Kyohei Yamagata (山形 恭平, Yamagata Kyohei; born September 7, 1981) is a former Japanese football player. His younger…Kyohei Yamagata (山形 恭平, Yamagata Kyohei; born September 7, 1981) is a former Japanese football player. His younger brother Tatsunori Yamagata is also footballer.
Katsuyuki Nakasuga (Japanese: 中須賀 克行, Hepburn: Nakasuga Katsuyuki; born 9 August 1981 in Fukuoka Prefecture) is a…Katsuyuki Nakasuga (Japanese: 中須賀 克行, Hepburn: Nakasuga Katsuyuki; born 9 August 1981 in Fukuoka Prefecture) is a Japanese motorcycle racer. He races a factory Yamaha YZF-R1 in the JSB1000 class of the All Japan Road Race Championship. He has won the Suzuka 8 Hours four times (2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018) and the JSB1000 championship title thirteen times (2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025).
Shuhei Kubo (久保 修平, Kubo Shūhei; born June 9, 1981 in Tsukushi, Japan) is a Japanese rugby union referee, who is an A…Shuhei Kubo (久保 修平, Kubo Shūhei; born June 9, 1981 in Tsukushi, Japan) is a Japanese rugby union referee, who is an A class referee in the Japan Rugby Football Union. Kubo, now a referee on the Top League refereeing panel, was a member of a 4-man officials panel for the 2012 IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy before he had even made his Top League debut. Later that year, he made his League debut, refereeing Toyota Verblitz against NEC Green Rockets on 26 January 2013. That same year, he was promoted up to the IRB Junior World Championship from the trophy where refereed three games.
Kensuke Tanaka (田中 賢介, born May 20, 1981) is a Japanese former professional baseball second baseman and left fielder.…Kensuke Tanaka (田中 賢介, born May 20, 1981) is a Japanese former professional baseball second baseman and left fielder. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants.
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.
Shuichi Murata (村田 修一, Murata Shūichi; born December 28, 1980) is a Japanese former professional baseball third…Shuichi Murata (村田 修一, Murata Shūichi; born December 28, 1980) is a Japanese former professional baseball third baseman. He played 15 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 2003 to 2017 for the Yokohama BayStars and Yomiuri Giants. Murata led the Central League in home runs in both 2007 and 2008 and is one of the few pure home run hitters in Japanese professional baseball today. He played in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the 2009 World Baseball Classic as a member of the Japanese national team and hit cleanup for much of the latter tournament.
Motoko Fujimoto (藤本索子; born December 25, 1980 in Dazaifu, Fukuoka) is a Japanese softball player who won the gold medal…Motoko Fujimoto (藤本索子; born December 25, 1980 in Dazaifu, Fukuoka) is a Japanese softball player who won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Chisato Amate (天手 千聖, Amate Chisato; born 16 December 1980, in Fukuoka Prefecture) is a Japanese actress. She played…Chisato Amate (天手 千聖, Amate Chisato; born 16 December 1980, in Fukuoka Prefecture) is a Japanese actress. She played the lead actress role in 1-Ichi, a prequel to Ichi the Killer. In 2004, she played a supporting role in Izo. With Azuma Mami she is part of a CM duo called G☆cups, a reference to their large busts (Chisato's, at 86 cm, is large for a Japanese woman).
Satoshi Tsumabuki (妻夫木聡, Tsumabuki Satoshi; born December 13, 1980) is a Japanese actor. His breakthrough film was…Satoshi Tsumabuki (妻夫木聡, Tsumabuki Satoshi; born December 13, 1980) is a Japanese actor. His breakthrough film was Waterboys for which he was nominated for the "Best Actor" award at the Japanese Academy Awards, and won the "Newcomer of the Year" prize. He is also the bassist and lead singer of the Japanese band Basking Lite.
Toshiya Sugiuchi (杉内 俊哉, Sugiuchi Toshiya; born October 30, 1980 in Kasuga, Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese baseball…Toshiya Sugiuchi (杉内 俊哉, Sugiuchi Toshiya; born October 30, 1980 in Kasuga, Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese baseball player. He is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants. Sugiuchi was the Eiji Sawamura Award winner in 2005. He has had some of the most international experience of any active Japanese baseball player, pitching in the 2000 Sydney and 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics.
Kentaro Yoshida (吉田 賢太郎, Yoshida Kentarō; born October 5, 1980) is a former Japanese football player. He is the current…Kentaro Yoshida (吉田 賢太郎, Yoshida Kentarō; born October 5, 1980) is a former Japanese football player. He is the current assistant manager of Vegalta Sendai.
