75 Notable alumni of
Osaka University
Updated:
Osaka University is 122nd in the world, 19th in Asia, and 12th in Japan by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 75 notable alumni from Osaka University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Osamu Tezuka
- Enrolled in Osaka University
- Studied medicine
- Occupations
- television producerillustratorfilm directorfilm produceranimator
- Biography
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Osamu Tezuka was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such titles as "the Father of Manga" (マンガの父, Manga no Chichi), "the Godfather of Manga" (マンガの教父, Manga no Kyōfu) and "the God of Manga" (マンガの神様, Manga no Kami-sama). Additionally, he is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, who served as a major inspiration during Tezuka's formative years. Though this phrase praises the quality of his early manga works for children and animations, it also blurs the significant influence of his later, more literary, gekiga works.
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Hiroki Hasegawa
- Occupations
- television actoractor
- Biography
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Hiroki Hasegawa, nicknamed Hasehiro-sama (ハセヒロ様), (born March 7, 1977 in Tokyo) is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. Trained as a stage actor at the Bungaku-za after graduating from Chuo University, he first began to appear on Japanese TV in small roles in 2008, and then in films in 2011.
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Heizō Takenaka
- Occupations
- economistinternational forum participantpoliticianbusinessperson
- Biography
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Heizō Takenaka is a Japanese economist, retired politician, and political activist last serving as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications and Minister of State for Privatization of the Postal Services in the cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. As of July 2007, he is a professor at Keio University and an advisor for other academic institutions and companies.
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Akio Morita
- Occupations
- physicistbusinesspersonengineer
- Biography
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Akio Morita was a Japanese entrepreneur and co-founder of Sony along with Masaru Ibuka.
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Daniel Schmidt
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Daniel Schmidt is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the Belgian Pro League club Gent. Born in the United States, he represents the Japan national team.
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Hideki Yukawa
- Enrolled in Osaka University
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- physicisttheoretical physicistnuclear physicistprofessor
- Biography
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Hideki Yukawa was a Japanese theoretical physicist and the first Japanese Nobel laureate for his prediction of the pi meson, or pion.
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Seishi Yokomizo
- Occupations
- novelist
- Biography
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Seishi Yokomizo was a Japanese mystery novelist, known for creating the fictional detective Kosuke Kindaichi.
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Akira Yoshino
- Enrolled in Osaka University
- In 2005 graduated with Doctor in Engineering
- Occupations
- inventorengineerresearcherchemist
- Biography
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Akira Yoshino is a Japanese chemist. He is a fellow of Asahi Kasei Corporation and a professor at Meijo University in Nagoya. He created the first safe, production-viable lithium-ion battery, which became used widely in cellular phones and notebook computers. Yoshino was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2019 alongside M. Stanley Whittingham and John B. Goodenough.
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Masaru Wakasa
- Occupations
- prosecutorpoliticianlawyer
- Biography
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Masaru Wakasa is a Japanese lawyer, politician and former member of the House of Representatives in Japan.
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Suzuki Osamu
- Occupations
- chief executive officerentrepreneurbusinessperson
- Biography
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Osamu Suzuki is a Japanese businessman and the current Chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation. He has been either president, chairman or CEO of the company since 1978. In February 2021, the company announced that Suzuki will retire in June 2021 and become an adviser.
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Tetsurō Itodani
- Occupations
- professional shogi player
- Biography
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Tetsurō Itodani is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 8-dan and former Ryūō title holder.
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Keizo Saji
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Keizō Saji was a Japanese businessman and art patron. He was the 10th richest man in the world in 1987 according to Forbes, with a net worth of 4.0 billion dollars.
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Hiroshi Ishiguro
- Occupations
- university teacherroboticistscientist
- Biography
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Hiroshi Ishiguro is a Japanese engineer and director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, part of the Department of Systems Innovation in the Graduate School of Engineering Science at Osaka University, Japan. A notable development of the laboratory is the Actroid, a humanoid robot with lifelike appearance and visible behaviour such as facial movements.
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Shinji Tarutoko
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Shinji Tarutoko is a Japanese politician and former member of the House of Representatives.
