50 Notable alumni of Tohoku University
Updated: June 23, 2026 EliteDegrees
Tohoku University is ranked #114 in the world and #4 in Japan by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 50 notable alumni from Tohoku 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 Tohoku University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Takao Watanabe
1950-. (aged 76)
politician
Takao Watanabe is a Japanese politician of the New Komeito Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Ishioka, Ibaraki and graduate of Tohoku University, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1995.
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2. Saidur Rahman
1966-. (aged 60)
academic
Saidur Rahman is a Bangladeshi computer scientist and graph theorist. He is a professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.
3. Han Woong, Yeom
1966-. (aged 60)
physicist
researcher
Yeom Han-woong is a South Korean physicist. A tenured professor at POSTECH, he has led several research centers for the university and from 2013 in collaboration with the Institute for Basic Science. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and has served as vice chairman of the Korean government's first science and technology advisory group for three consecutive...
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4. Shizuo Satō
1931-2022 (aged 91)
politician
Shizuo Satō was a Japanese politician. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, he served in the House of Councillors from 1992 to 1998. He died from a myocardial infarction on 16 January 2022, at the age of 90.
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5. Takeshi Imamura
1880-1960 (aged 80)
politician
Takeshi Imamura was Director of the Karafuto Agency (1932–1938) and Mayor of Sendai (1942–1946). He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo and Tohoku University. He was a member of the Korean History Compilation Committee.
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6. Eisuke Hinode
1941-2012 (aged 71)
politician
Eisuke Hinode was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature) and the Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs. A native of Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, he graduated from Tohoku University in 1964. He was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1998.
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7. Sukenari Yokoyama
1884-1963 (aged 79)
politician
Sukenari Yokoyama was a Japanese politician who served twice as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture in 1927–1928 and 1943–1944.
8. Ido Reizan
1859-1935 (aged 76)
writer
poet
journalist
activist
Ido Reizan was a Japanese journalist, writer, poet, and liberal activist. He was involved in the Freedom and People's Rights Movement, which appears to have forced him into a nomadic lifestyle.
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9. Liang Teck Meng
1971-. (aged 55)
politician
Liang Teck Meng is a Malaysian politician and was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Simpang Renggam constituency in the State of Johor (2008 - 2018). He was Secretary General for the Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (GERAKAN), previously a component party in the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition (2013 - 2018).
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10. Akabori Shirō
1900-1992 (aged 92)
university teacher
biochemist
chemist
Shirō Akabori, 20 October 1900 – 3 November 1992 in Chihama, Ogasa (now Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture), was a Japanese chemist and university professor, known for the Akabori amino-acid reactions.
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11. Masatoshi Abe
1942-2020 (aged 78)
politician
Masatoshi Abe was a Japanese politician who was a member of the Diet of Japan. He served as Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs under the government of Junichiro Koizumi.
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12. Tōru Takahashi
1941-2022 (aged 81)
computer scientist
businessperson
Toru Takahashi was a Japanese computer network researcher and businessman. He was credited with contributing to the spread of the Internet into Japan and the rest of Asia in the 1990s and was a pivotal figure in the early commercial development of the Internet. For this reason, he was often called the "Father of the Internet" in Japan.
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13. Hakaru Masumoto
1895-1987 (aged 92)
engineer
metallurgist
Hakaru Masumoto was a pioneer in metal and alloy research. He discovered numerous superior and unique alloys, and contributed to improving the performance of precision machinery.
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14. Yutaka Kumagai
1975-. (aged 51)
politician
Yutaka Kumagai is a Japanese politician from the Liberal Democratic Party. As of 2014 he has served as member of the House of Councillors for the Miyagi at-large district.
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15. Shimaki Kensaku
1903-1945 (aged 42)
writer
novelist
Kensaku Shimaki was the pen name of Asakura Kikuo (朝倉 菊雄), a Japanese author active during the Shōwa period in Japan. He had an interest in leftist ideology and was arrested in 1928 due to his ties to the Japanese Communist Party. Throughout his literary career, Shimaki wrote multiple novels and stories with a common theme being proletariat life. Some...
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16. Shun'ichi Iwasaki
1926-2025 (aged 99)
university teacher
electrical engineer
Shun-ichi Iwasaki was a Japanese engineer. He was professor at Tohoku University and then became president and of Tohoku Institute of Technology. He was also a professor at Lanzhou University (China). Iwasaki's pioneering work on perpendicular magnetic recording has been integral to the development of modern hard disk drives.
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17. Syun-Ichi Akasofu
1930-. (aged 96)
geophysicist
climatologist
earth scientist
Syun-Ichi Akasofu is the founding director of the International Arctic Research Center of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), serving in that position from the center's establishment in 1998 until January 2007. Previously he had been director of the university's Geophysical Institute from 1986.
