Sharla Katalin Hinskens (born April 23, 1986), also known as Sharmeleon ("evolved" from Sharmander upon receiving…Sharla Katalin Hinskens (born April 23, 1986), also known as Sharmeleon ("evolved" from Sharmander upon receiving 500,000 subscribers in March 2020) and Sharla in Japan, is a Canadian YouTuber who has been vlogging about her experiences in Japan since 2011.
Hiroaki Katо̄ (加藤ひろあき, Katо̄ Hiroaki, born March 9, 1983), known by his stage name Hiro, is a Japanese singer, actor…Hiroaki Katо̄ (加藤ひろあき, Katо̄ Hiroaki, born March 9, 1983), known by his stage name Hiro, is a Japanese singer, actor, songwriter, TV presenter, radio host, Indonesian language lecturer, and translator who is active in Indonesia. He is known for his love for Indonesia, which he expresses through his works.
Aoko Matsuda (松田青子 Matsuda Aoko; born October 11, 1979) is a Japanese writer and translator. She is the winner of the…Aoko Matsuda (松田青子 Matsuda Aoko; born October 11, 1979) is a Japanese writer and translator. She is the winner of the 2021 World Fantasy Award—Collection.
Ito Ogawa (小川 糸, Ogawa Ito) is a Japanese novelist, lyricist and translator. She was born in 1973 in Yamagata…Ito Ogawa (小川 糸, Ogawa Ito) is a Japanese novelist, lyricist and translator. She was born in 1973 in Yamagata, Yamagata. Several of her books have gained international recognition, such as The Restaurant of Love Regained (2008; Japanese Title: 食堂かたつむり - Shokudō Katatsumuri), described as a "foodie fable", which was made into a film in 2010 under the title "Shokudo Katatsumuri" ("Rinco's Restaurant").
Ryoko Sekiguchi (Japanese: 関口 涼子; Tokyo, December 21, 1970) is a Japanese poet and translator. She studied journalism…Ryoko Sekiguchi (Japanese: 関口 涼子; Tokyo, December 21, 1970) is a Japanese poet and translator. She studied journalism at Waseda University. After graduating, she studied History of Art at the Sorbonne and received a doctorate in comparative literature and cultural studies at the University of Tokyo. She publishes her books in both French and Japanese and works for institutions like Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales. A quote in French, attributed to Sekiguchi, appears at the top of the label of 2016 vintage Moulis-en-Médoc from Château Chasse-Spleen in Bordeaux: "Percevoir l'énigme sans prétendre la résoudre: la seule façon de vivre sa vie." ("To see the mystery, but not to solve it: the only way to live a life.")
Fumiko Ishioka (Japanese: 石岡史子; Hepburn: Ishioka Fumiko, born 1970) is a Japanese educator, translator., and Director…Fumiko Ishioka (Japanese: 石岡史子; Hepburn: Ishioka Fumiko, born 1970) is a Japanese educator, translator., and Director of Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center(Kokoro).
Mitsuyo Kakuta (角田 光代, Kakuta Mitsuyo, born 8 March 1967) is a Japanese author born in Yokohama. She has been engaged…Mitsuyo Kakuta (角田 光代, Kakuta Mitsuyo, born 8 March 1967) is a Japanese author born in Yokohama. She has been engaged in translating into modern Japanese the 11th-century proto-novel The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu (紫式部).
Ken Ishiguro (石黒 賢, Ishiguro Ken; born 31 January 1966) is a Japanese film, television and voice actor. He has appeared…Ken Ishiguro (石黒 賢, Ishiguro Ken; born 31 January 1966) is a Japanese film, television and voice actor. He has appeared in more than 80 films since 1979. He is the son of Osamu Ishiguro, a former tennis player.
Roppyaku Tsurumi (鶴見 六百, Tsurumi Roppyaku; born 17 December 1965) is a Japanese game producer and designer, known for…Roppyaku Tsurumi (鶴見 六百, Tsurumi Roppyaku; born 17 December 1965) is a Japanese game producer and designer, known for the Japanese localization of the original Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter series. He works for Sony Computer Entertainment. In Japanese Roppyaku literally means "six hundred." One of his earliest works in his career is producing and designing the arcade version of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker.
