Kazushi Imafuku (born 21 May 2007) is a Japanese swimmer specializing in distance freestyle. At 17 years old, Imafuku…
Kazushi Imafuku (born 21 May 2007) is a Japanese swimmer specializing in distance freestyle. At 17 years old, Imafuku broke the Japanese national record in the 1500 metres freestyle with a time of 14:50.18. The next year, he broke the 800 metres freestyle record at Japan's high school nationals. Despite a stomach illness, he won three silver medals at the 2025 World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships. At the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Imafuku won silver in the 1500 m freestyle, reclaiming the Japanese record which had been taken by Kaito Tabuchi, lowering it to 14:42.59.
Famous People Born on May 21
May 21: 44 people
Aoi Itō (Japanese: 伊藤 あおい, Hepburn: Itō Aoi; born 21 May 2004) is a Japanese tennis player. She has been ranked by the…
Aoi Itō (Japanese: 伊藤 あおい, Hepburn: Itō Aoi; born 21 May 2004) is a Japanese tennis player. She has been ranked by the WTA as high as No. 82 in singles, achieved on 18 August 2025, and No. 180 in doubles, reached on 16 September 2024. Ito has won one WTA 125 singles title.
Naoki Arizono (有薗 直輝, Arizono Naoki; born May 21, 2003) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Hokkaido…
Naoki Arizono (有薗 直輝, Arizono Naoki; born May 21, 2003) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Nippon Professional Baseball.
Sasuke Haraguchi (Japanese: 原口沙輔, Hepburn: Haraguchi Sasuke; born May 21, 2003) is a Japanese music producer, composer…
Sasuke Haraguchi (Japanese: 原口沙輔, Hepburn: Haraguchi Sasuke; born May 21, 2003) is a Japanese music producer, composer and Vocaloid musician best known for his 2023 song "Hito Mania". He began producing music digitally from a young age, and was noticed by the internet at age fourteen when a recording of him playing the Akai MPC on the streets of Harajuku went viral online. In 2018, he signed a deal with Warner Music Japan and would release J-pop singles under the alias Sasuke until his departure from the label in 2021. In 2023, he rebranded to his full name, and began to produce electronic Vocaloid songs influenced by hyperpop, gaining popularity after submitting his work to the semi-annual event The Vocaloid Collection. Since then, he has produced music for several media properties and released three studio albums, "Acetone" (2023), "Screen II" (2023), and "Isan" (2026).
Jumpei Kawarada (川原田 純平, Kawarada Jumpei; born May 21, 2002) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the…
Jumpei Kawarada (川原田 純平, Kawarada Jumpei; born May 21, 2002) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball(NPB).
Kenshin Hotta (堀田 賢慎, Hotta Kenshin; born May 21, 2001) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is a pitcher for…
Kenshin Hotta (堀田 賢慎, Hotta Kenshin; born May 21, 2001) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is a pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Shu Masuda (増田 珠, Masuda Shū; born May 21, 1999) is a Japanese professional baseball Infielder for the Tokyo Yakult…
Shu Masuda (増田 珠, Masuda Shū; born May 21, 1999) is a Japanese professional baseball Infielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball. He previously played in NPB for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Ren Omagari (大曲錬, Omagari Ren; born May 21, 1998 in Yanagawa, Fukuoka, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball…
Ren Omagari (大曲錬, Omagari Ren; born May 21, 1998 in Yanagawa, Fukuoka, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is a pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Sho Tsuboi (坪井 翔, Tsuboi Shō; born 21 May 1995) is a Japanese racing driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing and TOM'S Racing…
Sho Tsuboi (坪井 翔, Tsuboi Shō; born 21 May 1995) is a Japanese racing driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing and TOM'S Racing, who currently competes in the Super GT Series GT500 class and Super Formula Championship. Tsuboi is a four-time Super GT GT500 champion in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025, sharing the all-time GT500 championships record with Ronnie Quintarelli. He won the Super Formula Championship in 2024, as well as the title in the 2015 F4 Japanese Championship and 2018 Japanese Formula 3 Championship.
