List of Famous people born in Japan
Osamu Suzuki
Osamu Suzuki is a Japanese television writer, screenwriter, lyricist, radio personality, and tarento.
Takeshi Yamasaki
Takeshi Yamasaki is a retired Japanese professional baseball player. During his 24 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, he played for the Chunichi Dragons, the Orix BlueWave, and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Miwa Asao
Miwa Asao is a female Japanese beach volleyball player. Referred to in media reports as the "pixie of beach volleyball" or simply "pixie of the beach" for her small stature and good looks, Asao helped to popularize beach volleyball in Japan. She became a national celebrity from the many articles written on her in Japanese magazines and newspapers, and through her numerous appearances on television.
Nobuyuki Zaizen
Nobuyuki Zaizen is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Hikaru Koyama
Hikaru Koyama is a Japanese fashion model and singer. She was born from Kyoto Prefecture. She is represented with IMS Entertainment.
Sputniko!
Hiromi Marissa Ozaki, better known by the pseudonym Sputniko!, is a British/Japanese artist and designer who specializes in the field of speculative and critical design. After majoring in BSc Mathematics and Computer Science at Imperial College, London, she went on to pursue a master's degree in design at the Royal College of Art. Sputniko! is known for her film and multi-media installation works inspired by how technology impacts society and people's values – in particular focusing on gender issues. She has recently presented her works in exhibitions such as the 2019 Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial, 'Japanorama' in Pompidou Centre-Metz, Setouchi Art Trienniale, New Sensorium at the ZKM Art Center in Germany (2016), Future and the Arts at the Mori Art Museum (2016), Collecting Future Japan – Neo Nipponica at the Victoria & Albert Museum (2016). From 2013 to 2017, Sputniko! was an assistant professor at the MIT Media Lab where she found and directed the Design Fiction research group. To date, she has had pieces included in the permanent collections of museums such as the V&A and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. Currently, she resides as the associate professor of RCA-IIS Design Lab in the Institute of Industrial Science at the University of Tokyo as well as associate professor of the Department of Design at Tokyo University of the Arts.
Naoki Yamamoto
Naoki Yamamoto is a Japanese racing driver. He is currently driving in the Super GT and Super Formula championships. He won the Super Formula championship in 2013, 2018, and 2020, along with the Super GT championship in 2018 and 2020. In 2018, he became the first driver to win both the Super Formula and Super GT titles in the same year for 14 years; he accomplished this feat for a second time in 2020. His successes in both series has allowed him to reach the 40-point threshold required for an F1 superlicence.
Himeka Nakamoto
Himeka Nakamoto is a Japanese mental health counselor and former idol. She was a first-generation member of the idol group Nogizaka46.
Shunta Tanaka
Shunta Tanaka is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Nippon Professional Baseball(NPB).
Wataru Hatano
Wataru Hatano is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and singer affiliated with 81 Produce. At the 2nd Seiyu Awards in 2008, Hatano won the Best Male Rookie Award for his roles as Sam Houston in Toward the Terra and Tenshi Yuri in Saint Beast: Kouin Jojishi Tenshitan. Other major roles voiced include Gajeel Redfox in Fairy Tail, Metal Bat in One Punch Man and Yūto Ayase in Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu. In video games, he voices Josuke Higashikata in the CyberConnect2 developed JoJo's Bizarre Adventure games, and Rufus in the Street Fighter franchise. On April 2, 2018, he announced his marriage with fellow voice actress Mai Hashimoto.