Masanari Nihei (二瓶 正也, Nihei Masanari; 9 December 1940 – 21 August 2021) was a Japanese actor. He played Mitsuhiro Ide…Masanari Nihei (二瓶 正也, Nihei Masanari; 9 December 1940 – 21 August 2021) was a Japanese actor. He played Mitsuhiro Ide in Ultraman, having won the role when originally cast actor Susumu Ishikawa left the production.
Fumio Kyūma (久間 章生, Kyūma Fumio; born 4 December 1940) is a Japanese politician who was a member of the Diet of Japan…Fumio Kyūma (久間 章生, Kyūma Fumio; born 4 December 1940) is a Japanese politician who was a member of the Diet of Japan between 1980 and 2009. Kyuma graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1964 and worked for the Ministry of Agriculture. He was elected to the Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly in 1971 serving three terms before being elected to the Diet as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) for Nagasaki Number 2. He served in 2007 as Japan's first Defense minister.
Syun-Ichi Akasofu (赤祖父 俊一, Akasofu Shun'ichi; born December 4, 1930, Saku, Nagano, Japan) is a Japanese-American…Syun-Ichi Akasofu (赤祖父 俊一, Akasofu Shun'ichi; born December 4, 1930, Saku, Nagano, Japan) is a Japanese-American geophysicist known for his research on auroras, auroral substorms, and magnetospheric physics. He is the founding director of the International Arctic Research Center of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), serving in that position from the center's establishment in 1998 until January 2007. Previously he had been director of the university's Geophysical Institute from 1986.
Reiji Suzuki (鈴木 礼治, Suzuki Reiji; 4 December 1928 – 15 August 2022) was a Japanese politician. He served as governor…Reiji Suzuki (鈴木 礼治, Suzuki Reiji; 4 December 1928 – 15 August 2022) was a Japanese politician. He served as governor of Aichi Prefecture from 1983 to 1999. He was born in Mie Prefecture. He graduated from Nagoya University. He was a recipient of the Order of the Sacred Treasure.
Shigeo Sugimoto (杉本 茂雄, Sugimoto Shigeo; December 4, 1926 – April 2, 2002) was a Japanese football player. He played…Shigeo Sugimoto (杉本 茂雄, Sugimoto Shigeo; December 4, 1926 – April 2, 2002) was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Kōji Harashima (原島 宏治, Harashima Kōji; 4 December 1909 – 9 December 1964) was a Japanese politician and religious…Kōji Harashima (原島 宏治, Harashima Kōji; 4 December 1909 – 9 December 1964) was a Japanese politician and religious leader who briefly served as the first leader of Komeito, in addition to a serving as a board chairman for Soka Gakkai. He served in several other capacities throughout his career as well.
Katsumaro Akamatsu (Japanese: 赤松 克麿, Hepburn: Akamatsu Katsumaro; 4 December 1894 – 13 December 1955) was a Japanese…Katsumaro Akamatsu (Japanese: 赤松 克麿, Hepburn: Akamatsu Katsumaro; 4 December 1894 – 13 December 1955) was a Japanese politician who served in the House of Councillors for Hokkaido 4th district from 1937 to 1942. Initially a left-winger and member of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP), he shifted to the right and embraced fascism. Born in Tokuyama, Yamaguchi, as the son and grandson of high priests, Akamatsu was educated at Tokyo Imperial University and studied under Sakuzō Yoshino. After graduation he became involved in the Japanese Federation of Labour and chief of its political bureau. Akamatsu was a founding member of the JCP, but left to join the Social Democratic Party. He rose to become secretary-general of the party, but left due to his support of Japan's actions during the Mukden incident. Tatsuo Tsukui and Akamatsu formed multiple nationalist and fascist parties before joining the Imperial Rule Assistance Association.