Hitomi Katsuyama (勝山眸美, Katsuyama Hitomi; born May 21, 1994) is a Japanese hammer thrower.
Takuya Miyamoto (宮本 拓弥, Miyamoto Takuya; born May 21, 1993) is a Japanese football player who currently plays for…
Takuya Miyamoto (宮本 拓弥, Miyamoto Takuya; born May 21, 1993) is a Japanese football player who currently plays for Vanraure Hachinohe.
Hikari Takagi (高木 ひかり, Takagi Hikari; born May 21, 1993) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a defender. She plays…
Hikari Takagi (高木 ひかり, Takagi Hikari; born May 21, 1993) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a defender. She plays for Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara and the Japan national team.
Shoma Doi (土居 聖真, Doi Shoma; born 21 May 1992) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as an attacking…
Shoma Doi (土居 聖真, Doi Shoma; born 21 May 1992) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for J2 League club Montedio Yamagata. He has 2 caps for the Japan national football team.
Marina Kawano (河野 マリナ, Kawano Marina; born May 21, 1990) is a Japanese singer from Kasuga, Fukuoka who is signed to SME…
Marina Kawano (河野 マリナ, Kawano Marina; born May 21, 1990) is a Japanese singer from Kasuga, Fukuoka who is signed to SME Records. She started her singing career after winning the 4th Animax All-Japan Anisong Grand Prix in 2010.
Seiya Kishikawa (岸川聖也, Kishikawa Seiya; born 21 May 1987) is a male Japanese table tennis player. He paired with Jun…
Seiya Kishikawa (岸川聖也, Kishikawa Seiya; born 21 May 1987) is a male Japanese table tennis player. He paired with Jun Mizutani in men's doubles competitions, the duo won four consecutive national titles from 2007 to 2010. They also won a bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships and two titles at the ITTF Pro Tour. He currently plays for the German team TTC Ruhrstadt Herne.
Masato Morishige (森重 真人, Morishige Masato; born 21 May 1987) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a…
Masato Morishige (森重 真人, Morishige Masato; born 21 May 1987) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back, captain and currently play for J1 League club, FC Tokyo.
Kohei Hasebe (長谷部 康平, Hasebe Kohei; born May 21, 1985) is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. He is…
Kohei Hasebe (長谷部 康平, Hasebe Kohei; born May 21, 1985) is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. He is currently with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan's Pacific League.
Maiko Itai (板井 麻衣子, Itai Maiko; born 21 May 1984 in Ōita Prefecture) is a Japanese model and beauty pageant titleholder…
Maiko Itai (板井 麻衣子, Itai Maiko; born 21 May 1984 in Ōita Prefecture) is a Japanese model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Universe Japan 2010 on 9 March 2010. Itai, the 13th Miss Universe Japan, accepted the crown from Emiri Miyasaka, Miss Universe Japan 2009. She competed in Miss Universe 2010 in Las Vegas, but was unplaced.
Kan Otake (大竹 寛, Ōtake Kan; born May 21, 1983) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon…
Kan Otake (大竹 寛, Ōtake Kan; born May 21, 1983) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for 19 seasons for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and Yomiuri Giants.
Masaki Okimoto (沖本 摩幸, Okimoto Masaki) (born May 21, 1982) is a Japanese professional wrestler from Neyagawa, Japan…
Masaki Okimoto (沖本 摩幸, Okimoto Masaki) (born May 21, 1982) is a Japanese professional wrestler from Neyagawa, Japan; he's a current member of the Michinoku Pro Wrestling roster as Rasse (ラッセ). He mainly uses a high-flying style.
