Tiger Tateishi (タイガー立石) (December 20, 1941 - April 17, 1998), pen name of Kōichi Tateishi (Tateishi Kōichi (立石紘一) was a…Tiger Tateishi (タイガー立石) (December 20, 1941 - April 17, 1998), pen name of Kōichi Tateishi (Tateishi Kōichi (立石紘一) was a Japanese painter, mangaka, picture book artist, and ceramic artist.
Motohisa Ikeda (池田 元久, Ikeda Motohisa; 20 December 1940 – 22 January 2024) was a Japanese politician of the Democratic…Motohisa Ikeda (池田 元久, Ikeda Motohisa; 20 December 1940 – 22 January 2024) was a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Fujisawa, Kanagawa and graduate of Waseda University, he worked at the public broadcaster NHK as a reporter from 1964 to 1989. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1990 as a member of the Japan Socialist Party but lost his seat in 1993. He was re-elected in 1996. Ikeda died on 22 January 2024, at the age of 83.
Hiromi Tsuchida (土田ヒロミ, Tsuchida Hiromi; born 1939) is a Japanese photographer. His creative photo career is over 40…Hiromi Tsuchida (土田ヒロミ, Tsuchida Hiromi; born 1939) is a Japanese photographer. His creative photo career is over 40 years long. Tsuchida has produced several collections of photographs of the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He has produced many photo books such as Zokushin, Counting Grains of Sand, New Counting Grains of Sand and The Berlin Wall. There is also a retrospective of his life's work titled, Hiromi Tsuchida's Japan. Tsuchida has received the Nobuo Ina Award and the Ken Domon Award.
Fusao Sekiguchi (関口房朗) (born December 20, 1935, in Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan) is a businessman and Thoroughbred horse…Fusao Sekiguchi (関口房朗) (born December 20, 1935, in Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan) is a businessman and Thoroughbred horse racing enthusiast. He was the founder and CEO of Meitec in Nagoya before also founding Venture Safe Net, Inc (VSN, Inc) of Tokyo. The owner of a number of racehorses, the most notable of which was 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus whom he sold for a reported US$64 million to Ireland's Coolmore Stud. Other successful thoroughbred horses Sekiguchi has owned include Tokyo Yushun winner Fusaichi Concorde and Fusaichi Pandora, winner of the 2006 Q.E.II Cup and dam of Almond Eye.
Teijiro Tanikawa (谷川 禎次郎, Tanikawa Teijirō; 20 December 1932 – 13 May 2025) was a Japanese freestyle swimmer. He…Teijiro Tanikawa (谷川 禎次郎, Tanikawa Teijirō; 20 December 1932 – 13 May 2025) was a Japanese freestyle swimmer. He competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, and earned a silver medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay team with teammates Toru Goto, Hiroshi Suzuki and Yoshihiro Hamaguchi. Tanikawa died on 13 May 2025, at the age of 92.
Yasusuke Gomi (20 December 1921 – 1 April 1980), known by his pen name Kosuke Gomi (五味 康祐, Gomi Kōsuke), was a Japanese…Yasusuke Gomi (20 December 1921 – 1 April 1980), known by his pen name Kosuke Gomi (五味 康祐, Gomi Kōsuke), was a Japanese novelist active during the Shōwa period of Japan. He is primarily known for his popular fiction on historical themes.
Paul Hisao Yasuda (Japanese: パウロ 安田 久雄, Hepburn: Pauro Yasuda Hisao; December 20, 1921 – April 23, 2016) was a Japanese…Paul Hisao Yasuda (Japanese: パウロ 安田 久雄, Hepburn: Pauro Yasuda Hisao; December 20, 1921 – April 23, 2016) was a Japanese prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Yasuda was born in Kurume, southwestern Japan, and was ordained a priest on 21 May 1955. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Osaka on February 5, 1970 as well as titular bishop of Tucci and was consecrated bishop on 21 March 1970. Yasuda was appointed archbishop of the Archdiocese of Osaka on November 15, 1978, where he served until his retirement on May 10, 1997. He died in April 2016 at the age of 94.
