Fumiyuki Beppu (Japanese: 別府史之; born 10 April 1983) is a Japanese former professional road bicycle racer, who last rode…Fumiyuki Beppu (Japanese: 別府史之; born 10 April 1983) is a Japanese former professional road bicycle racer, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam EF Education–Nippo. His older brother is the cyclist Takumi Beppu.
Nao Kazami (風見尚, Kazami Nao; born April 9, 1983) is a Japanese ultramarathon and marathon runner. He is the former male…Nao Kazami (風見尚, Kazami Nao; born April 9, 1983) is a Japanese ultramarathon and marathon runner. He is the former male 100 km run world record holder with a time of 6:09:14. He set the then record on June 24, 2018, at the Lake Saroma Ultramarathon, an official World Athletics race held annually in Hokkaido, Japan. Kazami bettered Takahiro Sunada's 1998 record by almost four minutes. His personal best time for the marathon is 2:13:13 (Tokyo Marathon, Tokyo on March 1, 2020),
Tsuyoshi Kaneko (金子 剛, Kaneko Tsuyoshi; born April 8, 1983) is a Japanese football player. He plays for Tokyo Musashino…Tsuyoshi Kaneko (金子 剛, Kaneko Tsuyoshi; born April 8, 1983) is a Japanese football player. He plays for Tokyo Musashino City FC.
Fumiaki Kobayashi (小林 史明, Kobayashi Fumiaki; born April 8, 1983 in Takaoka, Toyama) is a Japanese politician…Fumiaki Kobayashi (小林 史明, Kobayashi Fumiaki; born April 8, 1983 in Takaoka, Toyama) is a Japanese politician representing Hiroshima 7th district in the House of Representatives, the lower house of the National Diet, for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Kobayashi, a graduate of Eisū Gakkan High School in Fukuyama, Hiroshima and Sophia University in Chiyoda, Tokyo, entered into the service of telecommunications company NTT DoCoMo after his graduation in 2007. He worked for the company until 2012 when he entered national politics: He succeeded Yōichi Miyazawa as LDP candidate in Hiroshima 7th district (Fukuyama city) for the 2012 general election of the House of Representatives. Miyazawa, the nephew and successor of former LDP president Kiichi Miyazawa, had lost the district in 2009, but ran successfully for the House of Councillors in 2010. In 2012, Kobayashi defeated Democratic incumbent Takashi Wada by a solid margin and won his first term in the House of Representatives. He is a descendant of the late Masao Kobayashi who headed the Fukuyama Chamber of Commerce and Industry for more than 20 years and was a one-term member of the House of Councillors for the Ryokufūkai ("early-summer breeze society"), elected in 1950 in the 50-member nationwide district.
Yuji Onizaki (鬼﨑 裕司, born April 7, 1983, in Saga, Saga) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Saitama…Yuji Onizaki (鬼﨑 裕司, born April 7, 1983, in Saga, Saga) is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
Mitsuru Nagata (永田 充, Nagata Mitsuru; born 6 April 1983) is a Japanese retired football player. He played for Japan…Mitsuru Nagata (永田 充, Nagata Mitsuru; born 6 April 1983) is a Japanese retired football player. He played for Japan national team.
Tetsuya Utsumi (内海 哲也, Utsumi Tetsuya; born April 29, 1982 in Kyoto, Japan) is a Japanese professional baseball player…Tetsuya Utsumi (内海 哲也, Utsumi Tetsuya; born April 29, 1982 in Kyoto, Japan) is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball(NPB). He previously played for the Yomiuri Giants.
Satomi Kubokura (久保倉 里美, Kubokura Satomi; born 27 April 1982 in Asahikawa) is a Japanese track and field athlete who…Satomi Kubokura (久保倉 里美, Kubokura Satomi; born 27 April 1982 in Asahikawa) is a Japanese track and field athlete who competes in the 200 metres, the 400 metres and the 400 m hurdles. Her personal bests are 24.32 in the 200 m achieved at Kobe on 27 April 2008; 38.12 in the 300 metres at Izumo on 22 April 2007; 53.08 in the 400 metres in Osaka on 30 June 2007; and 55.34 in the 400 m hurdles at Osaka on 26 June 2011. She competed in the 400 metres hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where she qualified for the second round with the twelfth fastest overall time of 55.82 seconds. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she reached the semi-finals of 400 metre hurdles.
