Kei Igarashi (五十嵐 圭、born May 7, 1980 in Jōetsu, Niigata, Japan) is a Japanese professional basketball player. He plays…
Kei Igarashi (五十嵐 圭、born May 7, 1980 in Jōetsu, Niigata, Japan) is a Japanese professional basketball player. He plays for the Gunma Crane Thunders of the B.League. He also was a member of the Japan national basketball team, playing for the team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship and both the FIBA Asia Championship 2007 and FIBA Asia Championship 2009. Igarashi averaged 9 points and 3 assists per game for the host Japanese at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Igarashi scored a team-high 18 points and added three assists in Japan's lone win at the tournament, a 78-61 preliminary round victory over Panama. In his most recent, national team appearance, Igarashi had a team-leading 3.6 assists per game, good for third best overall in the tournament. Despite his performance, Japan stumbled to a disappointing tenth-place finish, its worst ever performance in 24 FIBA Asia Championship appearances. In the 2009-10 season, he entered the month-long winter break averaging 9.3 points and 2.9 assists per game for the Alvark. The popular Igarashi was also named to the JBL All-Star Game as the leading point guard vote-getter for the East.
Famous People from Niigata Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture: 319 people
Hiroyuki Yamamoto (山本 寛幸, Yamamoto Hiroyuki; born October 27, 1979) is a Japanese former footballer who played as a…
Hiroyuki Yamamoto (山本 寛幸, Yamamoto Hiroyuki; born October 27, 1979) is a Japanese former footballer who played as a defender.
Shimotori Norio (born March 18, 1978) is a former sumo wrestler from Arai, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur…
Shimotori Norio (born March 18, 1978) is a former sumo wrestler from Arai, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 2000 and first reached the top division in 2002, although due to injuries he had trouble maintaining that position. He earned one special prize, for Fighting Spirit. His highest rank was komusubi. He was forced to retire in April 2011 after an investigation by the Japan Sumo Association found him guilty of match-fixing.
Kentaro Minagawa (皆川 賢太郎, Minagawa Kentarō; born May 17, 1977) is a Japanese alpine skier. His first international…
Kentaro Minagawa (皆川 賢太郎, Minagawa Kentarō; born May 17, 1977) is a Japanese alpine skier. His first international successes were at the 1996 Junior World Championships in Schwyz, with a 5th rank in Slalom, and a 9th rank in Giant slalom. Since the 1997 Alpine Skiing World Cup he has been participating regularly in World Cup races, nine times ranking in the top ten. Shortly before the 2006 Winter Olympics he ranked 4th in Wengen, Switzerland. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy he also ranked 4th, the best result of a Japanese skier since Chiharu Igaya's silver medal at the 1956 Winter Olympics. In June 2009, he married Japanese popular freestyle skier, Aiko Uemura.
Hiroaki Saito (斎藤洋明, Saito Hiroaki; born 8 December 1976) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of the House of…
Hiroaki Saito (斎藤洋明, Saito Hiroaki; born 8 December 1976) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of the House of Representatives since 2012. He has served as deputy minister of finance since 2024.
Hidenori Isa (井佐 英徳, Isa Hidenori; born 30 July 1976) is a former Japanese biathlete. He was one of the top male…
Hidenori Isa (井佐 英徳, Isa Hidenori; born 30 July 1976) is a former Japanese biathlete. He was one of the top male Japanese biathletes from 2000 until his retirement in 2014.
