Notable Judges
The result of a battle may be influenced by the lineup of judges, which changes from show to show. A list of some of the more notable judges includes:
(These names are not in the traditional East Asian style but have been written in standard western style .)
- Joël Robuchon, a famous French chef who was titled "Chef of the Century" by the guide Gault Millau.
- Akebono, Yokozuna
- Asako Kishi, aka the "East German Judge", a food critic and nutritionist. By far the most frequently appearing judge. She tasted the most dishes (after Kaga, of course) according to the 2000th Plate Special Episode.
- Shinichiro Kurimoto, member of the Japanese House of Representatives. According to the 2000th Plate Special Episode, Kurimoto has made the second highest number of appearances as a judge.
- Toshiki Kaifu, former Prime Minister of Japan.
- Tenmei Kanoh, photographer
- Yoko Akino, actress, who made several appearances
- Chua Lam, VP of Golden Harvest
- Kazuko Hosoki, popular fortune teller and holder of the World Record for Most Best-selling Books (81 books)
- Korn, a Japanese rap artist
- Tamio Kageyama, novelist (deceased)
- Yasushi Akimoto, lyricist and music producer (known in Japan for his involvement with the creation and production of idol groups Onyanko Club and AKB48).
- Kazuhiro Sasaki, baseball player (then with Yokohama BayStars, later with Seattle Mariners, still later returned to BayStars)
- Nagisa Oshima, film director
- Mayuko Takata, actress, wife of Taro Hakase, a violinist
- Julie Dreyfus, French actress, also fluent in Japanese and English. Notably refused to eat one dish prepared by Toshiro Kandagawa because it contained whale meat.
- Ryuichi Sakamoto, musician, composer, producer and actor
- Ukyo Katayama, former Formula One driver
- Shigesato Itoi, famous director, writer, producer and video game designer, creator of the Mother series.
- Masaaki Hirano, Rosanjin scholar
- Yoshiko Ishii, chanson singer, typically substituted for Asako Kishi when she was unable to appear.
- Ryutaro Hashimoto, former Prime Minister of Japan, judge for the final battle.
- Kazushige Nagashima, aka "Junior," former pro Baseball player and sports commentator
- Yukio Hatoyama, former Prime Minister of Japan (2009–10), appeared back when he was still a Lower House member. Featured in the Battle of Shanghai Cabbage.
- Yoshirō Mori, former Prime Minister of Japan (2000–01), appeared back when he was still a Lower House member. Featured in the Abalone Battle.
- Tim and Nina Zagat, The founders of the Zagat Survey. They appeared on the New York Battle.
Read more about this topic: Iron Chef
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