Takakazu Seto (瀬戸隆一, Seto Takakazu; born 2 August 1965) is a Japanese politician serving as state minister of the…Takakazu Seto (瀬戸隆一, Seto Takakazu; born 2 August 1965) is a Japanese politician serving as state minister of the Cabinet Office since 2024. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2023, having previously served from 2012 to 2017.
Taku Tsumugi (紡木たく, Tsumugi Taku; born August 2, 1964) is a Japanese manga artist. She published manga mostly in the…Taku Tsumugi (紡木たく, Tsumugi Taku; born August 2, 1964) is a Japanese manga artist. She published manga mostly in the 1980s and 1990s in the magazine Bessatsu Margaret. She was commercially successful; her series Hot Road (1986–1987) was one of the best-selling shōjo manga of the 1980s. Tsumugi developed a specific style within the visual and narrative grammar of shōjo manga to convey the emotional depth of her characters. Her storytelling techniques and play with form got attention by manga scholars and critic.
Satoko Yamano (山野 さと子, Yamano Satoko; born August 2, 1963) is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Higashiōsaka…Satoko Yamano (山野 さと子, Yamano Satoko; born August 2, 1963) is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Higashiōsaka, Osaka, Japan. She is known for having performed over 1,000 songs, famously the second opening rendition of Doraemon no Uta that was used as the opening theme song for the Doraemon television series from 1992 to 2002 and for the Doraemon films from 1989 to 2004.
Natsuko Fujimori (藤森 奈津子, Fujimori Natsuko; born August 2, 1961) is a retired Japanese women's professional shogi…Natsuko Fujimori (藤森 奈津子, Fujimori Natsuko; born August 2, 1961) is a retired Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 4-dan.
Sugao Kambe (神戸 清雄, Kambe Sugao; born August 2, 1961) is a Japanese football manager and former player who was recently…Sugao Kambe (神戸 清雄, Kambe Sugao; born August 2, 1961) is a Japanese football manager and former player who was recently the head coach of Thai League 1 club Sukhothai. He formerly managed The Philippines, Guam and Northern Mariana Islands national teams.
Kazuki Yamashita (山下万喜, Yamashita Kazuki; born 2 August 1960) is a retired Japanese naval officer who served as…Kazuki Yamashita (山下万喜, Yamashita Kazuki; born 2 August 1960) is a retired Japanese naval officer who served as Commander of the Self Defense Fleet of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) from 2016 to 2019. He was the 49th Commander of the Self-Defense Fleet, succeeding Yasuhiro Shigeoka, and was himself succeeded in 2019 by Hiroyuki Kasui.
Chiaki Takahashi (高橋 千秋, Takahashi Chiaki; born August 2, 1956) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of…Chiaki Takahashi (高橋 千秋, Takahashi Chiaki; born August 2, 1956) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Anō, Mie and graduate of Meiji University, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 2000 after running unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in 1998.
Kazuyoshi Sekine (関根和美 Sekine Kazuyoshi), also known as Kazumi Sekine, was a Japanese film director, a dramatist, and a…Kazuyoshi Sekine (関根和美 Sekine Kazuyoshi), also known as Kazumi Sekine, was a Japanese film director, a dramatist, and a movie producer and the president of Sekine Production production company (関根プロ). He was born in Tokyo in 1954, and died in 2019. He mainly directs films produced by independent studios. He is married to the actress Izumi Aki, who has appeared in his films. Many of his films are urban love stories.
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.
Kenji Nakagami (Japanese: 中上 健次, Nakagami Kenji; 2 August 1946 – 12 August 1992) was a Japanese writer, critic, and…Kenji Nakagami (Japanese: 中上 健次, Nakagami Kenji; 2 August 1946 – 12 August 1992) was a Japanese writer, critic, and poet. He was one of the most prominent and influential Japanese writers of the post-war era, known for his novels, short stories, and essays that powerfully depicted the lives of Japan's burakumin outcaste community. Born into a buraku in Shingū, Wakayama, Nakagami was the first writer from this background to win the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, which he received in 1976 for his novella The Cape (岬, Misaki). His writing is characterized by a rhythmic, visceral prose style that drew heavily on oral storytelling traditions, folklore, and the dialect of his native Kumano region. Nakagami's major works, including the "Akiyuki trilogy"—The Cape, Withered Tree Straits (枯木灘, Karekinada), and The Ends of the Earth, the Supreme Time (地の果て至上の時, Chi no hate, shijō no toki)—form a complex family saga set in the roji (路地, alleyways), a fictionalized version of his hometown's buraku. These narratives explore themes of bloodlines, incest, violence, sexuality, and the interplay between myth and history. After publicly revealing his burakumin origins in 1977, Nakagami became a vocal public intellectual, engaging in critical dialogues about discrimination, Japanese literature, and national identity. He sought to represent the voices of the mukoku (voiceless), the socially silenced people of Japan. He consciously positioned his work against the mainstream of modern Japanese literature, which he critiqued for its exclusion of marginalized voices and its adherence to what he called the "emperor's syntax". Adopting the concept of "parallax" to describe his dual perspective as both an insider to the buraku and an outsider to mainstream society, he sought to create a "strange new tongue" rooted in the peripheral experiences of his community. He died from kidney cancer at the age of 46.
