also known as or WPB is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese weekly magazine

Magazine

Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

 published by Shueisha

Shueisha

is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...

 since 1966.

This magazine is not a regional edition of the American Playboy magazine

Playboy

Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...

; the Japanese edition of that magazine was published as Monthly Playboy

Monthly Playboy

also known as or MPB was a franchise of Playboy magazine in Japan. Monthly Playboy ceased publication with the final January 2009 issue, due to a decline in readership.-Playmate Japan :* 1986 - Shiho Masui, Emi Satō, Reiko Sugano...

(MPB) by Shueisha until its cancellation in January 2009.

People in WPB

Geinokai:

• AKB48
  AKB48
  AKB48 is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto.The group has achieved enormous popularity in Japan. Its ten latest consecutive singles topped the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart...
  
  

Writers:

• Bakusho Mondai
  Bakusho Mondai
  is a Japanese comedy duo consisting of Yūji Tanaka and Hikari Ōta under the entertainment agency, Titan Inc. The comedians first met when they were students in the Department of Fine Arts at Nihon University, and they formed Bakushō Mondai in 1988 after dropping out of school...
  
  
• Yujiro Ishihara
  Yujiro Ishihara
  was a Japanese actor and singer born in Kobe. His elder brother, Shintaro Ishihara, is an author, politician, and the current Governor of Tokyo. Yujiro debuted in 1956 in "Season of the Sun," based on a novel written by his brother...
  
  
• Chol-Hwan Kang
  Kang Chol-Hwan
  Kang Chol-Hwan is a defector from North Korea. As a child he was imprisoned in the Yodok concentration camp for 10 years; after his release he fled the country, first to China and eventually to South Korea...
  
  
• Takeshi Kaikō
  Kaiko Takeshi
  was a prominent post-World War II Japanese novelist, short-story writer, essayist, literary critic, and television documentary writer. He was distinguished by his knowledge, intellect, sense of humor and conversational skills, and although his style has been criticized as wordy and obtuse, he was...
  
  
• Hitoshi Matsumoto
  Hitoshi Matsumoto
  , or Matchan as he is commonly known, is a Japanese comedian best known as the boke half the popular owarai duo Downtown alongside Masatoshi Hamada...
  
  
• Tarō Okamoto

Gravure idols:

• Saki Aibu
  Saki Aibu
  is an actress in Japan. She is part of the Box Corporation.-Drama:*Kaseifu no Mita as Urara*Rebound as Nobuko Oba*Buzzer Beat as Natsuki Nanami*Zettai Kareshi SP as Izawa Riiko...
  
  
• Yui Aragaki
  Yui Aragaki
  is a Japanese idol, model, actress, singer, seiyū and occasional radio show host of Ryukyuan ancestry.She is particularly recognized for her beauty and her movie projects.- Overview :...
  
  
• Reiko Chiba
  Reiko Chiba
  is a Japanese actress, seiyu, gravure idol and occasional J-Pop singer.-Biography:Reiko Chiba was born in Osaka Prefecture, and raised in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. She started her career as a model in 1991 before making her acting debut in the 1992 Super Sentai series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger as...
  
  
• Leah Dizon
  Leah Dizon
  Leah Dizon is an American-born former gaijin tarento, singer, and model in Japan. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, she moved to Tokyo, Japan in 2006 to pursue a career in entertainment...
  
  
• Risa Machi (Miss Shūpure 2006)
• Akina Minami
  Akina Minami
  is a Japanese gravure idol and tarento signed to Free Style Company.-Movies:*Wanna be Free!: Tokyo Girl as amateur model*Chorus-tai: Kanojotachi no Kiseki as Aki*Buraburabanban...
  
  
• Aki Hoshino
  Aki Hoshino
  is a Japanese bikini idol. She has appeared in various men's magazines, such as Sabra and television shows.She married horse racing jockey on September 25, 2011.-Book:...
  
  
• Sayaka Isoyama
• Mayuko Iwasa
  Mayuko Iwasa
  Mayuko Iwasa is a Japanese entertainer/model.In her career she has debuted as Miss Magazine 2003 and made the biggest impact in various Japanese magazines as an early-blooming high-school girl....
  
  
• Yukie Kawamura
  Yukie Kawamura
  is a Japanese gravure idol, tarento, and actress signed to Japan Art.-Biography:Born in Otaru, Hokkaidō, Kawamura grew up in Yokohama, Kanagawa and later in Abiko, Chiba. She made her debut in 2003 as a gravure idol. In 2006 she started her career as an actress....
  
  
• Yumi Kobayashi
  Yumi Kobayashi
  is a female fashion model from Tokyo, Japan. She belongs to the show-business production Burning Production, K.K. and used to be belong to Platica Inc.Her show-business name from July 2007 to March 2008 was Yumi Uno ....
  
