8 Notable alumni of Shinshu University
Updated: June 08, 2026 EliteDegrees
Shinshu University is ranked #668 in the world and #26 in Japan by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 8 notable alumni from Shinshu University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Shinshu University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Toshikazu Wakatsuki
1910-2006 (aged 96)
physician
Toshikazu Wakatsuki was a Japanese medical doctor. He received a M.D. from the University of Tokyo in 1936 and a PhD from the same institution in 1947, after imprisonment for anti-war views during World War II. In 1946, Wakatsuki performed Japan's first tubercular spinal caries and also organised its first blood bank. He founded the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine....
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2. Nao Kodaira
1986-. (aged 40)
speed skater
Nao Kodaira is a Japanese former long track speed skater who specialised in the sprint distances.
3. Kei Kumai
1930-2007 (aged 77)
film producer
screenwriter
film director
Kei Kumai was a Japanese film director. After his studies in literature at Shinshu University, he began work as a director's assistant.
4. Mitsu Shimojo
1955-. (aged 71)
cashier
politician
Mitsu Shimojo is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Matsumoto, Nagano and graduate of Shinshu University, he was elected for the first time in 2003 after an unsuccessful run in 2000.
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5. Shinroku Momose
1919-1997 (aged 78)
engineer
military flight engineer
Shinroku Momose was a Japanese aircraft/automotive engineer. He is famous for the development of the Subaru 360, the Subaru Sambar and the Subaru 1000 series.
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6. Miyako Sumiyoshi
1987-2018 (aged 31)
speed skater
Miyako Sumiyoshi was a Japanese speed skater. She competed at the 2013 World Sprint Championships in Salt Lake City, where she placed thirteenth. She also placed thirteenth in the sprint combination at the 2014 World Sprint Championships in Nagano. She competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, in the 500 metres (14th) and in the 1000 metres (22nd).
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7. Gorō Miyazaki
1967-. (aged 59)
architect
screenwriter
film director
Goro Miyazaki is a Japanese landscape architect and animation director. His landscape projects include the Ghibli Museum and Ghibli Park. The son of Hayao Miyazaki, Goro has directed three films—Tales from Earthsea (2006), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), and Earwig and The Witch (2020)—and the television series Ronja, the Robber's Daughter.
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8. Naoki Inose
1946-. (aged 80)
critic
historian
university teacher
journalist
literary critic
Naoki Inose is a Japanese politician, journalist, historian, social critic and biographer of literary figures such as Yukio Mishima and Osamu Dazai. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Tokyo from June 2007 until becoming Acting Governor on 1 November 2012 following the resignation of Shintaro Ishihara. He was elected Governor in a historical landslide victory in December 2012, but announced...
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