Iehiro Tokugawa (Shinjitai: 徳川家広, Kyūjitai: 德川家廣, Tokugawa Iehiro; born 7 February 1965) is a Japanese author and…Iehiro Tokugawa (Shinjitai: 徳川家広, Kyūjitai: 德川家廣, Tokugawa Iehiro; born 7 February 1965) is a Japanese author and translator who is the 19th generation and current head of the main House of Tokugawa. His great-great-grandfather was the famed Matsudaira Katamori of Aizu, and his maternal great-great-grandfather was Tokugawa Iesato, the sixteenth head of the House of Tokugawa.
Hiroo Yamagata (山形 浩生, Yamagata Hiroo; born 13 March 1964) is a Japanese author, critic, economist and translator. He…Hiroo Yamagata (山形 浩生, Yamagata Hiroo; born 13 March 1964) is a Japanese author, critic, economist and translator. He translated some works in computer technology such as The Cathedral and the Bazaar by Eric S. Raymond, Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace by Lawrence Lessig into Japanese. He is the founder and chairman of Project Sugita Genpaku, which is a volunteer effort to translate free content texts into Japanese.
Daniel Kahl (born March 30, 1960, in Monrovia, California) is an American foreign television personality (gaijin…Daniel Kahl (born March 30, 1960, in Monrovia, California) is an American foreign television personality (gaijin tarento) and entrepreneur in Japan. He is famous for speaking fluent Yamagata-ben, the dialect of Yamagata Prefecture, a predominantly rural area. He mainly works as a television reporter for human interest stories in Japan, such as travel and gourmet programs. Following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in eastern Japan on 11 March 2011, Kahl was active in relief efforts in the affected areas, hauling food, supplies and equipment for fishermen. He also helped in combating the spread of false information regarding the spread of radiation in Fukushima after the nuclear accident there.
Kaoru Hasuike (蓮池 薫, Hasuike Kaoru; born September 29, 1957) is a Japanese citizen who was abducted by North Korean…Kaoru Hasuike (蓮池 薫, Hasuike Kaoru; born September 29, 1957) is a Japanese citizen who was abducted by North Korean spies along with his girlfriend Yukiko Okudo. They were abducted from their hometown of Kashiwazaki in Niigata prefecture on July 19, 1978. Hasuike was a law student at the time. During their captivity, in May 1980, Hasuike and Okudo were married. They had two children: a daughter, Shigeyo, and a son, Katsuya. On October 15, 2002, the North Korean government allowed Hasuike, Okudo and other victims to leave North Korea to visit Japan. Once there, Hasuike and Okudo decided to remain in Japan and to plead for the release of their children, which was eventually allowed in 2004. After his escape, Hasuike wrote a book, Abduction and My Decision, about his experiences in North Korea. In April 2013, Hasuike was appointed Associate Professor of economics at the Kashiwazaki-based Niigata Sangyo University, where he has taught Japanese and Korean languages since 2008. In addition, Hasuike runs a translation business. His story and that of his brother Toru were adapted for a manga.
Ichiro Kishimi (岸見 一郎, Kishimi Ichirō) is a Japanese philosopher and psychologist specializing in Western ancient…Ichiro Kishimi (岸見 一郎, Kishimi Ichirō) is a Japanese philosopher and psychologist specializing in Western ancient philosophy and Adlerian psychology. Born in Kyoto Prefecture, he studied at Kyoto University but withdrew from the doctoral program in 1987 to care for his mother. Kishimi has taught at various institutions, including Kyoto University of Education, Konan University, and Nara Women's University. He co-authored the bestseller The Courage to Be Disliked with Fumitake Koga, which has sold over one million copies since its publication in 2013. Since 2017, he has been writing for Courrier Japon and overseeing special features on Adlerian psychology.
