January 21: 56 people
Yuki Ishida (石田 有輝, Ishida Yūki; born January 21, 1999) is a Japanese professional wrestler, working for DDT…
Yuki Ishida (石田 有輝, Ishida Yūki; born January 21, 1999) is a Japanese professional wrestler, working for DDT Pro-Wrestling.
Maika Yagi (矢来 舞香, Yagi Maika; born 21 January 1999) is a Japanese racewalking athlete. Representing Japan at the 2022…
Maika Yagi (矢来 舞香, Yagi Maika; born 21 January 1999) is a Japanese racewalking athlete. Representing Japan at the 2022 Asian Games, she won the silver medal at the mixed 35 kilometres walk team. She competed in the women's 35 kilometres walk at the 2025 World Athletics Championships held in Tokyo, Japan.
Ko Watahiki (綿引 康, Watahiki Ko; born 21 January 1998) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a right-back for SC…
Ko Watahiki (綿引 康, Watahiki Ko; born 21 January 1998) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a right-back for SC Sagamihara from 2023.
Yuki Tsumori (津森 宥紀, Tsumori Yūki; born January 21, 1998) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka…
Yuki Tsumori (津森 宥紀, Tsumori Yūki; born January 21, 1998) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Akira Akasaki (赤﨑暁, Akasaki Akira, born 21 January 1998) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He finished sixth in the…
Akira Akasaki (赤﨑暁, Akasaki Akira, born 21 January 1998) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He finished sixth in the marathon at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Hibiki Tsuha (津波 響樹, Tsuha Hibiki; born 21 January 1998) is a Japanese long jumper. In 2019, he competed in the men's…
Hibiki Tsuha (津波 響樹, Tsuha Hibiki; born 21 January 1998) is a Japanese long jumper. In 2019, he competed in the men's long jump at the 2019 World Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar. He did not qualify to compete in the final. In 2019, he also competed in the men's long jump at the 2019 Summer Universiade held in Naples, Italy. He did not qualify to compete in the final. In 2020, he won the gold medal in his event at the 2020 Japan Championships in Athletics held in Niigata, Japan.
Ryuhei Oishi (大石 竜平, Ōishi Ryūhei; born 21 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward…
Ryuhei Oishi (大石 竜平, Ōishi Ryūhei; born 21 January 1997) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Blaublitz Akita.
Kento Yabuuchi (薮内 健人, Yabuuchi Kento; born January 21, 1995) is a Japanese football player. He plays for Verspah Oita.
Kōhei Suzuki (鈴木 康平, Suzuki Kōhei; born January 21, 1994 in Kamagaya, Chiba, Japan) also known as K-Suzuki is a…
Kōhei Suzuki (鈴木 康平, Suzuki Kōhei; born January 21, 1994 in Kamagaya, Chiba, Japan) also known as K-Suzuki is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
Ayako Jinnouchi (陣内 綾子, Jinnouchi Ayako; born 21 January 1987) is a Japanese middle-distance runner. She competed in…
Ayako Jinnouchi (陣内 綾子, Jinnouchi Ayako; born 21 January 1987) is a Japanese middle-distance runner. She competed in the 800 meters at the 2007 World Championships without reaching the semifinals. She won bronze medals at the Asian championships in 2005, 2007, 2013 and 2017.
Shōta Horie (堀江 翔太, Horie Shōta; born 21 January 1986) is a Japanese former professional rugby union player who played…
Shōta Horie (堀江 翔太, Horie Shōta; born 21 January 1986) is a Japanese former professional rugby union player who played as a hooker for Japan Rugby League One club Saitama Wild Knights and the Japan national team.
Ryuta Yamamura (山村 隆太, Yamamura Ryūta; born 21 January 1985, in Matsubara, Osaka) is a Japanese musician, singer…
Ryuta Yamamura (山村 隆太, Yamamura Ryūta; born 21 January 1985, in Matsubara, Osaka) is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, lyricist, composer and actor. He is the vocalist of the flumpool and The Turtles Japan.
