Yudai Kawamura (川村雄大, Kawamura Yūdai; born 29 June 1984) is a Japanese politician who was elected member of the House…Yudai Kawamura (川村雄大, Kawamura Yūdai; born 29 June 1984) is a Japanese politician who was elected member of the House of Councillors in 2025. He previously worked as a gastrointestinal surgeon for 10 years.
Daishiro Yamagiwa (山際 大志郎, Yamagiwa Daishirō; born 12 September 1968) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal…Daishiro Yamagiwa (山際 大志郎, Yamagiwa Daishirō; born 12 September 1968) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, serving as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). He served as Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization under the cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida from October 2021 to October 2022.
Tomoaki Kato (加藤 友朗, Katō Tomoaki) is a pioneer in multiple-organ transplantation, pediatric and adult liver…Tomoaki Kato (加藤 友朗, Katō Tomoaki) is a pioneer in multiple-organ transplantation, pediatric and adult liver transplantation. Kato is Surgical Director of Adult and Pediatric Liver and Intestinal Transplantation at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and is a professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Kato is also known for unique and innovative surgeries for adults and children, including a six-organ transplant; a procedure called APOLT (auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation) that resuscitates a failing liver by attaching a partial donor liver, making immunosuppressant drugs unnecessary; and the first successful human partial bladder transplantation involving the transplant of two kidneys together with ureters connected to a patch of the donor bladder. In a highly publicized case, he led the first reported removal and re-implantation, or auto-transplantation, of six organs to excise a hard-to-reach abdominal tumor. Previously the director of pediatric liver and gastrointestinal transplant and professor of clinical surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine, Kato received his medical degree from the Osaka University Medical School in Japan and received his residency training in surgery at Osaka University Hospital and Itami City Hospital in Hyogo, Japan. He completed a clinical fellowship in transplantation at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, in Miami, Florida, where he was subsequently appointed to the surgical faculty in 1997, and promoted to full professor in 2007. He served as a surgeon and senior leader of the liver and transplantation center at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, beginning in 1997, and at University of Miami Hospital (previously Cedars Medical Center), beginning in 2004. Kato is a member of numerous professional and honorary organizations, and the author or co-author of more than 180 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.
Akira Koike (小池 晃, Koike Akira; born 9 June 1960) is a Japanese politician and physician who is the secretary-general…Akira Koike (小池 晃, Koike Akira; born 9 June 1960) is a Japanese politician and physician who is the secretary-general and vice chair of the Japanese Communist Party. He also serves as a member of the House of Councillors for the party.
Masashi Yanagisawa (柳沢 正史, Yanagisawa Masashi; born May 25, 1960) is a Japanese-American molecular biologist and…Masashi Yanagisawa (柳沢 正史, Yanagisawa Masashi; born May 25, 1960) is a Japanese-American molecular biologist and physician, famous for his discovery of the hormone endothelin and the neuropeptide orexin, the absence of which is the cause of narcolepsy. He is currently the Director of the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine, University of Tsukuba, and an adjunct professor at the Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Hitoshi Oshitani (押谷仁, Oshitani Hitoshi, born 29 April 1959) is a Japanese university professor, virologist, medical…Hitoshi Oshitani (押谷仁, Oshitani Hitoshi, born 29 April 1959) is a Japanese university professor, virologist, medical doctor, public health expert and scientist who currently serves as the professor of virology, Department of Microbiology at Tohoku University. He is acclaimed and accredited with the crafting of the successful pandemic strategy of Japan called the "Three C's": Avoiding closed spaces, crowds and contact situations. He has been dubbed as the global ambassador of the "Japanese Model". He is also an integral member of the expert panel advising the Government of Japan in handling the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Despite being regarded as a prominent figure in Japanese health sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, he maintains a low profile.
Kōichi Watanabe (渡辺 孝一, Watanabe Kōichi; 25 November 1957 – 17 September 2026) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal…Kōichi Watanabe (渡辺 孝一, Watanabe Kōichi; 25 November 1957 – 17 September 2026) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who served as a member of the House of Representatives.