Shizuo Fujieda (藤枝 静男, Fujieda Shizuo; December 20, 1907 - April 16, 1993) was a Japanese writer. Shizuo Fujieda's…Shizuo Fujieda (藤枝 静男, Fujieda Shizuo; December 20, 1907 - April 16, 1993) was a Japanese writer. Shizuo Fujieda's first profession was of an ophthalmologist. For many years before becoming a full-time author he wrote only when he was free from his work as an ophthalmologist. Fujieda's literary career began rather late. He was already 39 when his first short story was published in a literary magazine. Fujieda knew Shūgo Honda and Ken Hirano, two literary critics, from his school days. It was that duo who gave him his pen name. Naoya Shiga, one of the best known writers of the time, was an inspiration to Fujieda. When Fujieda was 20 he had met the famous writer. After several years of stagnation as a writer, Fujieda finally established himself as a writer of the autobiographical "I-novel." He rose steadily to prominence in this genre. The effort to explore the self is evident in Fujieda's works. This deep exploratory prose is the hallmark of Fujieda's. There are also significant portions in his stories that bear a strong resemblance to reality, to his life. In the story Kuki atama (Head of Air), the protagonist is, like Fujieda once was, an ophthalmologist. His stories also deal with subjects such as relations between father and son and between siblings but in unusual settings. In his story Ikka danran (Happy Family Circle), the protagonist falls through into a grave and is met by his father and five siblings.
Rizō Takeuchi (竹内 理三, Takeuchi Rizō; December 20, 1907–March 2, 1997) was a Japanese historian. He is best known for…Rizō Takeuchi (竹内 理三, Takeuchi Rizō; December 20, 1907–March 2, 1997) was a Japanese historian. He is best known for his work on historical records pertaining to the ancient and Middle Ages of Japanese history.
Sadayoshi Fujimoto (藤本 定義, Fujimoto Sadayoshi; December 20, 1904–February 18, 1981) was a Japanese baseball manager…Sadayoshi Fujimoto (藤本 定義, Fujimoto Sadayoshi; December 20, 1904–February 18, 1981) was a Japanese baseball manager, most notably as the first manager of the Tokyo Kyojin, which was later renamed to the Yomiuri Giants. With the Kyojin, he won the Japanese Baseball League pennant seven times. He was also the manager of the Pacific Baseball Club (renamed to the Taiyo Robins during his tenure), the Hankyu Braves, and the Hanshin Tigers. Fujimoto is third all-time for Japanese baseball managers in terms of career wins, with 1,655. He was inducted to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
Shigeru Hori (保利 茂, Hori Shigeru; 20 December 1901 – 4 March 1979) was a prominent Japanese politician who served in…Shigeru Hori (保利 茂, Hori Shigeru; 20 December 1901 – 4 March 1979) was a prominent Japanese politician who served in various cabinet positions, including Chief Cabinet Secretary, and was also Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan. He was also the founder of the Liberal Party, and later served in senior positions in the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.
Seiichi Kita (喜多 誠一, Kita Seiichi; December 20, 1886 – August 7, 1947) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, who…Seiichi Kita (喜多 誠一, Kita Seiichi; December 20, 1886 – August 7, 1947) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, who commanded the Japanese First Area Army from September 1944 until the end of World War II. He died as a prisoner in the Soviet Union.
