Akari Watanabe (Japanese: 渡邊 星, Watanabe Akari; born December 8, 2003), more popularly known by her ring name AKARI, is…Akari Watanabe (Japanese: 渡邊 星, Watanabe Akari; born December 8, 2003), more popularly known by her ring name AKARI, is a retired Japanese professional kickboxer. She was the 2021 RISE NEXT QUEEN Tournament winner and a two-time RISE Women's Mini Flyweight title challenger. Between November 2023 and May 2024, she was ranked as one of the ten best women's strawweight kickboxers in the world.
Sayaka Mikami (三上 紗也可, Mikami Sayaka; born 8 December 2000) is a Japanese diver. She competed in the women's 3 metre…Sayaka Mikami (三上 紗也可, Mikami Sayaka; born 8 December 2000) is a Japanese diver. She competed in the women's 3 metre springboard event at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships. She qualified to represent Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Kento Hashimoto (橋本 健人, Hashimoto Kento; born 8 December 1999) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a…Kento Hashimoto (橋本 健人, Hashimoto Kento; born 8 December 1999) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a left-back for J1 League club FC Tokyo.
Junichiro Kishi (岸 潤一郎, Kishi Junichiro; born December 8, 1996) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is an…Junichiro Kishi (岸 潤一郎, Kishi Junichiro; born December 8, 1996) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is an outfielder for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Suzuran Yamauchi (山内 鈴蘭, Yamauchi Suzuran; born December 8, 1994, in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese…Suzuran Yamauchi (山内 鈴蘭, Yamauchi Suzuran; born December 8, 1994, in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese tarento who is represented by the talent agency Horipro. She is a former member of Team S of the female idol group SKE48, and is a former member of its senior group AKB48. Aside from being an idol, Yamauchi is an avid golfer and has been part of several golf television shows. Her best score so far is 80. She has played from a young age and aimed to become a professional golf player in the future like her parents; Masahiro Kuramoto, a pro golfer who was partnered with her in a pro-am tournament in 2011, commented that she had the potential. One of her mentors was former pro golfer Miho Koga. On October 7, 2021, Yamauchi announced her graduation from SKE48. She officially graduated from the group on November 30, at the SKE48 Theater. After graduation, Yamauchi hopes to become a golf coach while continuing entertainment activities as a tarento. Unfortunately, on June 9, 2022, she announced that she had failed the first stage of the teaching license examination course of the PGA of Japan. On July 1, 2022, Yamauchi opened her own golf studio, Choco. The golf studio has its own Italian restaurant, BeleMoco. On January 2, 2024, Yamauchi announced that she has passed a caddy training course.
Atsushi Miyazaki (宮﨑 敦次, born December 8, 1992) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher who played for the…Atsushi Miyazaki (宮﨑 敦次, born December 8, 1992) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher who played for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball in 2016 and 2017.
Satoru Oki (大木 暁, Ōki Satoru; born December 8, 1992 in Tokyo) is a Japanese football player. He plays for Tochigi Uva…Satoru Oki (大木 暁, Ōki Satoru; born December 8, 1992 in Tokyo) is a Japanese football player. He plays for Tochigi Uva FC.
Yui Yokoyama (横山 由依, Yokoyama Yui; born December 8, 1992) is a Japanese actress, YouTuber and former singer. She is a…Yui Yokoyama (横山 由依, Yokoyama Yui; born December 8, 1992) is a Japanese actress, YouTuber and former singer. She is a former member of the idol group AKB48. She was the second General Manager of the AKB48 Group. She had served as the captain of AKB48 Team A, and was a former member of AKB48 sister group NMB48. From 2011 to 2015, Yokoyama was also a member of the group Not Yet.
Shota Emi (翔太江見, Shōta Emi; born 8 December 1991) is a Japanese rugby union player who plays as a wing. He currently…Shota Emi (翔太江見, Shōta Emi; born 8 December 1991) is a Japanese rugby union player who plays as a wing. He currently plays for Suntory Sungoliath in Japan's domestic Top League. He represented the Sunwolves in the 2017 Super Rugby season, scoring a try after just 24 seconds in a match against the Cheetahs, the fastest try recorded in an 18-team Super Rugby competition. Emi also represented Japan at rugby sevens, playing for them at the 2013 World Cup.
Taijiro Mori (森 泰次郎, Mori Taijiro; born December 8, 1991) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a midfielder for Toyama…Taijiro Mori (森 泰次郎, Mori Taijiro; born December 8, 1991) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a midfielder for Toyama Shinjo in Hokushinetsu Football League.