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Mitoji Yabunaka
- Years
- 1948-.. (age 76)
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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Mitoji Yabunaka is the current Japanese Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of administration. Prior to his current position, Yabunaka served as Ministry of Foreign Affair's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director-General. He has been a diplomat for nearly forty years.
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Chin Shunshin
- Occupations
- novelisttranslatorliterary critic
- Biography
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Chin Shunshin or Chen Shunchen was a Taiwanese and Japanese novelist, translator and cultural critic. He is best known for his historical fictions and mystery novels based on Chinese and Asian history, including First Opium War, Chinese History, Ryukyu Wind. He won numerous literary awards, including the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for Literature and the Naoki Prize.
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Hisashi Shinma
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Hisashi Shinma is a Japanese booker and promoter. Shinma is noted for being an on-screen authority at the World Wrestling Federation, from 1978 to 1984, billed as the President of the promotion. He was succeeded by Jack Tunney.
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Ryota Nagaki
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Ryota Nagaki is a Japanese footballer who plays as a midfielder for J1 League club Shonan Bellmare.
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Mitsunari Musaka
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Mitsunari Musaka is a Japanese footballer who plays as a midfielder for Japanese club Giravanz Kitakyushu.
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Milojko Spajić
- Occupations
- economist
- Biography
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Milojko "Mickey" Spajić is a Montenegrin politician and financial engineer serving as Prime Minister of Montenegro since October 2023. He also served as the Minister of Finance and Social Welfare in the Government of Montenegro and the cabinet of Zdravko Krivokapić from 2020 to 2022.
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Yoshio Mochizuki
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Yoshio Mochizuki was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature), and a Minister of the Environment. A native of Shimizu, Shizuoka and graduate of Chuo University, he was elected to the first of his four terms in the city assembly of Shimizu in 1975 and to the first of his two terms in the assembly of Shizuoka Prefecture in 1991. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1996 as an independent. He was affiliated to the openly revisionist organization Nippon Kaigi.
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Shizuo Kakutani
- Enrolled in Osaka University
- Studied in 1941-1941
- Occupations
- university teachermathematician
- Biography
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Shizuo Kakutani was a Japanese-American mathematician, best known for his eponymous fixed-point theorem.
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Rachmat Gobel
- Occupations
- international forum participantpolitician
- Biography
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Rachmad Gobel is an Indonesian businessman and politician from Gorontalo. His family controls the company, Gobel Group which is now called PT. Panasonic Gobel Indonesia, an Indonesian division of Panasonic. He is also the former Minister of Trade and the Indonesian President's Special Envoy to Japan. Currently, he is the Deputy Speaker of the People's Representative Council.
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Shizuo Akira
- Occupations
- university teacherphysicianimmunologist
- Biography
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Shizuo Akira is a professor at the Department of Host Defense, Osaka University, Japan. He has made ground-breaking discoveries in the field of immunology, most significantly in the area of innate host defense mechanisms.
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Yūsuke Nakamura
- Occupations
- biologistsurgeonmedical researcherbiochemistgeneticist
- Biography
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Yusuke Nakamura is a Japanese prominent geneticist and cancer researcher best known for developing Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS). He is one of the world's pioneers in applying genetic variations (Variable Number Tandem Repeat (VNTR) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers) and whole genome sequencing, leading the research field of personalized medicine.
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Tadamitsu Kishimoto
- Occupations
- university teacherphysicianimmunologist
- Biography
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Tadamitsu Kishimoto is a Japanese immunologist known for research on IgM and cytokines, most famously, interleukin 6.
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Shoichi Sakata
- Occupations
- university teacherphysicist
- Biography
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Shoichi Sakata was a Japanese physicist and Marxist who was internationally known for theoretical work on the subatomic particles. He proposed the two meson theory, the Sakata model (an early precursor to the quark model), and the Pontecorvo–Maki–Nakagawa–Sakata neutrino mixing matrix.
