List of Japanese people

This is a list of notable Japanese people.

If a sub-list is indicated, names should be placed in the sub-list instead of this list.

To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Japanese.

Educators

 * Mori Arinori
 * Tsunesaburō Makiguchi
 * Midori Suzuki
 * Fukuzawa Yukichi
 * Tsuda Yukio

Historians

 * Ienaga Saburō
 * Kanda Nobuo
 * Maruyama Masao
 * Naitō Torajirō

A

 * Abe Masakatsu
 * Adachi Kagemori
 * Adams, William (foreign born)
 * Aiou Mototsuna
 * Akao Kiyotsuna
 * Akechi Mitsuhide
 * Akiyama Nobutomo
 * Amago Haruhisa
 * Amago Yoshihisa
 * See also Amago clan
 * Ankokuji Ekei
 * Aochi Shigetsuna
 * Arai Hakuseki
 * Araki Motokiyo
 * Araki Murashige
 * Araki Muratsugu
 * Arima Kihei
 * Asakura Yoshikage
 * Ayame Kagekatsu
 * Azai Hisamasa
 * Azai Nagamasa
 * Azai Sukemasa

B

 * Baba Nobufusa
 * Bessho Nagaharu

C

 * Chōsokabe Morichika
 * Chōsokabe Kunichika
 * Chōsokabe Motochika
 * Chōsokabe Nobuchika
 * Collache, Eugène

D

 * Date Masamune
 * See also Date clan
 * Doi Toshikatsu

E

 * Endō Naotsune
 * Enjoji Nobutane
 * Enomoto Takeaki
 * Era Fusahide

F

 * Fūma Kotarō
 * Fuwa Mitsuharu
 * Fujiwara no Hidesato (Tawara no Tōda)
 * Fukushima Masanori

G

 * Gamō Katahide
 * Gamō Ujisato

H

 * Harada Naomasa
 * Hasekura Tsunenaga
 * Hattori Hanzō
 * Hatano Hideharu
 * Hasegawa Eishin
 * Hirate Masahide
 * Hitotsubashi Keiki
 * Hōjō Masako
 * Hōjō Tokimune
 * Hōjō Ujiyasu
 * Hōjō Ujimasa
 * Honda Tadakatsu
 * Honda Komatsu (Inahime)
 * Honganji Kennyo
 * Hosokawa Fujitaka
 * Hosokawa Gracia
 * Hosokawa Tadaoki
 * Hotta Masatoshi

I

 * Ii Naoaki
 * Ii Naomasa
 * Ii Naomori
 * Ii Naonaka
 * Ii Naosuke
 * Ii Naotaka
 * Ii Naoyuki
 * Ii Naozumi
 * Iizasa Ienao
 * Ijuin Tada'aki
 * Imagawa Yoshimoto
 * Imai Kanehira
 * Inugami Nagayasu
 * Ishida Mitsunari
 * Isshiki Fujinaga
 * Itagaki Nobukata
 * Itagaki Taisuke
 * Itō Hirobumi
 * Iwanari Tomomichi

J

 * Jinbo Nagamoto

K

 * Kaneko Ietada
 * Katagiri Katsumoto
 * Kataoka Mitsumasa
 * Katō Kiyomasa
 * Kawakami Gensai
 * Kido Takayoshi
 * Kikkawa Hiroie
 * Kimotsuki Kanetsugu
 * Kobayakawa Hideaki
 * Kobayakawa Hidekane
 * Kobayakawa Takakage
 * Kojima Toyoharu
 * Kuroda Denta
 * Kuroda Kanbei Don Sim(e)on Josui Yoshitaka
 * Kuroda Kiyotaka
 * Kusunoki Masashige
 * Kuwana Tarozaemon
 * Kumagai Naozane