Philip Murray Condit (born August 2, 1941) is an American engineer and businessman who was Chair and Chief executive…Philip Murray Condit (born August 2, 1941) is an American engineer and businessman who was Chair and Chief executive officer (CEO) of the Boeing company from 1996 to 2003. He dramatically reshaped the company by its merger with McDonnell Douglas and relocating Boeing's headquarters from Seattle to Chicago. He resigned to take symbolic responsibility for a military procurement scandal, although he was not accused of any ethical breaches.
Shigeko Kubota (久保田 成子, Kubota Shigeko) (August 2, 1937 – July 23, 2015) was a Japanese video artist, sculptor and…Shigeko Kubota (久保田 成子, Kubota Shigeko) (August 2, 1937 – July 23, 2015) was a Japanese video artist, sculptor and avant-garde performance artist, who mostly lived in New York City. She was one of the first artists to adopt the portable video camera Sony Portapak in 1970, likening it to a "new paintbrush." Kubota is known for constructing sculptural installations with a strong DIY aesthetic, which include sculptures with embedded monitors playing her original videos. She was a key member and influence on Fluxus, the international group of avant-garde artists centered on George Maciunas, having been involved with the group since witnessing John Cage perform in Tokyo in 1962 and subsequently moving to New York in 1964. She was closely associated with George Brecht, Jackson Mac Low, John Cage, Joe Jones, Nam June Paik, and Ay-O, among other members of Fluxus. Kubota was deemed "Vice Chairman" of the Fluxus Organization by Maciunas. Kubota's video and sculptural works are mainly shown in galleries. Her use of the physical television as a component of her work differs from other video artists of the 1960s who made experimental broadcast programs as a move against the hegemony of major networks. Kubota is known for her contribution to the expansion of the field of video into the field of sculpture and for her works addressing the place of video in art history. Her work explores the influence of the technology, and more specifically the television set, on personal memory and the emotions. Some works for example eulogize while also exploring the presence of the deceased in video footage and recorded images such as her Duchampiana series, the video My Father, and her later works Korean Grave and Winter in Miami which eulogize her husband Nam June Paik. Kubota's sculptures also play with ways in which video footage and sculptures utilize videos to evoke nature, as in her Meta-Marcel, Bird, and Tree series' and in River, and Rock Video: Cherry Blossoms.
Daishin Noboru (born August 2, 1937 as Tomeo Nagata; died March 20, 2012) was a sumo wrestler from Oshamambe, Hokkaidō…Daishin Noboru (born August 2, 1937 as Tomeo Nagata; died March 20, 2012) was a sumo wrestler from Oshamambe, Hokkaidō, Japan. His highest rank was maegashira 8. He was an original member of the Miyagino stable founded by yokozuna Yoshibayama. He made his professional debut in May 1956, reaching the top makuuchi division in July 1965. He won the jūryō division championship or yūshō in May 1966. He retired in March 1969.
Etsushi Takahashi (高橋 悦史, Takahashi Etsushi; 2 August 1935 – 19 May 1996) was a Japanese actor from Kishiwada, Osaka…Etsushi Takahashi (高橋 悦史, Takahashi Etsushi; 2 August 1935 – 19 May 1996) was a Japanese actor from Kishiwada, Osaka Prefecture. Takahashi often worked with Kihachi Okamoto and Satsuo Yamamoto. After graduating from Rikkyo University, Takahashi joined NHK acting school. In 1964, he joined Bungakuza Theatre Company's acting school and became an official member in 1967. In the same year, he gave his film debut with Watashi Machigatterukashira?. He received the Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year in 1968. He appeared in Onihei's Detective Records, although he was fighting against cancer, and the film became his final film appearance.