Haruki Murakami (村上 春樹, Murakami Haruki; born January 12 1949) is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short…Haruki Murakami (村上 春樹, Murakami Haruki; born January 12 1949) is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been best-sellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He received numerous awards for his work, including the Gunzo Prize for New Writers, the World Fantasy Award, the Tanizaki Prize, Yomiuri Prize for Literature, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, the Noma Literary Prize, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Kiriyama Prize for Fiction, the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Fiction, the Jerusalem Prize, and the Princess of Asturias Awards. Growing up in Ashiya, near Kobe, before moving to Tokyo to attend Waseda University, he published his first novel Hear the Wind Sing (1979) after owning a small jazz bar for seven years. His notable works include the novels Norwegian Wood (1987), The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1994–95), Kafka on the Shore (2002) and 1Q84 (2009–10); the last was ranked as the best work of Japan's Heisei era (1989–2019) by the national newspaper Asahi Shimbun's survey of literary experts. His work spans genres including science fiction, fantasy, and crime fiction, and has become known for his use of magical realist elements. His official website cites Raymond Chandler, Kurt Vonnegut, and Richard Brautigan as key inspirations to his work, while Murakami himself has named Kazuo Ishiguro, Cormac McCarthy, and Dag Solstad as his favorite contemporary writers. Murakami has also published five short story collections, including First Person Singular (2020), and non-fiction works including Underground (1997), an oral history of the Tokyo subway sarin attack, and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (2007), a memoir about his experience as a long-distance runner. His fiction has polarized literary critics and the reading public. He has sometimes been characterized by Japan's literary establishment as un-Japanese, leading to Murakami's recalling that he was a "black sheep in the Japanese literary world". Meanwhile, Murakami has been described by Gary Fisketjon, the editor of Murakami's collection The Elephant Vanishes (1993), as a "truly extraordinary writer", while Steven Poole of The Guardian praised Murakami as "among the world's greatest living novelists" for his oeuvre.
Hiroshi Aramata (荒俣 宏, Aramata Hiroshi; born July 12, 1947) is a Japanese author, polymath, critic, translator and…Hiroshi Aramata (荒俣 宏, Aramata Hiroshi; born July 12, 1947) is a Japanese author, polymath, critic, translator and specialist in natural history, iconography and cartography. His most popular novel was Teito Monogatari (Tale of the Capitol), which has sold over 5 million copies in Japan alone.
Haruhiko Yamanouchi (山内 春彦, Yamanouchi Haruhiko; born 20 April 1946), also known as Hal Yamanouchi (ハル・ヤマノウチ, Haru…Haruhiko Yamanouchi (山内 春彦, Yamanouchi Haruhiko; born 20 April 1946), also known as Hal Yamanouchi (ハル・ヤマノウチ, Haru Yamanouchi), is a Japanese-Italian actor, voice artist, dancer, choreographer, stunt performer, essayist and former mime. Born in Tokyo, he has resided in Italy since 1975 and holds Italian citizenship. Beginning his career as a mime, he has performed in and choreographed for numerous stage productions. Since 1976, he has acted in over 100 films and television series, including several 1980s genre films directed by the likes of Sergio Martino, Ruggero Deodato and Enzo G. Castellari. He is best known to international audiences for his villainous supporting roles in Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Wolverine. He has also translated and dubbed Japanese-language films into Italian.
Rio Kishida (岸田 理生, Kishida Rio; 1946–2003) was a Japanese playwright and director. She wrote several plays about women…Rio Kishida (岸田 理生, Kishida Rio; 1946–2003) was a Japanese playwright and director. She wrote several plays about women and the problems they faced in a patriarchal society that run parallel with the second wave of the feminist movement in Japan. Even though she did not strictly identify herself as a feminist, she believed that the system of a male dominated society had to change in order for women to gain equal rights as their male counterpart.