M

 * Maeda Keiji
 * Maeda Nagatane
 * Maeda Toshiie
 * Maeda Toshinaga
 * Maeda Toshitsune
 * Magome Kageyu
 * Manabe Akifusa
 * Matsudaira Nobutsuna
 * Matsudaira Nobuyasu
 * Matsudaira Higo no Kami Katamori
 * Matsudaira Sadanobu
 * Matsudaira Tadayoshi
 * Matsudaira Teru
 * Matsunaga Hisahide
 * Matsunaga Hisamichi
 * Matsuo Bashō
 * Matsudaira Motoyasu
 * Minamoto no Mitsunaka
 * Minamoto no Yoshiie
 * Minamoto no Yoshimitsu
 * Minamoto no Yoshinaka
 * Minamoto no Yoshitomo
 * Minamoto no Yoshitsune
 * Minamoto no Tameyoshi
 * Minamoto no Yorimasa
 * Minamoto no Yorimitsu
 * Minamoto no Yoritomo
 * Minamoto no Noriyori
 * Minoro Takashi
 * Mirei Kiritani
 * Miura Anjin
 * Miura Yoshimoto
 * Miyamoto Musashi
 * Miyoshi Chōkei
 * Miyoshi Yoshitsugu
 * Mizuno Tadakuni
 * Moniwa Yoshinao
 * Mōri Motonari
 * Mori Nagasada
 * Mori Nagayoshi
 * Mōri Okimoto
 * Mori Ranmaru
 * Mōri Takamoto
 * Mori Tadamasa
 * Mōri Terumoto
 * Mori Yoshinari

N

 * Nagakura Shinpachi
 * Nagao Harukage
 * Nagao Kagenobu
 * Nagao Masakage
 * Nagao Tamekage
 * Naoe Kanetsugu
 * Nakagawa Kiyohide
 * Naoe Kagetsuna
 * Naoe Kanetsugu
 * Nihonmatsu Yoshitsugu
 * Niimi Nishiki
 * Niiro Tadamoto
 * Niwa Nagahide
 * Niwa Nagashige

O

 * Oda Hiroyoshi
 * Oda Nobuhide
 * Oda Nobunaga
 * Oda Nobutada
 * Oda Nobutomo
 * Oda Nobukatsu
 * Oda Nobuyasu
 * Ogasawara Shōsai
 * Ōishi Kuranosuke
 * Okada Izō
 * Judge Ōoka
 * Ōta Dōkan
 * Ōtomo Sōrin
 * Okita Sōji
 * Ōkubo Toshimichi
 * Okunomiya Masaie
 * Ōuchi Yoshitaka

R

 * Reizei Takatoyo
 * Rokkaku Sadayori
 * Rokkaku Yoshiharu
 * Rokkaku Yoshitaka
 * Rusu Masakage
 * Ryūzōji Takanobu
 * See also Ryūzōji clan

S

 * Saigo Kiyokazu
 * Sagara Taketō
 * Saigō Takamori
 * Saigō Yoshikatsu
 * Saitō Dōsan
 * Saitō Hajime
 * Saitō Musashibo Benkei
 * Saitō Yoshitatsu
 * Sakai Tadakiyo
 * Sakai Tadashige
 * Sakai Tadayo
 * Sakamoto Ryōma
 * Sakuma Morimasa
 * Sakuma Nobumori
 * Sanada Masayuki
 * Sanada Nobuyuki
 * Sanada Yukimura
 * Sasaki Kojirō
 * Sasaki Yoshikiyo
 * Serizawa Kamo
 * Shibata Katsuie
 * Shima Sakon
 * Shimada Ichirō
 * Shimazu Katsuhisa
 * Shimazu Tadahisa
 * Shimazu Tadatsune
 * Shimazu Tadayoshi
 * Shimazu Takahisa
 * Shimazu Yoshihiro
 * Shimazu Yoshihisa
 * Shindou Hiroshii
 * See also Shimazu clan
 * Sogo Nagayasu
 * Sue Yoshitaka

