Akihito has been emperor of Japan since 1989 and is, according to tradition, the 125th direct descendant of Jimmu, Japan's legendary first emperor.
1933-
Momofuku Ando was the founder of Nissin Food Products Company and the inventor of instant noodles.
1910-2007
Shoko Asahara, founder of the religious cult Aum Shinrikyo, was convicted of masterminding the 1995 Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. He was sentenced to death in 2004.
1955-
Academy Award-winning actress Joan Fontaine has appeared in such films as Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Jane Eyre (1944) and Othello (1952).
1917-
1936-
Hirohito is best known for being Japan's longest-reigning emperor. His reign lasted from 1926 until his death in 1989. He was a controversial leader who led Japan's military to surrender to the Allied Forces in 1945.
1901-1989
Mazie Hirono is the first Asian-American female, Buddhist and Japan-born U.S. senator.
1947-
1899-1972
1981-
1910-1998
Fashion designer Issey Miyake used new technology to create innovative textiles with both Eastern and Western influences for his clothing line, Pleats Please.
1938-
1949-
1584-1645
1534-1582
1935-
Yoko Ono is a multimedia artist who became known worldwide in the 1960s when she married Beatles front man John Lennon.
1933-
1963-
Ichiro Suzuki is a record-holding hitter in major league baseball, having played for the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees.
1973-
1911-2004
Architect Kenzo Tange's best-known early work is the Hiroshima Peace Center. His later work includes the dramatic National Gymnasium for the 1964 Olympic Games.
1913-2005