Kota Ibushi (飯伏幸太, Ibushi Kōta; born May 21, 1982) is a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist. He is signed…
Kota Ibushi (飯伏幸太, Ibushi Kōta; born May 21, 1982) is a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is currently inactive due to a broken femur, suffered during the October 11, 2025 AEW Collision taping. Ibushi began his career with DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) in 2004. Over the next 11 years, he became a three-time KO-D Openweight Champion, five-time KO-D Tag Team Champion, and two-time KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champion. Two of his KO-D Tag Team title reigns were with Kenny Omega as the Golden☆Lovers, and their combined total of 351 days is still a DDT record. In 2009, Ibushi started working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and eventually signed with them in 2013. In NJPW, he is a one-time NEVER Openweight Champion, three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. He resigned from both DDT and NJPW in February 2016 and has performed in several different organizations as a freelancer, including both DDT and NJPW. He also participated in WWE's 2016 Cruiserweight Classic tournament. After continuing to perform as a freelancer for NJPW after 2016 (including as Tiger Mask W from 2016 to 2017), Ibushi signed a new full-time contract with NJPW in 2019, winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the first and only time in his career in 2021. he later unified it with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to become the inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. He is also a former IWGP Tag Team Champion. He has won several tournaments for NJPW, including the 2011 Best of the Super Juniors, the 2015 New Japan Cup, and the 2019 and 2020 editions of the G1 Climax; he is the only wrestler to have won all three tournaments. He is also one of only four wrestlers to win two consecutive G1 Climax tournaments, alongside Masahiro Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Kazuchika Okada, as well as the only wrestler to reach the final stage of four consecutive G1 Climax tournaments.
Yuki Kohara (Japanese: 小原 裕貴, Hepburn: Kohara Yūki; born 21 May 1980) is a Japanese former singer, actor, and idol…
Yuki Kohara (Japanese: 小原 裕貴, Hepburn: Kohara Yūki; born 21 May 1980) is a Japanese former singer, actor, and idol whose career lasted from 1991 to 2000. He was a member of Johnny's Junior until 15 October 2000.
Shinya Kumazaki (熊崎 信也, Kumazaki Shin'ya; born May 21, 1979) is a Japanese video game director, game designer, HAL…
Shinya Kumazaki (熊崎 信也, Kumazaki Shin'ya; born May 21, 1979) is a Japanese video game director, game designer, HAL Laboratory employee, and painter who is the current general director of the Kirby series and voice of King Dedede.
Hideo Hashimoto (橋本 英郎, Hashimoto Hideo; born 21 May 1979) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a…
Hideo Hashimoto (橋本 英郎, Hashimoto Hideo; born 21 May 1979) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Yuji Yoshimi (吉見 祐治, born May 21, 1978, in Wakayama, Wakayama) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in…
Yuji Yoshimi (吉見 祐治, born May 21, 1978, in Wakayama, Wakayama) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He played with the Yokohama BayStars from 2001 to 2010 and for the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2010 to 2013. He also played for Team Japan at the 2000 Olympics.
Bushūyama Takashi (武州山 隆士; born May 21, 1976) is a Japanese former sumo wrestler from Aomori, Aomori Prefecture. He…
Bushūyama Takashi (武州山 隆士; born May 21, 1976) is a Japanese former sumo wrestler from Aomori, Aomori Prefecture. He made his professional debut in January 1999. At the age of 32, he was promoted to the top makuuchi division in the November 2008 tournament. His highest rank was maegashira 3. He is now a sumo coach.
Takashi Kimura (Japanese: 木村 敬, Hepburn: Kimura Takashi; born May 21, 1974) is a Japanese politician. He currently…
Takashi Kimura (Japanese: 木村 敬, Hepburn: Kimura Takashi; born May 21, 1974) is a Japanese politician. He currently serves as the governor of Kumamoto Prefecture since 2024. He previously served as the vice governor of Kumamoto from 2020 to 2024.
Masaru Hashiguchi (橋口 勝, Hashiguchi Masaru; born May 21, 1974) is a former Japanese football player.
Rinka (梨花; born 21 May 1973, in Sumida, Tokyo) is a Japanese fashion model and tarento. Her real name (and maiden name)…
Rinka (梨花; born 21 May 1973, in Sumida, Tokyo) is a Japanese fashion model and tarento. Her real name (and maiden name) is Chieko Nenaka (根中 千恵子, Nenaka Chieko). Rinka is represented with Stardust Promotion. She graduated from Tokyo Girls' School Junior High and High School. Rinka also attended a dental hygienist vocational school.
