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Top 10 Famous Japanese People

Top 10 Famous Japanese People

From record-breaking musicians to Hollywood actors, Japan’s entertainment industry is awash with multi-talented superstars who influence many aspects of Japanese culture from fashion and hair styles to nightlife and Japanese online games.” Would you like to know these famous Japanese behind the great fashion, TV programs and music? Here is a list of top 10 famous icons in the Japanese fashion and entertainment industries (according to Japan Yugen):

Top 10 Famous Japanese Personalities

Name of famous Japanese Age Profession Net worth
Naomi Watanabe 31 Comedian, Actress and Fashion Designer US $5M
Rola 31 Actress, Fashion Designer, and Author US $1.3M
Ayumi Hamasaki 40 Artist, Model, Actress, and Lyrist US $450M
Anna Nakamura 32 Actress, Model, and TV Personality US $1.5M
Masaharu Fukuyama 51 Musician and Actor US $175M
Satoshi Ohno 39 Idol Actor, Singer, Artist, and Radio Host US $112M
Atsushi Sato 40 Singer and Producer US $20M
Nanao Arai 30 Model and Actress Undisclosed
Kiko Mizuhara 28 Fashion Model, Actress, Singer and Designer US $2M
Masami Nagasawa 32 Voice Actress, Fashion Influencer  and TV Personality US $1M

Table of famous Japanese

I have provided you a glimpse of these celebrities’ net worth. However, note that this is not the primary factor of ranking them on this list. There is a lot I considered such as their Social Media following, the popularity of fashion brands (where applicable), awards won, movie castings, and how early they shot into fame, among others.

Let us find out more about our popular Japanese celebrities, shall we?

1. Naomi Watanabe

https://www.instagram.com/p/B60J9aogvHz/

Watanabe showcasing a polka dot dress.

If you are visiting Japan for the first time, you’ll probably hear alot about Watanabe. Most importantly, Watanabe is popular for empowering women to be their better selves.

She is an advocate for self-acceptance. More so, she has single-handedly encouraged plus size women to be more accepting of their curves. This passion drove her to launch the PUNYUS. It is a plus and small size clothing line – which is quite popular in Japan.

Naomi Watanabe was born on October 23rd1987. She shot into the limelight in 2008 after her famous impersonation of Beyoncé Knowles. Building on her talent as a comedian, Naomi has gone on to be a great actor. She features in popular shows and movies such as SNL and Queer Eye: We’re in Japan. Besides being an actor, she was also a judge on X-Factor.

Naomi Watanabe has a massive social media following- over 8.9M followers on Instagram. Moreover, net worth is estimated at US $5M.

2. Rola

Rola showcasing vegan leather

Rola was born in March 1990. She is another famous Japanese celebrity who has had her prints in various categories of the entertainment industry. The 30-year-old has made most of her earnings through her fragrance line, the Vasilisa.

She is also into modeling, a career she started at only the age of 9 years. As a model, you will find her traces all over popular Japanese magazines such as the Vivi.

This multiracial model is also an author of some awe-inspiring fashion books as well as a cookbook. Besides, if you are a fan of the Resident Evil sequel, you have probably seen her feature in one of them; Resident Evil the Final Chapter. She plays “Cobalt.”

You can easily tell how famous Rola is from her social media following. She has a massive following on Twitter- over 4 million followers. Rola’s net worth is US $1.3M

3. Ayumi Hamasaki

Hamasaki performing onstage

Ayumi Hamasaki was born in 1980. She makes her living as an artist, lyrist, actress, and model. Hamasaki chooses to embrace herself as an artist rather than an icon of the Japanese music culture.

With a net worth of about US $450M, Hamasaki is probably the richest celebrity you will discover in Japan. You can attribute her rising popularity also due to her philanthropy. Many locals appreciate her US $30M donation in the aftermath of the Tohoku and Tsunami earthquakes.

Ayumi Hamasaki’s music career is one that will definitely amaze you. Having sold over 60 million records, she is among the best selling Japanese artists.

4. Anna Nakamura

Nakamura on the cover page of a magazine.