Naoki Kuriyama (栗山 直樹, Kuriyama Naoki; born 8 December 1990), more commonly known as Kuriyama, is a Japanese retired…Naoki Kuriyama (栗山 直樹, Kuriyama Naoki; born 8 December 1990), more commonly known as Kuriyama, is a Japanese retired footballer who played as a centre-back or left-back.
Akihiro Kagoshima (籠島彰宏, Kagoshima Akihiro; born 8 December 1988) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of the…Akihiro Kagoshima (籠島彰宏, Kagoshima Akihiro; born 8 December 1988) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of the House of Councillors since 2025. He previously worked at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the OECD.
Masahiro Inui (乾 真大, Inui Masahiro) (born December 8, 1988) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher. He played in…Masahiro Inui (乾 真大, Inui Masahiro) (born December 8, 1988) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Yomiuri Giants.
Kenta Ishii (石井健太, Ishii Kenta; born 8 December 1987 in Shizuoka), is a Japanese former footballer who played as a…Kenta Ishii (石井健太, Ishii Kenta; born 8 December 1987 in Shizuoka), is a Japanese former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He last played for Tegevajaro Miyazaki and FC Nobeoka Agata.
Teruki Gotō (後藤 輝樹, Gotō Teruki; December 8, 1982 – June 28, 2026) was a Japanese musician and perennial candidate…Teruki Gotō (後藤 輝樹, Gotō Teruki; December 8, 1982 – June 28, 2026) was a Japanese musician and perennial candidate known for his naked election posters. He held a number of nationalist views and ran as a candidate for Mayor of Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo (2013), City Assembly of Chiyoda (2015), Governor of Tokyo (2016), Governor of Tokyo (2020), and Governor of Tokyo (2024). According to his website, he wished to make Japan the "strongest, kindest, and most interesting country in the world." In 2016, his television speech became a meme on the Internet when he ran for governor of Tokyo. He continued to speak prohibited words, and as a result 10% of his speech was censored by NHK without his permission. Gotō died on June 28, 2026, at the age of 43.
Hirotaka Sato (佐藤 浩貴, Satō Hirotaka; born December 8, 1981) is a Japanese former professional basketball player for…Hirotaka Sato (佐藤 浩貴, Satō Hirotaka; born December 8, 1981) is a Japanese former professional basketball player for Kanazawa Samuraiz of the B.League in Japan. He played college basketball for Senshu University. He was selected by the Osaka Evessa with the 4th overall pick in the 2006 bj League draft.
Takahiro Mahara (馬原 孝浩, Mahara Takahiro; born December 8, 1981) is a Japanese former professional baseball right-handed…Takahiro Mahara (馬原 孝浩, Mahara Takahiro; born December 8, 1981) is a Japanese former professional baseball right-handed pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks/Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Naoyuki Kotani Japanese: 小谷直之 (born December 8, 1981) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the…Naoyuki Kotani Japanese: 小谷直之 (born December 8, 1981) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2000, he has formerly competed in PRIDE, Pancrase, UFC, Vale Tudo Japan, and RINGS.
Takayoshi Toda (戸田 賢良, Toda Takayoshi; born December 8, 1979) is a former Japanese football player. His elder brother…Takayoshi Toda (戸田 賢良, Toda Takayoshi; born December 8, 1979) is a former Japanese football player. His elder brother Mitsuhiro Toda is also a former footballer.
Hiroaki Saito (斎藤洋明, Saito Hiroaki; born 8 December 1976) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of the House of…Hiroaki Saito (斎藤洋明, Saito Hiroaki; born 8 December 1976) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of the House of Representatives since 2012. He has served as deputy minister of finance since 2024.
Hiromi Katsura (桂 宏美, Katsura Hiromi) (born December 8, 1975 ) is a female Japanese vocalist, lyricist, composer and…Hiromi Katsura (桂 宏美, Katsura Hiromi) (born December 8, 1975 ) is a female Japanese vocalist, lyricist, composer and violyre player, currently resides in Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
Makoto Takimoto (瀧本 誠, Takimoto Makoto; born December 8, 1974) is a Japanese retired judoka and mixed martial artist…Makoto Takimoto (瀧本 誠, Takimoto Makoto; born December 8, 1974) is a Japanese retired judoka and mixed martial artist from Nihon University. He won a gold medal at the Half Middleweight category of the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Shūhō Satō (佐藤 秀峰, Satō Shūhō; born December 8, 1973 in Ikeda, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. He won the…Shūhō Satō (佐藤 秀峰, Satō Shūhō; born December 8, 1973 in Ikeda, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. He won the Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Award for his work Say Hello to Black Jack. His assistants have included his wife, manga artist Tomomi Satō, as well as Masasumi Kakizaki (one year before his debut), Takahisa Shiratori, Itsunari Fujii, Eiji Nomura, Takashi Yoshida, and Kōjirō Umezawa.