  
• Ayaka Komatsu
  Ayaka Komatsu
  Ayaka Komatsu is a Japanese model/actress. She was born on July 23, 1986 in Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture.-Modeling career:Her modeling agency is Amuse inc. She was a regular model of the now defunct Candy magazine...
  
  
• Yoko Matsugane
  Yoko Matsugane
  is a Japanese gravure idol from Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. She is famous for her voluptuous figure. She has released several DVDs and photobooks and has appeared on several TV shows in Japan...
  
  
• Yuko Ogura
  Yuko Ogura
  is a Japanese gravure idol and model who typically aims for the cute, innocent schoolgirl look. In Japan, she is mostly called by her nickname .Ogura regularly, if not entirely seriously, claims to be one "Princess Apple-Momoka" of the apple-shaped planet Korin . This is apparently an in-joke...
  
  
• Saaya Irie
  Saaya Irie
  is a Japanese actress, voice actress, junior idol and singer. Her stage name is simply her given name, Saaya.She has recently been appearing in numerous films, radio, and television programs including the recent live action TV drama adaptation of the Jigoku Shoujo series. She has also done voice...
  
  
• Ai Takabe (Miss Shūpure 2005)
• Erika Toda
  Erika Toda
  , is a Japanese actress from Kobe. She originally debuted as a gravure model at age 13.She starred in many dramas like Liar Game, Code Blue, Ryusei no Kizuna and Keizoku 2: SPEC. She has had supporting roles in many popular Japanese TV dramas such as BOSS, Nobuta wo Produce, Engine and Gal Circle...
  
  
• Erina Yamaguchi
  Erina Yamaguchi
  is a Japanese big-breasted glamour model .-Biography:Erina was born October 19, 1985 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyūshū island. In 2004, She graduated from in Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, which was known for having adopted sailor fuku for the first time.After graduation, she worked as a hair model in...
  
  
• Misako Yasuda

AV idol

AV Idol

An AV idol is a Japanese idol who works in the pornographic business, often both as an actress as well as a model as the video performances have a wide range, from just the idol strolling around their house doing chores in bikinis to hardcore porn...

s:

• Runa Akasaka
  Runa Akasaka
  is a Japanese actress who is best known for her appearances in adult videos . Akasaka's career in AV lasted about four years, with 70 to 100 videos listed for her at two major retailers at the end of 2008...
  
  
• Kokoro Amano
  Kokoro Amano
  , is an AV Idol who starred in pornographic movies between 2001 and 2004 . She worked mainly for Soft On Demand and Moodyz.-Life and career:Kokoro was born 30 August 1982 in the city of Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. She was seeking employment at the time that she was recruited for work in the AV...
  
  
• Ran Asakawa
  Ran Asakawa
  is a famous and extremely prolific Japanese model and AV idol who made her debut in the adult entertainment field in 2001.-Life and career:Ran Asakawa was born in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan on 4 September 1980. Her first sexual encounter happened when she was 19 and was with a businessman...
  
  
• Mari Ayukawa
  Mari Ayukawa
  is a former Japanese AV idol and pink film actress.-Life and career:Mari Ayukawa was born in Tokyo on December 2, 1969. Ayukawa had nurse education in high school and she was a medical school student when she made her AV debut in the July 1988 Arena release, ....
  
  
• Chihiro Hasegawa
  Chihiro Hasegawa
  , also known as Nami Funakura , is an award-winning Japanese AV idol who has starred in more than 200 adult videos on various labels.-Life and career:...
  
  
• Hikari Hino
  Hikari Hino
  is a Japanese AV idol, or porn star who has performed for several prominent adult video companies.-Life and career:Hino was born March 7, 1986 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. In July 2005 she debuted at age 19 on the Crystal-Eizou company's Venus label in the video G's Curiosity - Hikari Hino...
  
  
• Sakurako Kaoru
  Sakurako Kaoru
  is a Japanese gravure model, AV idol and pink film actress. First coming to prominence as an award-winning AV actress, Kaoru successfully made the transition to the theatrically released softcore pink film genre...
  
  
• Hitomi Kobayashi
  Hitomi Kobayashi
  is an important early Japanese AV idol. One of the founding figures of the Japanese adult video, she has been called indispensable to any discussion of the AV...
  
  
• Yuri Komuro
  Yuri Komuro
  is a Japanese AV idol, actress, and author. She was one of the top actresses in the AV field during the late 1990s.-Early life and AV career:Yuri Komuro was born in Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture on July 28, 1976,...
  