Shigeru Omi (born June 11, 1949) is the President of the Japan Community Health Care Organization. He previously served…Shigeru Omi (born June 11, 1949) is the President of the Japan Community Health Care Organization. He previously served as Regional Director of the Western Pacific Regional Office for the World Health Organization. He has been a member of the World Health Organization Executive Board since 2013.
Yoshiharu Sekino (関野 吉晴, Sekino Yoshiharu; born 20 January 1949, Tokyo) is a Japanese surgeon, explorer, travel writer…Yoshiharu Sekino (関野 吉晴, Sekino Yoshiharu; born 20 January 1949, Tokyo) is a Japanese surgeon, explorer, travel writer, photographer and anthropologist.
Ichirō Kamoshita (鴨下 一郎, Kamoshita Ichirō; born 16 January 1949) is a Japanese politician and doctor, who served as…Ichirō Kamoshita (鴨下 一郎, Kamoshita Ichirō; born 16 January 1949) is a Japanese politician and doctor, who served as Minister of the Environment in Yasuo Fukuda's cabinet. Born in Adachi, Tokyo, he graduated from Nihon University, earning a medical degree. In 1993, he was elected for the first time as a member of the Japan New Party. In December 1997, he joined the Liberal Democratic Party. He represented Tokyo's 13th district in the House of Representatives.
Takanori Fukushima (福島 孝徳, Fukushima Takanori; 15 October 1942 – 19 March 2024) was a Japanese neurosurgeon, a…Takanori Fukushima (福島 孝徳, Fukushima Takanori; 15 October 1942 – 19 March 2024) was a Japanese neurosurgeon, a prominent world authority in the treatment of brain tumors. Fukushima graduated from Tokyo University and worked at the WakeMed Raleigh and Duke University Hospital, North Carolina. He died on 19 March 2024, at the age of 81.
Michiko Imai (今井通子) (born 1 February 1942) is a Japanese medical doctor, mountaineer and alpinist. She is notable for…Michiko Imai (今井通子) (born 1 February 1942) is a Japanese medical doctor, mountaineer and alpinist. She is notable for making the first all-female ascent of the north face of the Matterhorn, and for being the only female member of the Japanese team of mountaineers who established the Japanese Direct alpine climbing route on the north face of the Eiger. She was also the first Japanese woman to scale all of the three great north faces of the Alps (the Matterhorn, the Eiger, and the Grandes Jorasses), and has been credited as the first woman in the world to have achieved that.
Takashi Sugimura (杉村 隆, Sugimura Takashi; April 20, 1926 – September 6, 2020) was a Japanese biochemist, famous for…Takashi Sugimura (杉村 隆, Sugimura Takashi; April 20, 1926 – September 6, 2020) was a Japanese biochemist, famous for research on chemical carcinogens. He received the Japan Prize for the contribution to establishment of fundamental concept on causes of cancer. He was elected as President of the Japan Academy on October 15, 2013, serving till 2016 and was followed by Hiroshi Shiono.
Tomizo Yoshida (吉田 富三, Yoshida Tomizō; 1903–1973) was a prominent Japanese pathologist, famous for discovering the…Tomizo Yoshida (吉田 富三, Yoshida Tomizō; 1903–1973) was a prominent Japanese pathologist, famous for discovering the Yoshida sarcoma. In addition, he is known for demonstrating the chemical-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rats with his mentor Takaoki Sasaki. Yoshida received the Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy twice (1936 and 1953) as well as the Robert Koch Gold Medal (1963).
Uchimura Yushi (12 November 1897 – 17 September 1980) was a Japanese medical scientist and psychiatrist. He specialised…Uchimura Yushi (12 November 1897 – 17 September 1980) was a Japanese medical scientist and psychiatrist. He specialised in clinical psychiatry and neuropathology. He is viewed as "one of the founders of Japanese psychiatry".