T

 * Tachibana Muneshige
 * Tachibana Dōsetsu
 * Tachibana Ginchiyo
 * Taigen Sessai
 * Taira no Kiyomori
 * Taira no Masakado
 * Takahashi Shigetane
 * Takenaka Shigeharu
 * Takaoka Muneyasu
 * Takasugi Shinsaku
 * Takayama Justo (Shigetomo)
 * Takayama Ukon
 * Takechi Hanpeita
 * Takeda Katsuyori
 * Takeda Nobukatsu
 * Takeda Nobushige
 * Takeda Shingen
 * Tani Tadasumi
 * Tani Tateki
 * Toki Yorinari
 * Tokugawa Ieyasu
 * Tokugawa Hidetada
 * Tokugawa Nariaki
 * Tokugawa Yoshinobu
 * Toyotomi Hideyoshi
 * Toyotomi Hideyori
 * Tozuka Tadaharu
 * Tsukahara Bokuden

U

 * Uesugi Kagekatsu
 * Uesugi Kagetora
 * Uesugi Kenshin
 * Ujiie Naomoto
 * Ukita Naoie
 * Ukita Okiie
 * Umezawa Michiharu
 * Usami Sadamitsu
 * Uyama Hisanobu

W

 * Wada Shinsuke
 * Watanabe Kazan
 * Watanabe no Tsuna

Y

 * Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi
 * Yasuke (foreign born)
 * Yamada Arinaga
 * Yamada Arinobu
 * Yamada Nagamasa
 * Yamagata Masakage
 * Yamanami Keisuke
 * Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu
 * Yonekura Shigetsugu
 * Yagyū Munenori
 * Yamauchi Kazutoyo
 * Yūki Hideyasu

Kamakura shōguns

 * 1) Minamoto no Yoritomo, r. 1192–1199
 * 2) Minamoto no Yoriie, r. 1202–1203
 * 3) Minamoto no Sanetomo, r. 1203–1219
 * 4) Kujō Yoritsune, r. 1226–1244
 * 5) Kujō Yoritsugu, r. 1244–1252
 * 6) Prince Munetaka, r. 1252–1266
 * 7) Prince Koreyasu, r. 1266–1289
 * 8) Prince Hisaakira, r. 1289–1308
 * 9) Prince Morikuni, r. 1308–1333
 * 10) Prince Morinaga, r.1333–1334
 * 11) Prince Norinaga, r. 1334–1338

Kamakura shikken

 * 1) Hōjō Tokimasa, r. 1203–1205
 * 2) Hōjō Yoshitoki, r. 1205–1224
 * 3) Hōjō Yasutoki, r. 1224–1242
 * 4) Hōjō Tsunetoki, r. 1242–1246
 * 5) Hōjō Tokiyori, r. 1246–1256
 * 6) Hōjō Tokimune, r. 1268–1284
 * 7) Hōjō Sadatoki, r. 1284–1301
 * 8) Hōjō Morotoki, r. 1301–1311
 * 9) Hōjō Takatoki, r. 1316–1326

Ashikaga shōguns

 * 1) Ashikaga Takauji, ruled 1338–1358
 * 2) Ashikaga Yoshiakira, r. 1359–1368
 * 3) Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, r. 1368–1394
 * 4) Ashikaga Yoshimochi, r. 1395–1423
 * 5) Ashikaga Yoshikazu, r. 1423–1425
 * 6) Ashikaga Yoshinori, r. 1429–1441
 * 7) Ashikaga Yoshikatsu, r. 1442–1443
 * 8) Ashikaga Yoshimasa, r. 1449–1473
 * 9) Ashikaga Yoshihisa, r. 1474–1489
 * 10) Ashikaga Yoshitane, r. 1490–1493, 1508–1521
 * 11) Ashikaga Yoshizumi, r. 1494–1508
 * 12) Ashikaga Yoshiharu, r. 1521–1546
 * 13) Ashikaga Yoshiteru, r. 1546–1565
 * 14) Ashikaga Yoshihide, r. 1568
 * 15) Ashikaga Yoshiaki, r. 1568–1573

Tokugawa shōguns
Over the course of the Edo period, influential relatives of the shōgun included:
 * Tokugawa Mitsukuni of the Mito domain
 * Tokugawa Nariaki of the Mito domain
 * Tokugawa Mochiharu of the Hitotsubashi branch
 * Tokugawa Munetake of the Tayasu branch.
 * Matsudaira Katamori of the Aizu branch.
 * Matsudaira Sadanobu, born into the Tayasu branch, adopted into the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira of Shirakawa.