Saburo Kawamoto (川本 三郎, Kawamoto Saburō; born 15 July 1944) is a Japanese film and literary critic, as well as a…Saburo Kawamoto (川本 三郎, Kawamoto Saburō; born 15 July 1944) is a Japanese film and literary critic, as well as a professor at Rikkyo University. After graduation from the University of Tokyo, he worked for the Asahi Newspaper company before leaving in 1972 to become a critic. He was one critic who helped to discover the talents of Haruki Murakami. He won the Suntory Prize for his book Taishū Genei in 1991, the Yomiuri Literature Award for Kafū and Tokyo in 1997, and the Itō Sei Literature Award for Hakushu Bōkei in 2012. Around 1970 he became close to a student radical when covering him as a journalist. When that student attacked an officer of the Japanese Self-Defence Force in Asaka, Saitama, killing him, Kawamoto was arrested for spoliation of evidence. He was convicted and given a sentence of probation. He was fired from the Asahi Newspaper company. Thereafter, he became a freelance writer. Nobuhiro Yamashita's film, My Back Page, is based on Kawamoto's essay about this affair.
Tōru Emori (江守 徹, Emori Tōru; born Tetsuo Kato (加藤 徹夫); 25 January 1944) is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and theater…Tōru Emori (江守 徹, Emori Tōru; born Tetsuo Kato (加藤 徹夫); 25 January 1944) is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and theater director. He has appeared in more than sixty films since 1965.
Sōiku Shigematsu (重松 宗育, Shigematsu Sōiku; born October 13, 1943) is a Japanese priest of Myoshin-ji branch of Rinzai…Sōiku Shigematsu (重松 宗育, Shigematsu Sōiku; born October 13, 1943) is a Japanese priest of Myoshin-ji branch of Rinzai School of Zen Buddhism, abbot of Shōgen-ji Temple in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, author and translator of books and essays on Zen that were instrumental in spreading interest in Zen literary tradition to the West in the latter half of the 20th century. Shigematsu taught English literature at Shizuoka University also visiting the United States on several occasions, most notably in 1985-6 as a Fulbright scholar. He won the Jerome J. Shestack Poetry Prize from The American Poetry Review in 1987.
Hiroaki Sato (佐藤 紘彰, Satō Hiroaki; born 1942) is a Japanese poet and prolific translator who writes frequently for The…Hiroaki Sato (佐藤 紘彰, Satō Hiroaki; born 1942) is a Japanese poet and prolific translator who writes frequently for The Japan Times. He has been called (by Gary Snyder) "perhaps the finest translator of contemporary Japanese poetry into American English". Sato received the Japan–U.S. Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature in 1999 for his translation of Breeze Through Bamboo by Ema Saikō (Columbia University Press, 1997) and in 2017 for The Silver Spoon: Memoir of a Boyhood in Japan by Kansuke Naka (Stone Bridge Press, 2015).
Junji Kunishige (國重 純二, Kunishige Junji; January 20, 1942 – December 14, 2013) was a Japanese scholar and translator of…Junji Kunishige (國重 純二, Kunishige Junji; January 20, 1942 – December 14, 2013) was a Japanese scholar and translator of American literature.
Kōsei Ono (小野 耕世, Ono Kōsei; born November 28, 1939) is a Japanese film critic, cartoon critic, comic translator and…Kōsei Ono (小野 耕世, Ono Kōsei; born November 28, 1939) is a Japanese film critic, cartoon critic, comic translator and overseas comic / animation researcher. Ono is the leading authority on the publication, research and introduction of overseas comics (gaikoku manga) in Japan. From 1963 to 1974 he worked for NHK. He is a visiting professor in the Asia Department of Kokushikan University, a board member of the Japan Society for Studies in Manga and Comic Art, and a member of ASIFA JAPAN, the Japan Cartoonists Association, and the Japan Science Fiction Writer's Club.
Hiroshi Osada (長田弘, 1939–2015) was a Japanese poet and author known for his contributions to contemporary literature…Hiroshi Osada (長田弘, 1939–2015) was a Japanese poet and author known for his contributions to contemporary literature and children's literature.
Ryōzō Nagashima (長島 良三, Nagashima Ryōzō; 1936 – October 14, 2013) was a Japanese editor, writer, and translator. A…Ryōzō Nagashima (長島 良三, Nagashima Ryōzō; 1936 – October 14, 2013) was a Japanese editor, writer, and translator. A graduate of Meiji University's French Literature Department, he joined Hayakawa Shobō, a publishing company, where he stayed until 1975 specializing in translating French literature, translating, among others, works by André Maurois, Boris Vian, Georges Simenon, Maurice Leblanc. In 1985, he published Dorafuto Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (ドラフト連続殺人事件; lit. The Draft Serial Murders). He also used the pseudonym Ryōzō Kitamura (北村良三, Kitamura Ryōzō). He died on October 14, 2013, of heart failure.