Shinsuke Ogura (小椋 真介, Ogura Shinsuke; born 1 August 1980, Fukuoka, Fukuoka-ken) is a Japanese baseball player. He has…Shinsuke Ogura (小椋 真介, Ogura Shinsuke; born 1 August 1980, Fukuoka, Fukuoka-ken) is a Japanese baseball player. He has been with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks since 1999, and plays as pitcher, wearing number 16.
Daisuke Kato (加藤 大輔, Katō Daisuke; born July 27, 1980) is a former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher for the Tohoku…Daisuke Kato (加藤 大輔, Katō Daisuke; born July 27, 1980) is a former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan's Pacific League.
Yumi Yoshino (芳野 友美, Yoshino Yumi; born 2 July 1980, in Iizuka, Fukuoka) is a Japanese actress. She is represented with…Yumi Yoshino (芳野 友美, Yoshino Yumi; born 2 July 1980, in Iizuka, Fukuoka) is a Japanese actress. She is represented with Production Harmony.
Toshiya Nakashima (中島 俊哉, born June 10, 1980, in Chikugo, Fukuoka) is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for…Toshiya Nakashima (中島 俊哉, born June 10, 1980, in Chikugo, Fukuoka) is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
Rena Tanaka (田中 麗奈, Tanaka Rena; born 22 May 1980) is a Japanese actress. In 1999, she won the Japanese Academy Award…Rena Tanaka (田中 麗奈, Tanaka Rena; born 22 May 1980) is a Japanese actress. In 1999, she won the Japanese Academy Award for "Best Newcomer" for her performance in Give It All; in 2001, she received a "Best Actress" nomination for First Love.
175R (175R, Inago Raidā; "Inago Rider") is a Japanese ska punk band from Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture. Debuting in…175R (175R, Inago Raidā; "Inago Rider") is a Japanese ska punk band from Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture. Debuting in 2001, 175R has released seven singles, seven albums and four DVDs. The band's members include Shogo on Vocals, Kazya on guitar, Isakick on bass and Yoshiaki on drums. The band shared their second single with the band Shaka Labbits. The name 175R means "Inago Rider," which is derived from the goroawase of "175" plus "R" for "rider." Inago (蝗) means grasshopper in Japanese, as a reference to the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu television programs. In 2007, the group's single "Yume de Aeta Nara..." was featured as the ending theme for the film Kamen Rider Den-O: I'm Born!. Another one of their songs, Melody, was used featured in a music-related video game for the Nintendo DS called Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. Unlike the other songs included in the game, Ouendan made use of an actual (albeit edited) 175R recording, instead of a cover version.
Kazuhiko Ikematsu (池松 和彦, Ikematsu Kazuhiko; born December 26, 1979 in Fukuoka) is a male freestyle wrestler from…Kazuhiko Ikematsu (池松 和彦, Ikematsu Kazuhiko; born December 26, 1979 in Fukuoka) is a male freestyle wrestler from Japan. He won a bronze medal at the 2003 FILA Wrestling World Championships. During the Men's freestyle (66 kg) event at the 2004 Summer Olympics he was ranked on 5th place. He participated in Men's freestyle (66 kg) event at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He was eliminated from the tournament after he lost to Otar Tushishvili.
Hirokazu Otsubo (大坪 博和, Otsubo Hirokazu; born December 7, 1979) is a former Japanese football player who is currently a…Hirokazu Otsubo (大坪 博和, Otsubo Hirokazu; born December 7, 1979) is a former Japanese football player who is currently a football referee.
Emi Naito (内藤 恵美, Naitō Emi) (born October 6, 1979) is a Japanese softball player who won two medals for Japan in the…Emi Naito (内藤 恵美, Naitō Emi) (born October 6, 1979) is a Japanese softball player who won two medals for Japan in the Olympic Games. In 2000 she played in 2nd base, where she won the silver medal for the team. In 2004 she played as a shortstop, in which her team received a bronze medal.
Kaori Mori (森 かおり, Mori Kaori; born on August 23, 1979, in Fukuoka Prefecture) is a former Japanese badminton player.…Kaori Mori (森 かおり, Mori Kaori; born on August 23, 1979, in Fukuoka Prefecture) is a former Japanese badminton player. She was the women's singles national champion in 2001 and 2003. Mori won the bronze medal at the 2004 Asian Championships and also the silver medals in 2005 and 2006. She played badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics, defeating Anu Weckström of Finland in the first round but losing to Zhou Mi of China in the round of 16. She also helps the Japanese women's team to win bronze at the 2004 Uber Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Seiji Koga (古賀 誠史, Koga Seiji; born August 7, 1979) is a former Japanese football player. His brother Masahiro Koga is…Seiji Koga (古賀 誠史, Koga Seiji; born August 7, 1979) is a former Japanese football player. His brother Masahiro Koga is also former footballer.
