Toshimitsu Tanaka (田中 利光, Tanaka Toshimitsu; 17 July 1930 – 30 July 2020) was a Japanese composer from Aomori, Aomori.…
Toshimitsu Tanaka (田中 利光, Tanaka Toshimitsu; 17 July 1930 – 30 July 2020) was a Japanese composer from Aomori, Aomori. He graduated from Kunitachi College of Music with a major in composition. His "Two Movements for Marimba", composed in 1965, was awarded the Encouraging Prize of the National Arts Festival for the Centennial Anniversary of the Meiji Period (1968), and the Supreme Prize of the National Arts Festival in 1969. The piece was recorded by Evelyn Glennie in April 1990 for her 1991 album release Light in Darkness. His music is typical of the Japanese marimba repertoire. Tanaka was a professor of Composition Department at Kunitachi College of Music as well as Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts.
Famous People Born in 1930
1930: 123 people
Toshiya Sukegawa (Japanese: 助川 敏弥, romanized: Sukegawa Toshiya; 15 July 1930 – 26 September 2015) was a Japanese…
Toshiya Sukegawa (Japanese: 助川 敏弥, romanized: Sukegawa Toshiya; 15 July 1930 – 26 September 2015) was a Japanese composer, music critic and magazine editor.
Einosuke Akiya (秋谷 栄之助, Akiya Einosuke; born July 15, 1930) is a Japanese Buddhist leader. He was the fifth president…
Einosuke Akiya (秋谷 栄之助, Akiya Einosuke; born July 15, 1930) is a Japanese Buddhist leader. He was the fifth president of Soka Gakkai from 18 July 1981 to 9 November 2006. After his resignation from that position, he became the chairman of the Supreme Leader Meeting of Soka Gakkai in November 2006. He also had responsibilities in many Soka Gakkai's satellites (supreme advisor of Sōka University, honorary director of Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, and president of Soka Gakkai International (SGI).
Tadao Kobayashi (小林 忠生, Kobayashi Tadao; born 7 July 1930) is a Japanese former football player. He played for Japan…
Tadao Kobayashi (小林 忠生, Kobayashi Tadao; born 7 July 1930) is a Japanese former football player. He played for Japan national team.
Kinji Fukasaku (Japanese: 深作 欣二, Hepburn: Fukasaku Kinji; 3 July 1930 – 12 January 2003) was a Japanese filmmaker.…
Kinji Fukasaku (Japanese: 深作 欣二, Hepburn: Fukasaku Kinji; 3 July 1930 – 12 January 2003) was a Japanese filmmaker. Known for his "broad range and innovative filmmaking", he worked in many different genres and styles, but was best known for his gritty yakuza films, typified by the Battles Without Honor and Humanity series (1973–1976). According to the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, his "turbulent energy and at times extreme violence express a cynical critique of social conditions and genuine sympathy for those left out of Japan's postwar prosperity". He used a cinema verite-inspired shaky camera technique in many of his films from the early 1970s. Fukasaku wrote and directed over 60 films between 1961 and 2003. Some Western sources have associated him with the Japanese New Wave movement of the 1960s and 1970s, but this belies his commercial success. His works include the Japanese portion of the Hollywood war film Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), jidaigeki such as Shogun's Samurai (1978), the space opera film Message from Space (1978), the science fiction film Virus (1980), the fantasy film Samurai Reincarnation (1981), and the highly influential dystopian thriller film Battle Royale (2000). Fukasaku won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Director of the Year three times from nine nominations. He served as the sixth president of the Directors Guild of Japan from 1996 until his death from prostate cancer in 2003. He received the Purple Medal of Honor from the Japanese government for his work in 1997. His films have inspired directors such as Quentin Tarantino, William Friedkin, and John Woo.
Tetsuya Ichimura (一村 哲也, Ichimura Tetsuya; born 1930) is a Japanese photographer noted for his photographs of nudes.