Tadahiro Ogino (荻野 忠寛, Ogino Tadahiro; born April 26, 1982 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball…Tadahiro Ogino (荻野 忠寛, Ogino Tadahiro; born April 26, 1982 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Pacific League.
Masashi Joho (城宝匡史, Jōhō Masashi; born April 24, 1982) is a retired Japanese professional basketball player who played…Masashi Joho (城宝匡史, Jōhō Masashi; born April 24, 1982) is a retired Japanese professional basketball player who played for the Ehime Orange Vikings of the B.League in Japan. He is the first and only Japanese bj leaguer that acquired the regular season MVP award.
Fumiyuki Hashimoto (橋本 史之, Hashimoto Fumiyuki) (born April 21, 1982), known by his ring name Kagetora (formerly…Fumiyuki Hashimoto (橋本 史之, Hashimoto Fumiyuki) (born April 21, 1982), known by his ring name Kagetora (formerly stylized in all capitals), is a Japanese professional wrestler who works for Dragon Gate. He wrestles in independent wrestling leagues all around Japan and has wrestled in the United States for Chikara and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. He has wrestled many famous wrestlers including Jinsei Shinzaki.
Keiichiro Nagashima (長島 圭一郎, Nagashima Keiichirō; born 20 April 1982) is a Japanese long track speed skater…Keiichiro Nagashima (長島 圭一郎, Nagashima Keiichirō; born 20 April 1982) is a Japanese long track speed skater specialising in the sprint distances 500 and 1000 metres. Nagashima has won two World Cup races and has three Japanese domestic titles. He is a member of the Nidec Sankyo speed skating team.
Daisuke Hosokawa (細川 大輔, Hosokawa Daisuke) (born April 18, 1982, in Amagasaki, Hyōgo) is a Japanese freestyle swimmer.…Daisuke Hosokawa (細川 大輔, Hosokawa Daisuke) (born April 18, 1982, in Amagasaki, Hyōgo) is a Japanese freestyle swimmer. He is married to former swimmer Aya Terakawa.
Kohei Nishino (西野 晃平, Nishino Kōhei; born April 15, 1982) is a former Japanese football player. His brother is Makoto…Kohei Nishino (西野 晃平, Nishino Kōhei; born April 15, 1982) is a former Japanese football player. His brother is Makoto Nishino. He played for Japanese club Oita Trinita, Mito HollyHock and Fagiano Okayama.
Ranko Kanbe (神戸 蘭子, Kanbe Ranko; born 14 April 1982, in Miyazaki, Miyazaki) is a Japanese fashion model, tarento and…Ranko Kanbe (神戸 蘭子, Kanbe Ranko; born 14 April 1982, in Miyazaki, Miyazaki) is a Japanese fashion model, tarento and singer. She is represented with Next Satisfaction Factor. While moving to Tokyo from Miyazaki Prefecture, Kanbe was invited to the staff of the women fashion magazine JJ in Shibuya at the age of nineteen and became a reader model. She mainly worked as an "S-size" model for the magazine. Kanbe is left-handed (but she sometimes uses her right hand when writing with a pen). After graduating from university, she was employed to a textile company, but due to the promotion of its products, she continued to work as a reader model with company approval, and she fainted with pressure and retired, and continued to work as a free reader model for two years after that. Kanbe was later scouted by her former entertainment office, Artist-house Pyramid, in 2008, and became popular as a tarento after making appearances in television programmes, in which made regular appearances, and made other works such as her singing début with the Hexagon unit Mai Satoda with Goda Kazoku, and publishing essay books.
Mass Alert (マサラー, Masarā) is a Japanese musician from Nagasaki. He debuted in 2009 with the song "Comoesta" featuring…Mass Alert (マサラー, Masarā) is a Japanese musician from Nagasaki. He debuted in 2009 with the song "Comoesta" featuring Massattack from Spontania. He gained prominence in Japan after he provided an opening theme for Naruto: Shōnen Hen, and then the second ending theme for Heroman. He describes himself as the postman singer, referring to his previous career.