Yoshio Inoue (井上 芳雄, Inoue Yoshio; born 6 July 1979), is a Japanese actor and singer, best known for his performances…Yoshio Inoue (井上 芳雄, Inoue Yoshio; born 6 July 1979), is a Japanese actor and singer, best known for his performances in musical theatre. In 2000 while he was studying Vocal Music in the Tokyo University of the Arts, he made his musical theatre debut as Rudolf in Elisabeth at the Imperial Theatre. He continued to perform in numerous musicals and stage play, including the title role in Mozart! since 2002, as Chris in Miss Saigon in 2004 and 2009, as Bill in Me and My Girl in 2006 and 2009, and as Jervis in Daddy Long Legs since 2012. Since 2015 he played Der Tod in Elisabeth. Alongside his theatrical career, Inoue also appeared in films and television dramas and presented in live shows and television music programs. In 2013, he formed StarS, a musical unit with Kenji Urai and Ikusaburo Yamazaki.
Ryō Fukuda (福田良 Fukada Ryō, born June 26, 1979, in Fukuoka) is a Japanese former racing driver. He was a Formula One…Ryō Fukuda (福田良 Fukada Ryō, born June 26, 1979, in Fukuoka) is a Japanese former racing driver. He was a Formula One test driver. In the 2005–2006 season, he raced in A1 Grand Prix Japan Team. Fukuda started his career in France, at 1996 in Formula Campus, Formula Renault and Formula 3. In this category, after second place in 2000, in 2001, he became the French Formula Three champion with the Saulnier Racing team. In 2002, he was in Formula One BAR–Honda test driver, and also participated in one race in the Porsche Supercup and FIA GT Championship with Paul Belmondo Racing. Fukuda also participated in Formula Nippon in 2003, World Series by Nissan in 2004, Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2005 and 2006 with Saulnier Racing and Tech 1 Racing.
Masashi Motoyama (本山 雅志, Motoyama Masashi; born June 20, 1979) is a Japanese football player. He played for Japan…Masashi Motoyama (本山 雅志, Motoyama Masashi; born June 20, 1979) is a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Takuzo Nagano (長野 拓造 (Nagano Takuzō), born June 1, 1979) is a Japanese video game artist and character designer best…Takuzo Nagano (長野 拓造 (Nagano Takuzō), born June 1, 1979) is a Japanese video game artist and character designer best known for his work at Level-5 Inc.. He is recognized as one of the company's principal character designers, having created the distinctive visual identities for several of Level-5's most successful multimedia franchises, including Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, and Yo-kai Watch.
Keiko Suenobu (Japanese: すえのぶ けいこ, Hepburn: Suenobu Keiko; March 23, 1979) is a female Japanese shōjo manga artist from…Keiko Suenobu (Japanese: すえのぶ けいこ, Hepburn: Suenobu Keiko; March 23, 1979) is a female Japanese shōjo manga artist from Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka. She graduated from the School of Art and Design at the University of Tsukuba with a major in sculpture. In 2006, Suenobu's manga series, Life won the Kodansha Manga Award for best shōjo manga. Life and her manga series Limit were adapted for broadcast as live-action television drama series. Bullying is a recurring theme in her stories.
Kazuma Ieiri (家入 一真, Ieiri Kazuma; born December 28, 1978) is a Japanese entrepreneur recognized by Forbes as one of…Kazuma Ieiri (家入 一真, Ieiri Kazuma; born December 28, 1978) is a Japanese entrepreneur recognized by Forbes as one of Japan’s leading figures in the startup ecosystem. He is the founder and former director (until 2011) of the web hosting company paperboy & co., and the founder of the crowdfunding platform studygift. In 2014, he ran as a candidate in the 2014 Tokyo gubernatorial election. In 2017, he co-founded NOW Venture Capital in Tokyo alongside investment bankers from Mizuho Financial Group and a certified public accountant with an MBA from the London Business School. The firm has since invested in over 63 companies.