Kōji Kojima (小島 孝治, Kojima Kōji; June 26, 1930 – May 27, 2014) was a Japanese Olympic volleyball coach. He led the…
Kōji Kojima (小島 孝治, Kojima Kōji; June 26, 1930 – May 27, 2014) was a Japanese Olympic volleyball coach. He led the Japanese Olympic women's volleyball team to a silver medal at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich. Kojima became the coach of the Japanese Olympic team in 1970, succeeding Hirobumi Daimatsu, whose women's team had won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Under Kojima, Japan's women's volleyball team won silver in 1972, losing to the Soviet Union in a match played in the aftermath of the Munich massacre. His team was favored to win gold in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, but Japan boycotted the games following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Kojima later became the general director for the Japanese athletes at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Koji Kojima died at a hospital from pneumonia on May 27, 2014, at the age of 83.
Satoshi Suzuki (24 June 1930 – 11 August 1991) was a Japanese mathematician, and a professor at Kyoto University.
Hifumi Shimoyama (Japanese: 下山 一二三 Shimoyama Hifumi; born 21 June 1930 in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture) is a Japanese…
Hifumi Shimoyama (Japanese: 下山 一二三 Shimoyama Hifumi; born 21 June 1930 in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture) is a Japanese composer of contemporary concert music. Since the 1960s, Shimoyama's music has been regularly featured on World Music Days festivals across Europe and Asia, and sponsored by the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM). Shimoyama is the founder of GROUP 20.5, the internationally recognized group of Japanese avant garde composers.
Ikuo Hirayama (平山 郁夫; 15 June 1930 – 2 December 2009) was a Japanese Nihonga painter and educator. Born in Setoda-chō…
Ikuo Hirayama (平山 郁夫; 15 June 1930 – 2 December 2009) was a Japanese Nihonga painter and educator. Born in Setoda-chō, Hiroshima Prefecture, he was famous in Japan for Silk Road paintings of dreamy desert landscapes in Iran, Iraq, and China.
Fuyuko Kamisaka (上坂 冬子, Kamisaka Fuyuko; June 10, 1930 – April 14, 2009) was a Japanese non-fiction author.
Ben Wada (和田 勉 Wada Ben), born Tsutomu Wada, (June 3, 1930 – January 14, 2011) was a producer for the Japanese TV…
Ben Wada (和田 勉 Wada Ben), born Tsutomu Wada, (June 3, 1930 – January 14, 2011) was a producer for the Japanese TV channel NHK. He was the husband of the costume designer Emi Wada.
Kei Kumai (熊井 啓, Kumai Kei; 1 June 1930 – 23 May 2007) was a Japanese film director. After his studies in literature at…
Kei Kumai (熊井 啓, Kumai Kei; 1 June 1930 – 23 May 2007) was a Japanese film director. After his studies in literature at Shinshu University, he began work as a director's assistant. He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for his second film, Nihon rettō, in 1965. His 1972 film Shinobu Kawa was entered into the 8th Moscow International Film Festival. His 1973 film Rise, Fair Sun was entered into the 24th Berlin International Film Festival. Sandakan No. 8 received widespread acclaim for tackling the issue of a woman forced into prostitution in Borneo before the outbreak of World War II. Kinuyo Tanaka won the Best Actress Award at the 25th Berlin International Film Festival for her performance. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 48th Academy Awards. Kumai's follow-up film was 1976's Cape of North, starring French actress Claude Jade as a Swiss nun who falls in love with a Japanese engineer on a trip from Marseilles to Yokohama. His 1986 film The Sea and Poison won the Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival. In 1992, his film Luminous Moss was entered into the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival. Other works include Death of a Tea Master starring Toshirō Mifune as Sen no Rikyū (Silver Lion at the 46th Venice International Film Festival), and the 2002 film The Sea Is Watching, based on Akira Kurosawa's posthumous script. Kumai was married to the writer and researcher Akiko Kumai. He died in 2007 at age 76.
Yasushi Nagao (長尾 靖, Nagao Yasushi; 20 May 1930 – 2 May 2009) was a Japanese photojournalist. He became the first…
Yasushi Nagao (長尾 靖, Nagao Yasushi; 20 May 1930 – 2 May 2009) was a Japanese photojournalist. He became the first Japanese to win the Pulitzer Prize for his 1960 photograph capturing the moment Inejirō Asanuma, chairman of the Japan Socialist Party, was stabbed to death.