Emperors

 * Emperor Jinmu
 * Emperor Kōbun
 * Emperor Tenmu
 * Emperor Go-Toba
 * Emperor Go-Daigo

Commanders from loyal family

 * Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto
 * Yamato Takeru
 * Empress Jingū

Commanders in Thirty-Eight Years' War

 * Ōtomo no Otomaro
 * Sakanoue no Tamuramaro
 * Aterui

Modern

 * Anami Korechika
 * Doihara Kenji
 * Enomoto Takeaki
 * Kuroki Itei (Kuroki Tamemoto)
 * Matsui Iwane
 * Ōta Minoru
 * Suzuki Kantarō
 * Tōgō Heihachirō
 * Tōjō Hideki
 * Yamamoto Isoroku
 * Shiro Kawase
 * Ishiwara Kanji

Idols (male)
• Daiki Arioka

• Goro Inagaki

• Hikaru Yaotome

• Hiroki Uchi

• Jin Akanishi

• Jun Matsumoto

• Junnosuke Taguchi

• Junichi Okada

• Kanata Hongō

• Katori Shingo

• Kazunari Ninomiya

• Kazuya Kamenashi

• Kei Inoo

• Keiichiro Koyama

• Keita Tachibana

• Keito Okamoto

• Kimura Takuya

• Koichi Domoto

• Koike Teppei

• Kota Yabu

• Kusano Hironori

• Masahiro Nakai

• Masaki Aiba

• Ryutaro Morimoto

• Shingo Murakami

• Ryo Nishikido

• Ryohei Chiba

• Ryuichi Ogata

• Ryosuke Yamada

• Satoshi Ohno

• Shigeaki Kato

• Shingo Murakami

• Sho Sakurai

• Shota Yasuda

• Subaru Shibutani

• Takahisa Masuda

• Tanaka Koki

• Tatsuya Ueda

• Tsuyoshi Domoto

• Tsuyoshi Kusanagi

• Tomohisa Yamashita

• Toma Ikuta

• Yu Yokoyama

• Yuichi Nakamaru

• Yuma Nakayama

• Yuto Nakajima

• Yuuri Chinen

• Yuya Tegoshi

• Yuya Takaki

Idols (female)
• Kanako Momota

• Shiori Tamai

• Ayaka Sasaki

• Momoka Ariyasu

• Reni Takagi

• Akiyama Rina

• Aya Ueto

• Koike Eiko

• Nakagawa Shoko

• Natsukawa Jun

• Uehara Takako

• Yamamoto Azusa

• Maeda Atsuko

• Oshima Yuko

• Itano Tomomi

• Chise Nakamura

• Haruna Iikubo

• Haruka Kudo

• Ayumi Ishida

• Masaki Sato

• Mizuki Fukumura

• Erina Ikuta

• Riho Sayashi

• Kanon Suzuki

• Umika Kawashima

• Sayumi Michishige

• Kusumi Koharu

• Erina Mano

• Aya Matsuura

• Yuki Kashiwagi

• Mayu Watanabe

• Jurina Matsui

• Rena Matsui

• Minami Takahashi

• Minami Minegishi

• Haruna Kojima

• Aki Takajo

• Mariko Shinoda

• Akimoto Sayaka

• Tomomi Kasai

• Rie Kitahara

• Rino Sashihara

Models
• Seika Furuhata

• Kanata Hongō

• Horiuchi Yoko

• Aki Hoshino

• May J.