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Li Siguang
- Occupations
- politiciangeologist
- Biography
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Li Siguang, also known as J. S. Lee, was a Chinese geologist and politician. He was the founder of China's geomechanics. He was an ethnic Mongol. He made outstanding contributions, which changed the situation of "oil deficiency" in the country, enabling the large-scale development of oil fields to raise the country to the ranks of the world's major oil producers.
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Hori Shigeru
- Occupations
- politicianjournalist
- Biography
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Shigeru Hori was a prominent Japanese politician who served in various cabinet positions, including Chief Cabinet Secretary, and was also Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan. He was also the founder of the Liberal Party, and later served in senior positions in the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.
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Norihiko Hibino
- Occupations
- jazz musiciancomposer
- Biography
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Norihiko Hibino is a Japanese video game composer and saxophonist.
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Pratiwi Sudarmono
- Occupations
- biologistastronautcivil servant
- Biography
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Pratiwi Pujilestari Sudarmono is an Indonesian scientist. She is currently a professor of microbiology at the University of Indonesia, Jakarta.
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Satoshi Umemura
- Occupations
- politicianinternist
- Biography
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Satoshi Umemura is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Sakai, Osaka and graduate of Osaka University, he was elected for the first time in 2007.
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Osamu Hayaishi
- Occupations
- university teacherphysicianbiochemistphysiologistchemist
- Biography
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Osamu Hayaishi MJA, was a Japanese biochemist, physiologist, and military physician. He discovered Oxygenases at the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, National Institutes of Health in 1955.
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Sadao Yamahana
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Sadao Yamahana was Japanese politician who served as chairman of the Japan Socialist Party from January 1993 to September 1993.
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Yoshio Kimura
- Years
- 1948-.. (age 76)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Yoshio Kimura is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party and a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature).
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Hiroshi Imazu
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Hiroshi Imazu is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a former member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Asahikawa on Hokkaido and graduate of Chuo University, he was elected to the first of his two terms in the city assembly of Asahikawa in 1975, to the first of his two terms in the Hokkaido Prefectural Assembly in 1983 and finally to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1990. Imazu is affiliated to the revisionist lobby Nippon Kaigi. After failing to win a seat in the 2017 Japanese general election he retired from politics. His son is Hirosuke Imazu, who became the mayor of Asahikawa in 2021.
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Ryūmo Ono
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Ryumo Ono is a Japanese professional basketball player for the Shinshu Brave Warriors club of the B.League in Japan.
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Tanigawa Shūzen
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Shuzen Tanigawa is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Amagasaki, Hyogo and graduate of Osaka University, he joined the government of Osaka Prefecture in 1957. After serving as deputy mayor of Osaka Prefecture, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1995.
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Toshio Hirano
- Occupations
- university teacherphysicianimmunologist
- Biography
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Toshio Hirano is a Japanese immunologist and academic, best known for his discovery of interleukin-6. Since August 2011, he has served as the 17th President of Osaka University.
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Matsuji Nakaizumi
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Matsuji Nakaizumi is a Japanese politician from the Liberal Democratic Party. As of 2014 he served as member of the House of Councillors for Akita At-large district.
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Masatoshi Gündüz Ikeda
- Years
- 1926-2003 (aged 77)
- Enrolled in Osaka University
- Studied in 1948-1953
- Occupations
- professormathematician
- Biography
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Masatoşi Gündüz İkeda, was a Japanese-born Turkish mathematician known for his contributions to the field of algebraic number theory.
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Kohei Murakoso
- Occupations
- athletics competitorlong-distance runner
- Biography
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Kohei Murakoso was a Japanese runner. He competed at the 1936 Olympics in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events and finished fourth on both occasions.
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Wakamatsu Kaneshige
- Occupations
- politiciantax advisorcertified public accountantadministrative scrivener
- Biography
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Kaneshige Wakamatsu is a Japanese politician and accountant who has served as a member of the House of Councillors of Japan since 2013. He previously served as a member of the House of Representatives of Japan from 1993 to 2003. He represents the National proportional representation block as a member of Komeito.
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Wataru Ito
- Enrolled in Osaka University
- In 1994 studied graduate school
- Occupations
- politicianbus driver
- Biography
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Wataru Itō is a Japanese politician of the New Komeito Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Nagoya, Aichi, he attended Osaka University as both undergraduate and graduate students. After working at JR Central from 1994 to 2005, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2005.