Sasagu Arai (荒井 献, Arai Sasagu; May 6, 1930 – August 16, 2024) was a Japanese scholar of New Testament Study and…
Sasagu Arai (荒井 献, Arai Sasagu; May 6, 1930 – August 16, 2024) was a Japanese scholar of New Testament Study and researcher of early Christianity and Gnosticism. Arai was a Doctor of Theology. Professor emeritus of University of Tokyo and Keisen University (in which he took office as president), and a member of the Japan Academy. He graduated (1962) at Erlangen-Nürnberg University in Germany.
Yoshio Tanaka (田中 純夫, Tanaka Yoshio; born 5 May 1930) is a Japanese former swimmer. He competed in the men's 400 metre…
Yoshio Tanaka (田中 純夫, Tanaka Yoshio; born 5 May 1930) is a Japanese former swimmer. He competed in the men's 400 metre freestyle at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Rokkō Toura (戸浦 六宏, Toura Rokkō; 30 April 1937 – 25 March 1993) was a Japanese stage and film actor active from 1960 to…
Rokkō Toura (戸浦 六宏, Toura Rokkō; 30 April 1937 – 25 March 1993) was a Japanese stage and film actor active from 1960 to 1993. He is mostly associated with the films of director Nagisa Ōshima.
Kyōko Kishida (岸田 今日子, Kishida Kyōko; 29 April 1930 – 17 December 2006) was a Japanese actress and writer.
Minoru Kubota (29 April 1930 – 20 August 2017) was a Japanese weightlifter. He competed in the men's light heavyweight…
Minoru Kubota (29 April 1930 – 20 August 2017) was a Japanese weightlifter. He competed in the men's light heavyweight event at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Kubota died on 20 August 2017, at the age of 87.
Sadame Kamakura (Japanese: 鎌倉節) (April 27, 1930 – October 25, 2014) was a Japanese official who served as Grand Steward…
Sadame Kamakura (Japanese: 鎌倉節) (April 27, 1930 – October 25, 2014) was a Japanese official who served as Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Agency (January 19, 1996 – April 2, 2001). He graduated from the University of Tokyo. He was a recipient of the Order of the Sacred Treasure.
Shuntarō Itō (伊東 俊太郎, Itō Shuntarō; April 25, 1930 – September 20, 2023) was a Japanese scholar of the history of…
Shuntarō Itō (伊東 俊太郎, Itō Shuntarō; April 25, 1930 – September 20, 2023) was a Japanese scholar of the history of science and the study of comparative civilization. Itō was an honorary professor of University of Tokyo and International Research Center for Japanese Studies, and a professor of Reitaku University, and the Chairman of Japan Seaology Promotion Organization. He was also a president of the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations. Itō was born in Tokyo, and obtained his bachelor's degree in literature from Tokyo University in 1953, his master's in 1955, and Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1964. Itō taught at the University of Tokyo, as Professor, from 1978 to 1989, and in International Research Center for Japanese Studies from 1989 to 1995, and in Reitaku University from 1995. Itō died on September 20, 2023, at the age of 93.
Yumi Katsura (桂 由美, Katsura Yumi; 24 April 1930 – 26 April 2024) was a Japanese fashion designer, who is best known for…
Yumi Katsura (桂 由美, Katsura Yumi; 24 April 1930 – 26 April 2024) was a Japanese fashion designer, who is best known for designing wedding dresses. She was active in the fashion industry for over five decades, and her work has been featured in various fashion shows and events. Katsura's designs are known for their unique blend of traditional Japanese techniques and French savoir-faire.
Shun Akiyama (秋山駿, Akiyama Shun; April 23, 1930 – October 2, 2013) was a Japanese literary critic and member of the…
Shun Akiyama (秋山駿, Akiyama Shun; April 23, 1930 – October 2, 2013) was a Japanese literary critic and member of the Japan Art Academy. He was born in Tokyo, and graduated from Waseda University in 1953 with a degree in French literature. Between 1979 and 1993 he was a professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, and from 1997 at Musashino University. He died, aged 83, in Tokyo.
