The following is a list of famous Japanese Americans who have made significant contributions to the American culture or society artistically or scientifically, or have appeared in the news numerous times:
- Keiko Agena, actress (Gilmore Girls)
- Daniel Akaka, senator from Hawaii
- George Ariyoshi, first Asian American governor of a U.S. state
- Ann Curry, newsreader on Today (mother is Japanese)
- Francis Fukuyama, economist and historian
- S. I. Hayakawa, former Senator from California and linguistics scholar
- Mike Honda, Congressman from California and community leader
- Paul Igasaki, former Vice Chair and acting Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- James Iha, Guitarist for Smashing Pumpkins and A Perfect Circle
- Daniel Inouye, Senator from Hawaii
- Lance Ito, judge, presided over O. J. Simpson criminal trial
- Michio Kaku, scientist known for his string field theory
- Michiko Kakutani, author
- Yuri Kochiyama, the Japanese American civil rights activist and friend of Malcolm X
- Alice K. Kurashige, the first Japanese American woman to be commissioned in the United States Marine Corps
- Dorinne K. Kondo, anthropologist
- Robert Matsui, Congressman from California and chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
- Norman Mineta, politician and current Secretary of Transportation
- Pat Morita, actor and comedian
- Chad Morton, running back for the Washington Redskins
- Johnnie Morton, wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs
- Hikaru Nakamura, chess grandmaster
- Karen Narasaki, Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium
- Isamu Noguchi, artist, sculptor, designer
- Ellison Onizuka, first Asian American astronaut; one of the "Challenger Seven"
- Yoko Ono, artist, widow of John Lennon
- Sharon Tomiko Santos, Democratic Whip of the Washington State House of Representatives
- James Shigeta, actor
- Mike Shinoda, Linkin Park band member
- Eric Shinseki - United States Army General, Army Chief of Staff, 1999-2003
- Vince Suzukawa, web comic writer
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, actor
- Ronald Takaki (author)- historian, UC Berkeley professor
- George Takei - actor, Sulu on Star Trek
- Tamlyn Tomita - half-Japanese half-Filipino actress
- Hikaru Utada, Jpop singer
- Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic Gold Medalist figure skater
- Minoru Yamasaki, architect, best known for the New York World Trade Center "Twin Towers."
- Roger Yasukawa, auto-racing driver (IRL)
- Miyoshi Umeki, actress and first Asian to win an Academy Award (1957, for Sayonara)
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