This is a list of J.League designated special players, picked by J.League clubs from universities and high schools all…This is a list of J.League designated special players, picked by J.League clubs from universities and high schools all over Japan.
Shiho Matsumoto (Japanese: 松本信歩; born 3 April 2002) is a Japanese competitive swimmer who specialises in the individual…Shiho Matsumoto (Japanese: 松本信歩; born 3 April 2002) is a Japanese competitive swimmer who specialises in the individual medley and freestyle events. She represented Japan at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya. At the 2026 Asian Games, she won a silver medal in the mixed 4 × 100 metre medley relay and a bronze medal in the women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay.
Kōhei Okuno (奥野 耕平, Okuno Kōhei; born April 3, 2000) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for…Kōhei Okuno (奥野 耕平, Okuno Kōhei; born April 3, 2000) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for J1 League club Avispa Fukuoka.
Kanna Kudo (Japanese: 工藤 環奈; born 3 April 1999) is a Japanese softball player who plays as an infielder for Bic Camera…Kanna Kudo (Japanese: 工藤 環奈; born 3 April 1999) is a Japanese softball player who plays as an infielder for Bic Camera Takasaki Bee Queen and the Japan women's national softball team. She has won gold medals at the World Games, the Asian Games and the Women's Softball World Cup. Her domestic honours include an East Division Most Valuable Player award, a batting title and two Best Nine selections in the Japan Diamond Softball League.
Kazuaki Tateno (立野 和明, Tateno Kazuaki; born April 3, 1998) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is a pitcher…Kazuaki Tateno (立野 和明, Tateno Kazuaki; born April 3, 1998) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is a pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Ryuolivier Iwamoto (岩元 颯オリビエ, Iwamoto Ryuolivier; born April 3, 1996) is a Japanese former professional footballer who…Ryuolivier Iwamoto (岩元 颯オリビエ, Iwamoto Ryuolivier; born April 3, 1996) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward. After his football career, Iwamoto went to university, and started working as a banker.
Naoto Sawai (澤井 直人, Sawai Naoto; born 3 April 1995) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for…Naoto Sawai (澤井 直人, Sawai Naoto; born 3 April 1995) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Criacao Shinjuku
Takeshi Miyamoto (宮本 丈, Miyamoto Takeshi; born April 3, 1995 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese professional…Takeshi Miyamoto (宮本 丈, Miyamoto Takeshi; born April 3, 1995 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese professional baseball player. He plays infielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
Shota Takeda (武田 翔太, Takeda Shota; born April 3, 1993) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the SSG Landers…Shota Takeda (武田 翔太, Takeda Shota; born April 3, 1993) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the SSG Landers of the KBO League. He has previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Koki Matsuzawa (松澤 香輝, Matsuzawa Koki; born 3 April 1992) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a goalkeeper…Koki Matsuzawa (松澤 香輝, Matsuzawa Koki; born 3 April 1992) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a goalkeeper for Vegalta Sendai.
Gōki Maeda (前田 公輝, Maeda Gōki; born 3 April 1991, in Kanagawa Prefecture) is a Japanese actor. He is represented with…Gōki Maeda (前田 公輝, Maeda Gōki; born 3 April 1991, in Kanagawa Prefecture) is a Japanese actor. He is represented with Horipro.
Yuka Osaki (大崎 佑圭, Osaki Yuka; born April 3, 1990), née Yuka Mamiya (間宮 佑圭, Mamiya Yuka), is a Japanese basketball…Yuka Osaki (大崎 佑圭, Osaki Yuka; born April 3, 1990), née Yuka Mamiya (間宮 佑圭, Mamiya Yuka), is a Japanese basketball player. She represented Japan in the basketball competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Kazuhito Kishida (岸田和人, Kishida Kazuhito; born 3 April 1990) is a Japanese footballer who plays for J2 League club…Kazuhito Kishida (岸田和人, Kishida Kazuhito; born 3 April 1990) is a Japanese footballer who plays for J2 League club Baleine Shimonoseki, as a forward.
Shohei Kishida (岸田 翔平, Kishida Shōhei; born April 3, 1990) is a Japanese football player who plays as a defender for…Shohei Kishida (岸田 翔平, Kishida Shōhei; born April 3, 1990) is a Japanese football player who plays as a defender for J-Lease FC.
