Mao Izumi (born 1 November 1996) is a Japanese judoka. Izumi is the gold medallist of the 2019 Judo Grand Slam…Mao Izumi (born 1 November 1996) is a Japanese judoka. Izumi is the gold medallist of the 2019 Judo Grand Slam Ekaterinburg in the –78 kg category.
Shori Sato (佐藤 勝利, Satō Shōri; born 30 October 1996) is a Japanese idol, actor, and member of the idol group timelesz…Shori Sato (佐藤 勝利, Satō Shōri; born 30 October 1996) is a Japanese idol, actor, and member of the idol group timelesz, under Starto Entertainment. Sato entered Johnny & Associates on 30 October 2010.
Ryo Watanabe (渡邉 りょう, Watanabe Ryō; born 25 October 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward…Ryo Watanabe (渡邉 りょう, Watanabe Ryō; born 25 October 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Júbilo Iwata.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto (坂元 達裕, Sakamoto Tatsuhiro; born 22 October 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as…Tatsuhiro Sakamoto (坂元 達裕, Sakamoto Tatsuhiro; born 22 October 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Coventry City and the Japan national team.
Sarah Asahina (朝比奈 沙羅, Asahina Sara; born 22 October 1996) is a Japanese judoka. She won a silver medal at the 2017…Sarah Asahina (朝比奈 沙羅, Asahina Sara; born 22 October 1996) is a Japanese judoka. She won a silver medal at the 2017 World Judo Championships in Budapest.
Noboru Shimizu (清水 昇, Shimizu Noboru; born October 25, 1996 in Adachi, Tokyo, Japan) is a professional Japanese…Noboru Shimizu (清水 昇, Shimizu Noboru; born October 25, 1996 in Adachi, Tokyo, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
Naoto Arai (新井 直人, Arai Naoto; born 7 October 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a right-back for…Naoto Arai (新井 直人, Arai Naoto; born 7 October 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a right-back for J1 League club Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Arai has spent most of his career playing in the J1 League and the J2 League, mainly for Albirex Niigata. He has also spent time at Cerezo Osaka, Tokushima Vortis and Sanfreece Hiroshima.
Ryo Watanabe (渡邊 龍, Watanabe Ryo; born 24 September 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a…Ryo Watanabe (渡邊 龍, Watanabe Ryo; born 24 September 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Vanraure Hachinohe.
Yuki Nemoto (根本悠生, Nemoto Yūki; born September 22, 1996) is a Japanese racing driver who last competed in Super GT for…Yuki Nemoto (根本悠生, Nemoto Yūki; born September 22, 1996) is a Japanese racing driver who last competed in Super GT for apr, and in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup with Vincenzo Sospiri Racing. He has spent most of his career racing in Italy with VSR, winning the Italian GT Championship twice with the team - once in the Sprint category in 2020, and again in the Endurance Championship in 2022.
Julian Jrummi Walsh (ウォルシュ・ジュリアン・ジャミイ Uorushu Jurian Jamii, born 18 September 1996 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a…Julian Jrummi Walsh (ウォルシュ・ジュリアン・ジャミイ Uorushu Jurian Jamii, born 18 September 1996 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican-born Japanese track and field athlete competing in the sprints. He is the son of reggae drummer Emanuel Walsh (Pablo Moses, the Mighty Diamonds, Garnett Silk and John Holt), who married a Japanese woman and has lived in Japan for almost 20 years. Walsh moved to Japan as a toddler and grew up in Higashimurayama. He started running track in 10th grade, but his school had no facilities to practice on and no coach. He couldn't take track seriously until the following year. After two seasons, he led off the Japanese silver medal winning relay team at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics. That same summer he moved into senior level competition, anchoring the Asian-Pacific 4x400 metres relay team at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup. Two years later, he qualified for the 2016 Olympics in the 400 metres, by running a 45.35 at the Japanese Olympic Trials in Nagoya at age 19.
Jurato Ikeda (池田 樹雷人, Ikeda, Jurato; born 17 September 1996 in Tokyo) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a defender…Jurato Ikeda (池田 樹雷人, Ikeda, Jurato; born 17 September 1996 in Tokyo) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a defender for J3 League club Kagoshima United.