Hiroki Yuhara (湯原祐希, Yuhara Hiroki) (21 January 1984 – 28 September 2020) was a Japanese rugby union player. Yuhara…
Hiroki Yuhara (湯原祐希, Yuhara Hiroki) (21 January 1984 – 28 September 2020) was a Japanese rugby union player. Yuhara played 13 international matches for the Japan national rugby union team. Yuhara was born in Chiba, and was a member of the Japan team at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, playing one match against eventual winners the All Blacks. Yuhara played for the Top League team Toshiba Brave Lupus.
Tomohito Yoneno (米野 智人, born January 21, 1982, in Sapporo) is a Japanese professional baseball catcher for the Hokkaido…
Tomohito Yoneno (米野 智人, born January 21, 1982, in Sapporo) is a Japanese professional baseball catcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
Shiori Kamimachi (上町 史織, Kamimachi Shiori; born 1981) is a Japanese team handball player. She plays on the Japanese…
Shiori Kamimachi (上町 史織, Kamimachi Shiori; born 1981) is a Japanese team handball player. She plays on the Japanese national team, and participated at the 2011 World Women's Handball Championship in Brazil.
Keiji Kuroki (黒木 啓司, Kuroki Keiji; born 21 January 1980, in Miyazaki Prefecture) is a former Japanese dancer and actor.…
Keiji Kuroki (黒木 啓司, Kuroki Keiji; born 21 January 1980, in Miyazaki Prefecture) is a former Japanese dancer and actor. He was a member of Exile, Exile The Second and Nidaime J Soul Brothers. Kuroki was represented by LDH.
Makoto Sasaki (佐々木 慎, Sasaki Makoto; born January 21, 1980) is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 7-dan.
Nana Kondō (近藤 奈々, Kondō Nana; born January 21, 1980), better known by the stage name Nana Mizuki (水樹 奈々, Mizuki Nana)…
Nana Kondō (近藤 奈々, Kondō Nana; born January 21, 1980), better known by the stage name Nana Mizuki (水樹 奈々, Mizuki Nana), is a Japanese voice actress, singer, and narrator. She is represented by the agency StarCrew. Mizuki was trained as an enka singer, releasing one single under her birth name in 1993 and made her debut as a voice actress in 1997. Her prominent roles include Hinata Hyuga in the long-running ninja series Naruto as well in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Tamao Tamamura in Shaman King 2001 and 2021, Colette Brunel in Tales of Symphonia, Fate Testarossa in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Tsubasa Kazanari in Symphogear, Moka Akashiya in Rosario + Vampire, Tsubomi Hanasaki (Cure Blossom) in Heartcatch Precure! and Ann Takamaki in Persona 5. She also had official dubbing roles in live action version of Itazura na Kiss from Korea and Taiwan, as well in Hunger Games film series as Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence). She is also known for dubbing Ariel Lin's roles. Mizuki released her first single, "Omoi", under the King Records label in 2000. One year later, she released her debut album, Supersonic Girl, in 2001. In the years that followed, Mizuki enjoyed modest success that concluded with the release of her single "Innocent Starter", which reached the top 10 Oricon singles chart, charting at No. 9. Since then, Mizuki's releases have charted steadily higher in Japan, establishing her as a successful singer in the country. In 2009, her album Ultimate Diamond reached #1, her first release to do so; while her single "Phantom Minds", released in 2010, also charted at #1. Mizuki is the first voice actress to top the weekly Oricon albums chart and the weekly Oricon singles chart since its inception in 1968.
