Akio Fukuda (福田 昭夫, Fukuda Akio; born 17 April 1948) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party…
Akio Fukuda (福田 昭夫, Fukuda Akio; born 17 April 1948) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party and a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Imaichi, Tochigi and graduate of Tohoku University, he joined the city government of Imaichi in 1971 and became the mayor of the city in 1991, serving for three terms. He was elected to be the governor of Tochigi Prefecture in 2000 but lost his re-election in 2004. In 2005, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time. In the February 2026 election, Fukuda was the candidate of the newly formed Centrist Reform Alliance in Tochigi 2nd district, but lost to Liberal Democratic Party candidate Kiyoshi Igarashi. He subsequently left the alliance, criticising the decision to form a new party and the placement of Komeito-affiliated candidates at the top of the party’s proportional representation lists.
Famous People from Tochigi Prefecture
Tochigi Prefecture: 267 people
Wahei Tatematsu (立松 和平, Tatematsu Wahei; December 15, 1947 – February 8, 2010) was a Japanese novelist. He wrote…
Wahei Tatematsu (立松 和平, Tatematsu Wahei; December 15, 1947 – February 8, 2010) was a Japanese novelist. He wrote several novels including Enrai and Dogen-Zenji, about the devout Buddhist who founded the Soto Sect of Zen Buddhism in 1227. He was also known for his environmental work. In 1995 he founded the Ashio Green Growing Association, a non-profit organization that helps plant trees at the abandoned Ashio Copper Mine.
Yumiko Ōshima (大島弓子, Ōshima Yumiko; born August 31, 1947) is a Japanese manga artist and is associated with the Year 24…
Yumiko Ōshima (大島弓子, Ōshima Yumiko; born August 31, 1947) is a Japanese manga artist and is associated with the Year 24 group that heavily influenced the development of shōjo manga in the 1970s.
Tsugumichi Suzuki (鈴木 従道, Suzuki Tsugumichi; born 16 October 1945) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He competed in…
Tsugumichi Suzuki (鈴木 従道, Suzuki Tsugumichi; born 16 October 1945) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He competed in the men's 10,000 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics.
Keiko Ochiai (1945 (age 80–81)) is a Japanese author, bookstore owner, radio personality and feminist.
Sōroku Yagisawa (八木沢 荘六, Yagisawa Sōroku; born December 1, 1944 in Nikkō, Tochigi, Japan) is a Japanese former Nippon…
Sōroku Yagisawa (八木沢 荘六, Yagisawa Sōroku; born December 1, 1944 in Nikkō, Tochigi, Japan) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. He played for the Tokyo Orions and Lotte Orions. He later managed the Chiba Lotte Marines.
Mamoru Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林守 Kobayashi Mamoru; 26 October 1944 – 17 January 2023) was a Japanese politician. A…
Mamoru Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林守 Kobayashi Mamoru; 26 October 1944 – 17 January 2023) was a Japanese politician. A member of the Japan Socialist Party, he served in the House of Representatives from 1990 to 2003. Kobayashi died in Kanuma on 17 January 2023, at the age of 78.
Koya Nishikawa (西川 公也, Nishikawa Kōya; born 26 December 1942) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party…
Koya Nishikawa (西川 公也, Nishikawa Kōya; born 26 December 1942) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Shioya District, Tochigi he attended Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology as both undergraduate and graduate students. After college, he worked at the government Tochigi Prefecture from 1967 to 1978. He was elected to the assembly of Tochigi Prefecture for the first time in 1979 and then to the Diet for the first time in 1996. On 9 December 2020, he resigned as the special adviser to the Cabinet after being involved in a bribery scandal corresponding to a boating trip hosted by a former head of a major egg farm, who was involved in a separate bribery case.
Ikuo Matsumoto (松本 育夫, Matsumoto Ikuo; born November 3, 1941) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He…
Ikuo Matsumoto (松本 育夫, Matsumoto Ikuo; born November 3, 1941) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He played for the Japan national team.
Chiaki Ishii (Japanese: チアキ・イシイ; born 石井 千秋, Ishii Chiaki; 1 October 1941 – 16 October 2026) was a Japanese-born…
Chiaki Ishii (Japanese: チアキ・イシイ; born 石井 千秋, Ishii Chiaki; 1 October 1941 – 16 October 2026) was a Japanese-born Brazilian judoka, who won Brazil's first Olympic medal in judo at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany.
