Ryoko Tamura
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| Native name | 谷 亮子, Tani Ryōko | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Ryoko Tamura (田村 亮子? Tamura Ryōko) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Yawara-chan, Tawara | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Japanese | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
September 6, 1975 Fukuoka, Japan |
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| Height | 1.46 m (4 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |
 Japan
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| Sport | Judo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | - 48kg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Ryoko Tani 谷 亮子 |
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| Member of the House of Councillors | |
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Assumed office July 26, 2010 |
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| Personal details | |
| Political party | People's Life Party |
| Spouse(s) | Yoshitomo Tani (2003–present) |
| Children | 2 sons |
| Alma mater | Teikyo University |
Ryoko Tani (谷 亮子? Tani Ryōko, née Tamura (田村?), born September 6, 1975) is a retired Japanese female judoka and a politician.
Competing in the extra-lightweight (48 kg) class, she won a record seven world titles and five Olympic medals including two golds at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. After her retirement, the International Judo Federation named her "best female judoka ever".
In 2010, she was elected to the House of Councillors, the upper house of the Japanese parliament.
Ryoko Tamura was born in Higashi-ku, Fukuoka on September 6, 1975. She started judo at the age of seven.
She studied literature at Teikyo University and joined Toyota in 1998.
In 2003, she married Yoshitomo Tani, an Olympian and professional baseball player then with the Orix Blue Wave (now with the Yomiuri Giants). The wedding reception reportedly cost $3 million. The couple has two sons, born in 2005 and 2009.
Standing at 1.46 m (4 ft 9 in), Tani fought in the extra-lightweight (48 kg) division her whole career and, unlike many of her opponents, she never had to cut weight before a competition.
Her first major title was at the 1990 Fukuoka International Women's Judo Championships, a tournament she went on to win 13 years in a row.
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