Shūōshi Mizuhara (水原秋桜子; October 9, 1892 – 1981) was a Japanese haiku poet and physician. Shūōshi Mizuhara was born on…Shūōshi Mizuhara (水原秋桜子; October 9, 1892 – 1981) was a Japanese haiku poet and physician. Shūōshi Mizuhara was born on October 9, 1892, in Tokyo. Shūōshi's father was a doctor and raised Shūōshi to follow in his footsteps, eventually taking over his medical practice. Shūōshi graduated with an MD from Tokyo University in 1926, specializing in obstetrics and gynaecology. He became a professor at Showa Medical College in 1928 and was appointed medical advisor for the Ministry of the Imperial Household in 1932. Following World War II, Shūōshi gave up his medical practice to focus on poetry. Shūōshi's father unsuccessfully attempted to discourage his son's interest in literature. Shūōshi first became interested in tanka and only later turned to haiku. He was initially attached to Shibukaki school of haiku led by Tōyōjō Matsune, but, profoundly influenced by Kyoshi Takahama's manifesto Susumubeki haiku no michi ("The Path on Which Haiku Must Advance"), he soon joined the Hototogisu school and was prominently featured in the magazine. He increasingly grew dissatisfied with what he saw as the restrictive conservative principles of the Hototogisu group. He published his first haiku collection, Katsushika, in 1930 to a tepid response from Kyoshi. The volume is now recognized by critics as a key work in the modernization of haiku. The next year, he wrote a romantic manifesto that served as his exit from Hototogisu, "Truth in Nature and Truth in Literature", where he wrote: If the whole aim of haiku writing were to grasp 'truth in nature,' the poet would need no assiduous study to gain new knowledge, no constant endeavour to enrich his mind. All he would have to do would be to roam about with a notebook in his pocket, following the shadow of a cloud. He and his followers had their own publication, Ashibi ("Staggerbush"), a rebranding of a magazine called Hamayumi.
Professor Kenji Takagi (1888–1963) was a Japanese orthopedic surgeon, noted for being one of the first people to carry…Professor Kenji Takagi (1888–1963) was a Japanese orthopedic surgeon, noted for being one of the first people to carry out a successful arthroscopy of the knee. Takagi was attached to Tokyo University (where he succeeded Yoshinori Tashiro) in 1918 when he carried out the ground-breaking operation on a cadaver. He had been influenced by the work of Danish surgeon Severin Nordentoft. In 1922, he went to Germany to study the use of x-ray technology there. Following World War II, Takagi's pupil Masaki Watanabe, carried on his work.
Shinobu Ishihara (石原 忍, Ishihara Shinobu; September 25, 1879 – January 3, 1963) was a Japanese ophthalmologist who…Shinobu Ishihara (石原 忍, Ishihara Shinobu; September 25, 1879 – January 3, 1963) was a Japanese ophthalmologist who created the Ishihara color test to detect colour blindness. He was an army surgeon.
Gōtarō Mikami (三上 剛太郎, Mikami Gōtarō; 15 November 1869 – October 1964) was a Japanese medical doctor during the…Gōtarō Mikami (三上 剛太郎, Mikami Gōtarō; 15 November 1869 – October 1964) was a Japanese medical doctor during the 1904–1905 Russo-Japanese War noted for his work with the Red Cross.
Tae Hitoto (一青 妙, Hitoto Tae; born September 24, 1970 in Taipei, Taiwan; born Yan Miao (顏妙)) is a Japanese actress…Tae Hitoto (一青 妙, Hitoto Tae; born September 24, 1970 in Taipei, Taiwan; born Yan Miao (顏妙)) is a Japanese actress, dentist and author. Her mother was Japanese, and her father was a Taiwanese businessman Gan Hui Bin（顏惠民）. She graduated from Showa University with a degree in Dentistry. Yō Hitoto is her younger sister. Hitoto published her first non-fiction book, Box My Child, about her father in 2012. She subsequently wrote a second non-fiction book and four travel books, also about Taiwan. Hitoto's first novel, The Blue Flower, continued her literary career's focus on Taiwan. Although written in Japanese, a Chinese translation of the novel was published in Taiwan in 2025 before a Japanese edition was released.