Anna Nakamura is a 33-year-old Japanese TV personality. She juggles between being a model, TV personality, and movie actress. Besides, she is the perfect definition of a fun-loving, successful person. Her sporty character matches well with her career as a lingerie model.

However, she is more than just a lingerie model. You’ll also find her featuring in various TV drama shows such as the popular Shudan Sasen and the Japan Disney Pixar, Finding Dory.

Anne Nakamura has an estimated net worth of US $1.5M.

5. Masaharu Fukuyama

Fukuyama onstage with a guitar.

A famous and talented multi-instrumental singer, Masaharu Fukuyama will blow your mind away with his vocals. He treads his career as a musician and actor.

The Nagasaki favorite is also a leading member of the Amuse Inc. entertainment company. Amuse Inc. has been in the entertainment industry since 1990 and it was here that Masaharu made his first single.

As of this writing, Masaharu Fukuyama has featured in more than 25 movies. Additionally, Oricon weekly charts had his album Zankyo at number one. It had more than 150,000 copies in the week following its release. The famous singer is worth more than US $175M.

6. Satoshi Ohno

Ohno in the recording booth

Born in 1980, Ohno is one of the richest celebrities in the Japanese music industry to date.

If you tune into the popular Japanese radio stations, chances are you’re going to listen in on Satoshi Ohno. That is not to say that he only features in radio hosting. His fame is primarily exhibited through his talent as an idol actor.

Ohno is also an artist and a singer. He has played a lead role in the Japanese Arashi musical boy band for many years now. Since its establishment in the year 1999, this boy band has earned more than US $560M.

Ohno has been part of the Japanese talent industry from the age of 13. This has shaped his career as a singer and actor. To date, he has starred in a series of TV drama programs.

You’ll be impressed to note that he has won the best actor of the year award and has a net worth of about US $115M.

7. Atsushi Sato

Sato with piano in the background

Born on April 30th, 1980, Atsushi Sato is a Japanese vocalist, singer and songwriter. He also doubles up as a part-time producer. His Exile band is the leading musical band in Japan. It has over $180M in earnings.

He has quite a history with the EXILE band. Back in 2011 he broke out from the group and formed the Red Diamonds Dog band. However, he rejoined his former band in 2018.

Besides, Sati also started production services for the  Deep group formerly known as Color. He went on to release his first single, Itsuka Kitto.

8. Nanao Arai

Nanao on a kayak

Nanao Arai is a top Japanese model born in 1989. She is famous for her affiliation with Platinum. Arai started her modeling career at only 20 years of age. She went on to feature broadly as a Kung-Fu ring girl.

Consequently, Nanao also featured as a cover girl for Pinky magazine for quite a period of time.

She has won some notable accolades as Miss TGC of the Tokyo Girls Collection. In addition, Arai won the 2010 Sanai Mizugi Image Girl. She has also worked for the Ginger Magazine and modeled for the fashion label No-no.

As a result, Nanao Arai has featured extensively in a number of TV shows and films. You’ll find her in Urero Mikakunin Shōjo, Lucky Seven, and Miss Pilot among other films.

9. Kiko Mizuhara

Kiko wearing a Sari

Kiko was born on October 15th 1990, and holds dual Japanese and American citizenship. She moved to Japan at age 16, where she began her modeling career. In 2002 she took part and won an audition with the fashion magazine Seventeen.

Kiko Mizuhara is not just famous for her looks. This Japanese singer has also won the hearts of many with her notable contribution in the film and fashion industry.

Kiko is also recognized for her outstanding works with ViVi and MAQUIA magazines. She is also a fan favorite after starring in various movies and TV shows.

Some of her popular films include ‘Platinum Data,’ Tran Anh Hung’s ‘Norwegian Wood’ in 2010, ‘Helter Skelter’ in 2012, among many others. Mizuhara is worth about $2-5M.

10. Masami Nagasawa

Nagasawa in bold black outfit

Born on 3rd June 1987, Masami Nagasawa is one of the most successful TV actresses in Japan. She has won several awards in her career as an actress. This includes the 5th To ho Cinderella Contest which she contested and won at only 12 years of age.