Noriyo Hiroi (廣井 法代, Hiroi Noriyo) (born 1976) is a Japanese alpine skier. Hiroi made her World Cup debut in the…
Noriyo Hiroi (廣井 法代, Hiroi Noriyo) (born 1976) is a Japanese alpine skier. Hiroi made her World Cup debut in the 1996–97 season, in Sölden where she was disqualified. After being disqualified or not finishing in twelve consecutive races, she finally collected her first World Cup points later that same season, finishing 25th in the slalom race in Laax. In the 1997–98 and 1998–99 World Cup she did not finish either of the eleven races she started in; and in 1999–2000 she failed to finish ten more races, but did finish three, slightly improving her career best placement to 23rd in the December 1999 slalom in Lienz. The 30th place in giant slalom in March 2000 was her only World Cup point in this discipline, starting 32 giant slalom races in the World Cup throughout her career. During the 2000–01 World Cup, Hiroi achieved another 23rd place before improving steadily to 17th in Sestriere and 10th in Semmering, both in the slalom in December 2000. In 2001 she also recorded a 16th, 12th and 14th place in Ofterschwang, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Åre. In 2001–02 her best World Cup placement was 19th, and in 2003–04 it was 22nd. In 2004–05 she only finished one race, a 27th place, whereas her best placement in the 2005–06 World Cup was 18th. Her last World Cup race was in March 2006 in Levi, Finland. She competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, and also at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics. Her best outing was the 14th place in slalom at the 2002 Olympics. She competed at the 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2005 World Alpine Skiing Championships. Her best placement here was the 26th place in St. Anton in 2001, in the giant slalom. She took up residence in Niigata and represented the clubs Kandatsu Kogen and Albirex Niigata during her career.
Tatsuyuki Okuyama (奥山 達之, Okuyama Tatsuki; born 30 January 1976 in Niigata Prefecture) is a former Japanese football…
Tatsuyuki Okuyama (奥山 達之, Okuyama Tatsuki; born 30 January 1976 in Niigata Prefecture) is a former Japanese football player, currently working as head coach. A former player at hometown club Albirex Niigata, Okuyama coached youth teams of Albirex after his playing career ended, and also coached the Albirex Niigata Ladies for four years. He was appointed at Albirex's satellite team in Singapore from 2014, succeeding Koichi Sugiyama. Okuyama was Sugiyama's assistant during the 2013 season.
Tatsuyuki Nagai (長井 龍雪, Nagai Tatsuyuki; born 24 January 1976) is a Japanese director and anime storyboard artist. He…
Tatsuyuki Nagai (長井 龍雪, Nagai Tatsuyuki; born 24 January 1976) is a Japanese director and anime storyboard artist. He is known for being one third of the creative team Super Peace Busters. He made his directorial debut for the second season of Honey and Clover. He then worked on the anime series, Idolmaster: Xenoglossia. He directed Toradora!, an adaptation of the light novel series of the same name. He has also directed all three seasons of the anime adaptation of the manga series A Certain Scientific Railgun. Nagai received praise for his direction in the original anime series, Anohana (2011), his next directed original anime Waiting in the Summer was released the next year. In 2015, he directed the feature film The Anthem of the Heart which received a nomination for Animation of the Year at the 39th Japanese Academy Awards. In that same year, he directed the mecha anime series Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, the series was the fourteenth mainline entry in Sunrise's long-running franchise Gundam. He has since directed the feature films Her Blue Sky (2019) and Fureru (2024), both of which are produced by CloverWorks.
Yuichi Kodama (児玉裕一, Kodama Yuichi; born August 20, 1975), is a Japanese video director. He has mainly directed music…
Yuichi Kodama (児玉裕一, Kodama Yuichi; born August 20, 1975), is a Japanese video director. He has mainly directed music videos and ads. He often produces music videos and ads that are strongly connected or "tied-up" to each other, such as Perfume's "Secret Secret" and Morinaga Milk's "Eskimo Pino", or Amuro Namie's songs and Vidal sassoon's ads. In 2008, he won 3 awards in the Cannes International Advertising Festival, 4 awards in the Clio Awards and 3 awards in the One Show Interactive for a project he did for UNIQLOCK. Kodama is an alumnus of Tohoku University.
Yuki Kondo (近藤 有己, Kondō Yūki; [kondoː jɯːki]; born July 17, 1975) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently…
Yuki Kondo (近藤 有己, Kondō Yūki; [kondoː jɯːki]; born July 17, 1975) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. He has 112 professional fights, making him one of the mixed martial artists with the most bouts on record. He has also competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Sengoku, Palace Fighting Championships, BodogFIGHT, and DEEP. He has competed overseas only four times, and holds a record of 2–2. He is the former Pancrase Light Heavyweight Champion as well as the former Pancrase Middleweight Champion and Pancrase Openweight Champion.