Yuto Otsuka (大塚 勇人, Ōtsuka Yūto; born April 3, 1990) is a Japanese professional basketball player who plays for the…Yuto Otsuka (大塚 勇人, Ōtsuka Yūto; born April 3, 1990) is a Japanese professional basketball player who plays for the Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka of the B.League in Japan.
Koken Kato (加藤 弘堅, Katō Kōken; born 3 April 1989 in Chiba) is a Japanese football player who plays for AC Nagano…Koken Kato (加藤 弘堅, Katō Kōken; born 3 April 1989 in Chiba) is a Japanese football player who plays for AC Nagano Parceiro.
Hirokazu Sawamura (澤村 拓一, Sawamura Hirokazu; born April 3, 1988) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He…Hirokazu Sawamura (澤村 拓一, Sawamura Hirokazu; born April 3, 1988) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants and Chiba Lotte Marines, and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox. Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 212 pounds (96 kg), he throws and bats right-handed.
Saori Kitakaze (北風 沙織, Kitakaze Saori; born April 3, 1985 in Kushiro) is a Japanese track and field sprint athlete who…Saori Kitakaze (北風 沙織, Kitakaze Saori; born April 3, 1985 in Kushiro) is a Japanese track and field sprint athlete who specializes in the 100 metres. She is the joint Japanese record holder in the 4×100 m relay, having run a time of 43.39 seconds alongside Momoko Takahashi, Chisato Fukushima and Kana Ichikawa at the 2011 Seiko Golden Grand Prix. He first international competitions came in 2004, when she took the bronze medal over 60 metres at the 2004 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships and reached the 100 m semi-finals at that year's World Junior Championships in Athletics. The following year she came fourth at the 2005 East Asian Games before helping the Japanese women to the 4×100 m relay title. An appearance on the continental stage followed at the 2006 Asian Games (where she was seventh in the 100 m final) and a relay silver medal came at the 2007 Asian Athletics Championships. Kitakaze earned her first global level selection for Japan that year, but her relay team was disqualified in the preliminary rounds of the 2007 World Championships in Athletics.
Atsushi Mekaru (銘苅 淳, Mekaru Atsushi; born 3 April 1985) is a Japanese handball player for Puente Genil and the…Atsushi Mekaru (銘苅 淳, Mekaru Atsushi; born 3 April 1985) is a Japanese handball player for Puente Genil and the Japanese national team. He participated at the 2017 World Men's Handball Championship.
Hiraku Hori (Japanese: 堀啓; born April 3, 1982) is a retired Japanese heavyweight kickboxer. A professional from 2001…Hiraku Hori (Japanese: 堀啓; born April 3, 1982) is a retired Japanese heavyweight kickboxer. A professional from 2001 until 2010, he competed almost exclusively in K-1.
Kasumi Nakane (仲根かすみ, Nakane Kasumi) () is a Japanese model, gravure idol, and actress born on 1982-04-03 in…Kasumi Nakane (仲根かすみ, Nakane Kasumi) () is a Japanese model, gravure idol, and actress born on 1982-04-03 in Higashiōsaka, Osaka and raised in Tokyo, Japan. Her birth name was Kasumi Nakasone (仲宗根かすみ, Nakasone Kasumi), and she formerly worked under the name Kasumi Ue (植可澄美, Ue Kasumi). She graduated from the private Horikoshi High School, the same school attended by talent such as Yoko Minamino, Yōko Oginome, Ai Katō, and Masumi Miyazaki.
Yasuhiro Yoshiura (吉浦 康裕, Yoshiura Yasuhiro) (born 3 April 1980) is a Japanese writer and director of animated short…Yasuhiro Yoshiura (吉浦 康裕, Yoshiura Yasuhiro) (born 3 April 1980) is a Japanese writer and director of animated short films. Many of his works such as Pale Cocoon and Time of Eve have garnered awards and featured at film festivals. His production studio is called Studio Rikka. Yoshiura is known for maintaining a high degree of creative control over his projects, often personally handling the screenplay, cinematography, and editing. In a May 2026 interview, he explained that this "indie-style" approach allows him to ensure his original artistic vision remains intact throughout the production process. He also emphasized that his creative routine is deeply influenced by his interest in how technology integrates into daily life, which he uses to ground his science-fiction concepts in reality.
