Formula One drivers from Japan

The first Japanese Formula One driver was Hiroshi Fushida. He qualified for the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix, but a blown engine prevented him from starting the race.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/hiroshi-fushida/non-participation.aspx|title=Hiroshi FUSHIDA - Grands Prix not started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}} He failed to qualify for the British Grand Prix later in the season.

Masahiro Hasemi started one World Championship race, the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/masahiro-hasemi/grand-prix.aspx|title=Masahiro HASEMI - Grands Prix started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}} He came into the event having won the non-championship Japanese GP the year prior. He finished the race 11th and 7 laps down, the last classified finisher.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/1976/japon/classement.aspx|title=Japan 1976 - Result |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}}

Masami Kuwashima was entered in the 1976 Japanese GP with Wolf-Williams. He participated in the first practice session and was promptly replaced with Hans Binder having posted very uncompetitive times. He never entered another event.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/masami-kuwashima/non-participation.aspx|title=Masami KUWASHIMA - Grands Prix not started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}}

Noritake Takahara participated in the Japanese Grands Prix of 1976 and 1977. He finished ninth in the former and retired following a first-lap crash with Mario Andretti and Hans Binder in the latter.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/noritake-takahara/grand-prix.aspx|title=Noritake TAKAHARA - Grands Prix started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/1977/japon.aspx|title=Japan 1977 |website=StatsF1.com|language=fr|access-date=24 January 2019}}

Motocross turned open-wheel racer Kazuyoshi Hoshino also participated in the first two World Championship Japanese Grands Prix. "The fastest man in Japan" retired from the 1976 race due to recurring tyre problems, before finishing 11th and two laps down in the 1977 event.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/1977/japon/classement.aspx|title=Japan 1977 - Result |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}}

Kunimitsu Takahashi entered a single race, the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix, where he finished ninth.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/kunimitsu-takahashi/grand-prix.aspx|title=Kunimitsu TAKAHASHI - Grands Prix started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}} "The Father of Drifting" was the last Japanese driver to enter an F1 race for a decade.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/japan/grand-prix.aspx|title=Japan - Grands Prix started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}}

File:Ukyo Katayama 1995 Britain 2.jpg.]]

Satoru Nakajima became the first full-time Japanese Formula One driver in 1987, as a Honda-affiliated driver for Team Lotus alongside established Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna. He became the first Japanese F1 driver to score points, in only his second race.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/lotus/saison.aspx|title=Lotus - Seasons |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}} In a career that spanned 5 seasons and 80 Grands Prix, he made a name for himself as a respected mid-field runner, who despite never beating his team-mates in the Drivers' Championship was known as a formidable competitor.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/satoru-nakajima.aspx|title=Satoru NAKAJIMA |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}}

Aguri Suzuki became the first Japanese driver to score a podium in a World Championship race when he finished third in his home race in 1990.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/japan/podium.aspx|title=Japan - Podiums |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}} He made his debut two years earlier, with Larrousse, and raced in Formula One for eight years with five different teams.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/aguri-suzuki/saison.aspx|title=Aguri SUZUKI - Seasons |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}}

Naoki Hattori entered two Grands Prix, the 1991 events held in Japan and Australia as a replacement for Pedro Chaves.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/naoki-hattori/non-participation.aspx|title=Naoki HATTORI - Grands Prix not started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.racing-statistics.com/en/drivers/naoki-hattori|title=Naoki Hattori|website=Racing Statistics|language=en|access-date=24 January 2019}} He failed to qualify for either race.

File:Taki Inoue 1995 Britain.jpg

The most capped Japanese F1 driver is Ukyo Katayama. In a career that spanned 97 Grands Prix over six seasons, he scored a total of five World Championship points, all of them for the Tyrrell team in 1994.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/ukyo-katayama.aspx|title=Ukyo KATAYAMA |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/ukyo-katayama/point.aspx|title=Ukyo KATAYAMA - Points |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}} His career was largely unspectacular, failing to finish in 63 out of the 95 races he started, along with a disqualification in the 1996 European Grand Prix.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/ukyo-katayama/abandon.aspx|title=Ukyo KATAYAMA - Retirement |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/ukyo-katayama/engagement.aspx|title=Ukyo KATAYAMA - Involvement |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}}

Toshio Suzuki (no relation to Aguri) qualified for the Japanese and Australian rounds of the 1993 season, he finished both races outside the points.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/toshio-suzuki/grand-prix.aspx|title=Toshio SUZUKI - Grands Prix started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}}

Hideki Noda became the Larrousse team's fourth different driver to race in the #19 Larrousse LH94 when he competed in the final three races of the 1994 season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/larrousse-lh94.aspx|title=Larrousse LH94 |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/hideki-noda/grand-prix.aspx|title=Hideki NODA - Grands Prix started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=24 January 2019}} He failed to finish any of them.

File:Takuma Sato 2006 Brazil.jpg.]]