Shōichi Watanabe (Japanese: 渡辺省一) (April 21, 1930 – September 29, 2000) was a Japanese politician. He served in the…
Shōichi Watanabe (Japanese: 渡辺省一) (April 21, 1930 – September 29, 2000) was a Japanese politician. He served in the House of Representatives of Japan as part of the multi-member constituency Hokkaido's 4th district alongside Yukio Hatoyama and Tadamasa Kodaira. He was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.
Yushu Kitano (北野 祐秀, Kitano Yūshū; 14 April 1930 – 27 February 2016) was a Japanese freestyle wrestler. In his weight…
Yushu Kitano (北野 祐秀, Kitano Yūshū; 14 April 1930 – 27 February 2016) was a Japanese freestyle wrestler. In his weight category of under 52 kg, he won silver medals at the 1952 Olympics, 1954 World Championships and 1954 Asian Games. In retirement he worked as a wrestling coach and in this capacity attended the 1960 Olympics. In 2016, he died of a heart attack, aged 85.
Hisahiko Okazaki (岡崎 久彦, Okazaki Hisahiko) (April 8, 1930 – October 26, 2014) was a Japanese diplomat, political…
Hisahiko Okazaki (岡崎 久彦, Okazaki Hisahiko) (April 8, 1930 – October 26, 2014) was a Japanese diplomat, political commentator, and director of the Okazaki Institute in Tokyo.
Yōko Katsuragi (桂木洋子, Katsuragi, Yōko; 6 April 1930 – March 2007) was a Japanese actress active from 1948 to 1963. She…
Yōko Katsuragi (桂木洋子, Katsuragi, Yōko; 6 April 1930 – March 2007) was a Japanese actress active from 1948 to 1963. She appeared mostly in films of the Shochiku film studios, often under the direction of Keisuke Kinoshita.
Yoshitaka Muroya (室矢 芳隆, Muroya Yoshitaka; 6 April 1930 – 23 March 2019) was a Japanese middle-distance runner who…
Yoshitaka Muroya (室矢 芳隆, Muroya Yoshitaka; 6 April 1930 – 23 March 2019) was a Japanese middle-distance runner who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Muroya died on 23 March 2019, at the age of 88.
Yukio Kurita (Japanese: 栗田幸雄 Kurita Yukio; 6 April 1930 – 17 May 2024) was a Japanese politician. An independent, he…
Yukio Kurita (Japanese: 栗田幸雄 Kurita Yukio; 6 April 1930 – 17 May 2024) was a Japanese politician. An independent, he served as governor of Fukui Prefecture from 1987 to 2003. Kurita died in Fukui on 17 May 2024, at the age of 94.
Chimako Tada (多田智満子, Tada Chimako; April 1, 1930 – January 23, 2003) was a Japanese poet renowned for her surreal style…
Chimako Tada (多田智満子, Tada Chimako; April 1, 1930 – January 23, 2003) was a Japanese poet renowned for her surreal style and evocation of women's experience in post-war Japan. She authored more than 15 books of Japanese poetry, and also translated prose and poetry from French. Tada wrote in traditional styles, such as tanka and haiku, as well as contemporary prose poetry.
Makoto Taniguchi (谷口 誠, Taniguchi Makoto; 31 March 1930 – 14 January 2024) was a Japanese diplomat and academic who was…
Makoto Taniguchi (谷口 誠, Taniguchi Makoto; 31 March 1930 – 14 January 2024) was a Japanese diplomat and academic who was Ambassador of Japan to the United Nations and Chairman of UNICEF in 1988.
Yōsuke Naka (中 庸助, Naka Yōsuke; born Kazuo Nakajima (中島 和男, Nakajama Kazuo) March 30, 1930 – October 20, 2023) was a…
Yōsuke Naka (中 庸助, Naka Yōsuke; born Kazuo Nakajima (中島 和男, Nakajama Kazuo) March 30, 1930 – October 20, 2023) was a Japanese actor from Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture. He is best known for his roles as Admiral Majin in Kamen Rider, Nobisuke Nobi in Doraemon, Ehrenberg in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Mulligan in Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon Kings, and Nijūemon Tsuzureya (20 Emon) in 21 Emon.