Yuuko Ishibashi (石橋優子, Ishibashi Yūko) is a Japanese singer, born April 3, 1980, in Tokyo, with a four octave vocal…Yuuko Ishibashi (石橋優子, Ishibashi Yūko) is a Japanese singer, born April 3, 1980, in Tokyo, with a four octave vocal range. She is most well known for her vocal performances in Gust-produced video games such as the Ar tonelico series and Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm. She has also performed in various Japanese television advertisements and events, theater, and children's programmes. Her debut album Haruka naru Toki no Utagoe was released January 2008. She is the younger sister of Chie Ishibashi, better known as Chie Sawaguchi.
Masato Watanabe (渡辺 正人, born April 3, 1979, in Osaka) is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder. He played…Masato Watanabe (渡辺 正人, born April 3, 1979, in Osaka) is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2001 to 2012.
Kazunori Yokota (横田 一則, Yokota Kazunori; born April 3, 1978) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka. Yokota…Kazunori Yokota (横田 一則, Yokota Kazunori; born April 3, 1978) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka. Yokota fought for the Japanese MMA promotions DEEP and WVR Sengoku.
Satoshi Yagisawa (八木澤 教司, Yagisawa Satoshi; born 3 April 1975 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese composer. He graduated…Satoshi Yagisawa (八木澤 教司, Yagisawa Satoshi; born 3 April 1975 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese composer. He graduated from the Musashino Academy of Music. He also finished a master's courses and graduated with the master of music. He then worked for two years in music research. His work is varied and includes orchestral music, chamber music, choral music and music for traditional Japanese instruments. His compositions for winds, whose titles are self-descriptive, are kept in a dramatic musical language. Furthermore, he acts as a judge in competitions, as guest conductor with many orchestras and as the author of articles in professional journals ("The Flute", "The Clarinet", "The Sax"). He arranged in 2003 the theme of music (Music for planting and sowing by the Emperor and Empress of Japan) for the 54th National Arbor Day in Chiba Prefecture.
Yoshinobu Takahashi (高橋 由伸, born April 3, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball player and manager. He spent…Yoshinobu Takahashi (高橋 由伸, born April 3, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball player and manager. He spent his entire playing career with the Yomiuri Giants and served as the team's manager for three seasons. He graduated from Keio University. A superb contact hitter, he is also known for his exemplary defensive play. He won the Golden Glove award for six consecutive years between 1998 and 2003. Despite his brilliant records, Takahashi has injured himself numerous times over the years going after fly balls. The injuries primarily resulted from his play style, in which he does not give up on fly balls until they hit the ground. His first injury was on September 14, 1999, at a Chunichi Dragons game, where he jumped diagonally against the outfield fence, causing a fractured shoulder bone. He was selected to be part of the Japanese Olympic baseball team for the 2004 Summer Olympics and contributed to the team's bronze medal. Takahashi served as the Giants' manager from 2016 to 2018. After his departure, he stayed on with the Giants as a special adviser.
Koji Uehara (上原 浩治, Uehara Kōji; [ɯehara koːdʑi]; born April 3, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball…Koji Uehara (上原 浩治, Uehara Kōji; [ɯehara koːdʑi]; born April 3, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), as well as the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). A right-handed pitcher, Uehara has an MLB career strikeout rate of 10.7 K/9 innings and a walk rate of 1.5 BB/9 innings through the 2017 season. Through the 2017 season, his career 7.33 K/BB is the best in MLB history for a player with at least 100 innings pitched. Uehara won the 2013 ALCS MVP Award, and closed the final game of the 2013 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. With his World Series win, Uehara became one of sixteen players in history to have won both a World Series and a World Baseball Classic.
Yo Oizumi (大泉 洋, Ōizumi Yō; born April 3, 1973) is a Japanese actor, comedian, television personality and voice actor.…Yo Oizumi (大泉 洋, Ōizumi Yō; born April 3, 1973) is a Japanese actor, comedian, television personality and voice actor. He is a member of the theatrical and musical unit Team Nacs, and is represented by Creative Office Cue. His wife Kumiko Nakajima is a drama producer at Fuji TV. His senior brother Jun Oizumi is 10th public elected Mayor of Hakodate. In 1995, while still in university, Oizumi debuted as an entertainer on the late-night program Mosaic nights aired in Hokkaidō. He first gained popularity on the television series How Do You Like Wednesday?, and has since expanded to various fields of entertainment, such as television dramas, films, voice acting and music.