Ken Yasuda (安田 顕, Yasuda Ken; born 8 December 1973) is a Japanese actor, television personality and seiyu. Born in…Ken Yasuda (安田 顕, Yasuda Ken; born 8 December 1973) is a Japanese actor, television personality and seiyu. Born in Muroran, Hokkaido, he is a member of Team Nacs. He is a graduate of Hokkaido Muroran Sakae High School and Hokkai Gakuen University. Fumio Yasuda is his older brother.
Hiroshi Tsuruya (born December 8, 1970) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Lightweight and…Hiroshi Tsuruya (born December 8, 1970) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight divisions.
Kazuki Ōtake (大竹 一樹, Ōtake Kazuki; born December 8, 1967 in Sumida, Tokyo) is a Japanese comedian. He is a former…Kazuki Ōtake (大竹 一樹, Ōtake Kazuki; born December 8, 1967 in Sumida, Tokyo) is a Japanese comedian. He is a former member of Japanese band UltraCats and current member of owarai group Summers.
Miki Inoue (井上 美紀, Inoue Miki; born 8 December 1967) is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Aoni Production. Her…Miki Inoue (井上 美紀, Inoue Miki; born 8 December 1967) is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Aoni Production. Her hometown is Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture.
Kei Shibata (柴田 峡, Shibata Kei; born 8 December 1965) is a Japanese former footballer and current manager Japan…Kei Shibata (柴田 峡, Shibata Kei; born 8 December 1965) is a Japanese former footballer and current manager Japan Football League club of ReinMeer Aomori
Chigusa Nagayo (長与千種, Nagayo Chigusa; born December 8, 1964) is a Japanese professional wrestler best known for her…Chigusa Nagayo (長与千種, Nagayo Chigusa; born December 8, 1964) is a Japanese professional wrestler best known for her mainstream popularity in the 1980s as a member of the Crush Gals with long-time tag team partner Lioness Asuka. In 1995 she founded GAEA Japan and in 2014 created its successor Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling. Nagayo is often regarded as the most popular and one of the greatest and most influential female wrestlers of all time. Wrestling Journalist and historian Dave Meltzer has stated that in the 1980s, the Crush Gals reached a level of popularity in Japan equatable to Hulk Hogan in the United States in the same period, and thereafter Chigusa Nagayo was the most popular woman in wrestling for an extended period until her first retirement in 1989.
Toshiaki Kawada (川田 利明, Kawada Toshiaki) (born December 8, 1963) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is…Toshiaki Kawada (川田 利明, Kawada Toshiaki) (born December 8, 1963) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), whom he worked for from his debut in 1982 up until 2008. In the promotion, he was a five-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, a nine-time World Tag Team Champion, three-time winner of the Real World Tag League and a two-time winner of the Champion Carnival. He was also recognized as the ace of the promotion from 2000 to 2005. A years-long contemporary of Mitsuharu Misawa, they made their debut in AJPW together in the 1980s. Kawada became the understudy of Genichiro Tenryu, one of the top stars of the promotion at the time, and was so until 1990 when the Revolution stable disbanded in the event of the SWS exodus. From then on, he became one of their top rising stars alongside Misawa and Kenta Kobashi, and would be the founding members of the Super Generation Army (超世代軍, Chou Sedai-gun). In 1993, he broke away from the stable and joined Tsuruta-accomplice Akira Taue as a unit, coining themselves as the Holy Demon Army (聖鬼軍, Sei Ki Gun). Their rivalry with Misawa and Kobashi was a huge turning point for AJPW in the 1990s, and the individual rivalry between Kawada and Misawa was considered the defining storyline of the 1990s in AJPW and Japan all-together. That same year, he had been coined as a member of the Four Heavenly Kings (プロレスの四天王, Puroresu no shiten'nō; also called the Four Pillars of Heaven) line-up, alongside Misawa, Kobashi, and Taue. When Misawa ended his relationship with AJPW and formed Pro Wrestling Noah, Kawada stayed loyal to AJPW, and was then picked by Motoko Baba (the widow of Giant Baba, the company founder) to be the leading wrestler on the roster. He had the longest individual reign of any Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion in the 2000s, and was tied (with Kento Miyahara's fourth reign) for the most defenses of any individual reign with 10. In the midst of the division between AJPW and Noah, he made several appearances with other promotions, most notably New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he competed for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestling World 2001 in the Tokyo Dome against Kensuke Sasaki. He became a freelancer in 2005, and made his first in-ring appearance for Noah at the Destiny 2005 pay-per-view, losing to Misawa. He also competed for Hustle, where he assumed many comedic roles. He won his last world title, the ZERO1 World Heavyweight Championship, in October 2009, defeating Masato Tanaka and losing it to Kohei Sato the next year. After the death of Misawa in June 2009 in a freak ring accident, Kawada slowed down his role as a pro wrestler, and had his final match on August 15, 2010 during the G1 Climax XX tournament, unbeknownst to the majority of his contemporaries and fans. After his final match, he began to collaborate more with his contemporaries outside the ring, including Kobashi and Taue (the surviving Heavenly Kings), Jushin Liger, Katsuhiko Nakajima, and student Taichi. Known by fans and his contemporaries as "Dangerous K" (デンジャラス K, Denjarasu kei) for his extremely stiff wrestling style and martial arts strikes, he is widely considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. His matches against Mitsuharu Misawa, Jun Akiyama, Akira Taue, and Kenta Kobashi in the 1990s are argued by many fans and experts in the industry as some of the greatest professional wrestling matches of all time. He also has the distinction of having three Tokyo Sports Best Bout awards, which too brought him the distinction of being nicknamed the "Best Match Machine" (名勝負製造機, Mei shōbu seizō-ki).