As a result, she went on to become the cover girl for Toho Calendar from 2005 to 2007.

Her popular appearances are well captured in the movies Proposal Daisakusen and Socrates in Love. Masami Nagasawa estimated net worth is $3M.

Conclusion

Japan has a rich musical culture. It is no surprise that the majority of the famous Japanese ply their career in this industry.

On your visit to Japan, I’m sure you’ll come across these famous faces in theatres and billboards. At least you’ll have known a thing or two about them.

 

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Trudeau’s Gun Grab Could Cost Taxpayers a Whopping $7 Billion

Trudeau's Gun Grab
Trudeau plans to purchase 2,063 firearm from legal gun owners in Canada - Rebel News Image

A recent report indicates that since Trudeau’s announcement of his gun buyback program four years ago, almost none of the banned firearms have been surrendered.

The federal government plans to purchase 2,063 firearm models from retailers following the enactment of Bill C-21, which amends various Acts and introduces certain consequential changes related to firearms. It was granted royal assent on December 15 of last year.

This ban immediately criminalized the actions of federally-licensed firearms owners regarding the purchase, sale, transportation, importation, exportation, or use of hundreds of thousands of rifles and shotguns that were previously legal.

The gun ban focused on what it termed ‘assault-style weapons,’ which are, in reality, traditional semi-automatic rifles and shotguns that have enjoyed popularity among hunters and sport shooters for over a century.

In May 2020, the federal government enacted an Order-in-Council that prohibited 1,500 types of “assault-style” firearms and outlined specific components of the newly banned firearms. Property owners must adhere to the law by October 2023.

Trudeau’s Buyback Hasn’t Happened

“In the announcement regarding the ban, the prime minister stated that the government would seize the prohibited firearms, assuring that their lawful owners would be ‘grandfathered’ or compensated fairly.” “That hasn’t happened,” criminologist Gary Mauser told Rebel News.

Mauser projected expenses ranging from $2.6 billion to $6.7 billion. The figure reflects the compensation costs amounting to $756 million, as outlined by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO).

“The projected expenses for gathering the illegal firearms are estimated to range from $1.6 billion to $7 billion.” “This range estimate increases to between $2.647 billion and $7 billion when compensation costs to owners are factored in,” Mauser stated.

Figures requested by Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs concerning firearms prohibited due to the May 1, 2020 Order In Council reveal that $72 million has been allocated to the firearm “buyback” program, yet not a single firearm has been confiscated to date.

In a recent revelation, Public Safety Canada disclosed that the federal government allocated a staggering $41,094,556, as prompted by an order paper question from Conservative Senator Don Plett last September, yet yielded no tangible outcomes.

An internal memo from late 2019 revealed that the Liberals projected their politically motivated harassment would incur a cost of $1.8 billion.

Enforcement efforts Questioned

By December 2023, estimates from TheGunBlog.ca indicate that the Liberals and RCMP had incurred or were responsible for approximately $30 million in personnel expenses related to the enforcement efforts. The union representing the police service previously stated that the effort to confiscate firearms is a “misdirected effort” aimed at ensuring public safety.

“This action diverts crucial personnel, resources, and funding from tackling the more pressing and escalating issue of criminal use of illegal firearms,” stated the National Police Federation (NPF).

The Canadian Sporting Arms & Ammunition Association (CSAAA), representing firearms retailers, has stated it will have “zero involvement” in the confiscation of these firearms. Even Canada Post held back from providing assistance due to safety concerns.

The consultant previously assessed that retailers are sitting on almost $1 billion worth of inventory that cannot be sold or returned to suppliers because of the Order-In-Council.

“Despite the ongoing confusion surrounding the ban, after four years, we ought to be able to address one crucial question.” Has the prohibition enhanced safety for Canadians? Mauser asks.

Illegally Obtained Firearms are the Problem

Statistics Canada reports a 10% increase in firearm-related violent crime between 2020 and 2022, rising from 12,614 incidents to 13,937 incidents. In that timeframe, the incidence of firearm-related violent crime increased from 33.7 incidents per 100,000 population in 2021 to 36.7 incidents the subsequent year.