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18. Atsuto Suzuki
1946-. (aged 80)
physicist
Atsuto Suzuki is an experimental particle physicist known for his observations of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos.
19. Ume Tange
1873-1955 (aged 82)
teacher
Ume Tange (丹下 梅子; 1873–1955) was one of the first three women admitted to a Japanese university in 1913. She previously studied at a women's college. After graduating from university, she traveled to the US to study, gaining a PhD in chemistry from Johns Hopkins University in 1927, one of the first Japanese women awarded a doctorate in science. Tange...
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20. Sōichirō Itō
1924-2001 (aged 77)
politician
Soichiro Ito was a Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1967 until his death in 2001. From 1981 to 1982, Ito was the Director General of the Japan Defense Agency.
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21. Ryōji Chūbachi
1947-. (aged 79)
entrepreneur
businessperson
Ryōji Chūbachi is a Japanese businessman, former vice chairman and president of Sony Corporation. He joined the company in 1977, later replacing Kunitake Andō to become president of the firm March 7, 2005. He was replaced as president by Howard Stringer on April 1, 2009. Chūbachi retired from Sony on March 31, 2013. Currently he is the president of the...
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22. Shintaro Uda
1896-1976 (aged 80)
university teacher
engineer
inventor
Shintaro Uda was a Japanese inventor, and assistant to Professor Hidetsugu Yagi at Tohoku Imperial University, where together they invented the Yagi–Uda antenna in 1926.
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23. Osamu Shimomura
1928-2018 (aged 90)
university teacher
organic chemist
chemist
biochemist
marine biologist
Osamu Shimomura, born in Saga Prefecture, Kitagawa Village, was a Japanese economist considered to be the "father of the Japanese economic miracle".
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24. Eiichi Nishimura
1897-1987 (aged 90)
politician
Eiichi Nishimura was a Japanese politician, who served in the Ikeda, Satō, Tanaka and Fukuda cabinets, and was the first to be appointed to the post of Director of the National Land Agency. Within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), he held influence in Eisaku Satō and Kakuei Tanaka factions, becoming known as the "king's counselor", or the one able to...
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25. Yoshihisa Inoue
1947-. (aged 79)
politician
reporter
Yoshihisa Inoue is a Japanese politician of the New Komeito Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Toyama, Toyama and graduate of Tohoku University, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1990. He lost his seat in 1993 but was re-elected in 1996.
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26. Eisuke Mori
1948-. (aged 78)
politician
Eisuke Mori is a Japanese politician who has served as Speaker of the House of Representatives since 2026. He is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and is the former Minister of Justice in the Asō Cabinet.
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27. Akio Fukuda
1948-. (aged 78)
civil servant
politician
Akio Fukuda is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party and a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Imaichi, Tochigi and graduate of Tohoku University, he joined the city government of Imaichi in 1971 and became the mayor of the city in 1991, serving for three terms. He was elected to...
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28. Emiko Okuyama
1951-. (aged 75)
politician
Emiko Okuyama is a Japanese politician. She served as the mayor of Sendai from 2009 to 2017.
29. Masato Sagawa
1943-. (aged 83)
physicist
researcher
Masato Sagawa is a Japanese scientist and entrepreneur, and the inventor of the sintered permanent neodymium magnet (NdFeB). Sagawa was awarded the Japan Prize and IEEE Medal for Environmental and Safety Technologies for his efforts.
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30. Akira Endō
1933-2024 (aged 91)
biochemist
university teacher
microbiologist
agricultural chemist
Akira Endo was a Japanese biochemist whose research into the relationship between fungi and cholesterol biosynthesis led to the development of statin drugs, which are some of the best-selling pharmaceuticals in history.
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31. Shigeyoshi Matsumae
1901-1991 (aged 90)
teacher
engineer
politician
Shigeyoshi Matsumae was a Japanese electrical engineer, inventor of the non-loaded cable carrier system, the Minister of the Ministry of Communications (Teishin-in, between August 30, 1945, and April 8, 1946), politician and the founder of Tokai University. He is also known as a patron of Yasuhiro Yamashita, a judo champion from Tokai University.
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32. Fujio Masuoka
1943-. (aged 83)
electronic engineer
university teacher
Fujio Masuoka is a Japanese engineer, who has worked for Toshiba and Tohoku University, and is currently chief technical officer (CTO) of Unisantis Electronics. He is best known as the inventor of flash memory, including the development of both the NOR flash and NAND flash types in the 1980s. He also invented the first gate-all-around (GAA) MOSFET (GAAFET) transistor, an...
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33. Sōichirō Miyashita
1979-. (aged 47)
politician
Sōichirō Miyashita is a Japanese politician and government official currently serving as the governor of Aomori Prefecture since 2023. Prior to being elected governor, he served as mayor of Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture for 3 terms from 2014 to 2023.