Yoshikazu Mera (米良 美一, Mera Yoshikazu; born May 21, 1971 in Miyazaki) is a Japanese countertenor. His range is three…
Yoshikazu Mera (米良 美一, Mera Yoshikazu; born May 21, 1971 in Miyazaki) is a Japanese countertenor. His range is three and a half octaves. Originally wanting to become a pop singer, Mera now primarily sings classical music from the West but also classical Japanese music. He appears frequently as a soloist with the Bach Collegium Japan, which under its conductor Masaaki Suzuki performs Baroque music. His 1998 recital disc "Nightingale" on Sweden's BIS Records was a major success in Japan. It was revealed in a television documentary entitled "米良美一の實話" ("Yoshikazu Mera's true story") that he was born with congenital osteogenesis imperfecta.
Takuo Komori (小森 卓郎, Komori Takuo; born 21 May 1970) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who…
Takuo Komori (小森 卓郎, Komori Takuo; born 21 May 1970) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who serves as a member of the House of Representatives.
Kiyomi Sato (佐藤 清美, Satō Kiyomi; born May 26, 1962) is a current basketball head coach for JX-Eneos Sunflowers in Japan…
Kiyomi Sato (佐藤 清美, Satō Kiyomi; born May 26, 1962) is a current basketball head coach for JX-Eneos Sunflowers in Japan and the former head coach for Tokoha University.
Susumu Takano (高野 進, Takano Susumu; born 21 May 1961) is a Japanese former sprinter who competed in the 1984 Summer…
Susumu Takano (高野 進, Takano Susumu; born 21 May 1961) is a Japanese former sprinter who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics, in the 1988 Summer Olympics, and in the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Taku Ashibe (芦辺 拓, Ashibe Taku; born 21 May 1958) is a Japanese mystery writer. He is a member of the Honkaku Mystery…
Taku Ashibe (芦辺 拓, Ashibe Taku; born 21 May 1958) is a Japanese mystery writer. He is a member of the Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan and one of the representative writers of the new traditionalist movement in Japanese mystery writing.
Tomikazu Fukuda (福田 富一, Fukuda Tomikazu; born 21 May 1953) is a Japanese politician who serves as governor of Tochigi…
Tomikazu Fukuda (福田 富一, Fukuda Tomikazu; born 21 May 1953) is a Japanese politician who serves as governor of Tochigi Prefecture since 2004.
Jun Fukamachi (深町 純, Fukamachi Jun; May 21, 1946 – November 22, 2010) was a Japanese jazz fusion composer, arranger…
Jun Fukamachi (深町 純, Fukamachi Jun; May 21, 1946 – November 22, 2010) was a Japanese jazz fusion composer, arranger, and keyboardist. He played with The Brecker Brothers and Steve Gadd and released albums for Polydor and Toshiba in the 1970s.
Hiroaki Inoue (Japanese:井上弘昭; May 5, 1944 – December 8, 2025) was a Japanese baseball player. In 1966, Inoue was…
Hiroaki Inoue (Japanese:井上弘昭; May 5, 1944 – December 8, 2025) was a Japanese baseball player. In 1966, Inoue was selected as a representative of Japan at the Amateur Baseball World Championship, contributing to Japan's championship and being selected as the best nine (outfielder) for working adults. During the 1967 draft, he was a first round pick for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. In 1973, in an exchange trade with Kazuto Kawabata, he transferred to the Chunichi Dragons. In 1981, in an exchange trade with Masaru Tomita and Hideaki Oshima, he transferred to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. After the end of the 1984 season, he retired from playing, and in 1985, he was appointed the defensive base running coach of the Seibu Lions. Due to the retirement of the right pinch hitter, he returned to playing (concurrently serving as a coach). However, he only played in 10 games, and after the end of the season, he left Seibu and officially retired, becoming the first professional baseball commentator on TV Aichi. Inoue was born May 5, 1944, in Osaka. He died on December 8, 2025, at the age of 81.