Masaaki Kaneko (金子正明, Kaneko Masaaki; born July 8, 1940) is a retired Japanese featherweight freestyle wrestler.…
Masaaki Kaneko (金子正明, Kaneko Masaaki; born July 8, 1940) is a retired Japanese featherweight freestyle wrestler. Between 1966 and 1968 he won all major titles, including gold medals at two world championships, and at the 1966 Asian and 1968 Olympic Games. He was inducted in the Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007.
Yuriko Handa (半田 百合子, Handa Yuriko; born 31 March 1940) is a retired Japanese volleyball player. She was a member of…
Yuriko Handa (半田 百合子, Handa Yuriko; born 31 March 1940) is a retired Japanese volleyball player. She was a member of the Japanese winning teams, Oriental Witches, at the 1962 World Championships and 1964 Summer Olympics.
Momoko Kuroda (黒田 杏子, Kuroda Momoko; 10 August 1938 – 13 March 2023) was a Japanese haiku poet and essayist.
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.
Isao Iwabuchi (岩淵 功, Iwabuchi Isao; November 17, 1933 – April 16, 2003) was a Japanese football player. He played for…
Isao Iwabuchi (岩淵 功, Iwabuchi Isao; November 17, 1933 – April 16, 2003) was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Tsutomu Ōhashi (大橋 力, Ōhashi Tsutomu; born March 14, 1933) is a Japanese agricultural scientist, composer, and record…
Tsutomu Ōhashi (大橋 力, Ōhashi Tsutomu; born March 14, 1933) is a Japanese agricultural scientist, composer, and record producer. He is also known by his pseudonym, Shoji Yamashiro (山城 祥二, Yamashiro Shōji).
Sadao Watanabe (渡辺 貞夫, Watanabe Sadao; born 1 February 1933) is a Japanese jazz musician who plays alto saxophone and…
Sadao Watanabe (渡辺 貞夫, Watanabe Sadao; born 1 February 1933) is a Japanese jazz musician who plays alto saxophone and sopranino saxophone. He is known for his bossa nova recordings, although his work encompasses many styles, with collaborations from musicians all over the world.
Michihiro Ozawa (小沢 通宏, Ozawa Michihiro; born December 25, 1932) is a former Japanese football player. He played for…
Michihiro Ozawa (小沢 通宏, Ozawa Michihiro; born December 25, 1932) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Kenji Kurosaki (黒崎健時, Kurosaki Kenji; born March 15, 1930) is a Japanese martial arts instructor, specializing in…
Kenji Kurosaki (黒崎健時, Kurosaki Kenji; born March 15, 1930) is a Japanese martial arts instructor, specializing in full-contact karate and kickboxing. He is a 10th dan black belt (1992) in Kyokushin Karate and operates various martial schools. He is most well known as a pioneer of full-contact karate and kickboxing in both Japan and the Netherlands.
Shoichiro Sakai (境 正一郎, Sakai Shōichirō; born 1928 in Kanuma, Tochigi) is a Japanese mathematician.
Mitsuo Aida (相田みつを, Aida Mitsuo; 20 May 1924 – 17 December 1991) was a Japanese poet and calligrapher known as The Poet…
Mitsuo Aida (相田みつを, Aida Mitsuo; 20 May 1924 – 17 December 1991) was a Japanese poet and calligrapher known as The Poet of Zen. His work was influenced by Zen Buddhism and he is known for his works, Ningen damono (Because I'm Human), Okagesan (Our Debt to Others), and Inochi ippai (Live a Full Live).
Tosio Kato (加藤 敏夫, Katō Toshio; August 25, 1917 – October 2, 1999) was a Japanese mathematician who worked with partial…
Tosio Kato (加藤 敏夫, Katō Toshio; August 25, 1917 – October 2, 1999) was a Japanese mathematician who worked with partial differential equations, mathematical physics and functional analysis.