Sayuri Oyamada (小山田 サユリ, Oyamada Sayuri; born in Niigata Prefecture, Japan) is an actor and businesswoman. She began…
Sayuri Oyamada (小山田 サユリ, Oyamada Sayuri; born in Niigata Prefecture, Japan) is an actor and businesswoman. She began her career in Japan, starring in Body Drop Asphalt, accruing acclaim in Japan and globally. Oyamada's work includes films produced in Japan and internationally, including leads in Bright Future (2003), Seventh Anniversary (2003), Miracle Banana (2005) (Haiti), Suki Da (2006), Watashi Dasuwa (2009), Insect Detective Yoshimi Yoshida (2010). In 2016, she played the leading role of Aya in While the Women Are Sleeping (女が眠る時) directed by Wayne Wang and also starring Takeshi Kitano, Hidetoshi Nishijima, and Shiori Kutsuna premiered at the 66th Annual Berlin International Film Festival. Oyamada's recent work includes leads in Bashira (2021) directed by Academy Award winner Nickson Fong, a short directed by Govind Rae, and a supporting role in the Japanese feature, Lady in White directed by Yuki Otsuka. The latter two were due for release in 2019. She is currently based in New York City and runs an onigiri business.
Nobuo Kawaguchi (川口 信男, Kawaguchi Nobuo; born April 10, 1975) is a former Japanese football player.
Fumitaka Nitami (仁多見 史隆, Nitami Fumitaka) (born December 27, 1974, in Niigata) is a retired male boxer from Japan. He…
Fumitaka Nitami (仁多見 史隆, Nitami Fumitaka) (born December 27, 1974, in Niigata) is a retired male boxer from Japan. He represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was stopped in the first round of the men's light-welterweight division (– 63,5 kg) by Russia's Eduard Zakharov.
Sumiko Yokoyama (横山 寿美子, Yokoyama Sumiko; born March 25, 1974) is a Japanese cross country skier who competed from 1993…
Sumiko Yokoyama (横山 寿美子, Yokoyama Sumiko; born March 25, 1974) is a Japanese cross country skier who competed from 1993 to 2008. Her best World Cup finish was fifth in a 4 x 5 km relay in Switzerland in 2003. Yokoyama also competed in four Winter Olympics, earning her best finish of tenth in the 4 x 5 km relay at Salt Lake City in 2002. Her best finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was 8th in the 4 x 5 km relay at Sapporo in 2007.
Kanei Kobayashi (小林 幹英, Kobayashi Kanei; born June 29, 1974) is a professional Japanese baseball player.
Tomohiro Maekawa (前川 知大, Maekawa Tomohiro; born 1974) is a Japanese novelist, playwright, and theater director. Maekawa…
Tomohiro Maekawa (前川 知大, Maekawa Tomohiro; born 1974) is a Japanese novelist, playwright, and theater director. Maekawa has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including multiple Yomiuri Theater Awards, Yomiuri Literary Awards, two Kinokuniya Theater Award, and the Arts Encouragement Prize for both his plays and his directing. Maekawa is the founder of the theater companies Ikiume and Katalushitsu. His plays have been translated and performed internationally in cities such as Seoul and Paris. Several of Maekawa's plays have been adapted into films. Most notably, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2017 film, Before We Vanish, is based on his play and novel. The film premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.
Yoko Ishida (石田 燿子, Ishida Yōko; born October 7, 1973 in Niigata, Japan) is a Japanese singer. She is known for having…
Yoko Ishida (石田 燿子, Ishida Yōko; born October 7, 1973 in Niigata, Japan) is a Japanese singer. She is known for having performed theme songs for anime shows such as Prétear, Ai Yori Aoshi, the Ah! My Goddess TV series and the Strike Witches series, as well as for having sung for the Para Para Max CD series. She currently works under Solid Vox. Formerly she was employed by Hyper Voice Managements. Ishida entered the entertainment industry after winning a contest to become an anime song singer in 1990. She made her debut in 1993 with the song "Otome no Policy" ("Maiden's Policy"), the ending theme for the Sailor Moon R anime. At the time her name was written as 石田よう子, but she changed it to the current spelling (石田燿子) after signing up with record label Pioneer LDC (now Geneon Universal Entertainment). She has since moved back to her original label, Nippon Columbia. Apart from anime songs, she has also sung children's songs. In 2002, Ishida gave her first performance in the United States and returned in 2015 for the Lantis Festival in Las Vegas. She married in 2008 and gave birth to her first child the following year.