Miho Miyahara (宮原 美穂, Miyahara Miho, born 3 September 1996) is a Japanese karateka. She is a two-time gold medalist in…Miho Miyahara (宮原 美穂, Miyahara Miho, born 3 September 1996) is a Japanese karateka. She is a two-time gold medalist in the women's kumite 50 kg event at the World Karate Championships (2018 and 2021). She also won the gold medal in this event at the 2018 Asian Karate Championships. Miyahara represented Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan in karate. She competed in the women's 55 kg event.
Toshihiro Hasegawa is a Japanese freestyle wrestler. He won one of the bronze medals in the men's 61 kg event at the…Toshihiro Hasegawa is a Japanese freestyle wrestler. He won one of the bronze medals in the men's 61 kg event at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships held in Oslo, Norway. He won the gold medal in the men's 57 kg event at the 2022 Asian Games held Hangzhou, China. In 2018, Hasegawa won one of the bronze medals in the men's 57 kg event at the Asian Wrestling Championships held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. In that same year, he also won the gold medal in the men's 57 kg event at the 2018 U23 World Wrestling Championships held in Bucharest, Romania.
Kiko Seike (清家 貴子, Seike Kiko; IPA: [seːke kiko]; born 8 August 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays…Kiko Seike (清家 貴子, Seike Kiko; IPA: [seːke kiko]; born 8 August 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Brighton & Hove Albion and the Japan national team.
Minoru Hanafusa (花房 稔, Hanafusa Minoru; born 30 July 1996) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a defender for…Minoru Hanafusa (花房 稔, Hanafusa Minoru; born 30 July 1996) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a defender for YSCC Yokohama.
Wataru Sasaki (佐々木 渉, Sasaki Wataru; born July 28, 1996, in Mitaka, Tokyo) is a Japanese football player for Kamatamare…Wataru Sasaki (佐々木 渉, Sasaki Wataru; born July 28, 1996, in Mitaka, Tokyo) is a Japanese football player for Kamatamare Sanuki.
Kotomi Misawa (born 28 July 1996), popularly known as KOTOMI, is a retired Japanese kickboxer, who competed in K-1 and…Kotomi Misawa (born 28 July 1996), popularly known as KOTOMI, is a retired Japanese kickboxer, who competed in K-1 and Krush, where she was the Krush Women's Flyweight champion. She was ranked as a top ten pound for pound female kickboxer by Combat Press between February 2021 and April 2023, as well as by Beyond Kick between November 2022 and April 2023.
Reina Miura (三浦 伶奈, born 22 July 1996) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in the…Reina Miura (三浦 伶奈, born 22 July 1996) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in the featherweight division of Rizin and DEEP.
Yoshiki Takei (武居由樹; born 12 July 1996) is a Japanese professional boxer and former kickboxer, who held the WBO…Yoshiki Takei (武居由樹; born 12 July 1996) is a Japanese professional boxer and former kickboxer, who held the WBO bantamweight title from 2024 to 2025. As a professional kickboxer, he held the K-1 Super Bantamweight Championship from 2017 until 2020, and was the 2017 and 2019 K-1 Super Bantamweight Grand Prix winner. At the time of his retirement from the sport of kickboxing, on December 9, 2020, Takei was ranked as the best fighter at 55 kg (122 lbs) and the eight best pound for pound fighter in the world.
Shoma Otoizumi (音泉 翔眞, Otoizumi Shoma; born 7 July 1996) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a forward for…Shoma Otoizumi (音泉 翔眞, Otoizumi Shoma; born 7 July 1996) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a forward for Vanraure Hachinohe.
Risa Shoji (庄司 理紗, Shōji Risa; born July 5, 1996) is a Japanese former figure skater. She won four medals on the ISU…Risa Shoji (庄司 理紗, Shōji Risa; born July 5, 1996) is a Japanese former figure skater. She won four medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series (one gold, three silver) and placed fifth at the 2011 World Junior Championships.