  
• Hikaru Koto
  Hikaru Koto
  is a former Japanese AV idol and model.-Life and career:Koto made her adult video debut at age eighteen in the September 2003 release, on the h.m.p./Platinum Tiffany label...
  
  
• Kimiko Matsuzaka
  Kimiko Matsuzaka
  is a Japanese AV idol who was prominent during the late-1980s and early-1990s noted for her large breasts. An authority on the AV industry points to Matsuzaka's career as the beginning of the "Big Bust Boom" in Japan.- AV Debut :...
  
  
• Ryōko Mitake
  Ryoko Mitake
  is a popular and multiple-award-winning Japanese AV idol. Throughout her career she alternated between the two AV studios, Alice Japan and Max-A. At the end of her first year in AV, Mitake was given two Best Actress awards in different AV ceremonies, and at the end of her second year she was given...
  
  
• Rena Murakami
  Rena Murakami
  is a Japanese actress and former AV idol.- Life and career :After beginning her career as a gravure idol, Murakami made her AV debut in the March 1988 h.m.p. Miss Christine release, . In December of her debut year she had a role in Toei's mainstream drama release, . She had another role in a...
  
  
• Miki Sawaguchi
  Miki Sawaguchi
  , born September 1, 1975 in Yokohama, Japan) is one of Japan's best known adult video performers. On television she has appeared as a regular cast member on two shows and made several guest appearances on other shows...
  
  
• Riko Tachibana
  Riko Tachibana
  is a popular and award-winning Japanese adult video idol . Taller than average, Tachibana debuted in 2003 and starred in many adult videos which emphasized her height. An extremely prolific actress, Tachibana had performed in over 200 AVs when she was awarded for Most Appearances at Japan's Adult...
  
  
• Maria Yumeno
  Maria Yumeno
  is a Japanese pink film and adult video actress. In 2003, she was called one of Japan's highest-earning AV performers and "probably its most famous." Many of her movies emphasized her large bust and thin body.-Life and career:...
  
  

Pink film actresses

• Naomi Tani
  Naomi Tani
  is a Japanese actress who is best known for her appearances in Nikkatsu's Roman Porno films with an S&M theme during the 1970s.-Early career:Born October 20, 1948, in the Hakata ward of Fukuoka, Naomi Tani moved to Tokyo at the age of 18. After arrival in Tokyo, she was featured in a photo layout...
  
  

Manga in WPB

• Circuit no Ōkami II: Modena no Tsurugi by Satoshi Ikezawa
• Lady Snowblood
  Lady Snowblood
  is a manga written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Kazuo Kamimura, and serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Playboy. It was translated into English and published in four volumes by Dark Horse Comics between 2005 and 2006....
  
   (修羅雪姫) by Kazuo Koike
  Kazuo Koike
  is a prolific Japanese manga writer, novelist and entrepreneur.-Biography:Early in Koike's career, he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and served as a writer on the series....
  
   and Kazuo Kamimura
  Kazuo Kamimura
  is a manga artist.Kamimura illustrated Lady Snowblood.- External links :*...
  
  
• Modena no Ken (モデナの剣) by Satoshi Ikezawa
• My Favorite Carrera
  My Favorite Carrera
  is a manga by Kia Asamiya currently serialized on Weekly Playboy since 2004....
  
   (彼女のカレラ) by Kia Asamiya
  Kia Asamiya
  is the pen-name of Japanese manga artist Michitaka Kikuchi whose work spans multiple genres and appeals to diverse audiences.He is well known for using influences from American comics, television, and films in his work, and describes himself as a big fan of both Batman and Star Wars...
  
   (ongoing)
• Ore no Sora (俺の空) by Hiroshi Motomiya
• Taiyō no Makibaō (たいようのマキバオー) by Tsunomaru
  Tsunomaru
  is a Japanese manga artist who writes mostly shōnen manga. He debuted in 1991 with , which received the Shōnen Weekly Jump newcomer's award. Tsunomaru is best known for the horse-racing comedy Midori no Makibaō, which was adapted as a 61-episode anime television series and received the 1997...
  
   (ongoing)
• Ultimate Muscle
  Ultimate Muscle
  Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy, known in Japan as , is a manga and anime series made by Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada under the pen name Yudetamago . It is the sequel to the hit manga Kinnikuman that they started in 1979...
  
   (キン肉マンII世) by Yudetamago
  Yudetamago
  is the pen name of the Japanese manga artists duo consisting of story writer Takashi Shimada and artist Yoshinori Nakai. They are best known for the popular manga Kinnikuman, Ultimate Muscle , and Tatakae!! Ramenman...
  
  (ongoing)

External links

• Weekly Playboy Online
• WPB-net (Lists appearances in Weekly Playboy from 1966-2011.