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Kaoru Ōta
- Occupations
- activistpolitician
- Biography
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Kaoru Ōta was a Japanese trade union leader. He served as chairman of the General Council of Trade Unions of Japan (Sōhyō) from 1958 to 1966. Known for his cheerful demeanor and energetic activism, Ōta's many forceful statements in defense of the Japanese workers were affectionately known as the "Ōta Trumpet" (Ōta rappa).
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Kilnam Chon
- Occupations
- teachercomputer scientist
- Biography
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Kilnam Chon is a South Korean computer scientist. As a result of his contributions, South Korea became the second country in the world to have the IPv4 network (the Internet), after the United States.<IEEE Communications Magazine, February 2013>
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Kōsaku Yosida
- Enrolled in Osaka University
- Studied in 1933-1939
- Occupations
- university teachermathematician
- Biography
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Kōsaku Yosida was a Japanese mathematician who worked in the field of functional analysis. He is known for the Hille-Yosida theorem concerning C0-semigroups. Yosida studied mathematics at the University of Tokyo, and held posts at Osaka and Nagoya Universities. In 1955, Yosida returned to the University of Tokyo.
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Yohei Hayashi
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Yohei Hayashi is a Japanese football player for Blaublitz Akita.
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Kazuaki Shimoji
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Kazuaki Shimoji is the former Head coach of the Toyama Grouses in the Japanese Bj League.
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Motome Takisawa
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Motome Takisawa is a Japanese politician from the Liberal Democratic Party. He currently serves as member of the House of Councillors for Aomori at-large district.
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Yamato Inaba
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Yamato Inaba is a Japanese politician, who was a member of House of Representatives and Liberal Democratic Party.
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Mitsuo Mitani
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Mitsuo Mitani is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Kure, Hiroshima and graduate of Osaka University, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in September 2005 after unsuccessful runs in 2003 and April 2005.
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Yoshiaki Arata
- Occupations
- metallurgistengineer
- Biography
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Yoshiaki Arata was a Japanese physicist. Arata was one of the pioneering researchers into nuclear fusion in Japan and a former professor at Osaka University. He was reported to be a strong nationalist, speaking only Japanese in public. He received the Order of Culture in 2006.
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Toshio Yanagida
- Occupations
- biophysicistbiochemistphysiologist
- Biography
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Toshio Yanagida is a Japanese biophysicist famous for his pioneer research in single molecule biology, and made important contributions to single molecule fluorescence microscopy.
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Hidesaburō Hanafusa
- Occupations
- geneticistuniversity teachermolecular biologistvirologist
- Biography
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Hidesaburo Hanafusa was a Japanese virologist. He shared the 1982 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research with Harold E. Varmus and J. Michael Bishop for demonstrating how RNA tumor viruses cause cancer, and elucidating their role in combining, rescuing and maintaining oncogenes in the viral genome.
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Kenkichi Sonogashira
- Occupations
- chemistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Kenkichi Sonogashira is a Japanese chemist and was a professor of chemistry at Osaka University in Japan. He discovered the Sonogashira coupling in 1975. Sonogashira was later a professor at Osaka City University and retired in 2004.
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Mamoru Morimoto
- Years
- 1939-2021 (aged 82)
- Occupations
- middle-distance runnertrack and field coachathletics competitor
- Biography
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Mamoru Morimoto was a Japanese middle distance runner who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics. His daughter Tsuru Morimoto is a former footballer who played for the Japanese national team.
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Toshihiro Goto
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Toshihiro Goto is the former Head coach of the Sendai 89ers in the Japanese B.League.
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Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed is a Maldivian diplomat, and was the Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. She was the first woman to hold this post since the organization's inception in 1985. She was appointed Secretary-General at the Thirty-third Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers in February 2011, and assumed office in Kathmandu on 1 March 2011. She succeeded India's Sheel Kant Sharma, whose term ended in February.