Daiki Asama (淺間 大基, Asama Daiki; born June 21, 1996) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays outfielder…Daiki Asama (淺間 大基, Asama Daiki; born June 21, 1996) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays outfielder for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Ryo Odajima (小田島 怜, Odajima Ryo; born 10 June 1996) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a defender for…Ryo Odajima (小田島 怜, Odajima Ryo; born 10 June 1996) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a defender for Okinawa SV.
Yuma Mune (宗 佑磨, Mune Yuma; born June 7, 1996 in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player.…Yuma Mune (宗 佑磨, Mune Yuma; born June 7, 1996 in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays infielder for the Orix Buffaloes. Mune's father is Guinean and his mother is also of at least partial West African descent.
Ayana Gempei (Japanese: 源平 彩南; born 1 June 1996) is a Japanese freestyle wrestler. She won one of the bronze medals in…Ayana Gempei (Japanese: 源平 彩南; born 1 June 1996) is a Japanese freestyle wrestler. She won one of the bronze medals in the 65 kg event at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.
Kyoko Ishikawa (Japanese: 石川 恭子; born 28 May 1996) is a Japanese softball player who plays as an infielder for the…Kyoko Ishikawa (Japanese: 石川 恭子; born 28 May 1996) is a Japanese softball player who plays as an infielder for the Toyota Red Terriers and the Japan women's national softball team. She has won three Asian Games gold medals and a Women's Softball World Cup title with Japan.
Yuki Kadono (角野 友基, Kadono Yūki; born May 18, 1996) is a Japanese snowboarder who competes in the slopestyle event.…Yuki Kadono (角野 友基, Kadono Yūki; born May 18, 1996) is a Japanese snowboarder who competes in the slopestyle event. Born in Miki, Hyōgo, Japan, he competed for Japan at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, qualifying for the final of the slopestyle event and finishing 8th overall. Kadono won the Nokia Air and Style in Beijing in 2012, at the age of 16, making him one of the youngest to win the event besides Shaun White. He was the 2012–13 overall World Cup Champion in the slopestyle event. Kadono placed 3rd in Big Air at the 2015 X Games in Aspen and first at the 2016 X games in Oslo. He won the 2015 Burton US Open Slopestyle with the first ever Back-To-Back Triple Cork 1620s. Despite being considered a medal contender by observers including Tyler Nicholson and Transworld Snowboarding, Kadono was not selected for the 2018 Winter Olympics, with reports indicating that this was due to a code of conduct violation. In 2020, he won his second Burton US Open Slopestyle victory.
Yuga Watanabe (渡辺 悠雅, Watanabe Yūga; born 15 May 1996) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a winger for Thai League 1…Yuga Watanabe (渡辺 悠雅, Watanabe Yūga; born 15 May 1996) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a winger for Thai League 1 club Rasisalai United.
Kento Misao (三竿 健斗, Misao Kento; born 16 April 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a defensive…Kento Misao (三竿 健斗, Misao Kento; born 16 April 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or a centre back for J1 League club Kashima Antlers.
Yūka Nicole Momiki (籾木 結花 ニコル, Momiki Yūka Nikoru; IPA: [moꜜmiki jɯːka ɲikoꜜɾɯ]; born 9 April 1996) is a professional…Yūka Nicole Momiki (籾木 結花 ニコル, Momiki Yūka Nikoru; IPA: [moꜜmiki jɯːka ɲikoꜜɾɯ]; born 9 April 1996) is a professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Everton. Born in the United States, she plays for the Japan national team.
Akira Silvano Disaro (ディサロ 燦 シルヴァーノ, Disaro Akira Shirubāno; born 2 April 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer…Akira Silvano Disaro (ディサロ 燦 シルヴァーノ, Disaro Akira Shirubāno; born 2 April 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for J2 League club, Montedio Yamagata.