Hiromichi Katano (片野 寛理, Katano Hiromichi; born April 6, 1982) is a Japanese footballer and coach who is an assistant…Hiromichi Katano (片野 寛理, Katano Hiromichi; born April 6, 1982) is a Japanese footballer and coach who is an assistant player-coach for Thai League 1 club Rayong.
Yusuke Omae (大前 祐介, Ōmae Yūsuke; born 6 April 1982 in Tokyo) is a Japanese retired track and field sprinter who…Yusuke Omae (大前 祐介, Ōmae Yūsuke; born 6 April 1982 in Tokyo) is a Japanese retired track and field sprinter who specialized in the 200 metres. His personal best in the event is 20.29 seconds set in Matsumoto in 2001. This is the current Asian U20 record. He won multiple medals with the Japanese 4 × 100 metres relay team.
Hiraku Hori (Japanese: 堀啓; born April 3, 1982) is a retired Japanese heavyweight kickboxer. A professional from 2001…Hiraku Hori (Japanese: 堀啓; born April 3, 1982) is a retired Japanese heavyweight kickboxer. A professional from 2001 until 2010, he competed almost exclusively in K-1.
Kasumi Nakane (仲根かすみ, Nakane Kasumi) () is a Japanese model, gravure idol, and actress born on 1982-04-03 in…Kasumi Nakane (仲根かすみ, Nakane Kasumi) () is a Japanese model, gravure idol, and actress born on 1982-04-03 in Higashiōsaka, Osaka and raised in Tokyo, Japan. Her birth name was Kasumi Nakasone (仲宗根かすみ, Nakasone Kasumi), and she formerly worked under the name Kasumi Ue (植可澄美, Ue Kasumi). She graduated from the private Horikoshi High School, the same school attended by talent such as Yoko Minamino, Yōko Oginome, Ai Katō, and Masumi Miyazaki.
Kazuto Ishido (石堂和人, Ishido Kazuto; born 1 April 1982) is a retired Japanese footballer who played for Fukushima United…Kazuto Ishido (石堂和人, Ishido Kazuto; born 1 April 1982) is a retired Japanese footballer who played for Fukushima United as a midfielder.
Sayami Matsushita (松下 紗耶未, Matsushita Sayami; born April 1, 1982 in Ōita) is an athlete from Japan. She competes in…Sayami Matsushita (松下 紗耶未, Matsushita Sayami; born April 1, 1982 in Ōita) is an athlete from Japan. She competes in archery. Matsushita represented Japan at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She placed 35th in the women's individual ranking round with a 72-arrow score of 624. In the first round of elimination, she faced 30th-ranked Alexandra Fouace of France. Matsushita defeated Fouace, winning 165-157 in the 18-arrow match to advance to the round of 32. In that round, she faced Yun Mi Jin of South Korea, losing to the 3rd-ranked archer 173-149 as Yun tied the Olympic record for an 18-arrow match. Matsushita finished 28th in women's individual archery. Matsushita was also a member of the 14th-place Japanese women's archery team.
Yukari Watanabe (渡邊 ゆかり, Watanabe Yukari; born 28 April 1981) is a Japanese speed skater. She competed at the 2002…Yukari Watanabe (渡邊 ゆかり, Watanabe Yukari; born 28 April 1981) is a Japanese speed skater. She competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics and the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Sola Aoi (Japanese: 蒼井 そら, Hepburn: Aoi Sora; born April 26, 1981) is a Japanese former AV idol, nude model, and…Sola Aoi (Japanese: 蒼井 そら, Hepburn: Aoi Sora; born April 26, 1981) is a Japanese former AV idol, nude model, and actress. Starring in more than 600 adult films between 2002 and 2011, Aoi is widely considered to be one of the most popular adult videos (AV) idols of the 2000s. Her popularity as a porn actress alone has led to celebrity status as a media personality both in Japan and internationally.
Fumiyo Yoshida (吉田 文代, Yoshida Fumiyo; born 25 April 1981 in Tako, Chiba) is a Japanese triple jumper. She competed at…Fumiyo Yoshida (吉田 文代, Yoshida Fumiyo; born 25 April 1981 in Tako, Chiba) is a Japanese triple jumper. She competed at the 2007 World Championships without reaching the final. She was a nine-time Japanese Championships triple jump champion.