“This marks the highest rate documented since the collection of comparable data began in 2009,” the criminologist explains.

Supplementary DataData indicates that firearm homicides have risen since 2020. “The issue lies not with lawfully-held firearms,” Mauser stated.

Firearms that have been banned under the Order-in-Council continue to be securely stored in the safes of their lawful owners. The individuals underwent a thorough vetting process by the RCMP and are subject to nightly monitoring to ensure there are no infractions that could pose a risk to public safety.

“The firearms involved in homicides were seldom legally owned weapons wielded by their rightful owners,” Mauser continues. The number of offenses linked to organized crime has surged from 4,810 in 2016 to a staggering 13,056 in 2020.

“If those in power … aim to diminish crime and enhance public safety, they ought to implement strategies that effectively focus on offenders and utilize our limited tax resources judiciously to reach these objectives,” he stated.

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Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding, But Still Accounting 48% Search Revenue

Google

Google is so closely associated with its key product that its name is a verb that signifies “search.” However, Google’s dominance in that sector is dwindling.

According to eMarketer, Google will lose control of the US search industry for the first time in decades next year.

Google will remain the dominant search player, accounting for 48% of American search advertising revenue. And, remarkably, Google is still increasing its sales in the field, despite being the dominating player in search since the early days of the George W. Bush administration. However, Amazon is growing at a quicker rate.

google

Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding

Amazon will hold over a quarter of US search ad dollars next year, rising to 27% by 2026, while Google will fall even more, according to eMarketer.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the forecast.

Lest you think you’ll have to switch to Bing or Yahoo, this isn’t the end of Google or anything really near.

Google is the fourth-most valued public firm in the world. Its market worth is $2.1 trillion, trailing just Apple, Microsoft, and the AI chip darling Nvidia. It also maintains its dominance in other industries, such as display advertisements, where it dominates alongside Facebook’s parent firm Meta, and video ads on YouTube.

To put those “other” firms in context, each is worth more than Delta Air Lines’ total market value. So, yeah, Google is not going anywhere.

Nonetheless, Google faces numerous dangers to its operations, particularly from antitrust regulators.

On Monday, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that Google must open up its Google Play Store to competitors, dealing a significant blow to the firm in its long-running battle with Fortnite creator Epic Games. Google announced that it would appeal the verdict.

In August, a federal judge ruled that Google has an illegal monopoly on search. That verdict could lead to the dissolution of the company’s search operation. Another antitrust lawsuit filed last month accuses Google of abusing its dominance in the online advertising business.

Meanwhile, European regulators have compelled Google to follow tough new standards, which have resulted in multiple $1 billion-plus fines.

google

Pixa Bay

Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding

On top of that, the marketplace is becoming more difficult on its own.

TikTok, the fastest-growing social network, is expanding into the search market. And Amazon has accomplished something few other digital titans have done to date: it has established a habit.

When you want to buy anything, you usually go to Amazon, not Google. Amazon then buys adverts to push companies’ products to the top of your search results, increasing sales and earning Amazon a greater portion of the revenue. According to eMarketer, it is expected to generate $27.8 billion in search revenue in the United States next year, trailing only Google’s $62.9 billion total.

And then there’s AI, the technology that (supposedly) will change everything.

Why search in stilted language for “kendall jenner why bad bunny breakup” or “police moving violation driver rights no stop sign” when you can just ask OpenAI’s ChatGPT, “What’s going on with Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny?” in “I need help fighting a moving violation involving a stop sign that wasn’t visible.” Google is working on exactly this technology with its Gemini product, but its success is far from guaranteed, especially with Apple collaborating with OpenAI and other businesses rapidly joining the market.

A Google spokeswoman referred to a blog post from last week in which the company unveiled ads in its AI overviews (the AI-generated text that appears at the top of search results). It’s Google’s way of expressing its ability to profit on a changing marketplace while retaining its business, even as its consumers steadily transition to ask-and-answer AI and away from search.

google

Google has long used a single catchphrase to defend itself against opponents who claim it is a monopoly abusing its power: competition is only a click away. Until recently, that seemed comically obtuse. Really? We are going to switch to Bing? Or Duck Duck Go? Give me a break.