Masayuki Fujio (藤尾 正行 Fujio Masayuki, January 1, 1917 – October 22, 2006) was the Japanese Minister of Education, under…
Masayuki Fujio (藤尾 正行 Fujio Masayuki, January 1, 1917 – October 22, 2006) was the Japanese Minister of Education, under the government of Yasuhiro Nakasone until 1986. He was a member of the right-wing Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai faction of the Liberal Democratic Party, where he was described as being a "loyal vassal" to Takeo Fukuda, the founder of the faction. In 1986, Fujio was made Minister of Education by Prime Minister Nakasone, but he was soon fired by Nakasone after an interview with Bungei Shunju in which he made several controversial remarks about Japan's role in the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. In the interview, Fujio questioned the criminality of the Nanjing Massacre, claiming "It is not murder under international law to kill in war". Further, he compared the Nanjing Massacre with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and implied that if Japan's war time actions were wrong then so were America's. Fujio died of pneumonia on October 22, 2006 at the age of 89.
Hiromichi Shinohara (篠原 弘道, Shinohara Hiromichi; 1 August 1913 – 27 August 1939) was the highest-scoring fighter ace of…
Hiromichi Shinohara (篠原 弘道, Shinohara Hiromichi; 1 August 1913 – 27 August 1939) was the highest-scoring fighter ace of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAF). On 27 June 1939 he set a Japanese record by downing 11 planes on a single day. He was shot down and killed on 27 August 1939, having claimed 58 victories in only three months of combat. He scored all his aerial victories while flying a Nakajima Ki-27.
Toyo Shibata (柴田 トヨ, Shibata Toyo; June 26, 1911 – January 20, 2013) was a bestselling Japanese poet.
Tanaka Takashi (田中 孝, 22 July 1908 – 11 September 1977), known by his art name Tanaka Isson (田中 一村), was a Japanese…
Tanaka Takashi (田中 孝, 22 July 1908 – 11 September 1977), known by his art name Tanaka Isson (田中 一村), was a Japanese Nihonga painter from the Shōwa period noted for his flower-and-bird paintings of the Amami Islands.
Misao Ono (小野 操, Ono Misao; born 27 May 1908, date of death unknown) was a Japanese track and field athlete. He…
Misao Ono (小野 操, Ono Misao; born 27 May 1908, date of death unknown) was a Japanese track and field athlete. He competed in the men's high jump at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Masaru Ibuka (井深 大 Ibuka Masaru; April 11, 1908 – December 19, 1997) was a Japanese electronics industrialist and…
Masaru Ibuka (井深 大 Ibuka Masaru; April 11, 1908 – December 19, 1997) was a Japanese electronics industrialist and co-founder of Sony, along with Akio Morita.
Kōichirō Asakai (Japanese: 朝海浩一郎; 1906–1995) was a Japanese diplomat who served as ambassador to the United States and…
Kōichirō Asakai (Japanese: 朝海浩一郎; 1906–1995) was a Japanese diplomat who served as ambassador to the United States and ambassador to the Philippines. Asakai studied banking and graduated from Hitotsubashi University in 1929, before joining the Foreign Ministry. He was taught English by Edward Gauntlett, an English language teacher from Wales. From 1929 until 1931, he studied law at the University of Edinburgh. He became an attaché to the Japanese Embassy in London, and was posted to Nanjing before returning to the Foreign Ministry. He was bureau chief of the Central Liaison Office from March 1946. During this time, he attended meetings of the Allied Council for Japan as an "observer" and the sole diplomat. In August 1951, he was appointed the first head of the Japanese Government Overseas Agency in London. He was assisted in his work by the Japan Society of London, which had been set up two years prior. In 1956, Asakai was appointed the first post-war Japanese ambassador to the Philippines. In June 1957, he was appointed as the Japanese ambassador to the United States. He left the position in the winter of 1963, and was succeeded by Ryūji Takeuchi.
Kazuo Nose was a Japanese rower. He competed in the men's coxed four event at the 1928 Summer Olympics. Nose is…
Kazuo Nose was a Japanese rower. He competed in the men's coxed four event at the 1928 Summer Olympics. Nose is deceased.