Minoru Miki (Japanese: 三木 稔, 16 March 1930 – 8 December 2011) was a Japanese composer and Artistic director. He was…
Minoru Miki (Japanese: 三木 稔, 16 March 1930 – 8 December 2011) was a Japanese composer and Artistic director. He was known for promoting Japanese, Chinese and Korean traditional instruments as well as some of their performers. In his catalogue these traditional instruments figure solo or in various types of ensembles, with and without Western instruments. His catalogue demonstrates a large stylistic and formal diversity including operas and other kinds of stage music; orchestral, concerto, chamber and solo music, as well as music for films. His work has found international recognition placing Miki in the company of other celebrated Japanese composers such as Tōru Takemitsu. Minoru was a pioneer in the composition of contemporary classical music for large ensembles of traditional Japanese musical instruments. In 1964, he founded the Nihon Ongaku Shūdan (Pro Musica Nipponia ensemble), also known as Ensemble Nipponia, for which he has composed extensively.
Masaya Takahashi (高橋 昌也, Takahashi Masaya; March 16, 1930 – January 16, 2014) was a Japanese actor and theatre…
Masaya Takahashi (高橋 昌也, Takahashi Masaya; March 16, 1930 – January 16, 2014) was a Japanese actor and theatre director. He appeared in a wide range of films over six decades, including Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell (1968), Belladonna of Sadness (1973), Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), Returner (2002), and Air Doll (2009).
Kenji Kurosaki (黒崎健時, Kurosaki Kenji; born March 15, 1930) is a Japanese martial arts instructor, specializing in…
Kenji Kurosaki (黒崎健時, Kurosaki Kenji; born March 15, 1930) is a Japanese martial arts instructor, specializing in full-contact karate and kickboxing. He is a 10th dan black belt (1992) in Kyokushin Karate and operates various martial schools. He is most well known as a pioneer of full-contact karate and kickboxing in both Japan and the Netherlands.
Yoshikazu Hasegawa (長谷川 善和) (12 March 1930 – 2 September 2026) was a Japanese vertebrate palaeontologist and honorary…
Yoshikazu Hasegawa (長谷川 善和) (12 March 1930 – 2 September 2026) was a Japanese vertebrate palaeontologist and honorary museum director. The Pleistocene anatid Shiriyanetta hasegawai was named in his honour, in recognition of his "outstanding contributions" to the field.
Ei Ogawa (Japanese: 小川英, Ogawa Ei, March 10, 1930; Osaka – April 27, 1994; Tokyo), also credited as Hide Ogawa (江里 明…
Ei Ogawa (Japanese: 小川英, Ogawa Ei, March 10, 1930; Osaka – April 27, 1994; Tokyo), also credited as Hide Ogawa (江里 明, Ogawa Hide) was a Japanese screenwriter. He worked on many projects for Toho and Nikkatsu.
Stephen Fumio Hamao (濱尾 文郎 Hamao Fumio) (9 March 1930 – 8 November 2007) was a Japanese cardinal of the Catholic Church…
Stephen Fumio Hamao (濱尾 文郎 Hamao Fumio) (9 March 1930 – 8 November 2007) was a Japanese cardinal of the Catholic Church and was the president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants until it merged with other elements of the Roman Curia. He was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2003.
Keiiti Aki (安芸 敬一, Aki Keiichi; March 3, 1930 – May 17, 2005) was a Japanese-American professor of Geophysics at the…
Keiiti Aki (安芸 敬一, Aki Keiichi; March 3, 1930 – May 17, 2005) was a Japanese-American professor of Geophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and then at the University of Southern California (USC), seismologist, author and mentor. He and Paul G. Richards coauthored "Quantitative Seismology: theory and methods".
