List of Japanese Americans
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The following is a list of famous Japanese Americans who have made significant contributions to the United States, or have appeared in the news numerous times:
Contents |
[edit] Arts and Entertainment
- Keiko Agena, actress (Gilmore Girls)
- Toshiko Akiyoshi, musician, jazz
- Devon Aoki, model and actress
- Tsuru Aoki, actress
- Gregg Araki, film director
- Tadashi Asoma, a contemporary art painter
- Dean Cain, actor and best known for playing Superman in the television series Lois and Clark. Born Dean George Tanaka.
- Marie Eguro, actress, model, musician
- Tak Fujimoto, cinematographer of many Hollywood films including The Silence Of The Lambs and Ferris Bueller's Day Off
- Sessue Hayakawa, actor and one of the highest paid Hollywood stars of his time. Also awarded a star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1645 Vine Street, in Hollywood, California.
- Joseph Heco, fisherman and writer
- James Iha, Guitarist for Smashing Pumpkins and A Perfect Circle
- Tatsuya Ishida, creator of the webcomic Sinfest
- Jhene, singer
- Bob Kuwahara animator for Walt Disney and Terrytoons. Created Hashimoto-san series.
- Sean Ono Lennon, musician, son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono
- Sean Mackin, violinist/backing vocals and sometimes vocals from Yellowcard (half-Japanese and half-Irish)
- Mako, actor
- Keiko Matsui, jazz musician
- Pat Morita, actor and comedian
- Doris Muramatsu, Girlyman band member
- Kent Nagano, conductor, Los Angeles Symphony
- George Nakashima, cabinetry, crafts movement, internment survivor
- Isamu Noguchi, artist, sculptor, designer
- Sophie Tamiko Oda (1991 - ) child actress[1]
- Masi Oka - television actor (Heroes)[2]
- Ryo Okumoto, Spock's Beard band member
- Seiji Ozawa, director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1973-2002
- Douglas Robb, lead singer of Hoobastank, whose mother is Japanese American
- Bianca Ryan, winner of America's Got Talent, Japanese American descent from mother's side
- Stan Sakai, cartoonist, creator of Usagi Yojimbo comic series
- Harold Sakata, Actor and Wrestler
- Sueo Serisawa, 1910-2004 noted Californian Impressionist artist
- Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele virtuoso
- James Shigeta, actor
- Jenny Shimizu, fashion model
- Sab Shimono, actor
- Larry Shinoda, automotive designer noted for his work on the Corvette and the Boss 302 Mustang
- Mike Shinoda, Linkin Park band member (father is Japanese)
- Jack Soo, actor
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, actor
- Iwao Takamoto, animator/producer for Hanna Barbera
- Cyril Takayama, illusionist
- George Takei, actor, Sulu on Star Trek
- Teppei Teranishi, Thrice band member
- Iva Toguri D'Aquino, radio broadcaster who has been nicknamed "Tokyo Rose"
- Tamlyn Tomita, half-Japanese half-Filipino actress
- Hikaru Utada, singer/songwriter. Multi-million selling Japanese pop music star. Topped Billboard Club chart with "Devil Inside" in 2004
- Gedde Watanabe, actor, Long Duk Dong in Sixteen Candles
- Rachael Yamagata, singer (second-generation Japanese-American father & German-Italian mother)
- Hiro Yamamoto, original bass player for Soundgarden
- Minoru Yamasaki, architect, best known for the New York World Trade Center "Twin Towers."
- Patti Yasutake, actress who played Nurse Alyssa Ogawa on Star Trek: The Next Generation
[edit] News/Media
- Ann Curry, newsreader on Today (mother is Japanese)
- Michiko Kakutani, New York Times literary critic and author
- Guy Kawasaki, author, Apple evangelist
- Scott Sassa, former President, NBC West Coast
- Wendy Tokuda, anchor woman for San Francisco KRON 4
[edit] Military
- Alice K. Kurashige, the first Japanese American woman to be commissioned in the United States Marine Corps
- Jiro Shimoda, Sergeant in WWII
- Eric Shinseki, United States Army General, Army Chief of Staff, 1999-2003
- Bruce Yamashita, worked to expose racial discrimination in the United States Marine Corps
[edit] Politics and Law
- Richard Aoki, civil rights activist and co-founder of the Black Panther Party
- George Ariyoshi, first Asian American governor of a U.S. state, Hawaii
- S. I. Hayakawa, former Senator from California and linguistics scholar
- Gordon Hirabayashi, plaintiff in Hirabayashi v. United States, which challenged Japanese-American internment during World War II
- Mazie Hirono, former lieutenant governor of State of Hawaii.