Kimi Ohashi (Japanese: 大橋 喜美; 29 January 1905 – 1 June 1999) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first group…
Kimi Ohashi (Japanese: 大橋 喜美; 29 January 1905 – 1 June 1999) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Yoshio Kosugi (小杉 義男, Kosugi Yoshio; 15 September 1903 – 12 March 1968) was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than…
Yoshio Kosugi (小杉 義男, Kosugi Yoshio; 15 September 1903 – 12 March 1968) was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 120 films from 1924 to 1967.
Yoshiya Tanoue (Japanese: 田上義也, Tanoue Yoshiya) was a Japanese architect. He was a pupil of Frank Lloyd Wright. He…
Yoshiya Tanoue (Japanese: 田上義也, Tanoue Yoshiya) was a Japanese architect. He was a pupil of Frank Lloyd Wright. He designed the Sakaushi residence in Otaru, Hokkaido, which was constructed in 1927. It is a blend of Japanese and western architecture.
Tochigiyama Moriya (Japanese: 栃木山 守也; February 5, 1892 – October 3, 1959) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He…
Tochigiyama Moriya (Japanese: 栃木山 守也; February 5, 1892 – October 3, 1959) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 27th yokozuna from 1918 until 1925. Generally he is considered one of the pioneers of modern sumo. He remains the lightest yokozuna in the history of the sport with a weight of 104 kg.
Michio Yuzawa (湯沢三千男, Yuzawa Michio; 20 May 1888 – 21 February 1963) was a bureaucrat and cabinet minister in early…
Michio Yuzawa (湯沢三千男, Yuzawa Michio; 20 May 1888 – 21 February 1963) was a bureaucrat and cabinet minister in early Shōwa period Japan.
Yūzō Yamamoto (山本 有三, Yamamoto Yūzō; 27 July 1887 – 11 January 1974) was a Japanese novelist and playwright. His real…
Yūzō Yamamoto (山本 有三, Yamamoto Yūzō; 27 July 1887 – 11 January 1974) was a Japanese novelist and playwright. His real name was written as "山本 勇造" but pronounced the same as his pen name.
Matsumoto Hikoshichirō (松本彦七郎) (1887–1975) was a Japanese zoologist, palaeontologist, and archaeologist, and a…
Matsumoto Hikoshichirō (松本彦七郎) (1887–1975) was a Japanese zoologist, palaeontologist, and archaeologist, and a recipient of the Imperial Academy Prize.
Shimizu Toshi (清水 登之; 1 January 1887, Tochigi Prefecture – 7 December 1945, Tochigi Prefecture) was a Japanese painter…
Shimizu Toshi (清水 登之; 1 January 1887, Tochigi Prefecture – 7 December 1945, Tochigi Prefecture) was a Japanese painter in the yōga style.
Misei Hoan Kosugi (Japanese: 小杉放庵; 30 December 1881 – 16 April 1964) was a Japanese painter. He was associated with…
Misei Hoan Kosugi (Japanese: 小杉放庵; 30 December 1881 – 16 April 1964) was a Japanese painter. He was associated with Western-style (yōga) art movement. Kosugi was a founding member of the Shunyo-kai art society in 1922, while attending Nihon Bijutsuin. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Kuniaki Koiso (小磯 國昭, Koiso Kuniaki; 22 March 1880 – 3 November 1950) was a Japanese politician and general who served…
Kuniaki Koiso (小磯 國昭, Koiso Kuniaki; 22 March 1880 – 3 November 1950) was a Japanese politician and general who served as prime minister of Japan from 1944 to 1945, during World War II. He previously served as minister of colonial affairs in 1939 and 1940, and as governor-general of Korea from 1942 to 1944. Koiso resigned as premier after the start of the Battle of Okinawa, and following Japan's surrender he was convicted as a Class A war criminal and sentenced to life imprisonment, dying in prison in 1950.
Kampō Arai (荒井 寛方, August 15, 1878 – April 16, 1945) was a Japanese Buddhist painter and reproduction artist. His given…
Kampō Arai (荒井 寛方, August 15, 1878 – April 16, 1945) was a Japanese Buddhist painter and reproduction artist. His given name was Kanjūrō (寛十郎).
