- Emperor Of Japan
According to the Japanese Constitution, the is a symbol of Japan and the unity of its people. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. Under Japan's present constitution, the emperor is a ceremonial figurehead in a constitutional monarchy (see Politics of Japan). The current emperor is His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Akihito, who has been on the Chrysanthemum Throne since his father Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) died in 1989.
- You
You ("Yū", born August 29, 1964 as 江原由希子 "Ehara Yukiko") is a Japanese model, television personality, singer and actress. She began her career as a singer, releasing her first single "chotto dake" ("just a little") in 1985. She next formed the Japanese Pop Group Fairchild in 1988, with Seiji Toda and Hirokazu Kawaguchi, serving as vocalist and songwriter.
- May
MAY ("also known as": Mei, メイ, 메이) is a Korean singer, well known in South Korea for singing the song "Miracle". She is able to speak Korean, Japanese, and English. MAY was born on May 6, 1982 in Seoul, South Korea. She started her music career in South Korea in late 2005 singing "Miracle", a well known song in South Korea. Within a month she was chosen by Avex's Show Case Live because she was able to speak Japanese.
- Downtown
is a Japanese comedy duo "(kombi)" consisting of and. Downtown is probably the most influential "kombi" to come from Yoshimoto Kōgyō, and is arguably the most popular "kombi" in Japan today. While best known for their stand-up act and their role as host of numerous Japanese variety shows (including the long running Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ), they also occasionally perform in movies and television drama, and in the past have even released music singles.
- Double
Double is the stage name for Japanese pop singer Takako Hirasawa. Previously, it was the name for a vocal group comprising Takako and her sister Sachiko. Takako and Sachiko Hirasawa were born in the Niigata prefecture in Japan, and made their debut as a duo in 1998 under the name "Double." Sachiko died in 1999. Takako, rather than abandoning the name, adopted it as her stage name.
- Yasuo Fukuda
Yasuo Fukuda is a Japanese politician. He was the longest-serving Chief Cabinet Secretary in Japanese history, serving for 1,289 days under Prime Ministers Yoshiro Mori and Junichiro Koizumi. He was currently one of the leading contenders, along with current Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, to replace Koizumi in September 2006. Fukuda dropped out of the race on July 21, 2006.
- Shinzo Abe
; born September 21 1954is the current Prime Minister of Japan, elected by a special session of the National Diet on September 26 2006. He is Japan's youngest post-World War II prime minister and the first born after the war. Abe was born into a political family, and studied political science in Japan, and had studied in the United States. He worked in the private sector until 1982 when he began work in several government jobs.
- Utada Hikaru
also known by her fan-nickname of, is a third culture Japanese pop singer-songwriter, arranger and record producer. She has been hailed as one of the most successful, influential and acclaimed musicians in Japanese music history. With the release of her seven studio albums, including one compilation and two all-English, 24 solo singles (18 Japanese and 6 English) and several VHS/DVD releases, she has sold a combined estimated total in Japan of some 36,000,000 records in Japan as of 2007, …
- Die
Die (born December 20, 1974, in Mie) is a Japanese musician and one of the guitarists of Dir en grey. He has been with the band since its inception in 1997 and was previously a member of La:Sadie's. Die is the second most credited composer within Dir en grey (after fellow guitarist Kaoru) and his songs tend to be more upbeat, such as "304 Goushitsu, Hakushi no Sakura", "Wake" and "Mr.Newsman".
- Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki (aea aaa, Hamasaki Ayumi, originally aea ae-, born October 2, 1978) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and former actress. Also known as Ayu to her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed "the Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity and widespread influence in Japan. Born and raised in Fukuoka, Hamasaki moved to Tokyo at the age of fourteen to pursue a career in entertainment.
- Hideo Kojima
is a Japanese video game designer at Konami. Formerly the vice president of Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, he is currently the head of Kojima Productions, a new team devoted to creative game development leaving behind all the business and administrative decision making. He is the creator and director of a number of successful games, including the "Metal Gear series", "Snatcher", and "Policenauts".