- Mike Honda, Congressman from California and community leader
- Daniel Inouye, Senator from Hawaii
- Lance Ito, judge, presided over O.J. Simpson criminal trial
- Yuri Kochiyama, the Japanese American civil rights activist and friend of Malcolm X
- Fred Korematsu, Medal of Freedom reciepient who argued against the internment
- Doris Matsui, widow of Robert Matsui who succeeded him in Congress
- Robert Matsui, late Congressman from California and former chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
- Spark Matsunaga, US Senator from Hawaii
- Stan Matsunaka, Colorado State Senator
- Norman Mineta, politician and current Secretary of Transportation
- Patsy Takemoto Mink, congresswoman from Hawaii
- Paula A. Nakayama, Associate Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court
- Paul Tanaka, Mayor of the City of Gardena and Assistant Sheriff of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
- Takuji Yamashita, early civil rights pioneer
[edit] Religion
- Robert T. Hoshibata, Bishop of the United Methodist Church
- Roy I. Sano, Bishop of the United Methodist Church
[edit] Science and Education
- Takeshi Amemiya, economist, Stanford professor
- Ted Fujita, creator of the Fujita scale
- Francis Fukuyama, economist and historian
- Yamato Ichihashi, one of the first Asian academics in the US
- Akira Iriye, historian, Professor at Harvard
- Michio Kaku, scientist known for his string field theory
- Shizuo Kakutani, mathematician, fixed-point theorem, professor at Yale University
- Dorinne K. Kondo, anthropologist
- John Maeda, computer scientist, artist, professor at MIT
- Yoichiro Nambu, physicist
- Ellison Onizuka, first Asian American astronaut; one of the "Challenger Seven"
- Charles J. Pedersen, organic chemist, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry (mother is Japanese)
- Ronald Takaki (author), historian, University of California, Berkeley professor
- Susumu Tonegawa, Nobel Prize, Physiology or Medicine, 1987
[edit] Sports
- Bryan Clay, Olympic silver medalist and 2005 world champion in the decathlon.
- Paul Fujii, professional boxer and WBA Junior Welterweight Champion.
- Hiroto Hirashima, member of the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame.
- Christian Hosoi, professional skateboarder.
- Bryan Iguchi, professional snowboarder.
- Rena Inoue, first place in the 2004 and 2006 U.S. Figure Skating Championships (pairs).
- Miki Gorman, two-time winner of both the Boston and New York City marathons; former American and unofficial world record holder in the marathon.
- Ford Konno, U.S.A Olympic swimmer and Olympic champion.
- Tommy Kono, Olympic gold medalist (twice) weightlifter.
- Shogo Kubo, professional skateboarder.
- Wataru Misaka, professional basketball pioneer.
- Chad Morton, running back for the Washington Redskins.
- Johnnie Morton, wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs.
- Hikaru Nakamura, chess grandmaster and former US champion.
- Keo Nakata swimmer and world record holder.
- Apolo Anton Ohno, Olympic short track speed skating competitor.
- Dan Osman, extreme sport practitioner.
- Lance Otsubo, won the 2004 U.S. Individual National Spearfishing Championships.
- Yoshinobu Oyakawa, U.S.A Olympic swimmer and Oylympic champion.
- Soichi Sakamoto, Olympic swimming coach and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
- Harold Sakata, 1948 Olympic medalist weightlifter.
- Lenn Sakata, Professional baseball player for the World Series Champions Baltimore Orioles.
- Derek Tatsuno, baseball player and selected to the All-Time All-Star Team of Collegiate Baseball America.
- Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic Gold Medalist figure skater
- Lindsey Yamasaki, Professional basketball player (Miami Sol, New York Liberty, San Jose Spiders), Stanford University (basketball, volleyball)
- Wally Kaname Yonamine, Football player, first Japanese American in the NFL, as well as a professional baseball player in Nippon Professional Baseball League.
→====Misc Articles Wanted====
- Glen Fukushima, Co-President and Representative Director, NCR Japan, Ltd., and former President, American Chamber of Commerce in Japan
- Paul Igasaki, former Vice Chair and Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Mari Matsuda, first tenured Asian-American, female law professor in the United States
- Karen Narasaki, Executive Director of the Asian American Justice Center.
- Roger Yasukawa, auto-racing driver (IRL)
Don "the Dragon" Wilson 11 World Championships in Kickboxing, 28 starring roles in Hollywood Action Films, mother Toshie Hoshino Wilson is Japanese...
[edit] See also
- 日系人 (Japanese)