Kazuhiro Kobayashi (小林一大, Kobayashi Kazuhiro; born 12 June 1973) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of the…
Kazuhiro Kobayashi (小林一大, Kobayashi Kazuhiro; born 12 June 1973) is a Japanese politician serving as a member of the House of Councillors since 2022. From 2007 to 2022, he was a member of the Niigata Prefectural Assembly. He is the son of Ichizo Kobayashi.
Daisuke Hirakawa (平川 大輔, Hirakawa Daisuke; born 4 June 1973) is a Japanese voice actor and currently active as a…
Daisuke Hirakawa (平川 大輔, Hirakawa Daisuke; born 4 June 1973) is a Japanese voice actor and currently active as a freelancer. He is the official Japanese voice actor for Orlando Bloom.
Toku (styled TOKU) is a Japanese jazz musician from Niigata Prefecture, Japan. In addition to being one of the few…
Toku (styled TOKU) is a Japanese jazz musician from Niigata Prefecture, Japan. In addition to being one of the few professional jazz vocalists and flugelhorn players in Japan, he is known for promoting jazz in Japan and bringing elements of the genre into J-pop through collaborations with other artists. He has worked with clammbon, Miki Imai, Maki Oguro, Yuji Ohno, Mariko Takahashi, Ken Hirai, DOUBLE, m-flo, and Exile.
Kiriko Nananan (Japanese: 魚喃 キリコ, Hepburn: Nananan Kiriko; December 14, 1972 – December 25, 2024) was a Japanese manga…
Kiriko Nananan (Japanese: 魚喃 キリコ, Hepburn: Nananan Kiriko; December 14, 1972 – December 25, 2024) was a Japanese manga artist. She was known for her realistic josei work featuring understated artwork with a sense of detachment. In addition, she affiliated herself with the "La nouvelle manga" movement. Nananan died on December 25, 2024; her death was not announced until a year later.
Kumiko Yokoyama (横山 久美子, Yokoyama Kumiko; born 7 April 1972) is a Japanese cross-country skier. She competed in five…
Kumiko Yokoyama (横山 久美子, Yokoyama Kumiko; born 7 April 1972) is a Japanese cross-country skier. She competed in five events at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Hideki Hosaka (保坂 秀樹, Hosaka Hideki) (August 5, 1971 – August 2, 2021) was a Japanese professional wrestler, who is…
Hideki Hosaka (保坂 秀樹, Hosaka Hideki) (August 5, 1971 – August 2, 2021) was a Japanese professional wrestler, who is best known for his work in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Zero-One.
Masakazu Kondō (近藤 正和, Kondō Masakazu; May 31, 1971)is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 7-dan. He is known…
Masakazu Kondō (近藤 正和, Kondō Masakazu; May 31, 1971)is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 7-dan. He is known for developing the set of Cheerful Central Rook openings.
Suneohair (スネオヘアー, Suneoheā) is the performing name of Kenji Watanabe. He is best known in the West for his…
Suneohair (スネオヘアー, Suneoheā) is the performing name of Kenji Watanabe. He is best known in the West for his contributions to the soundtrack of the anime adaptation of Honey & Clover and Honey and Clover II, for which he provided the ending themes "Waltz" (ワルツ) and "Split" (スプリット). He has also provided the ending themes for Arakawa Under the Bridge and Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge, namely "Sakasama Bridge" (逆様ブリッジ) and "Akai Coat" (赤いコート) respectively. More recently, he provided the ending theme to the Anime Sukitte Ii na yo, "Slow Dance".