Shuji Kondo (近藤修司, Kondō Shūji; born January 21, 1978) is a Japanese professional wrestler. Prior to becoming a pro…
Shuji Kondo (近藤修司, Kondō Shūji; born January 21, 1978) is a Japanese professional wrestler. Prior to becoming a pro wrestler, he played rugby. After starting his career in Toryumon, Kondo eventually joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he became one of the promotion's top junior heavyweights, winning the World Junior Heavyweight Championship three times and the All Asia Tag Team Championship once. Upon leaving AJPW in 2013, Kondo joined Wrestle-1, where he became half of the inaugural Wrestle-1 Tag Team Champions. Kondo also worked as the vice president, booker and trainer for Wrestle-1 until its closure in 2020. He now works as a freelancer in promotions like Pro Wrestling Basara and DragonGate.
Yuji Ide (井出有治, Ide Yūji) (born 21 January 1975) is a Japanese racing driver. He is the 2005 Formula Nippon runner-up…
Yuji Ide (井出有治, Ide Yūji) (born 21 January 1975) is a Japanese racing driver. He is the 2005 Formula Nippon runner-up and the 2010 Suzuka 1000km winner. He competed in Formula One with the Super Aguri team in 2006, but was demoted to third driver after four races and subsequently lost his FIA Super Licence.
Yasunori Nomura (born 21 January 1974 - ) is a theoretical physicist working on particle physics, quantum gravity, and…
Yasunori Nomura (born 21 January 1974 - ) is a theoretical physicist working on particle physics, quantum gravity, and cosmology. He is a professor of physics at University of California, Berkeley, a senior faculty scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a senior research scientist at Riken, and an affiliate member at Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe. Since 2015, he has been the director of the Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics.
Nobuhide Takemura (武村展英, Takemura Nobuhide; born 21 January 1972) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of the…
Nobuhide Takemura (武村展英, Takemura Nobuhide; born 21 January 1972) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of the House of Representatives since 2012. From 2003 to 2010, he worked as a Certified Public Accountant at Ernst & Young ShinNihon.
Yasunori Mitsuda (光田 康典, Mitsuda Yasunori; born January 21, 1972) is a Japanese composer. He is best known for his work…
Yasunori Mitsuda (光田 康典, Mitsuda Yasunori; born January 21, 1972) is a Japanese composer. He is best known for his work in video games, primarily for the Chrono, Xeno, Shadow Hearts, and Inazuma Eleven franchises, among various others. Mitsuda founded a music production studio and record company, Procyon Studio and Sleigh Bells, in 2001. Mitsuda joined Square upon graduation in 1992. He worked there designing sound effects for two years before being assigned his debut project in Chrono Trigger (1995). Mitsuda went on to compose for several other games at Square, including Xenogears (1998) and Chrono Cross (1999). He left the company and became independent in 1998. Mitsuda has also worked on anime series, films, and television programs. His music in Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, and Chrono Cross has since been cited as among the best in video games.
Mito Kakizawa (柿沢未途, Kakizawa Mito; born 21 January 1971) is a Japanese politician and former member of the House of…
Mito Kakizawa (柿沢未途, Kakizawa Mito; born 21 January 1971) is a Japanese politician and former member of the House of Representatives. He represented the Tokyo 15th district in the House of Representatives. His father was Koji Kakizawa, a former foreign minister and member of both houses of the Diet, serving in the House of Representatives for seven terms until 2003.
Taku Iwasaki (岩崎 琢, Iwasaki Taku; born 21 January 1968) is a Japanese composer and arranger. His hometown is Tokyo…
Taku Iwasaki (岩崎 琢, Iwasaki Taku; born 21 January 1968) is a Japanese composer and arranger. His hometown is Tokyo, Japan. He is a graduate of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.
Goro Miyazaki (Japanese: 宮崎 吾朗, Hepburn: Miyazaki Gorō; born January 21, 1967) is a Japanese landscape architect and…
Goro Miyazaki (Japanese: 宮崎 吾朗, Hepburn: Miyazaki Gorō; born January 21, 1967) is a Japanese landscape architect and animation director. His landscape projects include the Ghibli Museum and Ghibli Park. The son of Hayao Miyazaki, Goro has directed three films—Tales from Earthsea (2006), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), and Earwig and The Witch (2020)—and the television series Ronja, the Robber's Daughter.