Toranosuke Katayama (片山 虎之助, Katayama Toranosuke; 2 August 1935 – 18 December 2025) was a Japanese politician who held…Toranosuke Katayama (片山 虎之助, Katayama Toranosuke; 2 August 1935 – 18 December 2025) was a Japanese politician who held multiple different cabinet posts. He was a former member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and was co-president of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japanese: Japan Restoration Party; JPR) alongside Ichirō Matsui from 2016 to 2021.
Noboru Ishiguro (石黒昇, Ishiguro Noboru; 2 August 1932 – 11 February 2021) was a Japanese racewalker. He competed in the…Noboru Ishiguro (石黒昇, Ishiguro Noboru; 2 August 1932 – 11 February 2021) was a Japanese racewalker. He competed in the men's 20 kilometres walk at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Ishiguro died on 11 February 2021 of esophageal cancer. He had been scheduled to serve as the Olympic torch carrier for Saitama Prefecture during the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Takashi Takabayashi (高林 隆, Takabayashi Takashi; August 2, 1931 – December 27, 2009) was a Japanese football player. He…Takashi Takabayashi (高林 隆, Takabayashi Takashi; August 2, 1931 – December 27, 2009) was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Yoko Tani (谷洋子, Tani Yōko; 2 August 1928 – 19 April 1999) was a French-born Japanese actress and nightclub entertainer…Yoko Tani (谷洋子, Tani Yōko; 2 August 1928 – 19 April 1999) was a French-born Japanese actress and nightclub entertainer, who had a career in both Japanese and European cinema during the 1950s and 1960s.
Morinaga Sōkō (盛永 宗興, Morinaga Sōkō; 2 August 1925 – 12 June 1995) was a Rinzai Rōshi. He was the abbot of Daishu-in, a…Morinaga Sōkō (盛永 宗興, Morinaga Sōkō; 2 August 1925 – 12 June 1995) was a Rinzai Rōshi. He was the abbot of Daishu-in, a sub-temple of the Myōshin-ji complex within Ryōan-ji. Between 1986 and 1994 he was president of Hanazono University.
Katsutoshi Nagasawa (長沢 勝俊, Nagasawa Katsutoshi; August 2, 1923 – January 10, 2008) was a Japanese composer of…Katsutoshi Nagasawa (長沢 勝俊, Nagasawa Katsutoshi; August 2, 1923 – January 10, 2008) was a Japanese composer of classical music with a modern approach. Nagasawa composed for traditional Japanese musical instruments (e.g., Shakuhachi, Koto, Shamisen). Nagasawa was born in 1923 in Tokyo and graduated from Nihon University. He was one of the founding members of Pro Musica Nipponia (日本音楽集団) in 1964, a group of famous Japanese composers and musicians who aim at performing classical and contemporary compositions from both Japan and the West. The group's music is performed by traditional Japanese musical instruments. From 1949, he was also the musical supervisor for the puppet theater “Puk.” In 1990, he received the Purple Ribbon Medal from the Japanese government. He has been part of six overseas tours with Pro Musica Nipponia.
Tomio Koyanagi (小柳 富男, Koyanagi Tomio; August 2, 1916 – December 14, 1971) was a Japanese diver who competed in the…Tomio Koyanagi (小柳 富男, Koyanagi Tomio; August 2, 1916 – December 14, 1971) was a Japanese diver who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. In 1936 he finished eighth in the 3 metre springboard event as well as eighth in the 10 metre platform competition.
Sueo Ōe (大江 季雄, Ōe Sueo; August 2, 1914 – December 24, 1941) was a Japanese athlete who competed mainly in the pole…Sueo Ōe (大江 季雄, Ōe Sueo; August 2, 1914 – December 24, 1941) was a Japanese athlete who competed mainly in the pole vault. He won a bronze medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany, tying with his teammate Shuhei Nishida. When the two declined to compete against each other to decide a winner, Nishida was awarded the silver after a decision of the Japanese team, on the basis that Nishida had cleared the height in fewer attempts. On their return to Japan, Nishida and Ōe had their Olympic medals cut in half, and had a jeweler splice together two new medals, half in bronze and half in silver. In 1937 Ōe set a national record at 4 m 35 cm that stood for 21 years. In 1939 he joined the Imperial Japanese Army and was killed in action in Luzon on December 24, 1941.
Junji Kinoshita (木下 順二, Kinoshita Junji; 2 August 1914 – 30 October 2006) was a Japanese playwright. He was the…Junji Kinoshita (木下 順二, Kinoshita Junji; 2 August 1914 – 30 October 2006) was a Japanese playwright. He was the foremost playwright of modern drama in postwar Japan. He was also a translator and scholar of Shakespeare's plays. Kinoshita’s achievements were not limited to Japan. He helped to promote theatrical exchanges between Japan and the People’s Republic of China, and he traveled broadly in Europe and Asia. In addition to his international work, Kinoshita joined various societies that focused on the study of folktales and the Japanese language.