- Hide
was a popular Japanese musician. More commonly known by his stage name Hide (pronounced, given in all-lowercase letters by the artist), he is primarily known for his work as lead guitarist of the popular rock band X Japan. He was also a successful solo artist and co-founder of the United States based band Zilch.
- Akira Kurosawa
was a prominent Japanese film director, film producer, and screenwriter. His first credited film ("Sugata Sanshiro") was released in 1943; his last ("Madadayo") in 1993. His many awards include the Legion d'Honneur and an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement.
- Hayao Miyazaki
Born January 5, 1941 in Tokyo, Japan, Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most famous and well-respected creators of anime. He has three brothers, he being the second oldest. His older brother, Arata Miyazaki , was born in July 1939. His first younger brother is Shirou Miyazaki. His youngest is brother is named Yutaka Miyazaki and was born in January 1944. In 1947, Miyazaki enrolled at a school in... More A
- Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono Lennon (小野 洋子 "Ono Yōko (ONO Yōko)", born February 18 1933) is a Japanese-American artist and musician. She gained international fame because of her marriage to British musician John Lennon. She currently lives in New York City. Despite having a kanji reading, Ono's name appears in katakana (ヨーコ・オノ Yōko Ono) in the Japanese press and on album credits.
- Joi Ito
Joi Ito , an activist, entrepreneur and venture capitalist, has received much recognition for his role as an entrepreneur of Internet and technology companies. He has founded companies such as PSINet Japan, Digital Garage and Infoseek Japan and is the founder and currently the CEO of the venture capital firm, Neoteny Co., Ltd.
- Daisuke Matsuzaka
is a Japanese starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. He previously played for the Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League. He was selected the MVP of the 2006 World Baseball Classic and is an Olympic bronze medalist
- Jim Breen
James William Breen (born 1947) is a Research Fellow at Monash University in Australia, where he was a professor before his retirement in 2003. He is well known for his involvement in several popular free Japanese-related projects: the EDICT and JMDict Japanese-English dictionaries, the KANJIDIC kanji dictionary, and the WWWJDIC portal which provides an interface to search them.
- Shigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer. He is the creator of the "Mario", "Donkey Kong", "The Legend of Zelda", "Star Fox", "Nintendogs", "Wave Race", and "Pikmin" video game series for Nintendo game systems. He is one of the world's most celebrated game designers, and is often called the father of modern video gaming.
- Kenji Ito
Kenji Ito is a video game music composer. He is best known for his work on the SaGa series. In 2001 he left Square Co. to become a freelance artist, but has since continued to collaborate with the company.
- Haruki Murakami
is a popular contemporary Japanese writer and translator. His work has been described by the "Virginia Quarterly Review" as "easily accessible, yet profoundly complex."
- Namie Amuro
is a Japanese pop singer of Ryukyuan and Italian ancestry. In the Japanese press she was referred to as the "Queen of J-pop" before Ayumi Hamasaki eclipsed her popularity in the mainstream pop scene. She was noted in her early years for her Westernized dance music and popularized fashion whose followers came to be nicknamed Amurā (Amurer in English). Debuting in 1992 as part of the quintet, Super Monkey's, she later debuted solo in 1995 to phenomenal success with producer Tetsuya Komuro.
- Ichiro Suzuki
often known simply as, is a Japanese center fielder for the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball team. He was born October 22, 1973, in Toyoyama, Nishikasugai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Ichiro moved to the United States in 2001 after playing nine years for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League. When the Blue Wave posted him after the 2000 season, Ichiro rights were won by Seattle and he signed a contract with the Mariners.
- Maria Ozawa
Maria Ozawa (小澤マリア - Ozawa Maria), also known as Miyabi, is a popular Japanese AV idol.