Tadahiro Sasaki (佐々木 忠広, Sasaki Tadahiro) (born June 22, 1970, in Niigata) is a retired boxer from Japan, who competed…
Tadahiro Sasaki (佐々木 忠広, Sasaki Tadahiro) (born June 22, 1970, in Niigata) is a retired boxer from Japan, who competed for his native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
Nobuhiro Nishiwaki (Japanese: 西脇 伸宏, Hepburn: Nishiwaki Nobuhiro; born May 26, 1970), better known by his pen name…
Nobuhiro Nishiwaki (Japanese: 西脇 伸宏, Hepburn: Nishiwaki Nobuhiro; born May 26, 1970), better known by his pen name Nobuhiro Watsuki (和月 伸宏, Watsuki Nobuhiro), is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story (1994–1999), which has over 70 million copies in circulation, and a sequel he is currently creating, Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc (2017–present). Watsuki has written three more manga series, Gun Blaze West (2001), Buso Renkin (2003–2005), and Embalming: The Another Tale of Frankenstein (2007–2015). He has mentored several well-known manga artists, including One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, Shaman King creator Hiroyuki Takei, and Mr. Fullswing creator Shinya Suzuki. Watsuki was convicted of possessing child pornography in 2018.
Satoru Shiga (志賀 悟, Shiga Satoru) is a professional wrestler best known for his time in Big Japan Pro Wrestling under…
Satoru Shiga (志賀 悟, Shiga Satoru) is a professional wrestler best known for his time in Big Japan Pro Wrestling under the ring name Shadow WX. He debuted in 1995 in IWA Japan and moved to Big Japan in 1996, where he became a protege of Mr. Pogo and won the BJW Deathmatch Heavyweight Championship four times. His last match for BJW came on October 3, 2013, losing a Fluorescent Boards, Lemon and Salt Death Match to his longtime rival, The W*inger (formerly Shadow Winger). On November 9, 2019, Shiga announced he was coming out of retirement and forming a new promotion operating out of Tokyo, Japan. Major Leaguers Wrestling (MLW) held their first events on December 13 & 15. In his return match, he defeated Necro Butcher. In August 2021, following the pandemic, he adopted the name Mr. Pogo III, after the late original, Tetsuo Sekigawa.
Takeshi Obata (小畑 健, Obata Takeshi; born February 11, 1969) is a Japanese manga artist that usually works as the…
Takeshi Obata (小畑 健, Obata Takeshi; born February 11, 1969) is a Japanese manga artist that usually works as the illustrator in collaboration with a writer. He first gained international attention for Hikaru no Go (1999–2003) with Yumi Hotta, but is better known for Death Note (2003–2006) and Bakuman (2008–2012) with Tsugumi Ohba. Obata has mentored several well-known manga artists, including Nobuhiro Watsuki of Rurouni Kenshin fame, Black Cat creator Kentaro Yabuki, and Eyeshield 21 artist Yusuke Murata.
Kenichi Obinata (born 17 January 1968) is a Japanese rower. He competed in the men's lightweight double sculls event at…
Kenichi Obinata (born 17 January 1968) is a Japanese rower. He competed in the men's lightweight double sculls event at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Ryuichi Yoneyama (米山 隆一, Yoneyama Ryūichi; born 8 September 1967) is a Japanese politician and a former Governor of…
Ryuichi Yoneyama (米山 隆一, Yoneyama Ryūichi; born 8 September 1967) is a Japanese politician and a former Governor of Niigata Prefecture. Prior to entering politics, Yoneyama worked as a radiology researcher at the University of Tokyo Hospital and was also trained as a lawyer.
Satoko Ito (伊藤 聡子, Itō Satoko; born 3 July 1967) is a Japanese television tarento and news anchor. She is a visiting…
Satoko Ito (伊藤 聡子, Itō Satoko; born 3 July 1967) is a Japanese television tarento and news anchor. She is a visiting professor of the Graduate Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. She is represented by Sankei.
Isako Washio (鷲尾 いさ子, Washio Isako) is a Japanese actress. She won the award for Best Actress at the 15th Yokohama Film…
Isako Washio (鷲尾 いさ子, Washio Isako) is a Japanese actress. She won the award for Best Actress at the 15th Yokohama Film Festival for Bloom in the Moonlight.