Taki Inoue debuted with the Simtek team at the 1994 Japanese Grand Prix, failing to finish.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/taki-inoue/grand-prix.aspx|title=Taki INOUE - Grands Prix started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=25 January 2019}} Despite this, Footwork Arrows snapped him up for the 1995 season where he would complete the season. He did not score any points, but was involved in bizarre incidents involving the safety car at both the Monaco and Hungarian Grands Prix.{{Cite web|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/f1/taki-inoues-fleeting-f1-foray|title=Taki Inoue's fleeting F1 foray|date=19 March 2018|website=Motor Sport Magazine|language=en|access-date=25 January 2019}} He did not retain his drive the following season.

Mugen-affiliated driver Shinji Nakano made his debut with the Prost team in 1997 in return for an engine supply deal.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/shinji-nakano.aspx|title=Shinji NAKANO |website=StatsF1.com|language=fr|access-date=25 January 2019}} He scored 2 points with 6th-place finishes in Canada and Hungary.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/shinji-nakano/point.aspx|title=Shinji NAKANO - Points |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=26 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/shinji-nakano/classement.aspx?p=6|title=Shinji NAKANO - Result 6th |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=26 January 2019}} He was dropped by the team when they switched to Peugeot engines in 1998, and was picked up by the Minardi squad.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/shinji-nakano/grand-prix.aspx|title=Shinji NAKANO - Grands Prix started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=26 January 2019}} He failed to score any points that year, and was dropped post-season.

Toranosuke Takagi was scouted by Satoru Nakajima from an early age, and was fast-tracked to a Formula One seat with Tyrrell for the 1998 season. An unsuccessful season led to his release from the team, where he was hired by Arrows for 1999. This season was equally unsuccessful and Takagi was again released following the season, ending his Formula One career.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/tora-takagi.aspx|title=Tora TAKAGI |website=StatsF1.com|language=fr|access-date=26 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/tora-takagi/grand-prix.aspx|title=Tora TAKAGI - Grands Prix started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=26 January 2019}}

File:Kazuki Nakajima 2008 Japan free practice.jpg.]]

The 2002 season saw the debut of Takuma Sato, having been hired by the Jordan team due to his relationship with Honda.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/takuma-sato.aspx|title=Takuma SATO |website=StatsF1.com|language=fr|access-date=26 January 2019}} His debut season was one of contrasts, from a 5th-place finish in his home race to a spectacular crash in Austria.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/takuma-sato/grand-prix.aspx|title=Takuma SATO - Grands Prix started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=26 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/features/2015/6/do-you-remember----satos-miracle-escape-in-austria.html|title=Do you remember... Sato's 'miracle' escape in Austria|website=Formula1.com|access-date=26 January 2019}} His inconsistency led to him being replaced by Ralph Firman for the {{F1|2003}} season. He was hired by B.A.R. as a test driver for the 2003 season and was elevated to a race seat for the last race of the season following the departure of Jacques Villeneuve. Sato's next two seasons were also contrasting - from scoring his only podium finish at the 2004 United States Grand Prix to the suspension of the team's competition for a period of the 2005 season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/bar.aspx|title=BAR |website=StatsF1.com|language=fr|access-date=26 January 2019}} He was hired by Aguri Suzuki's team for the 2006 season and spearheaded the backmarker team for its lifespan.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/super-aguri/grand-prix.aspx?year=2008|title=Super Aguri - Grands Prix started 2008 |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=26 January 2019}} He scored the only points for the team at the Spanish and Canadian round of the 2007 season before his Formula One career ended when the Super Aguri team pulled out before the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/super-aguri.aspx|title=Super Aguri |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=26 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/takuma-sato/point.aspx|title=Takuma SATO - Points |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=26 January 2019}} He attempted to join Scuderia Toro Rosso for 2009 but was unsuccessful. Sato competed in the IndyCar Series full-time from 2010 to 2022, and exclusively on oval tracks in 2023. He has won six IndyCar Series races as of 2024, including the Indianapolis 500 in 2017 and 2020.

Yuji Ide was hired by the Super Aguri team in 2006 as part of the team's plan to field the first all-Japanese line-up in Formula One history.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/super-aguri/grand-prix.aspx?year=2006|title=Super Aguri - Grands Prix started 2006 |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=26 January 2019}} He participated in the first 4 races of the season before having his FIA Super License revoked due to his backmarker status and a large crash he caused with Christijan Albers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/yuji-ide.aspx|title=Yuji IDE |website=StatsF1.com|language=fr|access-date=26 January 2019}} He was replaced with Franck Montagny.

File:Kamui Kobayashi 2011 Malaysia FP1 1.jpg at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.]]