Paul Yachita Tsuchihashi (土橋 八千太, Tsuchihashi Yachita; 4 December 1866 – 3 March 1965) was a Japanese Roman Catholic…Paul Yachita Tsuchihashi (土橋 八千太, Tsuchihashi Yachita; 4 December 1866 – 3 March 1965) was a Japanese Roman Catholic priest, mathematician, astronomer, Sinologist, lexicographer, academic and administrator. Father Paul is known for having developed extensive tables for converting traditional Japanese era dates into Gregorian calendar equivalents — compare, e.g., Calendrical Time Conversion Table which is derived from a formula for determining the numbered date in the Japanese month.
Yoichirō Hirase (平瀬 與一郎, Hirase Yoichirō; December 4, 1859 – May 25, 1925) was a Japanese malacologist and business…Yoichirō Hirase (平瀬 與一郎, Hirase Yoichirō; December 4, 1859 – May 25, 1925) was a Japanese malacologist and business man. His son, Shintarō Hirase, (1884–1939) was also a malacologist. The majority of his collection of molluscs were destroyed during World War II. Yoichirō greatly contributed to the start of malacology in Japan and was responsible for the collection and indirectly the naming of many land and marine mollusks. Revered by malacologists throughout the world for his enthusiasm and contributions to malacology, he has numerous species named after him. Yoichirō lived from 1859 until 1925. He was a wealthy Kyōto dealer in poultry, seeds, and aviculture products who had founded a side business trading in marine and land shells. He began to collect shells in 1898 at age 39. Over the next 20 years, his collection grew to about 3,000 Japanese specimens and 4,500 foreign specimens. He coordinated numerous field collectors to explore the territories and prefectures of Japan gathering both land and marine mollusks. Many of the species found by his team were newly discovered and named in collaboration with many scientists around the world, including H.A. Pilsbry, P. Ehrmann, G.K. Gude, C.F. Ancey, and G.B. Sowerby. Yoichirō was the mentor of Tokubei Kuroda, another forefather of Japanese malacology. Kuroda got his start in malacology under the employ of Yoichiro at age 15. Kuroda's employment initially included cleaning Hirase's large house and looking after his children by day. Hirase paid for Kuroda to attend night school and to learn English, at which he excelled, and arranged for him to learn the basics of systematic biology. A rapid learner and diligent clerk, Kuroda was soon placed in charge of the shell business, and became Hirase's secretary. He was instrumental in the founding and operation of Hirase's Conchological Museum (1913–1919), which was situated near the Kyōto Zoo, and handled most of Hirase's correspondence with foreign researchers. He also helped compile and edit Hirase's Conchological Magazine (1907–1915). Hirase's Conchological museum housed his collection from 1913 until 1919. The museum was compelled to close in 1919 due to his illness and the financial panic brought about by World War I. At its largest, the Hirase collection grew to 15,000 pieces. Prior to WWII, the collection was split to ensure its survival. One third was donated to various museums, including the Smithsonian, one third was kept at the house of his son, Shintarō Hirase in Tokyo, and the last third was stored in the Research Institute for Natural Resources in Tokyo. The majority of the collection was destroyed during incendiary bombing of Tokyo during the war. Only 5000 pieces, mostly consisting of the minute marine specimens, the land specimens, and fresh water specimens, survived the war. The surviving pieces of the collection have been stored in the Research Institute for Natural Resources in Tokyo since 1948.
Baron Yamakawa Hiroshi (山川 浩, Hiroshi Yamakawa; 4 December 1845 – 6 March 1898) was a Japanese general, samurai…Baron Yamakawa Hiroshi (山川 浩, Hiroshi Yamakawa; 4 December 1845 – 6 March 1898) was a Japanese general, samurai, politician and educator. Originally a samurai from Aizu Domain during Bakumatsu, he became a general in the early Meiji era Imperial Japanese Army. He was also one of the first persons, together with his brother Kenjirō, to write a history of the Aizu War from the Aizu perspective. His brother-in-law was general Oyama Iwao, who married his sister Sutematsu.