• Meisa Kuroki

• Riyo Mori

• Suzuka Morita

• Mariya Nishiuchi

• Fujiwara Norika

• Tao Okamoto

• Oshikiri Moe

• Umemiya Anna

• Inoue Waka

• Yamada Yu

• Ebihara Yuri

Musicians and singers (male)
• Eiichi Ohtaki

• Eikichi Yazawa

• Gackt

• Haruomi Hosono

• hide

• Hiromi Go

• Kiyoshiro Imawano

• Hideaki Tokunaga

• Hyde

• Kazumasa Oda

• Keisuke Kuwata

• Koshi Inaba

• Kōji Tamaki

• Kyosuke Himuro

• Miyavi

• Noriyuki Makihara

• Ryuichi Sakamoto

• Saijo Hideki

• Takanori Nishikawa

• Tamio Okuda

• Tatsuya Ishii

• Tatsuro Yamashita

• Tomoyasu Hotei

• Toshi Kubota

• Toshiki Kadomatsu

• Yasuyuki Okamura

• Yoshiki

• Yōsui Inoue

• Yukihiro Takahashi

Musicians and singers (female)
• Ai Otsuka

• Ai Takahashi

• Aiko Kayō

• Akiko Wada

• Alisa Durbrow

• Angela Aki

• Anna Tsuchiya

• Airi Suzuki

• Aya Hirano

• Aya Matsuura

• Aya Ueto

• Ayaka Hirahara

• Ayaka Komatsu

• Ayaka

• Ayumi Hamasaki

• Ayumi Kinoshita

• Beni Arashiro

• Bonnie Pink

• Chiaki Kuriyama

• Chihiro Onitsuka

• Chisaki Hama

• Chitose Hajime

• Crystal Kay

• Erika Sawajiri

• Emi Hinouchi

• Emi Maria

• Emyli

• Garnet Crow

• Goto Maki

• Hagiwara Mai

• Halna

• Hikaru Nishida

• Hiro

• Hiroko Anzai

• Hiroko Shimabukuro

• Hitomi

• Ikue Sakakibara

• Imai Eriko

• JASMINE

• Jhené Aiko

• Jun Natsukawa

• Junko Sakurada

• JYONGRI

• Kanako Enomoto

• Kanbe Miyuki

• Kanon Wakeshima

• Kawabe Chieco

• Kawase Tomoko

• Keiko Kitagawa

• Kumi Koda

• Kusumi Koharu

• Lia

• Maaya Sakamoto

• Maeda Atsuko

• May J.

• Mari Amachi

• Masako Mori

• Meisa Kuroki

• Megumi Odaka

• Megumi

• Megumi Hayashibara

• Melody.

• Mew Azama

• Mihiro Taniguchi

• Miho Komatsu

• Miho Nakayama

• Miki Fujimoto

• Miki Jinbo

• Miliyah Kato

• MINMI

• Miyuu Sawai

• Mizuki Nana

• Momoe Yamaguchi

• Myco

• Mika Nakashima

• Namie Amuro

• Natsuyaki Miyabi

• Noriko Sakai

• Reina Tanaka

• Reon Kadena

• Ribbon

• Ryōko Hirosue

• Saori Minami

• Sayaka

• Sayumi Michishige

• Seiko Matsuda

• Shoko Nakagawa

• Takako Ōta

• Takako Uehara

• Thelma Aoyama

• Tomomi Itano

• Tsugunaga Momoko

• Utada Hikaru

• Waka Inoue

• Yui

• Yui Makino

• Yukiko Okada

• Yuko Ogura

• Yuna Ito

Tarento

 * Aya Ueto
 * Becky
 * Kazushige Nagashima
 * Kano sisters
 * Mina Fukui
 * Momoiro Clover Z

TV and radio personalities

 * Iijima Ai
 * Mao Inoue
 * Kano sisters
 * Sugita Kaoru
 * Mino Monta
 * Shinohara Tomoe