Taijirō Amazawa (Japanese: 天沢 退二郎 Amazawa Taijirō; 21 July 1936 – 25 January 2023) was a Japanese poet, translator, and…Taijirō Amazawa (Japanese: 天沢 退二郎 Amazawa Taijirō; 21 July 1936 – 25 January 2023) was a Japanese poet, translator, and scholar.
Natsuko Toda (戸田 奈津子, Toda Natsuko; born July 3, 1936) is a Japanese subtitler and film industry interpreter. She has…Natsuko Toda (戸田 奈津子, Toda Natsuko; born July 3, 1936) is a Japanese subtitler and film industry interpreter. She has been called "the most famous film translator in Japan [...] unquestionably" and the "Subtitle Queen". She has subtitled more than 1,000 English-language films in Japanese.
Tomita Miki (三木 卓, Miki Taku; May 13, 1935 – November 18, 2023), known by his pen name Taku Miki, was a Japanese poet…Tomita Miki (三木 卓, Miki Taku; May 13, 1935 – November 18, 2023), known by his pen name Taku Miki, was a Japanese poet and novelist during the Showa and Heisei era.
Kyoko Matsuoka (March 12, 1935 – January 25, 2022; Japanese: 松岡享子, romanized: Matsuoka Kyōko) was a Japanese librarian…Kyoko Matsuoka (March 12, 1935 – January 25, 2022; Japanese: 松岡享子, romanized: Matsuoka Kyōko) was a Japanese librarian, translator, and expert in children's literature. She is known for her own children's books, of which she wrote more than 200 in her lifetime, as well as translations of works for young readers, particularly her translation of the classic Paddington Bear series. After working at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland, and the Osaka Municipal Central Library, she founded the Matsunomi Bunko, a private children's library. When Matsunomi and three other libraries joined to form the Tokyo Children's Library in 1974, she became founding director of the organization. She remained honorary chair of the library until her death in 2022. In 2021, she was designated a Person of Cultural Merit.
Lin Wenyue (Chinese: 林文月; pinyin: Lín Wényuè; 5 September 1933 – 26 May 2023) was a Taiwanese scholar, writer…Lin Wenyue (Chinese: 林文月; pinyin: Lín Wényuè; 5 September 1933 – 26 May 2023) was a Taiwanese scholar, writer, translator, and professor.
Suehiro Tanemura (種村 季弘, Tanemura Suehiro; 21 March 1933 – 29 August 2004) was a translator (from German into Japanese)…Suehiro Tanemura (種村 季弘, Tanemura Suehiro; 21 March 1933 – 29 August 2004) was a translator (from German into Japanese) and critic. Tanemura was born in Toshima, Tokyo in 1933. His mother died in 1946. He became interested in German while still a teenager, and entered the University of Tokyo in 1951. He first majored in aesthetics but switched to German literature, graduating in 1957 and for a short time thereafter working in Kōbunsha in editing the women's magazine Josei Jishin. From 1963 until 1968, Tanemura taught as an adjunct lecturer at Komazawa University. In 1968 he obtained a tenured post at Tokyo Metropolitan University, but he resigned in 1971 and went to Europe, where he spent much time until 1978, when he took another tenured post at Kokugakuin University, where he would teach until December 2002. At around this time he was diagnosed with cancer, from which he died in 2004. Tanemura was a prolific translator from German, writer and anthologizer of others' writings, with a certain tendency toward subjects like vampires and Sacher-Masoch. His own writings were first collected in a ten-volume set in 1979; two decades later this was supplemented by an eight-volume set.