Susumu Okubo (大久保 進, Ōkubo Susumu; 2 March 1930 – July 17, 2015) was a Japanese theoretical physicist at the University…
Susumu Okubo (大久保 進, Ōkubo Susumu; 2 March 1930 – July 17, 2015) was a Japanese theoretical physicist at the University of Rochester. Ōkubo worked primarily on elementary particle physics. He is famous for the Gell-Mann–Okubo mass formula for mesons and baryons in the quark model; this formula correctly predicts the relations of masses of the members of SU(3) multiplets in terms of hypercharge and isotopic spin. Ōkubo died in July 2015. Ōkubo began study at the University of Tokyo in 1949 and received his bachelor's degree there in 1952. He became a graduate student at the University of Rochester in 1954, where he earned his PhD in 1958 with David Feldman as thesis advisor. Afterwards, he was a postdoc in 1959/60 at the University of Naples, in 1960/61 at CERN, and then in 1962 began researching again at the University of Rochester, where he became a professor in 1964 and retired in 1996 as an emeritus professor.
Kōichi Iijima (飯島耕一, Iijima Kōichi; February 25, 1930- October 14, 2013) was a Japanese poet, novelist, and translator.…
Kōichi Iijima (飯島耕一, Iijima Kōichi; February 25, 1930- October 14, 2013) was a Japanese poet, novelist, and translator. He was a member of the Japan Art Academy.
Gorō Shimura (志村 五郎, Shimura Gorō; 23 February 1930 – 3 May 2019) was a Japanese mathematician and Michael Henry…
Gorō Shimura (志村 五郎, Shimura Gorō; 23 February 1930 – 3 May 2019) was a Japanese mathematician and Michael Henry Strater Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Princeton University who worked in number theory, automorphic forms, and arithmetic geometry. He was known for developing the theory of complex multiplication of abelian varieties and Shimura varieties, as well as posing the Taniyama–Shimura conjecture which ultimately led to the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem.
Kōryō Miura (Japanese: 三浦 公亮, born 1930) is a Japanese astrophysicist, inventor, and origamist known for the Miura…
Kōryō Miura (Japanese: 三浦 公亮, born 1930) is a Japanese astrophysicist, inventor, and origamist known for the Miura fold. He is a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science.
Shungo Sawada (born Tokyo, February 10, 1930 - died August 28, 2006) was a Japanese jazz guitarist. Sawada began…
Shungo Sawada (born Tokyo, February 10, 1930 - died August 28, 2006) was a Japanese jazz guitarist. Sawada began playing guitar at twelve years old, and played in his early twenties on US military installations. He founded his own group, Double Beats, in 1954, and led a five-piece band in the mid-1960s. His Japanese sidemen included Shotaro Moriyasu, Norio Maeda, Akitoshi Igarashi, and Motohiko Hino; he also played with visiting American musicians such as Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Thad Jones, Helen Merrill, Oscar Peterson, and Sonny Stitt. He was the founder of the label Elec in 1972, and later taught at Roots College of Music in Tokyo.
Hajime Hana (Japanese: ハナ肇, Hepburn: Hana Hajime; February 9, 1930 – September 10, 1993) was a Japanese actor. He was…
Hajime Hana (Japanese: ハナ肇, Hepburn: Hana Hajime; February 9, 1930 – September 10, 1993) was a Japanese actor. He was the leader of the comic jazz band The Crazy Cats, which featured such talent as Hitoshi Ueki and Kei Tani, and which starred in a series of film comedies (such as the "Irresponsible" (Musekinin) series at Toho) and in TV variety shows such as "Shabondama Holiday." He won the award for best actor at the 31st Blue Ribbon Awards for Kaisha monogatari: Memories of You.