Others

 * Kurihara Harumi
 * Papaya Suzuki

Prime Ministers during the Meiji period (1868–1912)
Under the Meiji Emperor

Prime Ministers during the Taishō period (1912–1926)
Under the Taishō Emperor

Prime Ministers during the Shōwa period (1926–1947)
Under the Shōwa Emperor

Prime Ministers during the Shōwa period (1947–1989)
Under the Shōwa Emperor

Prime Ministers during the Heisei period (1989–present)
Under Emperor Akihito

Religious leaders
• Dogen

• Eisai

• Kūkai

• Miki Nakayama

• Nichiren

• Nikkō

• Ryōkan

• Saigyo

• Shinran

• Asahara Shōko

• Peter Doi

• Joseph Satoshi Fukahori

• Stephen Fumio Hamao

• Januarius Kyunosuke Hayasaka

• Peter Takaaki Hirayama

• Daisaku Ikeda

• Peter Baptist Tadamaro Ishigami

• Petro Kasui Kibe

• Paulo Miki

• Joseph Atsumi Misue

• Francis Xavier Osamu Mizobe

• Magdalene of Nagasaki

• Joseph Asajiro Satowaki

• Francis Xavier Kaname Shimamoto

• Takuan Sōhō

• Paul Yoshigoro Taguchi

• Joseph Mitsuaki Takami

• Teshima Ikurō

• Paul Tsuchihashi

• Thomas Tsugi

• Uchimura Kanzo

• Yoshihiko Kikuchi

• Peter Takeo Okada

• Peter Shirayanagi

• Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki

• Joseph Mitsuaki Takami

• Jacobo Kyushei Tomonaga

• Paul Hisao Yasuda

Scientists
• Esaki Leo

• Honda Kōtarō

• Ikeda Kikunae

• Kitasato Shibasaburō

• Mikimoto Kōkichi

• Mishima Tokuhichi

• Nakaya Ukichirō

• Niwa Yasujirō

• Sugimoto Kyōta

• Tago Akihiko

• Takamine Jōkichi

• Tanaka Kōichi

• Tonegawa Susumu

• Fujita Tetsuya

• Tomonaga Shin'ichirō

• Toyoda Sakichi

• Yagi Hidetsugu

• Yukawa Hideki

• Norio Kaifu

Mathematicians
• Hironaka Heisuke

• Iwasawa Kenkichi

• Kodaira Kunihiko

• Mori Shigefumi

• Satō Mikio

• Seki Kōwa

• Shimura Gorō

• Takagi Teiji

• Taniyama Yutaka

• Yoneda Nobuo

Economists
• Takeshi Amemiya

• Masahiko Aoki

• Masahisa Fujita

• Fumio Hayashi

• Charles Horioka

• Nobuhiro Kiyotaki

• Michio Morishima

• Yasuma Takada

• Heizō Takenaka

• Shigeto Tsuru

• Yoshihiro Tsurumi

• Yukihiro Torikai

• Kazuhide Uekusa

• Hirofumi Uzawa

Other notables
• Aneha Hidetsugu

• Hatta Yoichi

• Horie Kenichi

• Kawakami Kiyoshi

• Takeru Kobayashi

• Matsugane Yōko

• Sakae Menda

• Masao Miyamoto

• Shigeru Miyamoto

• Takahashi Mizuko

• Nitobe Inazō

• Sakae Ōba

• Konosuke Matsushita

• Onoda Hirō

• Nui Onoue

• Sakae Ōsugi

• Sakai Toshihiko

• Lady Saigō

• Sakamura Ken

• San'yūtei Enchō

• Sugihara Chiune

• Satoshi Tajiri

• Sonoda Tenkoko

• Terada Torahiko

• Uchimura Kanzō

• Gunpei Yokoi

• Yasutaro Koide

• Yoshikawa Takeo

• Yuasa Takashi

• Hitomi Watanabe

• Masumi Watanabe

• Hirofumi Yamashita

Other Japanese
• Reika Hashimoto

• Anna Tsuchiya

• Anna Umemiya

• Linda Yamamoto

• Beni Arashiro

• Tadanobu Asano

• Meisa Kuroki

• Angela Aki

• Chieko Kawabe

• Megumi Nakajima

• Emi Watanabe

• Keisuke Ogihara

• Hiro Matsushita

• Masayoshi "Mabo" Kabe

• Minami Hinase

• Sowelu

• Marcus Tulio Tanaka

• LISA

• Koji Murofushi

• Hidenori Kusaka

• Yuka Murofushi

• Masumi Okada

• Takeshi Kaneshiro

• Yuu Shirota

• Koji Ota

• Hiromi Hayakawa