Hitoshi Yamakawa (Japanese: 山川 均, Yamakawa Hitoshi; 20 December 1880 – 23 March 1958) was a Japanese socialist…Hitoshi Yamakawa (Japanese: 山川 均, Yamakawa Hitoshi; 20 December 1880 – 23 March 1958) was a Japanese socialist intellectual, activist, and theorist. He was a central figure in the early Japanese socialist movement and a co-founder of the first Japanese Communist Party in 1922. After breaking with the party a year later, he became the leader of the Rōnō-ha (Labor-Farmer Faction), a dissident group of Marxist thinkers who challenged the Comintern's thesis that Japan required a two-stage revolution. Born in Kurashiki into a family that had lost its wealth and status, Yamakawa developed a strong anti-authoritarian streak and a sense of social alienation during his youth. After dropping out of Dōshisha, a Christian school where he was first exposed to socialist ideas, he was imprisoned for lèse-majesté in 1900. This experience proved transformative, and he emerged a dedicated revolutionary. Yamakawa joined the Japan Socialist Party in 1906 and, under the influence of Kōtoku Shūsui, became a leading advocate of anarcho-syndicalism. Following another prison term after the Red Flag Incident of 1908 and a period of withdrawal, he returned to activism in 1916. The Russian Revolution led him to embrace Leninism, and in 1922 he helped establish the Japanese Communist Party. He developed the doctrine of "Yamakawaism," which called for a mass-based, legal proletarian party rather than a small, secretive vanguard, leading to the dissolution of the first JCP in 1924. In 1927, he led the Rōnō-ha in a definitive split from the JCP, initiating the highly influential "Japanese capitalism debate". Yamakawa and his faction argued that Japan was an advanced capitalist country requiring a direct, one-stage socialist revolution, a position that placed them in direct opposition to both the JCP and the Comintern. After World War II, he helped establish the Socialist Association (Shakai-shugi Kyōkai (社会主義協会)), which became a powerful left-wing force within the new Japan Socialist Party. He remained a major figure in the socialist movement until his death in 1958.
Kan'ichi Asakawa (朝河 貫一, Asakawa Kan'ichi; December 20, 1873 – August 11, 1948) was a Japanese academic, author…Kan'ichi Asakawa (朝河 貫一, Asakawa Kan'ichi; December 20, 1873 – August 11, 1948) was a Japanese academic, author, historian, curator and peace advocate. Asakawa was Japanese by birth and citizenship though he lived the majority of his life in the United States.
Nakamura Yoshikoto (中村 是公, , also Nakamura Korekimi; 20 December 1867 – 1 March 1927) was a government bureaucrat…Nakamura Yoshikoto (中村 是公, , also Nakamura Korekimi; 20 December 1867 – 1 March 1927) was a government bureaucrat, entrepreneur, and politician in late Meiji period Japan. He served as second Chairman of the South Manchurian Railway Company, Mayor of Tokyo, Railroad Minister, and was a member of the House of Peers. He was also known as Nakamura Zekō.
Takeuchi Seihō (竹内 栖鳳; /takeɯᵝtɕiseːhoː/) (December 20, 1864 – August 23, 1942) was a Japanese painter of the Nihonga…Takeuchi Seihō (竹内 栖鳳; /takeɯᵝtɕiseːhoː/) (December 20, 1864 – August 23, 1942) was a Japanese painter of the Nihonga genre, active from the Meiji through the early Shōwa period. One of the founders of nihonga, his works spanned half a century and he was regarded as master of the prewar Kyoto circle of painters. His real name was Takeuchi Tsunekichi (竹内 恒吉; /takeɯᵝtɕitsɯᵝnekʲitɕi/).
Ōmori Harutoyo (大森 治豊; December 20, 1852 - February 19, 1912) was a Japanese surgeon who became the first president of…Ōmori Harutoyo (大森 治豊; December 20, 1852 - February 19, 1912) was a Japanese surgeon who became the first president of the Fukuoka Medical College that was founded in 1903 as a branch of the Medical Faculty of Kyōto University (Kyōto teikoku daigaku Fukuoka ika-daigaku, now the Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University). Ōmori was born in Edo, but he grew up in the domain Kaminoyama (Dewa province, nowadays Yamagata prefecture) where his father Ōmori Kaishun served as a physician to lord Matsudaira Nobumichi. In 1879 he graduated from Tokyo University; the same year he went to a new post in the newly established Fukuoka Medical School. In 1888 when this school was abolished, he was appointed as the first director of the Fukuoka Prefectural Hospital. In 1885, he performed the first cesarean operation in Japan. Dr. Omori laid the foundation for Kyushu University Faculty of Medicine before retiring in 1909. He did from a kidney trouble and was buried in the Sōfuku-Temple (Sōfuku-ji (Fukuoka) next to the campus of the medical faculty.