Kaoru Kuroki (黒木香, Kuroki Kaoru; born 21 January 1965) is a Japanese former adult video performer and a multi-media…
Kaoru Kuroki (黒木香, Kuroki Kaoru; born 21 January 1965) is a Japanese former adult video performer and a multi-media personality. Her role as a media counselor expressing outspoken views on sex and society have drawn comparisons to Cicciolina, sex therapist Dr. Ruth, and actress Linda Lovelace.
Masahiro Wada (和田 昌裕, Wada Masahiro; born January 21, 1965) is a Japanese former football player and manager. His sons…
Masahiro Wada (和田 昌裕, Wada Masahiro; born January 21, 1965) is a Japanese former football player and manager. His sons Atsuki Wada and Tomoki Wada are also footballer.
Seiji Hirao (平尾誠二; 21 January 1963 – 20 October 2016) was a Japanese rugby union footballer and coach. He played as a…
Seiji Hirao (平尾誠二; 21 January 1963 – 20 October 2016) was a Japanese rugby union footballer and coach. He played as a fly-half, and was one of the most popular Japanese players of his time, earning the name of "Mr. Rugby".
Mamoru Nagano (永野 護, Nagano Mamoru; born January 21, 1960) is a Japanese manga artist, animator, and mecha and…
Mamoru Nagano (永野 護, Nagano Mamoru; born January 21, 1960) is a Japanese manga artist, animator, and mecha and character designer. Born in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, he is noted for his work with anime studio Sunrise. He is married to voice actress Maria Kawamura.
Yasunori Ogura (Ogura Yasunori; 21 January 1958) is a Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He has won the JKA All-Japan…
Yasunori Ogura (Ogura Yasunori; 21 January 1958) is a Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He has won the JKA All-Japan championships for kumite. He is currently the Acting Executive Director of the Japan Karate Association.
Maki Kawai (川合眞紀, Kawai Maki) is a Japanese chemist who developed spatially selective single-molecule spectroscopy. In…
Maki Kawai (川合眞紀, Kawai Maki) is a Japanese chemist who developed spatially selective single-molecule spectroscopy. In 2018, she became the first woman to become president of the Chemical Society of Japan.
Shigeharu Mukai (向井 滋春, Mukai Shigeharu; born January 21, 1949 in Nagoya) is a Japanese jazz trombonist. Mukai attended…
Shigeharu Mukai (向井 滋春, Mukai Shigeharu; born January 21, 1949 in Nagoya) is a Japanese jazz trombonist. Mukai attended Doshisha University but left before obtaining his degree to become a professional musician. Early in his career he worked with Yoshio Otomo, Ryo Kawasaki, and Hiroshi Fukumura, then led his own ensemble, including a performance at the Shinjuku Jazz Festival. He went on to work with Terumasa Hino, Akira Sakata, Kazumi Watanabe, and Yosuke Yamashita, as well as the ensemble Spik and Span and international musicians like João Bosco, Billy Hart, and Elvin Jones. In the 1970s, while living in Musashino, Tokyo, Mukai performed at Peter Cat, the jazz café that novelist Haruki Murakami opened and ran. In the 1990s and 2000s he taught jazz at Senzoku Gakuen school of music.
Kazunori Tanaka (田中 和徳, Tanaka Kazunori; born 21 January 1949) is a Japanese politician serving in the House of…
Kazunori Tanaka (田中 和徳, Tanaka Kazunori; born 21 January 1949) is a Japanese politician serving in the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and Minister of Reconstruction. A native of Toyoura District, Yamaguchi and graduate of Hosei University he was elected for the first time in 1996 after serving in local assemblies. Tanaka was general director of the Liberal Democratic Party International bureau in 2015.
