Megumi (めぐみ, メグミ, 恵, 恵美, 愛, 恩恵, 恩) is a Japanese feminine given name. "Meg" is often a nickname of Megumi.
Besides meaning "blessing", Megumi can have lots of other different meanings depending on which kanji characters are used to write it. The name can also be written by using the Japanese syllabary writing systems; hirigana and/or katakana. Possible variations of Megumi include:
Megumi (めぐみ) is a manga based on the life of Megumi Yokota, a Japanese girl who was abducted when she was 13 years old by North Korean spies in 1977. The manga concept was conceived by her mother and father and was penned by Souichi Moto under their supervision.
The manga follows Megumi's final days in her home town before her abduction.
As of 2008, the Government of Japan announced an anime adaptation will be created from the manga. The series is dubbed in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, English and Russian. In addition, there are Japanese dubbed versions with subtitles in French, German, Italian, and Spanish. The government authorized a free downloadable version, as well as a DVD release.
All Japanese casts were asked by Kōichi Yamadera for participation through the Japan Actors Union (Nippairen). Yamadera said, "The abduction is an act of disregarding human rights, not accepted. We Japanese people should emphasize our anger."
Megumi Furuya (古谷 仁 Furuya Megumi, née Yamano (山野), born September 25, 1981), better known by the stage name Megumi (めぐみ), is a Japanese tarento, actress, singer and gravure idol. She was raised in Kurashiki, Okayama, but was born in Matsue, Shimane. She is currently affiliated with Suns Entertainment. She dropped out of Kurashiki Suishō Senior High School (at the time an all-girls school).
In July 2008, after discovering she was pregnant, Megumi married Dragon Ash lead singer Kenji Furuuya, whom she had been dating since 2005.
On 6 February 2009, Megumi gave birth to their first child, a son, who weighed in at 3 kg. Megumi's career is on hold for the foreseeable future.