Marcus Túlio Tanaka (田中 マルクス 闘莉王, Tanaka Marukusu Tūrio; born Marcus Túlio Lyuji Murzani Tanaka on 24 April 1981) is a…Marcus Túlio Tanaka (田中 マルクス 闘莉王, Tanaka Marukusu Tūrio; born Marcus Túlio Lyuji Murzani Tanaka on 24 April 1981) is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Born in Brazil, he represented Japan at international level.
Hiroaki Ishiura (石浦 宏明, Ishiura Hiroaki; born April 23, 1981) is a Japanese racing driver from Tokyo. He currently…Hiroaki Ishiura (石浦 宏明, Ishiura Hiroaki; born April 23, 1981) is a Japanese racing driver from Tokyo. He currently drives in the Super GT series for Rookie Racing. He was the 2015 and 2017 Super Formula champion, and is known as a fast and strong driver. Ishiura made his Super GT debut in 2006. In 2007, he won the GT300 championship, in the apr MR-S with Kazuya Oshima. In 2008, he started racing in the GT500 class as part of Team Tsuchiya. He went on to join Cerumo after driving for SARD. In 2025, he ended his 18-year run in the GT500 class, finishing third in his final race. However, he is not retiring.
Megu Hirose (廣瀬芽) (born April 23, 1981 in Hyōgo Prefecture) is a Japanese softball player who won the gold medal at the…Megu Hirose (廣瀬芽) (born April 23, 1981 in Hyōgo Prefecture) is a Japanese softball player who won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Ryota Arimitsu (有光 亮太, Arimitsu Ryōta; born 21 April 1981) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a…Ryota Arimitsu (有光 亮太, Arimitsu Ryōta; born 21 April 1981) is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Kazuhiro Maeda (Japanese: 前田 和浩; born 19 April 1981) is a Japanese long-distance runner. Born in Shiroishi, Saga, Maeda…Kazuhiro Maeda (Japanese: 前田 和浩; born 19 April 1981) is a Japanese long-distance runner. Born in Shiroishi, Saga, Maeda made his international debut at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics, where he ran in the heats of the 5000 metres. He won the Karatsu 10-Miler in 2003. He was part of the Japanese men's team for the short race at the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. At the 2006 Asian Games he ran in the 5000 m and came in fourth place – however, he was the best Asian-born runner in the race as all the medallists were Kenyan emigrants to Qatar and Bahrain. Maeda competed twice at world level for Japan in 2007: he finished seventeenth in the 10,000 metres at the 2007 World Championships and then came 30th at the 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships in Udine. He made his marathon debut in 2009 at the Tokyo Marathon and he secured second place behind Salim Kipsang with a time of 2:11:01 hours. This automatically gained him a place for that year's World Championships team. He finished well off the pace at the 2009 World Championships Marathon, taking 39th place and crossing the line some eight minutes behind Japan's best performer Atsushi Sato. Maeda came third at the 2011 Beppu-Ōita Marathon as the first Japanese home on the 60th anniversary of the race and improved his personal best time to 2:10:29 hours. He was the third Japanese runner to finish at the Fukuoka Marathon later that year, coming sixth overall. A personal best time of 2:08:38 hours came at the 2012 Tokyo Marathon, where his sixth-place finish (the second Japanese home) improved his Olympic selection chances. Ultimately he was not selected for the Olympics and he ran at that year's Amsterdam Marathon instead, although he only managed 15th place. A new personal best of 2:08:00 came at the 2013 Tokyo Marathon, where he was the first Japanese with his fourth-place finish.
Conisch (コーニッシュ, Kōnisshu; born April 19, 1981) is a Japanese composer, arranger, music producer, pianist and…Conisch (コーニッシュ, Kōnisshu; born April 19, 1981) is a Japanese composer, arranger, music producer, pianist and keyboardist. His real name is Hiroaki Konishi (小西宏明, Konishi Hiroaki).