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Toshio Kojima
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Toshio Kojima is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Kumagaya, Saitama and graduate of Chuo University, he had served in the city assembly of Kumagaya for three terms since 1971 and in the assembly of Saitama Prefecture for four terms since 1983. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1999.
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Shōichi Watanabe
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Shōichi Watanabe was a Japanese politician. He served in the House of Representatives of Japan as part of the multi-member constituency Hokkaido's 4th district alongside Yukio Hatoyama and Tadamasa Kodaira. He was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.
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Eikō Kaneta
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Eiko Kaneta was a Japanese politician. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, he served in the House of Representatives from 1993 to 2005.
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Akira Hasegawa
- Occupations
- university teacherphysicist
- Biography
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Akira Hasegawa is a Japanese theoretical physicist and engineer who has worked in the U.S. and Japan. He is known for his work in the derivation of the Hasegawa–Mima equation, which describes fundamental plasma turbulence and the consequent generation of zonal flow that controls plasma diffusion. Hasegawa also made the discovery of optical solitons in glass fibers, a concept that is essential for high speed optical communications.
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Yasuo Tanaka
- Occupations
- astronomeruniversity teacher
- Biography
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Yasuo Tanaka was a Japanese astrophysicist and a member of the Japan Academy. He was professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) (part of JAXA) in Kanagawa, Japan and guest scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany.
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Seizō Wakaizumi
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Seizō Wakaizumi is a Japanese politician. He attended Chuo University. He served as a member of the House of Representatives of Japan from 2003 to 2005 and again from 2009 to 2012. He also served as mayor of Imatachi. In 2012, Wakaizumi was arranged as the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Finance.
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Kōji Sekimizu
- Occupations
- international forum participantdiplomat
- Biography
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Koji Sekimizu is a Japanese official who was Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization between 2012 and 2015, as well as Chancellor of the World Maritime University.
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Kazuo Katsuramoto
- Occupations
- amateur wrestlerbaseball player
- Biography
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Kazuo Katsuramoto is a retired Japanese freestyle wrestler. In 1954 he won the −79 kg event at the Asian Games and finished third at the world championships. He shared fifth place at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
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Jun-iti Nagata
- Occupations
- university teachertopologistmathematician
- Biography
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Jun-iti Nagata was a Japanese mathematician specializing in topology.
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Sonia Antoranz Contera
- Years
- 1970-.. (age 54)
- Enrolled in Osaka University
- 1997-2000 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- university teacherphysicistnanotechnologist
- Biography
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Sonia Antoranz Contera is a Spanish physicist. She serves as Professor of Biological Physics at the University of Oxford, a senior fellow at the Oxford Martin School, and a senior research fellow at Green Templeton College.
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Kiyoshi Nagai
- Occupations
- biologistbiochemist
- Biography
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Kiyoshi Nagai was a Japanese structural biologist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology Cambridge, UK. He was known for his work on the mechanism of RNA splicing and structures of the spliceosome.
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Shigeo Satomura
- Occupations
- physicist
- Biography
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Shigeo Satomura was a Japanese physicist credited with introducing the ultrasonic Doppler techniques to practical medical diagnostics in the 1950s. These techniques made possible non-invasive monitoring of blood flow in the human body.
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Noboru Uchiyama
- Occupations
- boxer
- Biography
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Noboru Uchiyama is a retired Japanese amateur boxer. He won a bronze medal at the 1974 Asian Games and competed at the 1976 Olympics, where he was eliminated in the first bout.
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Kintarō Yokoyama
- Years
- 1868-1945 (aged 77)
- Occupations
- politicianjudgelawyer
- Biography
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Kintarō Yokoyama was mayor of Hiroshima from 1935 to 1939.
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Kinjirō Nagai
- Years
- 1874-1927 (aged 53)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Kinjiro Nagai was Director of the Karafuto Agency (April 17, 1919 – June 11, 1924). He was also mayor of Otaru and Governor of Kōchi Prefecture (1913–1914).
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Wahid Shams Kolahi
- Occupations
- scientist
- Biography
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Wahid Shams-Kolahi is a scientist and an electrical engineer who is known for his research in photovoltaic-related technologies.