But today, it feels more like reality.

Google is in no danger of disappearing. However, every highly dominating company faces some type of reckoning over time. GE, a Dow mainstay for more than a century, was broken up last year and is now a shell of its previous dominance. Sears declared bankruptcy in 2022 and is virtually out of business. US Steel, long the foundation of American manufacturing, is attempting to sell itself to a Japanese corporation.

Could we remember Google in the same way that we remember Yahoo or Ask Jeeves in decades? These next few years could be significant.

SOURCE | CNN

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The Supreme Court Turns Down Biden’s Government Appeal in a Texas Emergency Abortion Matter.

Supreme Court

(VOR News) – A ruling that prohibits emergency abortions that contravene the Supreme Court law in the state of Texas, which has one of the most stringent abortion restrictions in the country, has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. The United States Supreme Court upheld this decision.

The justices did not provide any specifics regarding the underlying reasons for their decision to uphold an order from a lower court that declared hospitals cannot be legally obligated to administer abortions if doing so would violate the law in the state of Texas.

Institutions are not required to perform abortions, as stipulated in the decree. The common populace did not investigate any opposing viewpoints. The decision was made just weeks before a presidential election that brought abortion to the forefront of the political agenda.

This decision follows the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that ended abortion nationwide.

In response to a request from the administration of Vice President Joe Biden to overturn the lower court’s decision, the justices expressed their disapproval.

The government contends that hospitals are obligated to perform abortions in compliance with federal legislation when the health or life of an expectant patient is in an exceedingly precarious condition.

This is the case in regions where the procedure is prohibited. The difficulty hospitals in Texas and other states are experiencing in determining whether or not routine care could be in violation of stringent state laws that prohibit abortion has resulted in an increase in the number of complaints concerning pregnant women who are experiencing medical distress being turned away from emergency rooms.

The administration cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in a case that bore a striking resemblance to the one that was presented to it in Idaho at the beginning of the year. The justices took a limited decision in that case to allow the continuation of emergency abortions without interruption while a lawsuit was still being heard.

In contrast, Texas has been a vocal proponent of the injunction’s continued enforcement. Texas has argued that its circumstances are distinct from those of Idaho, as the state does have an exemption for situations that pose a significant hazard to the health of an expectant patient.

According to the state, the discrepancy is the result of this exemption. The state of Idaho had a provision that safeguarded a woman’s life when the issue was first broached; however, it did not include protection for her health.

Certified medical practitioners are not obligated to wait until a woman’s life is in imminent peril before they are legally permitted to perform an abortion, as determined by the state supreme court.

The state of Texas highlighted this to the Supreme Court.

Nevertheless, medical professionals have criticized the Texas statute as being perilously ambiguous, and a medical board has declined to provide a list of all the disorders that are eligible for an exception. Furthermore, the statute has been criticized for its hazardous ambiguity.

For an extended period, termination of pregnancies has been a standard procedure in medical treatment for individuals who have been experiencing significant issues. It is implemented in this manner to prevent catastrophic outcomes, such as sepsis, organ failure, and other severe scenarios.

Nevertheless, medical professionals and hospitals in Texas and other states with strict abortion laws have noted that it is uncertain whether or not these terminations could be in violation of abortion prohibitions that include the possibility of a prison sentence. This is the case in regions where abortion prohibitions are exceedingly restrictive.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which resulted in restrictions on the rights of women to have abortions in several Republican-ruled states, the Texas case was revisited in 2022.

As per the orders that were disclosed by the administration of Vice President Joe Biden, hospitals are still required to provide abortions in cases that are classified as dire emergency.

As stipulated in a piece of health care legislation, the majority of hospitals are obligated to provide medical assistance to patients who are experiencing medical distress. This is in accordance with the law.

The state of Texas maintained that hospitals should not be obligated to provide abortions throughout the litigation, as doing so would violate the state’s constitutional prohibition on abortions. In its January judgment, the 5th United States Circuit Court of Appeals concurred with the state and acknowledged that the administration had exceeded its authority.

SOURCE: AP

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