁道居士).
Takuji Nakamura (1 April 1897 – 31 January 1988) was a Japanese painter. His work was part of the painting event in the…
Takuji Nakamura (1 April 1897 – 31 January 1988) was a Japanese painter. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Yasujiro Niwa (丹羽 保次郎, Niwa Yasujirō; April 1, 1893 – February 28, 1975) was a Japanese electrical scientist from…
Yasujiro Niwa (丹羽 保次郎, Niwa Yasujirō; April 1, 1893 – February 28, 1975) was a Japanese electrical scientist from Matsusaka, Mie. In the 1920s, he invented a simple device for phototelegraphic transmission through cable and later via radio, a technology that contributed to the development of mechanical television in Japan. He later became the Director of the Department of Electronic Engineering at the University of Tokyo. He was awarded the Order of Cultural Merits and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure. On April 18, 1985, the Japan Patent Office selected him as one of Ten Japanese Great Inventors.
Ōnosato Mansuke (Japanese: 大ノ里 萬助; born Mansuke Tennai (天内 萬助), April 1, 1892 - January 22, 1938) was a Japanese…
Ōnosato Mansuke (Japanese: 大ノ里 萬助; born Mansuke Tennai (天内 萬助), April 1, 1892 - January 22, 1938) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from the Minamitsugaru District (now Fujisaki) in the Aomori Prefecture. Nicknamed Sumō no kami-sama (相撲の神様; Sumo god),, he was one of the leaders of the Shunjuen Incident.
Asasaburo Kobayashi (小林浅三郎, Kobayashi Asasaburo; 1 April 1891 – 7 March 1974) was an Imperial Japanese Army lieutenant…
Asasaburo Kobayashi (小林浅三郎, Kobayashi Asasaburo; 1 April 1891 – 7 March 1974) was an Imperial Japanese Army lieutenant general during World War II who mostly served in staff positions.
Mochizuki Keisuke (望月 圭介; 1 April 1867 – 1 January 1941) was a Japanese politician active during the Taishō and early…
Mochizuki Keisuke (望月 圭介; 1 April 1867 – 1 January 1941) was a Japanese politician active during the Taishō and early Shōwa periods. He served twice as Minister of Communications (1927–1928, 1935–1936) and once as Minister of Home Affairs (1928–1929). In the latter position, he oversaw increased prosecution of members of the Japanese Communist Party under the Peace Preservation Law.
Marshal-Admiral Viscount Katō Tomosaburō (加藤 友三郎; 22 February 1861 – 24 August 1923) was a career officer in the…
Marshal-Admiral Viscount Katō Tomosaburō (加藤 友三郎; 22 February 1861 – 24 August 1923) was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy, cabinet minister, and Prime Minister of Japan from 1922 to 1923.