Naoki Kazama (風間 直樹, Kazama Naoki; born 22 October 1966) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic…
Naoki Kazama (風間 直樹, Kazama Naoki; born 22 October 1966) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Myōkō, Niigata and graduate of Keio University, he had served in the assembly of Niigata Prefecture between 1999 and 2003. He was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 2007.
Hiroki Yagami (八神 ひろき, Yagami Hiroki; born 5 July 1966) is a Japanese manga artist. In 2007, he won the 31st Kodansha…
Hiroki Yagami (八神 ひろき, Yagami Hiroki; born 5 July 1966) is a Japanese manga artist. In 2007, he won the 31st Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen manga for Dear Boys Act II.
Katsuo Kanda (神田 勝夫, Kanda Katsuo; born 21 June 1966) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan…
Katsuo Kanda (神田 勝夫, Kanda Katsuo; born 21 June 1966) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. As a left side-back and a left midfielder, he played 162 matches in the Japanese highest division. He played for NKK, Cerezo Osaka, Yokohama F. Marinos and Albirex Niigata.
Hiroyuki Utatane (うたたね ひろゆき, Utatane Hiroyuki) is a Japanese manga artist and anime director. His wife is manga artist…
Hiroyuki Utatane (うたたね ひろゆき, Utatane Hiroyuki) is a Japanese manga artist and anime director. His wife is manga artist Ryō Ramiya. Born 15 June 1966 in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, Utatane began his career with adult works such as Countdown. In the 1990s he worked on Sailor Moon S. His more recent works have been seinen works such as Seraphic Feather and Heaven's Prison, though he continues to release some adult works as well.
Kazuya Tsurumaki (鶴巻 和哉 Tsurumaki Kazuya) is a Japanese anime director. He was born on February 2, 1966, in the city of…
Kazuya Tsurumaki (鶴巻 和哉 Tsurumaki Kazuya) is a Japanese anime director. He was born on February 2, 1966, in the city of Gosen, located in Niigata Prefecture. He is the protégé of Hideaki Anno, and a longtime animator at Gainax. Tsurumaki's first project at Gainax was as an animation director for the 1990 television series Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water; Tsurumaki was also director of the humorous "omake" (extra) sequences that went along with the TV series, and producer of "Nadia Cinema Edition". In 1995, Tsurumaki served as an assistant director under Hideaki Anno in Gainax's landmark series Neon Genesis Evangelion, in which role he handled production, art director and setting assistant for some episodes. In 1997, he directed episode 25', the first half of the cinematic conclusion to the Evangelion series, The End of Evangelion. In 2000, Tsurumaki officially made his debut as a full-fledged director with the six-part OVA series, FLCL. In 2004 he directed the hit sequel to Gunbuster called Aim for the Top 2! or Diebuster. He was a director for the new four feature Evangelion film series, Rebuild of Evangelion. He directed the 2017 anime special The Dragon Dentist. He attended Otakon in 2001 and Anime Expo in 2016. He is series director for the airing Gundam series Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX jointly produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks and Studio Khara, which produced the Rebuild of Evangelion film series.
Yasumi Matsuno (松野 泰己, Matsuno Yasumi; born 1965) is a Japanese video game designer and writer. Matsuno was first…
Yasumi Matsuno (松野 泰己, Matsuno Yasumi; born 1965) is a Japanese video game designer and writer. Matsuno was first introduced to video games in arcades while waiting for the train, and first played Space Invaders and Xevious there. He attended Hosei University for foreign policy but dropped out, and after working for a time as an economic reporter, he joined Quest Corporation. As an employee at video game companies Quest in 1989 and later Square in 1995, Matsuno became well known for his work in the tactical role-playing game genre, specifically the Ogre Battle (1993) and Final Fantasy Tactics (1997) series, in addition to Vagrant Story (2000) and Final Fantasy XII (2006). After disruptions from staff leaving his development team, he resigned from Square Enix due to prolonged illness. During a freelance period, he worked on games for Nintendo's Wii such as MadWorld (2009). He joined Level-5 in 2011 where he helped create Crimson Shroud for the Nintendo 3DS. In 2016, he created his own company called Algebra Factory, and during this period was asked by Square Enix to create a scenario for Final Fantasy XIV's expansion Stormblood (2017). He created a raid called "Return to Ivalice", the land of Ivalice being a setting from previous Final Fantasy games he had worked on. Matsuno was subsequently asked to create another scenario, which was titled "Save the Queen: Blades of Gunnhildr" and included in Shadowbringers, another expansion for the game.