Junji Takada (高田純次, Takada Junji; born January 21, 1947), also known by the nicknames "Jun chan" (純ちゃん), "Uncle Jun"…
Junji Takada (高田純次, Takada Junji; born January 21, 1947), also known by the nicknames "Jun chan" (純ちゃん), "Uncle Jun" (純じい, Jun jī) and "TJ", is a Japanese actor and comedian. Takada was born in Chōfu, Tokyo. He is known for the variety show Tensai, Takeshi no Genki ga Deru Terebi that was hosted by Takeshi Kitano and premiered on NTV from 1985 to 1996. On April 9, 2017, Takada began co-hosting a radio program with manga artist Naoki Urasawa. Junji and Naoki (純次と直樹) airs Sundays at 5pm on Nippon Cultural Broadcasting and features both men talking about their lives, professions, and favorite hobbies.
Masaaki Ōsawa (大沢 正明, Ōsawa Masaaki; born 21 January 1946) was the governor of Gunma Prefecture in Japan. He was first…
Masaaki Ōsawa (大沢 正明, Ōsawa Masaaki; born 21 January 1946) was the governor of Gunma Prefecture in Japan. He was first elected in 2007 after serving in the assembly of Gunma Prefecture.
Ichiro Hosotani (細谷 一郎, Hosotani Ichirō; born January 21, 1946) is a former Japanese football player who played for the…
Ichiro Hosotani (細谷 一郎, Hosotani Ichirō; born January 21, 1946) is a former Japanese football player who played for the Japan national football team.
Dairyūgawa Kazuo (born 21 January 1946 as Kazuo Wada) is a former sumo wrestler from Kakogawa, Hyōgo, Japan. He made…
Dairyūgawa Kazuo (born 21 January 1946 as Kazuo Wada) is a former sumo wrestler from Kakogawa, Hyōgo, Japan. He made his professional debut in January 1961 and reached the top division in September 1968. His highest rank was maegashira 1. Upon retirement from active competition, he became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association, under the name Kiyomigata. He reached the Sumo Association's mandatory retirement age in January 2011.
Shigeo Itoh (伊藤 繁雄, Itō Shigeo; born January 21, 1945) is a male former table tennis player from Japan.
Kenzo Yokoyama (横山 謙三, Yokoyama Kenzō; born January 21, 1943) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He…
Kenzo Yokoyama (横山 謙三, Yokoyama Kenzō; born January 21, 1943) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He played for, and then managed, the Japan national team.
Raita Ryu (竜 雷太, Ryū Raita; born January 21, 1940 in Osaka as Tatsuo Hasegawa (長谷川 龍男, Hasegawa Tatsuo)) is a Japanese…
Raita Ryu (竜 雷太, Ryū Raita; born January 21, 1940 in Osaka as Tatsuo Hasegawa (長谷川 龍男, Hasegawa Tatsuo)) is a Japanese actor. He is well known for his role as Gorisan (Detective Ishizuka) in Taiyō ni Hoero!. He has a son Yōhei Hasegawa (長谷川 陽平, Hasegawa Yōhei), who is a musician and guitarist. Once, he belonged to Toshiro Mifune's production company.
Koji Hashimoto (橋本 幸治, Hashimoto Kōji; January 21, 1936 – January 9, 2005) was a Japanese film director and producer.…
Koji Hashimoto (橋本 幸治, Hashimoto Kōji; January 21, 1936 – January 9, 2005) was a Japanese film director and producer. He directed the 1984 films Sayonara Jupiter and The Return of Godzilla. He died of coronary disease at age 69 while mountain climbing.
Tadao Chino (千野 忠男; 16 January 1934 – 7 July 2008) was a Japanese civil servant who served as the President of the…
Tadao Chino (千野 忠男; 16 January 1934 – 7 July 2008) was a Japanese civil servant who served as the President of the Asian Development Bank from January 16, 1999 to February 1, 2005. On July 17, 2008, Chino, 74, died in Tokyo, Japan, due to liver failure.
