Starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is the lastest Japanese sensation to try his luck in the major leagues. (Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

Sadaharu Oh: Japan's Babe
The phrase "Japan's Babe Ruth" should pretty much sum up why Mr. Oh should be at, or near, the top of our list. Oh is all about numbers, record numbers: his career total of 868 home runs far surpasses his American counterparts like Aaron, Bonds and Ruth. He's slugged 55 homers in just 140 games, and 54 homers in 130 games. He won Japan's home run title 13 years in a row, and captured back-to-back batting triple crowns. Sure, purists may argue Japan's smaller ballparks, rule quirks and schedule differences inflated his numbers. And ESPN put his single-season homer record on its list of Phoniest Records in Sports. But in Japanese society and the baseball world at large, Sadaharu Oh personified his Yomiuri Giants moniker.

Antonio Inoki: Wrestling Statesman
Japan’s answer to Hulk Hogan, Antonio Inoki was the biggest star in Japanese pro wrestling. Inoki was trained in the 1960s by the legendary Rikidozan, considered the godfather of Japanese wrestling, before forming his own promotion, New Japan Pro Wrestling, in 1972. It was in New Japan where Inoki established himself as a cultural icon by feuding with Japanese bad guys and earning worldwide fame for facing Olympic judo gold medalist Willem Ruska and former world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali in high-profile matches. In 1989, Inoki established the Sports and Peace Party and was elected to the House of Councillors – the Japenese equivalent of the U.S. senate. He continued to wrestle while serving as a legislator.

Masahiko Kimura: Ultimate Fighter
Widely considered the best judoka in history, the Kumamoto native became the youngest ever 5th-degree black belt when he was just 18. Two years later, in 1937, Kimura started a remarkable run, winning the All-Japan Championship and remaining undefeated for the next 13 years in matches held throughout Japan. But it was his exploits later in life on the interational stage that cemented Kimura's legendary status. In 1951, he faced off against Brazil's Helio Gracie, a legend in his own right, and broke the Brazilian's elbow en route to a technical victory. Eight years later, at age 42, he faced an even more formidable opponent in Aldemar Santana, a much bigger, much younger opponent who he battled to a draw. Kimura's prime came before judo was an Olympic event, but in his senior years he trained a number of notable Olympian judokas, including Canada's Doug Rogers, who won silver in the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games.

Ichiro Suzuki: Major League Star
Widely regarded as one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, Seattle Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki was the first Japanese position player to play regularly for a Major League Baseball team. Suzuki left the Orix Blue Wave 2001 and never looked back. During his first season, Suzuki was was named the American League MVP and rookie of the year, becoming only the second player in MLB history (after Fred Lynn) to win both honours in the same year. He went on to set several records, including the single-season mark for hits with 262, and won a Gold Glove and played in baseball’s all-star game in each of his first six years in the Majors. More importantly, Suzuki’s overwhelming success in North America opened the door for other Japanese players, such as New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui, to enter the Major Leagues.

Tamura Ryoko: Judoka Giant
She may be less than five feet tall, but Tamura Ryoko is a Judoka giant in Japan. She took up the sport at age eight, after following her brother to his martial arts school, and soon she was tossing around bigger, stronger boys. Since bursting onto the international scene in 1992, the pint-sized powerhouse has won two Olympic gold medals and a record six world judo titles. Ryoko's ferocious style has earned her the nickname "Yawara," after a famous Japanese cartoon warrior heroine, and inspired a video game character.

Taiho Koki: Yokozuna
Tossed his weight around the sumo circle for years. Taiho is regarded as the greatest sumo wrestler of the post-war era. He started wrestling in 1956 and went on to win a record 32 tournaments in his illustrious career. He achieved the title of Yokozuna in 1961. At 21 years old he was the youngest ever to be awaded sumo's greatest honour.

Naoko Takahashi: Daughter of the Wind
Regarded as Japan's greatest women's distance runner. In 2000, she ran to Olympic gold in the Sydney Summer Games' marathon. Less than a year later she established a new world record at the Berlin Marathon. The Olympic championship, the first ever by a Japanese athlete in track and field, elevated Takahashi to folk-hero status in marathon-mad Japan. She was honoured by the Japanese government and her career was immortalized in a comic strip, "The Daughter of the Wind."

Okamoto Ayako: Golf Great
A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Ayako spent 10 years on the LPGA tour, racking up 17 victories. Her best year came in 1987 when she won four tournaments, and became the first woman from outside the United States to top the tour's money list. Although she never won a major, in 2000 she was recognized as one of the LPGA's 50 greatest players.

Shizuka Arakawa: Ice Queen
The Tokyo native made history in 2006 when she bested favouites Sasha Cohen and Irina Slutskaya to become the first Asian to win the Olympic gold medal in singles figure skating. At 24, she was the second oldest woman to win singles gold, and at five feet, six inches tall, she was considered a giant among her rivals. Still, observers marveled at Arakawa's elegance and grace.

Kunishige Kamamoto: The Japanese Pele
Unquestionably, the greatest Japanese soccer player of all-time.Kamamoto was a star striker with Yanmar Diesel F.C. in the old Japanese first division from 1967-85 and led the league in scoring seven times during his career. It was on the international stage, however, that the barrel-chested striker shined the brightest. Kamamoto helped Japan win the bronze medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, finishing as the tournament's top scorer with seven goals.In total, Kamamoto played in 75 international matches for Japan from 1964-77 and is still the country’s all-time leading scorer with 73 goals.