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34. Jun-ichi Nishizawa
1926-2018 (aged 92)
physicist
inventor
Jun-ichi Nishizawa was a Japanese engineer and inventor. He is known for his electronic inventions since the 1950s, including the PIN diode, static induction transistor, static induction thyristor, SIT/SITh. His inventions contributed to the development of internet technology and the Information Age. He was a professor at Sophia University.
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35. Masatoshi Shima
1943-. (aged 83)
computer scientist
engineer
chemist
university teacher
Masatoshi Shima is a Japanese electronics engineer. He was one of the architects of the world's first microprocessor, the Intel 4004. In 1968, Shima worked for Busicom in Japan, and did the logic design for a specialized CPU to be translated into three-chip custom chips. In 1969, he worked with Intel's Ted Hoff and Stanley Mazor to reduce the three-chip...
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36. Sumio Iijima
1939-. (aged 87)
physicist
chemist
nanotechnologist
university teacher
Sumio Iijima is a Japanese physicist and inventor, often cited for his discovery of carbon nanotubes. Although carbon nanotubes had been observed prior to his "invention", Iijima's 1991 paper generated unprecedented interest in the carbon nanostructures and has since fueled intense research in the area of nanotechnology.
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37. Kenya Akiba
1962-. (aged 64)
politician
Kenya Akiba is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Miyagi Prefecture, he attended Chuo University as an undergraduate and received his master's degree from Tohoku University. He was elected to the first of his three terms in the assembly of Miyagi Prefecture in...
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38. Terunobu Fujimori
1946-. (aged 80)
university teacher
historian
critic
architect
architectural historian
Terunobu Fujimori is a Japanese architect and architectural historian.
39. Norihisa Satake
1947-. (aged 79)
politician
Norihisa Satake is a Japanese politician. A former two-term mayor of Akita City in Akita Prefecture, first elected in 2001. He was the Governor of Akita Prefecture for four terms between 2009 and 2025. He is the 21st head of the North Satake branch of the Satake clan.
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40. Morio Kita
1927-2011 (aged 84)
screenwriter
novelist
psychiatrist
writer
children's writer
Morio Kita was the pen name of Sokichi Saitō (斎藤 宗吉, Saitō Sōkichi; 1 May 1927 – 24 October 2011), a Japanese psychiatrist, novelist and essayist.
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41. Hirofumi Uzawa
1928-2014 (aged 86)
university teacher
economist
Hirofumi Uzawa was a Japanese economist.
42. Lu Xun
1881-1936 (aged 55)
critic
short story writer
writer
essayist
literary critic
Lu Xun, pen name of Zhou Shuren, born Zhou Zhangshou, was a Chinese writer. A leading figure of modern Chinese literature, he wrote in both vernacular and literary Chinese as a novelist, literary critic, essayist, poet, translator and political commentator, known for his sharp, satirical style and critical reflections on Chinese history and culture.
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43. Yukio Edano
1964-. (aged 62)
lawyer
politician
Yukio Edano is a Japanese politician who served as the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan from its formation in 2017 until 2021.
44. Masako Mori
1964-. (aged 62)
lawyer
politician
Masako Mori is a Japanese politician and lawyer who has served in the House of Councillors since 2007, and as Minister of Justice from October 2019 to September 2020. She is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.
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45. Koichi Tanaka
1959-. (aged 67)
university teacher
chemist
engineer
Koichi Tanaka is a Japanese electrical engineer who shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002 for developing a novel method for mass spectrometric analyses of biological macromolecules with John Bennett Fenn and Kurt Wüthrich (the latter for work in NMR spectroscopy).
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46. Akira Koike
1960-. (aged 66)
physician
internist
politician
Akira Koike is a Japanese politician and physician who is the secretary-general and vice chair of the Japanese Communist Party. He also serves as a member of the House of Councillors for the party.
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47. Shizuo Kakutani
1911-2004 (aged 93)
mathematician
university teacher
Shizuo Kakutani was a Japanese and American mathematician, best known for his eponymous fixed-point theorem.
48. Mitsuru Sakurai
1956-. (aged 70)
internist
politician
Mitsuru Sakurai is a Japanese politician formerly of the Democratic Party of Japan and is now a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He is a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature).
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49. Chika Kuroda
1884-1968 (aged 84)
chemist
Chika Kuroda was a Japanese chemist whose research focused on natural pigments. She was the first woman in Japan to receive a Bachelor of Science.
50. Yoshihiro Nitta
1929-2020 (aged 91)
philosopher
Yoshihiro Nitta is a Japanese Paralympic cross-country skier and biathlete. He is regarded as one of the most experienced Japanese Paralympic competitors as he went onto represent Japan at the Paralympics in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022. Yoshihiro Nitta has clinched 4 medals in his Paralympic career including 2 gold medals at the 2010 Winter Paralympics. He...
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