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List of the most popular, renowned or famous athletes from Japan. List includes the most notable athletes from Japan, along with photos when available. This list of Japanese athletes is alphabetical, but can be sorted by any column and answers the question "what famous athletes are from Japan?" You can click on the names of the famous athletes of Japan in order to get more information about each one. The list you're viewing is made up of athletes like Ichiro Suzuki and Masako Hozumi. You may want to copy this fact-based list to build your own just like it, re-rank it to fit your opinions, then publish it to share it on Facebook, Twitter or any other social sites you frequent. {#nodes}
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Robert Lee Griffin III (born February 12, 1990), nicknamed RG3 or RGIII, is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football... more2
Norifumi Yamamoto
Norifumi Yamamoto (山本 徳郁, Yamamoto Norifumi, March 15, 1977 – September 18, 2018) was a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed in the bantamweight division of the UFC. He quickly... more- 3Yushin Okami (岡見 勇信, Okami Yūshin, born July 21, 1981) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently signed to ONE Championship. A professional competitor since 2002, Okami has formerly competed for... more
- 4Yoshihiro Akiyama (秋山 成勲) (born July 29, 1975), also known as Sung Hoon Choo (추성훈), is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka. Akiyama won the gold medal at the 2001 Asian Championships for South... more
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Hideki Matsui
Hideki Matsui (松井 秀喜, Matsui Hideki, born June 12, 1974), nicknamed "Godzilla", is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played baseball in Nippon Professional... more - 6Hiroshi Ogawa may refer to: Hiroshi Ogawa (second baseman) (born 1940) Hiroshi Ogawa (shortstop) (born 1960) Hiroshi Ogawa (pitcher) (born 1962), baseball player and convicted criminal Hiroshi Ogawa... more
- 7Shinichi Chiba (22 January 1939 – 19 August 2021), known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his... more
- 8Yuko Kavaguti (also: Kawaguchi, Japanese: Kawaguchi Yūko (川口 悠子), Russian: Юко Кавагути, born 20 November 1981) is a pair skater who has represented Japan and Russia in international competition. In... more
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Ichiro Suzuki
Seattle MarinersBirthplace: Kasugai, Japan
Nationality: United States of America,Japan
Position: Right fielder, Outfielder, Center fielder
Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木 一朗, Suzuki Ichirō, born October 22, 1973), often referred to mononymously as Ichiro (イチロー, Ichirō), is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played 28 seasons... more 
10Wong Pei Tty (born 11 November 1981 in Ipoh, Perak) is a former elite female doubles badminton player from Malaysia. Wong competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles with... more- 11Lena Frier Kristiansen (born March 12, 1983) is a badminton player from Denmark. In 2001, she won the silver and bronze medals at the European Junior Championships in the mixed team and doubles... more
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Ryoko Tani
Ryoko Tani (谷 亮子, Tani Ryōko, née Tamura (田村), born September 6, 1975) is a retired Japanese female judoka and a politician. Competing in the extra-lightweight (48 kg) class, she won a record seven... more - 13Saori Yoshida (吉田 沙保里, Yoshida Saori, born 5 October 1982) is a former Japanese freestyle wrestler. Starting in 1998 she won almost every major competition, including three Olympic Games, four Asian... more
- 14Madoka Harada (原田窓香, born December 15, 1985) is a Japanese luger who has competed since 2004. Competing in two Winter Olympics, she earned her best finish of 13th in the women's singles event at... more
- 15Kintaro Hayakawa (June 10, 1886 – November 23, 1973), known professionally as Sessue Hayakawa, was a Japanese actor. He was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood during the silent film era of the... more
- 16Takuya Kimura (木村拓哉, Kimura Takuya, born November 13, 1972), also known as "Kimutaku" ("キムタク"), is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving... more
- 17Tae Satoya (里谷 多英, Satoya Tae, born on June 12, 1976 in Sapporo, Japan) is a Japanese freestyle skier. She won the Olympic title in the moguls event at the 1998 Winter Olympics, and she finished... more
- 18Maki Tabata (田畑 真紀, Tabata Maki, born 9 November 1974 in Mukawa, Hokkaido, Japan) is a speed skater and cycle racer. Maki Tabata won bronze at the World Allround Championships in 2000 and one month... more
- 19Fumie Suguri (村主 章枝, Suguri Fumie, born December 31, 1980) is a Japanese figure skater. She is a three-time World medalist, a three-time Four Continents champion, the 2003 Grand Prix Final champion,... more
- 20Miyuki Hatanaka is a freestyle skier.... more
- 21Miki Ando (安藤 美姫, Andō Miki, born December 18, 1987) is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the 2007 and 2011 World champion, 2011 Four Continents champion, 2004 World Junior champion, and a... more
- 22Eri Yanetani is a professional snowboarder.... more
- 23Tomoka Takeuchi is a professional snowboarder.... more
- 24Mao Asada (浅田 真央, Asada Mao, born 25 September 1990) is a Japanese former competitive figure skater. She is the 2010 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World champion (2008, 2010, 2014), a... more
- 25Madoka Natsumi (夏見 円, Natsumi Madoka, born July 2, 1978) is a Japanese cross country skier who has competed since 1995. She earned the best individual finish of the host nation Japan at the FIS... more