Yun Duk-min (Korean: 윤덕민; Hanja: 尹德敏; born December 8, 1959) is a South Korean political scientist who is the former…Yun Duk-min (Korean: 윤덕민; Hanja: 尹德敏; born December 8, 1959) is a South Korean political scientist who is the former ambassador of South Korea to Japan. He was a former chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.
Shinkun Haku (白 眞勲, Haku Shinkun; born 8 December 1958) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party…Shinkun Haku (白 眞勲, Haku Shinkun; born 8 December 1958) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party and a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature).
Keiko Nagaoka (永岡 桂子, Nagaoka Keiko; born 8 December 1953) is a Japanese politician serving in the House of…Keiko Nagaoka (永岡 桂子, Nagaoka Keiko; born 8 December 1953) is a Japanese politician serving in the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. A native of Tokyo and graduate of Gakushuin University she was elected for the first time in 2005. Her husband was politician Yoji Nagaoka, who committed suicide on 1 August 2005.
Shigeru Mukai (向井 茂, Mukai Shigeru; born 1953) is a Japanese mathematician at Kyoto University specializing in…Shigeru Mukai (向井 茂, Mukai Shigeru; born 1953) is a Japanese mathematician at Kyoto University specializing in algebraic geometry.
Naka Bokunen (名嘉 睦稔; born 1953) is an artist from Okinawa, Japan, famous for his brightly coloured prints of Okinawan…Naka Bokunen (名嘉 睦稔; born 1953) is an artist from Okinawa, Japan, famous for his brightly coloured prints of Okinawan landscapes. Many of these prints are of, or inspired by, the island of Izena in the north of Okinawa, where he was born. Naka Bokunen has been involved in collaborations with, among others, the novelist Banana Yoshimoto and the biologist James Lovelock.
Yusuke Nakamura (中村 祐輔, Nakamura Yūsuke; born 8 December 1952) is a Japanese geneticist and cancer researcher best…Yusuke Nakamura (中村 祐輔, Nakamura Yūsuke; born 8 December 1952) is a Japanese geneticist and cancer researcher best known for developing Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS). He is one of the world's pioneers in applying genetic variations (Variable Number Tandem Repeat (VNTR) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers) and whole genome sequencing, leading the research field of personalized medicine.
Norio Hirate (平手 則男, Hirate Norio; born 8 December 1948) is a Japanese speed skater. He competed at the 1972 Winter…Norio Hirate (平手 則男, Hirate Norio; born 8 December 1948) is a Japanese speed skater. He competed at the 1972 Winter Olympics and the 1976 Winter Olympics.
Kimie Bessho (別所キミヱ, Bessho Kimie, born 8 December 1947) is a Japanese para table tennis player who competes in…Kimie Bessho (別所キミヱ, Bessho Kimie, born 8 December 1947) is a Japanese para table tennis player who competes in international level events. She was a bronze medallist at the 2014 Asian Para Games and has participated at the Summer Paralympics four times, she was also one of the oldest participants to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics aged 68 years old. She is often known to wear butterfly hairclips as a superstition for her tournament matches and is referred to as "The Butterfly Lady".
Keisuke Sawaki (澤木 啓祐, Sawaki Keisuke; born 8 December 1943) is a Japanese former long-distance runner who competed in…Keisuke Sawaki (澤木 啓祐, Sawaki Keisuke; born 8 December 1943) is a Japanese former long-distance runner who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics.