Sayoko Kitabatake (北畠 紗代子, Kitabatake Sayoko; born October 24, 1978 in Higashiōsaka, Osaka) is an athlete from Japan…Sayoko Kitabatake (北畠 紗代子, Kitabatake Sayoko; born October 24, 1978 in Higashiōsaka, Osaka) is an athlete from Japan who competes in archery. She competed under her birth name Sayoko Kawauchi (川内 紗代子) at the 2004 Olympics. Kawauchi represented Japan at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She placed 53rd in the women's individual ranking round with a 72-arrow score of 601. In the first round of elimination, she faced 12th-ranked Nataliya Burdeyna of Ukraine. Kawauchi defeated Burdeyna, winning 137-129 in the 18-arrow match to advance to the round of 32. In that round, she faced Alison Williamson of Great Britain, losing to the 21st-ranked and eventual bronze medalist archer 154-150 in the regulation 18 arrows. Kawauchi finished 26th in women's individual archery. Kawauchi was also a member of the 14th-place Japanese women's archery team.
Mariko Ooe (大江 麻理子, Ōe Mariko; born 21 October 1978) is a newsroom announcer for TV Tokyo. She was born in Buzen…Mariko Ooe (大江 麻理子, Ōe Mariko; born 21 October 1978) is a newsroom announcer for TV Tokyo. She was born in Buzen, Fukuoka. She is married to Ooki Matsumoto, the founder and President of Monex, Inc.
Takeru Nagayoshi (永吉 たける, Nagayoshi Takeru; born on October 21, 1978, in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese manga…Takeru Nagayoshi (永吉 たける, Nagayoshi Takeru; born on October 21, 1978, in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. He is notable as the author of the Sumire 16 sai!! series. He debuted on Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 2006 with the manga series Sumire 17 sai!!, then later moved to Magazine Special continuing the series but renaming to Sumire 16 sai!!.
Kie Kusakabe (日下部 基栄, Kusakabe Kie; born 11 October 1978 in Fukuoka) is a Japanese judoka. She won a –57 kg category…Kie Kusakabe (日下部 基栄, Kusakabe Kie; born 11 October 1978 in Fukuoka) is a Japanese judoka. She won a –57 kg category bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Kusakabe is a graduate of Junshin Junior College. She was an officer of the Fukuoka Prefectural Police. She retired from the police in March 2005 and got married in October 2005.
Masahiro Koga (古賀 正紘, Koga Masahiro; born September 8, 1978) is a former Japanese football player. His younger brother…Masahiro Koga (古賀 正紘, Koga Masahiro; born September 8, 1978) is a former Japanese football player. His younger brother Seiji is also a footballer.
Takanori Kumagae (熊谷皇紀, Kumagai kōki; born 1 January 1978) is a former Japanese rugby union player who played as a…Takanori Kumagae (熊谷皇紀, Kumagai kōki; born 1 January 1978) is a former Japanese rugby union player who played as a lock. He spent his whole career playing for NEC Green Rockets in Japan's domestic Top League, playing a single season. He was named in the Japan squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, making 1 appearance in the tournament. He made a further 25 appearances for Japan in his career, scoring one try.
Shingo Hoshino (星野 真悟, Hoshino Shingo; born May 2, 1978) is a former Japanese football player. Hoshino previously…Shingo Hoshino (星野 真悟, Hoshino Shingo; born May 2, 1978) is a former Japanese football player. Hoshino previously played for Ehime FC in the J2 League.
Hitomi Mieno (三重野 瞳, Mieno Hitomi; born December 21, 1977 in Fukuoka Prefecture) is a Japanese singer and screenwriter.…Hitomi Mieno (三重野 瞳, Mieno Hitomi; born December 21, 1977 in Fukuoka Prefecture) is a Japanese singer and screenwriter. She has released 17 singles and 11 albums since her debut in 1994. Several of her songs have been used as openings and endings of anime and radio dramas. She has also written the screenplays of various anime series under the alias of Deko Akao (赤尾 でこ, Akao Deko), including Noragami, Frame Arms Girl and After the Rain.
Hiromi Kojima (小島 宏美, Kojima Hiromi; born December 12, 1977) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan…Hiromi Kojima (小島 宏美, Kojima Hiromi; born December 12, 1977) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Yoshiteru Yamashita (山下 芳輝, Yamashita Yoshiteru; born November 21, 1977) is a former Japanese football player. He…Yoshiteru Yamashita (山下 芳輝, Yamashita Yoshiteru; born November 21, 1977) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Ōga Atsushi (born 22 October 1977 as Atsushi Moriyasu) is a former sumo wrestler from Nogata, Fukuoka, Japan. His…Ōga Atsushi (born 22 October 1977 as Atsushi Moriyasu) is a former sumo wrestler from Nogata, Fukuoka, Japan. His highest rank was jūryō 6. He was well known to sumo audiences for his performance of the bow twirling ceremony (yumitori-shiki) which takes place at the end of every tournament day, a role he began in 2004. It is normally performed by an apprentice ranked in the makushita division or below, but Ōga continued to do it even after promotion to the jūryō division.