List of Famous people born in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

Junzō Okudaira , born February 2, 1949 in Shimonoseki, was one of the three Japanese Red Army (JRA) members who attacked the French embassy in The Hague in 1974 and was the person who detonated a car bomb in front of a USO club in Naples in 1988.

Teruzane Utada is a Japanese music executive producer and attendant.

Ayaka Hamasaki is a Japanese female mixed martial artist, judoka and submission grappler. She is the current Rizin Super Atomweight Champion. She has fought in MMA promotions Shooto, Jewels and Rizin in Japan, and Invicta FC in the United States. Hamasaki won the first Jewels 115 lb (52 kg) Queen tournament to become the first lightweight champion of the promotion. Hamasaki vacated her title due to injuries on August 31, 2013. She is a former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. Hamasaki is the first Asian to win a North American premier MMA promotion title.

Prince Katsura Tarō was a Japanese politician and general of the Imperial Japanese Army who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1901 to 1906, from 1908 to 1911, and from 1912 to 1913.

Yōku Hata is a stand up comedian in Japan. He rose to popularity in 2004 with his character "The Guitar Zamurai (Samurai)" (ギター侍) on the program The God of Entertainment (エンタの神様). Dressed in a yukata, his skit always follows the same form. He says a supposed quote about someone famous, and then mocks the quote and says "残念!" Then he imitates the person and finishes that section with a "切り" as he makes a sword slash movement with his guitar. At the end of a set, he usually says some self-depreciating remark and ends yelling "切腹!" (seppuku!). His popularity in this persona earned him an animated cameo in the Crayon Shin-Chan movie, "Crayon Shin-chan: The Legend of the Buri Buri 3 Minutes Charge" in which he played a monster that made fun of the sliding timescale of the cartoon.

Kinuyo Tanaka was a Japanese actress and director. She had a career lasting over 50 years with more than 250 credited films, and was best known for her roles in collaboration with director Kenji Mizoguchi over 15 films between 1940 and 1954. She was also a second cousin to director Masaki Kobayashi.

Kazunori Tanaka is a Japanese politician serving in the House of Representatives in the Diet as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and Minister of Reconstruction. A native of Toyoura District, Yamaguchi and graduate of Hosei University he was elected for the first time in 1996 after serving in local assemblies. Tanaka was elected seven times in Kanagawa, prefecture 10th district Tanaka is general director of the Liberal Democratic Party International bureau in 2015.

Kentaro Nakamoto is a Japanese long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. He represented Japan in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2011, 2013 and 2017 World Championships in Athletics, finishing in the top ten on all four occasions. His personal best for the distance is 2:08:35 hours.

Gin Maeda is a Japanese actor. He had a regular role in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo films, beginning with the first in the series (1969), as Sakura's husband.

Akira Iwamoto is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher for the Orix Buffaloes.