Sari Fujimura (Japanese: 藤村 沙里, Hepburn: Fujimura Sari; born March 31, 1996) better known by the ring name Sareee, is a…Sari Fujimura (Japanese: 藤村 沙里, Hepburn: Fujimura Sari; born March 31, 1996) better known by the ring name Sareee, is a Japanese joshi professional wrestler. She is primarily performing in Japan as a freelancer. She is also the head producer and booker of Sareee-ISM, a promotion of self-produced shows. Fujimura is known for her work in promotions such as Dream Star Fighting Marigold, JWP Joshi Puroresu, Pro Wrestling Wave, Seadlinnng, Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling, World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana, World Wonder Ring Stardom, and WWE. In Marigold, she was the inaugural Marigold World Champion. She is also a former Beyond the Sea Single Champion, Beyond the Sea Tag Team Champion, IWGP Women's Champion, JWP Junior Champion, Princess of Pro-Wrestling Champion, Sendai Girls World Champion, WWWD World Champion, and WWWD Tag Team Champion. Fujimura made her debut in April 2011 at the age of 15. She worked for World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana for six years, before transferring to Seadlinnng in February 2017. After leaving Seadlinnng in September, she returned to Diana, where she competed until January 2020. She then signed with WWE in 2020 and performed for the NXT brand under the ring name Sarray from 2021 to 2023. After her tenure in WWE, she returned to Japan working as a freelancer. In late 2023, she signed with American promotion Sukeban until March 31, 2026
Yūichi Hirano (平野 佑一, Hirano Yūichi; born March 11, 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a central…Yūichi Hirano (平野 佑一, Hirano Yūichi; born March 11, 1996) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Malaysia Super League club Negeri Sembilan.
Tatsuya Kitani (キタニタツヤ, Kitani Tatsuya; born 28 February 1996) is a Japanese musician, singer, lyricist, composer, and…Tatsuya Kitani (キタニタツヤ, Kitani Tatsuya; born 28 February 1996) is a Japanese musician, singer, lyricist, composer, and arranger. He is the bassist of the trio band Sajou no Hana. He was also active as a Vocaloid producer under the name of "Konnichiwa Tanita-san" (Hello Tanita-san). The affiliated office is Smile Company, and the affiliated label is Echoes under Sony Music Entertainment Japan. His official fan club is "Club Unreality".
Hanami Sekine (関根 花観 (Sekine Hanami); born 26 February 1996) is a Japanese female long-distance runner who competes in…Hanami Sekine (関根 花観 (Sekine Hanami); born 26 February 1996) is a Japanese female long-distance runner who competes in track events. She competed for Japan at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Born in Tokyo, Sekine showed her promise for distance running by winning a leg at the Inter-Prefectural Women's Ekiden as a junior high school athlete. Her first international medal came over 3000 metres at the 2014 Asian Junior Athletics Championships, where she was silver medallist behind Kyrgyz athlete Darya Maslova. She continued to perform well in national ekiden competitions, winning her stage at the Inter-Prefectural race in 2014 and 2016, and coming runner-up at the All-Japan Women's Corporate Ekiden Championships in 2015. Sekine showed much improvement on the track in the 2016 season and at the 2016 Japan Championships in Athletics she set a personal best of 31:22.92 minutes to take second behind Ayuko Suzuki in the 10,000 metres, then placed third in the 5000 metres with another best of 15:24.74 minutes. She was chosen to represent Japan at the 2016 Summer Olympics over the longer distance. At the competition she was near the top of the field in the opening stages, but fell away as the leading pack took on a world record pace. She finished 20th, two places behind national rival Yuka Takashima.
Risako Itō (伊藤 梨沙子, Itō Risako; born February 20, 1996 in Tokyo) is a Japanese actress, fashion model and gravure…Risako Itō (伊藤 梨沙子, Itō Risako; born February 20, 1996 in Tokyo) is a Japanese actress, fashion model and gravure model. Itō was once represented by Ever Green Entertainment. She gained notable fame near the end of 2017 for her involvement in the Long Long Man commercials produced by UHA for their Sakeru Gummy brand.
Ikumi Hisamatsu (久松 郁実, Hisamatsu Ikumi; born 18 February 1996) is a Japanese actress, fashion model, gravure idol…Ikumi Hisamatsu (久松 郁実, Hisamatsu Ikumi; born 18 February 1996) is a Japanese actress, fashion model, gravure idol, variety and tarento.