Ayako Nakano (中野 亜弥子, Nakano Ayako; born 3 April 1973) is a Japanese former swimmer who competed in the 1988 Summer…Ayako Nakano (中野 亜弥子, Nakano Ayako; born 3 April 1973) is a Japanese former swimmer who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics and in the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Yoshimi Narita (Japanese: 成田 良美, Hepburn: Narita Yoshimi; born April 3, 1973) is a Japanese anime screenwriter, who is…Yoshimi Narita (Japanese: 成田 良美, Hepburn: Narita Yoshimi; born April 3, 1973) is a Japanese anime screenwriter, who is mostly known for writing Ojamajo Doremi and Pretty Cure series, as well as Kokuhaku Jikkō Iinkai: Ren'ai Series, Dakaichi, Dance Dance Danseur and Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie. Narita is a member of the Writers Guild of Japan.
Toshikazu Kawaguchi (川口 俊和; born 3 April 1971) is a Japanese author, screenwriter, and director born in Osaka, Japan.…Toshikazu Kawaguchi (川口 俊和; born 3 April 1971) is a Japanese author, screenwriter, and director born in Osaka, Japan. He has received the Grand Prize of the Suginami Theatre Festival for his stage version of Before the Coffee Gets Cold as well as having been nominated for the Bookseller's Award for the novel version. The novel has been translated into 46 languages, selling over six million copies. He has produced, directed, and wrote for theatrical group Sonic Snail. His works explore themes of love, loss, grief, and kindness.
Shinji Fujiyoshi (藤吉 信次, Fujiyoshi Shinji; born April 3, 1970) is a Japanese football manager and former player. He is…Shinji Fujiyoshi (藤吉 信次, Fujiyoshi Shinji; born April 3, 1970) is a Japanese football manager and former player. He is currently manager of Fukui United.
Seiichi Tanabe (田辺誠一) is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best actor at the 24th Yokohama Film Festival for Hush!…Seiichi Tanabe (田辺誠一) is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best actor at the 24th Yokohama Film Festival for Hush! and at the 27th Hochi Film Award for Hush! and Harmful Insect.
Yuichi Yokoyama (横山裕一, Yokoyama Yūichi, born April 3, 1967) is a Japanese manga artist, illustrator and painter.…Yuichi Yokoyama (横山裕一, Yokoyama Yūichi, born April 3, 1967) is a Japanese manga artist, illustrator and painter. Trained in oil painting, Yokoyama transitioned from fine art to manga in the mid-1990s, seeking a more suitable medium to explore concepts of time, space, and motion, and had his breakthrough as an artist in the 2000s. His works are characterized by abstract environments, mechanical repetition, minimal dialogue, and immersive use of onomatopoeia, challenging traditional manga conventions and described as "neo manga". Internationally acclaimed, Yokoyama's work has been published and exhibited, among others, in France, the United States and South Korea.
Tadanori Koshino (越野 忠則, Koshino Tadanori; born 3 April 1966 in Shiranuka, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a retired judoka who…Tadanori Koshino (越野 忠則, Koshino Tadanori; born 3 April 1966 in Shiranuka, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a retired judoka who competed in the –60 kg division.
Yoshiko Tominaga (富永 美子, Tominaga Yoshiko; born April 3, 1966), better known by her stage name Miina Tominaga (冨永 みーな…Yoshiko Tominaga (富永 美子, Tominaga Yoshiko; born April 3, 1966), better known by her stage name Miina Tominaga (冨永 みーな, Tominaga Mīna), is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer from Nishi-ku, Hiroshima. She is currently affiliated with Haikyō. Tominaga is best known for her roles in Sazae-san as Katsuo Isono, Persia, the Magic Fairy as Persia Hayami, Let's Go! Anpanman as Rollpanna and Dokin-chan, Patlabor as Noa Izumi, Maison Ikkoku as Kozue Nanao, Rurouni Kenshin as Myōjin Yahiko, Jigoku Sensei Nūbē as Miki Hosokawa, DNA² as Karin Aoi and Bikkuriman 2000 as Takeru.