Masaki Iinuma (飯沼 壮貴, Iinuma Masaki; 27 November 1912 – December 1941) was a Japanese aviator. Iinuma was born in…Masaki Iinuma (飯沼 壮貴, Iinuma Masaki; 27 November 1912 – December 1941) was a Japanese aviator. Iinuma was born in Toyoshina (now part of Azumino, Nagano Prefecture), and was a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Army flying school at Tokorozawa. At age 24 he gained fame as the pilot on the Kamikaze (神風号, Kamikaze-go), a Mitsubishi Ki-15 Karigane aircraft, (registration J-BAAI) sponsored by the newspaper Asahi Shimbun. It became famous on April 9, 1937, as the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly from Japan to Europe, making the flight between Tokyo and London, in time for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The total elapsed time from departure from the Tachikawa Airfield was 94 hours, 17 minutes and 56 seconds, with actual flight time for the whole distance of 15,357 kilometres (9,542 mi) was 51 hours, 19 minutes and 23 seconds. The crew consisted of pilot Iinuma and navigator Kenji Tsukagoshi. The flight was the first Fédération Aéronautique Internationale record won by Japanese aviators. Iinuma later served as chief test pilot for the Kayaba Ka-1 autogyro from May 1941. Iinuma was killed in December 1941 at Phnom Penh airfield in French Indochina when, in a daze from hearing the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces, he accidentally walked into a spinning aircraft propeller. His death was officially reported as a military casualty.
Kiyoshi "Karl" Kawakami (河上 清, Kawakami Kiyoshi; 8 August 1873 – 12 October 1949) was a Japanese Christian journalist…Kiyoshi "Karl" Kawakami (河上 清, Kawakami Kiyoshi; 8 August 1873 – 12 October 1949) was a Japanese Christian journalist who published several books in the United States and the United Kingdom. He was born in Yonezawa, educated in the law in Japan, and was for a short time engaged in newspaper work in that country. He sometimes wrote under the name of K. K. Kawakami. Although Japanese do not have middle names, he is said to have been a socialist in his youth, when he apparently adopted the middle name "Karl" (from Karl Marx). In 1901 he travelled to the United States and studied at the universities of Iowa and Wisconsin. In 1905, engaged in journalism, he traveled extensively in China, Siberia, and Russia. He was a correspondent for leading newspapers in Tokyo and a frequent contributor to American magazines and newspapers.
Ichinohe Hyōe (一戸 兵衛; August 2, 1855 – September 2, 1931) was a Japanese soldier, military strategist, Imperial…Ichinohe Hyōe (一戸 兵衛; August 2, 1855 – September 2, 1931) was a Japanese soldier, military strategist, Imperial Japanese Army officer, and Shintō priest. A meticulous planner, the casualty rate of his command was far fewer than that of his fellow officers while achieving the same objectives.
Clara Matsuno (松野 クララ, Matsuno Kurara; 2 August 1853 – 1931), born Clara Louise Zitelmann, was a German-born educator…Clara Matsuno (松野 クララ, Matsuno Kurara; 2 August 1853 – 1931), born Clara Louise Zitelmann, was a German-born educator, a pioneer in the kindergarten movement in Japan.
Chiba Takusaburō (千葉 卓三郎; 17 June 1852 – 12 November 1883)—also known as Chiba Takuron—lived as an obscure liberal…Chiba Takusaburō (千葉 卓三郎; 17 June 1852 – 12 November 1883)—also known as Chiba Takuron—lived as an obscure liberal political activist and schoolteacher in the late Tokugawa, early Meiji period. In his younger years, Takusaburō studied Confucian, Buddhist, Christian and Methodist thought. In his later years, Takusaburō devoted his life in disseminating the importance of liberty and rights for the people. His numerous texts include the draft constitution in 1880 (influenced by texts regarding English, German and American models of governmental structure), The Institutional Maxims of Chiba Takusaburō, Treatise on the Kingly Way, and On the Futility of Book Learning. Takusaburō died in late 1883 after a long battle with tuberculosis. Chiba Takusaburō attempted to bring forth a "grass roots" society, driven by the people. Chiba is emblematic of how the revolutionary spirit, more frequently attributed to men like Itagaki Taisuke, Ōkuma Shigenobu and Fukuzawa Yukichi, was existent in even low ranking samurai during the Freedom and People's Rights Movement or Jiyū Minken Undō.