Makoto Aida (会田 誠, Aida Makoto; born 4 October 1965 -) is a Japanese contemporary artist known for his provocative…
Makoto Aida (会田 誠, Aida Makoto; born 4 October 1965 -) is a Japanese contemporary artist known for his provocative works of manga, painting, video, photography, sculpture, and installation. Though less well known internationally than Takashi Murakami or Yoshitomo Nara, he is recognized in Japan as one of the preeminent figures of Japanese contemporary art.
Kenji Komata (古俣 健次, Komata Kenji; born July 15, 1964) is a former Japanese football player.
Yoshihiko Hara (born 11 February 1964) is a Japanese wrestler. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1992…
Yoshihiko Hara (born 11 February 1964) is a Japanese wrestler. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Hiroshi Watari (渡 洋史, Watari Hiroshi; born March 20, 1963, in Niigata Prefecture) is a Japanese singer, voice actor…
Hiroshi Watari (渡 洋史, Watari Hiroshi; born March 20, 1963, in Niigata Prefecture) is a Japanese singer, voice actor, and actor. His birth name is Hiroshi Watanabe. His wife was the late voice actress Emi Shinohara, best known as Sailor Jupiter from Sailor Moon. In the past, Watari was signed to 81 Produce, Stunt Japan (スタントジャパン), and Ayers Rock; he is currently signed with Rough. He is best known for his roles of Den Iga in the 1983 Metal Heroes Series Space Sheriff Sharivan and Yousuke Jou in Jikuu Senshi Spielban, making him the only actor to play two different Heroes in two Metal Hero Series.
Shinji Nojima (野島 伸司, Nojima Shinji; born March 4, 1963) is a Japanese screenwriter.
Miyako Yamashita (Japanese: 山下 美弥子; born 6 December 1962) is a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the…
Miyako Yamashita (Japanese: 山下 美弥子; born 6 December 1962) is a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. In 1988 she finished fourth with the Japanese team in the Olympic tournament.
Hirohiko Izumida (泉田 裕彦, Izumida Hirohiko; born 15 September 1962) is a former Japanese politician who served as the…
Hirohiko Izumida (泉田 裕彦, Izumida Hirohiko; born 15 September 1962) is a former Japanese politician who served as the Governor of Niigata Prefecture between 2004 and 2016.
Shin-ya Koyama (小山 信也, Koyama Shin'ya; born 1962, Niigata) is a Japanese mathematician working in number theory. He is…
Shin-ya Koyama (小山 信也, Koyama Shin'ya; born 1962, Niigata) is a Japanese mathematician working in number theory. He is currently a professor at Toyo University.
Hiroyuki Yamaga (山賀 博之, Yamaga Hiroyuki) is a Japanese anime director and producer, and a founding member of the…
Hiroyuki Yamaga (山賀 博之, Yamaga Hiroyuki) is a Japanese anime director and producer, and a founding member of the animation studio Gainax. He is best known for directing the film Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987) at age 24, directing Mahoromatic (2001), Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (2002), and an episode of Gurren Lagann (2007). Yamaga also wrote the screenplay for Gundam 0080 (1989). He is portrayed by actor Tsuyoshi Muro in the 2014 TV Drama Aoi Honō based on the autobiographical manga by his fellow Osaka University of Arts alumnus Kazuhiko Shimamoto. Yamaga himself cameos in Episode 7 of the series, playing the owner of a restaurant where his fictional counterpart faints.
Toshihito Ito (伊藤俊人, Itō Toshihito) (February 16, 1962 – May 24, 2002) was a Japanese actor and member of the Tokyo…
Toshihito Ito (伊藤俊人, Itō Toshihito) (February 16, 1962 – May 24, 2002) was a Japanese actor and member of the Tokyo Sunshine Boys theatrical troupe. He was born on February 16, 1962, in Niigata, Japan.