Sep 17, 2021 (Japan Today) - Three Japanese have been named in TIME Magazine's list of "100 Most Influential People of 2021" which categorizes people judged to have had the most impact this year into icons, pioneers, titans, artists, leaders, and innovators.
Athletes Shohei Ohtani and Naomi Osaka were named "Icons" along with Prince Harry and his wife Meghan who are showcased on one of the magazine's seven worldwide covers. Architect Kengo Kuma, who designed the centerpiece stadium for the Tokyo Olympics, is listed under "Innovators."
Other prominent names featured on the unranked list are U.S. President Joe Biden, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and Britney Spears, as well as billionaire Jensen Huang, who cofounded graphics-chip maker Nvidia.
"Shohei Ohtani is just the second baseball player to ever be selected to TIME Magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world," tweeted Los Angeles Angels Communications Manager Matt Birch.
According to Birch, Taiwan's Wang Chien-ming in 2007, then a pitcher for the New York Yankees, is the other player. He also said Ichiro Suzuki was a finalist in 2008 but did not make the final list that year.
