Famous Japanese Media Personalities

Takuya Kimura is a Japanese actor, radio personality, and singer. He is best known for his association with SMAP, one of East Asia's best-selling boy bands. After starting his career as a singer, Kimura found considerable success as an actor, which catapulted him to stardom and turned him into a Japanese icon. His acting skills have earned him several awards.

Tomohisa Yamashita is a Japanese singer, TV host, and actor. After joining talent agency Johnny & Associates at the age of 11, Yamashita has been active on TV ever since. He is best known for his portrayal of Kusano Akira in the 2005 TV drama Nobuta Wo Produce. Over the years, he has won several Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix awards.

Award-winning Japanese manga artist Naoki Urasawa is best known for his thriller Monster and the sci-fi 20th Century Boys. Fans love his intricate and psychologically complicated plots. He also teaches at the Nagoya Zokei University and is a skilled rock musician who once performed as Bob Lennon.

One of the co-founders of the Japanese Communist Party, Sanzō Nosaka had stepped into politics as a university student and had later traveled to the U.S. to work on plans such as smuggling Communists into Japan. He also campaigned against the Japanese occupation of China.

Okumura Masanobu was a Japanese painter, print designer, and book publisher. He is considered a key figure in the era of ukiyo-e. Not much is known about his early years, and it is believed he was a self-taught painter. He also wrote some fiction and illustrated books. He was held in esteem by Japanese and Western collectors alike.