Yūji Wakasa (輪笠 祐士, Wakasa Yūji; born February 9, 1996) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a midfielder for J3…Yūji Wakasa (輪笠 祐士, Wakasa Yūji; born February 9, 1996) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a midfielder for J3 League club Renofa Yamaguchi.
Taiju Shiratori (白鳥大珠, Shiratori Taiju; born February 2, 1996) is a Japanese professional muay thai kickboxer and…Taiju Shiratori (白鳥大珠, Shiratori Taiju; born February 2, 1996) is a Japanese professional muay thai kickboxer and former boxer. A professional competitor since 2011, Shiratori began his career as a muay thai fighter, most notably winning the WPMF Japan title in 2013. as well as the 2021 Rizin KICK tournament winner. He is the reigning ISKA Unified rules World Light welterweight Champion. Between July and November 2021 he was the #4 ranked bantamweight in the world according to Combat Press. Combat Press ranks him as the #5 super bantamweight kickboxer in the world. Shiratori was ranked as a top ten bantamweight by Combat Press between August 2019 and August 2020, peaking at #1 between April and August 2020. Combat Press furthermore ranked him as a top ten super bantamweight between September 2020 and March 2021, peaking at #1 in September and November 2020.
Shokichi Iwata (岩田翔吉, Iwata Shokichi; born 2 February 1996) is a Japanese professional boxer. He is a two-time…Shokichi Iwata (岩田翔吉, Iwata Shokichi; born 2 February 1996) is a Japanese professional boxer. He is a two-time light-flyweight champion, having held the World Boxing Council (WBC) title since March 2026, and previously the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title from 2024 to 2025.
Ami Inamura (稲村 亜美, Inamura Ami; born January 13, 1996, in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese gravure idol, tarento, and…Ami Inamura (稲村 亜美, Inamura Ami; born January 13, 1996, in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese gravure idol, tarento, and sportscaster represented by Asai Kikaku.
Ryoya Iizumi (飯泉 涼矢, Iizumi Ryōya; born 28 December 1995) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a forward for…Ryoya Iizumi (飯泉 涼矢, Iizumi Ryōya; born 28 December 1995) is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a forward for Blaublitz Akita.
Takumi Kusumoto (楠本 卓海, Kusumoto Takumi; born December 10, 1995) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a…Takumi Kusumoto (楠本 卓海, Kusumoto Takumi; born December 10, 1995) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a defender for Fujieda MYFC.
Haruka Yamashita (Japanese: 山下 晴加, Hepburn: Yamashita Haruka; born 28 November 1995) is a Japanese model and beauty…Haruka Yamashita (Japanese: 山下 晴加, Hepburn: Yamashita Haruka; born 28 November 1995) is a Japanese model and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss World Japan 2017 and represented Japan at Miss World 2017. She also went to Thailand to shoot a television series Oh My Boss where she played a Japanese top idol in a few episodes.
Shota Fukuoka (福岡 将太, Fukuoka Shota; born October 24, 1995 in Tokyo) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as…Shota Fukuoka (福岡 将太, Fukuoka Shota; born October 24, 1995 in Tokyo) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre back for J1 League club Gamba Osaka.
Sasada Natsumi (笹田 夏実, born 31 August 1995) is a Japanese former artistic gymnast. She was part of the silver medalist…Sasada Natsumi (笹田 夏実, born 31 August 1995) is a Japanese former artistic gymnast. She was part of the silver medalist team at the 2015 Summer Universiade, where she also won a bronze medal in the individual all-around competition; she won an individual silver at the 2017 Summer Universiade on the balance beam. Sasada also competed for Japan in the first-ever Youth Olympic Games in 2010.
Ryuta Koike (小池 龍太, Koike Ryūta; born August 29, 1995) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a right back…Ryuta Koike (小池 龍太, Koike Ryūta; born August 29, 1995) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a right back for J1 League club Kashima Antlers and the Japan national team.