Hōmashō Noriyuki (born April 16, 1981 as Yōsuke Yamamoto in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan), is a former sumo…Hōmashō Noriyuki (born April 16, 1981 as Yōsuke Yamamoto in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan), is a former sumo wrestler. He turned professional in March 2004 and reached the top makuuchi division in May 2006 as the first sekitori from Shikoroyama stable, without any losing scores on his record. His highest rank was komusubi. He earned seven special prizes in his top division career and was a runner-up in three tournaments. In March 2014 he took the championship in the jūryō division. Hōmashō was a popular wrestler among sumo fans, and was noted for his deep and graceful bow at the end of a match. Upon his retirement in January 2015 he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name of Tatsutagawa.
Manabu Iwadate (岩舘 学, Iwadate Manabu; born April 14, 1981) is a Japanese professional baseball manager and former…Manabu Iwadate (岩舘 学, Iwadate Manabu; born April 14, 1981) is a Japanese professional baseball manager and former infielder who is a coach for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball. He played for the Yomiuri Giants and the Fighters during his playing career.
Shinjirō Koizumi (Japanese: 小泉 進次郎, Hepburn: Koizumi Shinjirō; born 14 April 1981) is a Japanese politician serving as…Shinjirō Koizumi (Japanese: 小泉 進次郎, Hepburn: Koizumi Shinjirō; born 14 April 1981) is a Japanese politician serving as the Minister of Defense since October 2025. He previously served as the Minister of the Environment from September 2019 to October 2021 and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from May to October 2025. He has also served as a Member of the House of Representatives for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), representing Kanagawa since 2009. He is the second son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and the younger brother of actor Kotaro Koizumi. After graduating from Kanto Gakuin University and Columbia University, Koizumi worked as a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and became active politically as Young Leader of the Pacific Forum CSIS. He also spent time working as a political secretary for his father in the final years of his second term as prime minister. In the 2009 election, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the seat his father had occupied for more than 35 years. Koizumi was appointed as a Vice-Minister for Reconstruction after the election of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2012, focusing on the northeastern region of Japan that was devastated by the March 2011 tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster. He publicly opposed his father's calls for Japan to abandon nuclear energy immediately. In 2019, Abe appointed Koizumi to the cabinet as Minister of the Environment, a role he retained when Yoshihide Suga succeeded Abe as prime minister in September 2020. Koizumi endorsed Taro Kono in the 2021 LDP leadership election, which resulted in Fumio Kishida becoming prime minister. He subsequently left the cabinet and returned to backbench politics. Koizumi ran as a candidate in the 2024 LDP presidential election to succeed Kishida and placed third, losing the first round to Sanae Takaichi and Shigeru Ishiba, with the latter leading the final runoff. The LDP would lose its majority in the 2024 general election, after which Koizumi resigned as head of the party's Election Strategy committee. After working at the LDP's political reform headquarters, he was made Minister of Agriculture by Ishiba in May 2025. Following Ishiba's announcement of his resignation, Koizumi again ran as a candidate in the 2025 LDP presidential election, this time losing to Takaichi in the runoff. Takaichi subsequently appointed Koizumi as Minister of Defense.
Hisashi Iwakuma (岩隈 久志, Iwakuma Hisashi; born April 12, 1981) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He…Hisashi Iwakuma (岩隈 久志, Iwakuma Hisashi; born April 12, 1981) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes from 2000 to 2004, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles from 2005 to 2011, and Yomiuri Giants in 2019, and all of his time in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners from 2012 to 2017. Iwakuma retired in 2020 due to lingering shoulder issues that had prevented him from playing that year. Iwakuma made his professional debut with the Buffaloes in 2000. He was named a NPB All-Star in 2003 and 2004, and played in the 2004 Athens Olympics. He joined the Eagles in 2005. As the Eagles' reigning staff ace, Iwakuma won the Eiji Sawamura Award in 2008, and was also a NPB All-Star that year. He appeared in the 2009 World Baseball Classic for Japan. Iwakuma was posted to MLB after the 2010 season, but he failed to come to an agreement with the winning bidder. After the 2011 season, Iwakuma signed with the Mariners. He was an All-Star in 2013, as well as the third-place finisher for the 2013 American League Cy Young Award. On August 12, 2015, Iwakuma became the second Japanese player ever to pitch a no-hitter in MLB (joining Hideo Nomo, who threw two), throwing a three-walk, seven-strikeout 3–0 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Safeco Field. It was also his first MLB complete game and the Mariners' fifth no-hitter in team history.