Sakon Yamamoto was signed as a test driver of Super Aguri following the revoking of Ide's Super License.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/sakon-yamamoto.aspx|title=Sakon YAMAMOTO |website=StatsF1.com|language=fr|access-date=29 January 2019}} He made his debut at the 2006 German Grand Prix later in the season, but failed to finish his first four races. Yamamoto later drove for Spyker in 2007 and HRT in 2010, failing to score a point in any of the subsequent Grands Prix he entered.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/sakon-yamamoto/grand-prix.aspx|title=Sakon YAMAMOTO - Grands Prix started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=29 January 2019}} His final appearance was the 2010 Korean Grand Prix.

File:Nakajima Germany 2009.jpg at the 2009 German Grand Prix]]

At the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix, Kazuki Nakajima, the son of Satoru Nakajima, became the first second-generation Japanese F1 driver.{{Cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/features/2015/2/like-father--like-son---the-second-generation-f1-racers.html|title=Like father, like son - the second-generation F1 racers|website=Formula1.com|access-date=29 January 2019}} He filled the seat of Alexander Wurz, who had retired with immediate effect following the previous race.{{Cite web|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/63167/nakajima-set-to-replace-wurz-in-brazil|title=Nakajima set to replace Wurz in Brazil - F1 - Autosport|last=Noble|first=Jonathan|website=Autosport.com|language=en|access-date=29 January 2019}} He made all his 36 starts with Williams alongside fellow second-generation driver (and 2016 World Champion) Nico Rosberg, with a best result of sixth at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/kazuki-nakajima/grand-prix.aspx|title=Kazuki NAKAJIMA - Grands Prix started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=29 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/kazuki-nakajima/coequipier-detail.aspx?p1=1508&p2=987|title=Kazuki NAKAJIMA - Teammate - Nico ROSBERG |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=29 January 2019}} He was dropped in favour of test driver Nico Hülkenberg for the 2010 season, and was signed by new-team candidate Stefan GP, who subsequently failed to make the grid and Kazuki was left without a drive.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/nov/02/williams-rubens-barrichello-niko-hulkenberg|title=Williams confirm Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg as 2010 drivers|date=2 November 2009|work=The Guardian|access-date=29 January 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/81593/stefan-gp-fires-up-formula-1-car|title=Stefan GP fires up Formula 1 car - F1 - Autosport|last=Elizalde|first=Dieter Rencken and Pablo|website=Autosport.com|language=en|access-date=29 January 2019}}

Kamui Kobayashi made his debut at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix for Toyota Racing following an injury to regular driver Timo Glock.{{Cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2009/10/12/more-sports/kobayashi-replaces-glock-in-brazil/|title=Kobayashi replaces Glock in Brazil|date=12 October 2009|work=The Japan Times Online|access-date=29 January 2019|language=en-US|issn=0447-5763}} He was retained for the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi and scored a points-finish.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/kamui-kobayashi/point.aspx|title=Kamui KOBAYASHI - Points |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=29 January 2019}} This led to the Sauber team snapping him up for the next three seasons, where he consistently finished in points-scoring positions and made his name as an aggressive midfield driver.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/kamui-kobayashi/saison.aspx|title=Kamui KOBAYASHI - Seasons |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=29 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/kamui-kobayashi/constructeur.aspx|title=Kamui KOBAYASHI - Constructors |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=29 January 2019}} He was rewarded for his efforts with a podium at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix, along with 3 other podium finishes for team-mate Sergio Pérez.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/kamui-kobayashi/podium.aspx|title=Kamui KOBAYASHI - Podiums |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=29 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/kamui-kobayashi/coequipier-detail.aspx?p1=1552&p2=1563|title=Kamui KOBAYASHI - Teammate - Sergio PEREZ |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=29 January 2019}} Despite this, he was left without a drive for the 2013 season.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/20764423|title=Former Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi gives up on 2013 drive|date=17 December 2012|access-date=29 January 2019|language=en-GB}} For 2014 he was signed to the backmarker Caterham F1 alongside debutant Marcus Ericsson - and inevitably struggled with the financially inferior team.{{Cite web|url=https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/17583/9116991/caterham-appoint-kamui-kobayashi-and-marcus-ericsson-as-their-2014-race-drivers|title=Caterham appoint Kamui Kobayashi and Marcus Ericsson as their 2014 race drivers|website=Sky Sports|language=en|access-date=29 January 2019}} He was replaced with André Lotterer for the event in Belgium, and sat out the rounds in the United States and Brazil due to the team's financial issues.{{Cite web|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/115449/lotterer-replaces-kobayashi|title=Andre Lotterer replaces Kamui Kobayashi at Caterham F1 team|website=Autosport.com|language=en|access-date=29 January 2019}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/29765039|title=Caterham 'allowed' to miss US and Brazil GPs by Bernie Ecclestone|date=24 October 2014|access-date=29 January 2019|language=en-GB}} Kobayashi's (and Caterham's) last race ended in a retirement.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/kamui-kobayashi/grand-prix.aspx|title=Kamui KOBAYASHI - Grands Prix started |website=StatsF1.com|access-date=29 January 2019}}

{{reflist}}

{{Formula One drivers from Japan}}

{{Formula One nationalities}}