Kiyoshi Noguchi (野口清, Noguchi Kiyoshi; 1877–1930), also known as Senryuken Noguchi (野口潜龍軒, Noguchi Senryuken) was a…
Kiyoshi Noguchi (野口清, Noguchi Kiyoshi; 1877–1930), also known as Senryuken Noguchi (野口潜龍軒, Noguchi Senryuken) was a Japanese martial artist. He was the founder of the Shinto Rokugo-ryū and Shinto Fuso-ryū schools of martial arts, as well as a scholar and popularizer of jujutsu through mail order marketing.
Kunisaburo Iizuka (飯塚 国三郎, Iizuka Kunisaburō; July 13, 1875 – July 25, 1958) was a Japanese judoka and the fifth person…
Kunisaburo Iizuka (飯塚 国三郎, Iizuka Kunisaburō; July 13, 1875 – July 25, 1958) was a Japanese judoka and the fifth person to be promoted to 10th dan in Kodokan judo. Iizuka started judo training at Keio Gijuku in 1889, but broke off his training the following year to attend naval academy in Tokyo. Although the academy had no judo club, Iizuka saw a man carrying a judogi one day, and followed him to the Kodokan; he enrolled as a student there in November, 1891. In 1906, Iizuka returned to Keio to take a job as judo coach to Keio University, where he taught Kaname Kuniyuki, Chuji Sakata and Yoshio Sugino, among others. He was one of the first of Jigoro Kano's students to be awarded a judan (10th-dan) ranking, in 1946. As well as teaching judo, Iizuka was also an ordained negi (Shinto priest) at Fukuoka Prefectural Shuyukan Senior High School, and was master of the Imperial Fisheries Institute.
Baron Takeji Nara (奈良 武次, Nara Takeji; April 28, 1868 – December 21, 1962) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army.
Kobori Tomoto (小堀鞆音; 26 March 1864 – 1 October 1931) was a Japanese artist. He was an Imperial Household Artist from…
Kobori Tomoto (小堀鞆音; 26 March 1864 – 1 October 1931) was a Japanese artist. He was an Imperial Household Artist from 1917 until his death in 1931.
Shōzō Tanaka (田中 正造, Tanaka Shōzō; 15 December 1841 – 4 September 1913) was a Japanese politician and social activist…
Shōzō Tanaka (田中 正造, Tanaka Shōzō; 15 December 1841 – 4 September 1913) was a Japanese politician and social activist, and is considered to be Japan's first conservationist. Tanaka was politically active in the Meiji Restoration and leader in the Freedom and Popular Rights Movement. In Japan's first general election of 1890, he was elected to the House of Representatives as a member of the Rikken Kaishintō, a liberal political party. He is most well known for his advocacy of rural residents around the Watarase River whose health and livelihoods were negatively affected by pollution from the Ashio Copper Mine in the 1880s. Tanaka also contributed to philosophical thought on nature in the early Meiji era.
Toshio Furukawa (古川 登志夫, Furukawa Toshio; born July 16, 1946 in Tochigi) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator…
Toshio Furukawa (古川 登志夫, Furukawa Toshio; born July 16, 1946 in Tochigi) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator affiliated with Aoni Production. He is married to fellow voice actress Shino Kakinuma.
Aya Sameshima (鮫島 彩, Sameshima Aya; born 16 June 1987) is a Japanese former footballer. Primarily a left back, she has…
Aya Sameshima (鮫島 彩, Sameshima Aya; born 16 June 1987) is a Japanese former footballer. Primarily a left back, she has over 100 caps for the Japan national team.
Shinji Kawada (川田 紳司, Kawada Shinji; born October 6, 1971) is a Japanese voice actor. For his eroge works, he goes by…
Shinji Kawada (川田 紳司, Kawada Shinji; born October 6, 1971) is a Japanese voice actor. For his eroge works, he goes by the name Taro Wasshoi (ワッショイ太郎, Wasshoi Taro).
Hideaki Tezuka (手塚 秀彰, Tezuka Hideaki; born December 5, 1954) is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tochigi…
Hideaki Tezuka (手塚 秀彰, Tezuka Hideaki; born December 5, 1954) is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tochigi Prefecture. He is affiliated with Seinenza Theater Company. Tezuka is known for his roles in The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014), Chōjin Sentai Jetman (1991) and Naruto Shippûden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 (2013).