Tatsuto Mochida (持田 達人, Mochida Tatsuto; born April 3, 1965) is a Japanese judoka. He was born in Shima, Fukuoka, and…Tatsuto Mochida (持田 達人, Mochida Tatsuto; born April 3, 1965) is a Japanese judoka. He was born in Shima, Fukuoka, and began judo at Kodogakusha (講道学舎, Kōdōgakusha) in earnest at the age of a junior high student. After graduating from Nihon University, Mochida entered the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and won a silver medal at the -78 kg category of the World Championships in 1989. He was good at Okuriashi harai, Harai tsurikomi ashi and Uchi mata. Mochida retired after All-Japan Police Championships in 1998. As of 2009, he coaches All-Japan men's judo team and so on.
Katsumi Oenoki (大榎 克己, Ōenoki Katsumi; born April 3, 1965) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan…Katsumi Oenoki (大榎 克己, Ōenoki Katsumi; born April 3, 1965) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Kazuhiko Ōigawa (大井川 和彦, Ōigawa Kazuhiko; born 3 April 1964) is a Japanese politician who serves as the current…Kazuhiko Ōigawa (大井川 和彦, Ōigawa Kazuhiko; born 3 April 1964) is a Japanese politician who serves as the current governor of Ibaraki Prefecture. A native of Tsuchiura and graduate of the Law School of the University of Tokyo, he entered the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (now Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) in 1988. After studying at University of Washington Law School in 1996, in 1998 he became the first head of the Singapore office for the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. He left the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2003, and from that same year he was a Microsoft Asia Executive Officer. After serving as Managing Executive Officer of Microsoft, he became Senior Managing Executive Officer of Cisco Systems from 2010 and in 2016, he was appointed as a director of Dwango, the company that manages Niconico Douga. He was elected governor of Ibaraki prefecture in 2017 after defeating six-term incumbent Masaru Hashimoto in a three cornered race. In July 2019, Ibaraki became the first prefecture to issue partnership certificates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples. Announcing the reform, Gov. Ōigawa stated that ″This is a matter of human rights, and we must work swiftly in order to eliminate discrimination and prejudices″.
Yukio Tomioka (富岡 由紀夫, Tomioka Yukio; born April 3, 1964) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a…Yukio Tomioka (富岡 由紀夫, Tomioka Yukio; born April 3, 1964) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a former member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Kawaguchi, Saitama and graduate of Waseda University, he worked at the Fuji Bank (now part of Mizuho Financial Group) from 1987 until 2003 when he ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives. In 2004, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time.
Tsuyoshi Sekito (関戸 剛, Sekito Tsuyoshi; born April 3, 1963) is a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician…Tsuyoshi Sekito (関戸 剛, Sekito Tsuyoshi; born April 3, 1963) is a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician who has been employed at Square Enix since 1995. As a composer, he is best known for scoring Brave Fencer Musashi (1998), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) and The Last Remnant (2008). He also plays the guitar in the rock bands The Black Mages and The Star Onions; both groups arrange and perform compositions from the Final Fantasy series.
Yukihiro Torikai (鳥飼 行博, Torikai Yukihiro; born 1959) is a Japanese economist of Department of Human Development…Yukihiro Torikai (鳥飼 行博, Torikai Yukihiro; born 1959) is a Japanese economist of Department of Human Development, School of Humanities & Culture, Tokai University (東海大学), which Shyonan campus is located in Hiratuka. His major is development economics and environmental economics for sustainable development from the view point of developing economies.
Kirishima Kazuhiro (霧島 一博; born April 3, 1959) is a former sumo wrestler from Makizono, Kagoshima, Japan, who held the…Kirishima Kazuhiro (霧島 一博; born April 3, 1959) is a former sumo wrestler from Makizono, Kagoshima, Japan, who held the second highest rank of ōzeki from 1990 to 1992 and won one top division tournament championship, and was runner up in seven others. He retired in March 1996, and from December 1997 until April 2024 was the head coach of Michinoku stable under the elder name of Michinoku.