Kazuo Inamori, (稲盛 和夫, Inamori Kazuo; 30 January 1932 – 24 August 2022) was a Japanese philanthropist, entrepreneur…
Kazuo Inamori, (稲盛 和夫, Inamori Kazuo; 30 January 1932 – 24 August 2022) was a Japanese philanthropist, entrepreneur, Zen Buddhist priest, and the founder of Kyocera and KDDI. He was the chairman of Japan Airlines. Inamori was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2000 for innovation in ceramic materials and solar cell development/manufacturing, entrepreneurship of advanced technologies, and for being a role model for relating science to society. In 2011, he received the Othmer Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to progress in science and chemistry.
Yoshiko Kuga (久我 美子, Kuga Yoshiko; 21 January 1931 – 9 June 2024) was a Japanese actress. She starred in The Woman in…
Yoshiko Kuga (久我 美子, Kuga Yoshiko; 21 January 1931 – 9 June 2024) was a Japanese actress. She starred in The Woman in the Rumor (1954), Equinox Flower (1958), and An Inlet of Muddy Water (1953). She won a Mainichi Film Award in 1954, and a Blue Ribbon Award in 1956. She was the wife of actor Akihiko Hirata.
Yoshihiro Nitta (にった よしひろ, Yoshihiro Nitta; legal name 新田義弘; 21 January 1929 – 15 March 2020) was a Japanese university…
Yoshihiro Nitta (にった よしひろ, Yoshihiro Nitta; legal name 新田義弘; 21 January 1929 – 15 March 2020) was a Japanese university professor and philosopher. He is reputed as one of the greatest people to have influenced the Japanese philosophy.
Toshio Kuroda (黒田 俊雄, Kuroda Toshio; January 21, 1926 – January 26, 1993) was a Japanese academic, historian and…
Toshio Kuroda (黒田 俊雄, Kuroda Toshio; January 21, 1926 – January 26, 1993) was a Japanese academic, historian and university professor. A specialist in medieval Japanese history and in the history of Japanese thought, he greatly influenced Japanese historiography with several innovative and controversial theories. His ideas were the opposite of what mainstream academics at the time believed, and for this reason his name is often at the center of controversies. His work has been called "seminal", "epochal" and "revolutionary".
Kanzen Teruya (1920–2004) was an Okinawan physician who contributed much to the Okinawan medical world in post-World…
Kanzen Teruya (1920–2004) was an Okinawan physician who contributed much to the Okinawan medical world in post-World War II days. He reported a mass Cycas revoluta (sago palm) poisoning in people living on Miyako-jima island in 1956. He later became a professor at the University of the Ryukyus (1978–1985).
Hideo Shinojima (篠島 秀雄, Shinojima Hideo; January 21, 1910 – February 11, 1975) was a Japanese football player.
Jitsumi Gōgen Yamaguchi (山口剛玄; January 20, 1909 – May 20, 1989), also known as Gōgen Yamaguchi, was a Japanese martial…
Jitsumi Gōgen Yamaguchi (山口剛玄; January 20, 1909 – May 20, 1989), also known as Gōgen Yamaguchi, was a Japanese martial artist and student of Gōjū-ryū Karate under Chōjun Miyagi. He was one of the most well-known karate-dō masters from Japan and he founded the International Karate-dō Gōjū Kai Association. Prior to his death, Yamaguchi was decorated by the Emperor of Japan in 1968 with the Ranjū-Hōshō, らんじゅほうしょう(藍綬褒章), the Blue Ribbon Medal of the fifth order of merit, for his enormous contribution to the spread worldwide of the Japanese martial arts. For many years he was listed in the Guinness Book of Records regarding his rank and achievements. According to an obituary: His name was a household word in Karate circles, and he appeared in all the major Martial Arts magazines and publications, both in Japan and the western world.