Ikutaro Kakehashi (梯 郁太郎, Kakehashi Ikutarō; 7 February 1930 – 1 April 2017), also known by the nickname Taro, was a…
Ikutaro Kakehashi (梯 郁太郎, Kakehashi Ikutarō; 7 February 1930 – 1 April 2017), also known by the nickname Taro, was a Japanese engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur. He founded the musical instrument manufacturers Ace Tone, Roland Corporation and Boss Corporation, and the audiovisual electronics company ATV Corporation. Kakehashi founded Ace Tone in 1960 to produce electronic organs and early drum machines. He founded Roland in 1972 and was involved in the development of various influential electronic instruments, such as the TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines and the TB-303 and Juno-60 synthesizers, in addition to Boss guitar amplifiers and effects pedals. He was also key to the development of MIDI, a technical standard that connects a wide variety of electronic instruments, in the 1980s; in 2013, Kakehashi received a Technical Grammy Award, shared with Dave Smith of Sequential, for the invention of MIDI. Kakehashi's inventions are credited with shaping popular music genres such as electronic, dance, hip hop, R&B, rock and pop music.
Takie Sugiyama Lebra (February 6, 1930 – May 26, 2017) was a Japanese anthropologist and professor. Her “contributions…
Takie Sugiyama Lebra (February 6, 1930 – May 26, 2017) was a Japanese anthropologist and professor. Her “contributions to the anthropology of Japan are regarded as foundational”. She was born in a rural village in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. She attended primary school in Japan, graduating from Tsuda College in Tokyo in 1951. She graduated from Gakushuin University in Tokyo with a BA in political science in 1954 and then completed her studies at the University of Pittsburgh, receiving an MA in political science in 1960 and a PhD in sociology (also from the University of Pittsburgh) in 1967. Lebra was a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Hawaii from 1971 until her retirement in 1996. She also held visiting positions at the University of Washington, the University of Michigan, Oxford Brookes University, Harvard University, and the National University of Singapore. She was a popular teacher with her courses (especially in Japanese Studies) attracting many students. While teaching in Hawaii, she was a specialist of Japan, of psychological anthropology and of culture and social organization. She was also an author, having written 7 books about Japanese culture and selling over 66,000 copies. She has won multiple awards, including a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Council for International Exchange, a Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, a Japan Foundation Research Fellowship. She also received awards from the Joint Committee on Japanese Studies of the American Council of Learned Societies and the Social Science Research Council. She was a board member for the Society for Psychological Anthropology, the US-Japan Women's Journal and the Journal of Japanese Studies. Her 1976 book, Japanese Patterns of Behavior provides an overview of contemporary Japanese cultural norms and devotes a chapter to a case study of the Salvation Cult. Her 1995 book Above the Clouds, Status Culture of the Modern Japanese Nobility was the first ethnographic study of the modern Japanese aristocracy, in which she explained the Kazoku, the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan. An obituary sums up her career as follows: “Takie Lebra will be remembered for her feistiness that combined probing intellect with humor. For her many students and colleagues, she demonstrated that the life of the mind should never forget the body, that we are driven as whole creatures that embrace emotions, relationships, institutions, and ideas. She taught that we are only and always too human, and in the end, that may be enough.”
Jun Kondō (近藤 淳 Kondō Jun, 6 February 1930 – 11 March 2022) was a Japanese theoretical physicist. His research is noted…
Jun Kondō (近藤 淳 Kondō Jun, 6 February 1930 – 11 March 2022) was a Japanese theoretical physicist. His research is noted for the Kondo effect. He was an emeritus fellow of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). Kondō died from pneumonia on 11 March 2022, at the age of 92.
Osamu Suzuki (鈴木 修, Suzuki Osamu; né Matsuda 松田; January 30, 1930 – December 25, 2024) was a Japanese businessman and…
Osamu Suzuki (鈴木 修, Suzuki Osamu; né Matsuda 松田; January 30, 1930 – December 25, 2024) was a Japanese businessman and the chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation. From 1978, Suzuki was the CEO, president, and chairman of the company. In February 2021, Suzuki announced that he would retire in June 2021 and assume the role of adviser.
Norio Ohga (大賀 典雄, Ōga Norio; January 29, 1930 – April 23, 2011), also spelled Norio Oga, was a Japanese businessperson…
Norio Ohga (大賀 典雄, Ōga Norio; January 29, 1930 – April 23, 2011), also spelled Norio Oga, was a Japanese businessperson who was the president and chairman of Sony Corporation. He is credited with spurring the development of the compact disc (CD) as a commercially viable audio format.