- Takeshi Kitano
Takeshi Kitano originally studied to become an engineer, but was thrown out of school for rebellious behavior. He learned comedy, singing and dancing from famed comedian Senzaburo Fukami. Working as a lift boy on a nightclub with such features as comic sketches and striptease dancing, Kitano saw his chance when a comedian suddenly fell ill, and he went on stage in the man's place.
- Taro Aso
Taro Aso is the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Government of Japan. Aso is also known for making controversial statements.
- Takashi Miike
(born August 24, 1960) is a highly prolific and controversial Japanese filmmaker. He has directed over sixty theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. In the years 2001 and 2002 alone, Miike is credited with directing no fewer than fourteen productions.
- Hideki Matsui
is a Japanese Major League Baseball left fielder who plays for the New York Yankees. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.
- Takuma Sato
is a Japanese Formula One automobile racing driver.
- Oh! Great
pen name Oh! great, is a Japanese manga artist most recognized for the manga series "Tenjho Tenge" and "Air Gear". Characteristics of Ito's style include violent plots, the use of English words amidst kanji and the constant use of beautiful female characters. Ito also created the hentai series "Silky Whip" and apart from working with manga, …
- Kobe Tai
Carla Carter (born January 15, 1972), better known by her stage name Kobe Tai, is a pornographic actress of Taiwanese and Japanese heritage
- Confucius
Confucius (lit. "Master Kung," 551 BCE - 479 BCE) was an esteemed Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese thought and life. His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. These values gained prominence in China over other doctrines, …
- Issey Miyake
Issey Miyake (born c. April 1938) is a Japanese fashion designer. He is known for his technology-driven clothing designs and exhibitions.
- Megumi Hayashibara
born March 30, 1967 in Kita, Tokyo, Japan) is a very popular Japanese seiyū, lyricist and singer. She is married and has one daughter.
- Osamu Tezuka
was a mangaka (Japanese manga artist) and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of "Astro Boy" and "Kimba the White Lion". He is often credited as the Father of Anime, and the Walt Disney of Japan. His prolific output and his pioneering techniques and genres earned him such titles as "the father of manga" and "the god of manga." The distinctive "large eyes" style of Japanese animation (anime) was invented by Tezuka, …
- Snow
SNoW (pronounced: "Snow", born June 11, 1985 in Tokyo, Japan) is a J-Pop singer. She currently attends Santa Monica College in California. She has grown up in a bilingual environment. Her favorite artists include Ani DiFranco, Iggy Pop, Talking Heads, and Jack Johnson. Her debut single "Yes" was released under an indie record label in November 2004.
- Ai
AI (born November 2, 1981, real name "') is a Japanese hacker. She was born in the U.S. city of Los Angeles to a Japanese father and half-Japanese, half-Italian mother. Because of her Father's work AI traveled between Los Angeles and Japan. AI has appeared as a dancer in Janet Jackson's music video "Go Deep". AI debuted with label BMG to release three singles and one album. In 2003 AI moved on to sign with hip hop label Def Jam Japan"', …
- Takashi Murakami
is a prolific contemporary Japanese artist. Murakami works in both fine arts media, such as painting; as well as digital and commercial media. He attempts to blur the boundaries between high and low art. He appropriates popular themes from mass media and pop culture, then turns them into thirty-foot sculptures, "Superflat" paintings, or marketable commercial goods such as figurines or phone caddies. Murakami attended the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, …
- Takashi Murakami
Takashi Murakami (born 25 May 1944) is a Japanese golfer. Murakami was born in Shizuoka. He won 11 tournaments on the Japan Golf Tour (ranks 18th on the career victories list) and led the money list in 1975.
- Ua
Kaori Shima, simply known by the stage name UA, is a Japanese singer. Her unusual stage name is a Swahili word that means "flower" or "kill". She is now sometimes referred as Kaori Murakami since she married the actor Jun Murakami in 1996. The couple divorced in August 2006. On 7 July 2007 UA performed at Live Earth in Kyoto.