Hisako Matsubara (松原 久子, Matsubara Hisako; May 21, 1935 in Kyoto) is a Japanese novelist who has published works in…
Hisako Matsubara (松原 久子, Matsubara Hisako; May 21, 1935 in Kyoto) is a Japanese novelist who has published works in German, English and Japanese. Born as the daughter of a prominent Shinto priest, Matsubara grew up at the Kenkun Shrine in the northern part of Kyoto. She graduated from high school in Kyoto, then attended Tokyo's International Christian University, where she studied comparative religion and literature. After receiving a BA, she moved to the United States to study theater arts at Pennsylvania State University, from which she graduated with a MA. She worked for a while as an editor in the US before moving to Germany in 1962. She lived in Marburg and Göttingen, where she attended the university and perfected her German language skills. She then settled in Cologne, and in 1970, obtained her PhD in philosophy jointly from the Ruhr University of Bochum and the University of Göttingen. In 1967 Matsubara started to write a regular column at the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit. This work turned into a collection of short stories and essays, Blick aus Mandelaugen, 1968, through which she entered the German literary scene. In 1969, Matsubara published a German translation of the ancient Japanese tale Taketori-monogatari. She worked on documentaries of the major German TV stations ARD and ZDF. She published several novels in German (Brokatrausch 1978, Samurai 1979, Glückspforte 1980, Abendkranich 1981, Brückenbogen 1986,Karpfentanz 1994, Himmelszeichen 1998,) which were quite successful in Germany and internationally as well. Her novels are set during recent Japanese history addressing changes in Japanese culture relating to modernization and western influences. Matsubara also wrote non-fiction books (Weg zu Japan 1983, and Raumschiff Japan 1989) highlighting contrasts between Japanese history and European history over the past five centuries. She moved back to the US in the mid 1980s, where she was a scholar at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. In recent years, she has published mostly in Japanese, both fiction and non-fiction. Currently she lives with her family in Los Altos. Hisako Matsubara is a member of the German PEN since 1971 and since 1985 a member of the American Art Directors Club. She received the New York Critics Award in 1985 and in 1987 she was the Writer in residence at the East West Center in Manoa, Hawaii. Matsubara is married to the German solid state physicist Friedemann Freund. Their son, the physicist Minoru Freund (1962-2012), died of brain tumor (glioblastoma) in early 2012. The woodcut artist Naoko Matsubara is her younger sister.
Tanie Kitabayashi (北林谷栄, Kitabayashi Tanie; May 21, 1911 – April 27, 2010) was a Japanese actress and voice actress.…
Tanie Kitabayashi (北林谷栄, Kitabayashi Tanie; May 21, 1911 – April 27, 2010) was a Japanese actress and voice actress. Born Reiko Ando in Tokyo, she began as a stage actress. Kitabayashi was a founding member of the famed Mingei Theatre Company, founded in 1950. Early in her career, she became well known for portraying older women. In 1960, she won best actress awards at the 10th Blue Ribbon Awards and at the Mainichi Film Awards for Kiku to Isamu. She also won the Japan Academy Prize for best actress in Rainbow Kids (1991), a film that also earned her honors from the Mainichi Film Awards and from Kinema Junpo. She died on April 27, 2010, of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital. She was 98.
Gen Hirose (弘世 現, Hirose Gen; May 21, 1904 – January 10, 1996) was a Japanese businessman and president of Nippon Life.
Masanori Katsu (勝 正憲, Katsu Masanori; 21 May 1879 – 11 November 1957) was a Japanese bureaucrat, politician and cabinet…
Masanori Katsu (勝 正憲, Katsu Masanori; 21 May 1879 – 11 November 1957) was a Japanese bureaucrat, politician and cabinet minister in the Taishō and early Shōwa periods of the Japan.
Egi Kazuyuki (江木 千之, Kazuyuki Egi; 21 May 1853 – 23 August 1932) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician in Meiji and…
Egi Kazuyuki (江木 千之, Kazuyuki Egi; 21 May 1853 – 23 August 1932) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician in Meiji and Taishō period.