Shuntarō Tanikawa (谷川 俊太郎, Tanikawa Shuntarō; December 15, 1931 – November 13, 2024) was a Japanese poet, translator…Shuntarō Tanikawa (谷川 俊太郎, Tanikawa Shuntarō; December 15, 1931 – November 13, 2024) was a Japanese poet, translator, children's author, and screenwriter. He was considered to be one of the most widely read and highly regarded Japanese poets, both in Japan and abroad. The English translation of his poetry volume Floating the River in Melancholy, translated by William I. Elliott and Kazuo Kawamura and illustrated by Yōko Sano, won the American Book Award in 1989.
Kazuko Shiraishi (白石 かずこ, Shiraishi Kazuko; 27 February 1931 – 14 June 2024) was a Japanese poet and translator who was…Kazuko Shiraishi (白石 かずこ, Shiraishi Kazuko; 27 February 1931 – 14 June 2024) was a Japanese poet and translator who was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was a modernist, outsider poet who got her start in Katsue Kitazono's "VOU" poetry group, which led Shiraishi to publish her first book of poems in 1951. She also read her poetry at jazz performances. She appeared at readings and literary festivals all over the world. Kenneth Rexroth called her "the Allen Ginsberg of Japan," and edited a volume of her poetry in English for New Directions Press. Shiraishi died on 14 June 2024, at the age of 93.
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.
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.
Masami Fukushima (福島 正実, Fukushima Masami; February 18, 1929, Sakhalin - April 9, 1976) was a Japanese science fiction…Masami Fukushima (福島 正実, Fukushima Masami; February 18, 1929, Sakhalin - April 9, 1976) was a Japanese science fiction editor, author, critic, and translator. As the first chief editor of SF Magazine, he helped popularize science fiction in Japan and became known as the "Demon of SF". His real name is Masami Katō (加藤 正実, Katō Masami). He also used the pen name: Kyō Katō (加藤 喬, Katō Kyō).
Eriko Kishida (岸田 衿子, Kishida Eriko, January 5, 1929 – April 7, 2011) was a Japanese poet, children's author, lyricist…Eriko Kishida (岸田 衿子, Kishida Eriko, January 5, 1929 – April 7, 2011) was a Japanese poet, children's author, lyricist, and translator. She is known for writing the lyrics to popular animated children's television shows like Anne of Green Gables and Heidi, Girl of the Alps, as well as her children's picture books. Kishida was a member of the Kai group and published poetry in the "Kai" literary magazine founded by Noriko Ibaragi.
Shozo Yoshigami (吉上 昭三, Yoshigami Shōzō; February 27, 1928 – January 28, 1996) was a Japanese translator of Polish…Shozo Yoshigami (吉上 昭三, Yoshigami Shōzō; February 27, 1928 – January 28, 1996) was a Japanese translator of Polish literature, and a professor at the University of Tokyo.
Takumi Shibano (柴野 拓美, Shibano Takumi; October 27, 1926 – January 16, 2010) was a Japanese science-fiction translator…Takumi Shibano (柴野 拓美, Shibano Takumi; October 27, 1926 – January 16, 2010) was a Japanese science-fiction translator and author. He was a major figure in fandom in Japan and contributed to establishing the Japanese science fiction genre. A native of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, in 1957 Takumi started Japan's first successful science fiction fanzine Uchūjin initially published monthly; many contributors to the fanzine later became pro, including Shin'ichi Hoshi, Sakyo Komatsu, Ryu Mitsuse and Yasutaka Tsutsui, and formed the first generation of modern Japanese science fiction authors. Shibano was the chair of Japan's first science fiction convention in 1962, as well as the second (1963), fourth (1965) and sixth (1967). He worked on the formation of the Federation of SF Fan Groups of Japan, founded in 1965, and served as its chair from 1966 through 1970. After leaving his job as a high-school mathematics teacher in 1977, he became a full-time writer and translator. Under the pen-name Rei Kozumi (小隅 黎, Kozumi Rei), a play on "cosmic ray," he translated as many as sixty science fiction novels from English into Japanese, including E. E. Smith's Lensman series and Larry Niven's Known Space series. Also as Rei Kozumi, he wrote three children's books, Superhuman ‘Plus X’ (1969), Operation Moonjet (1969), and Revolt in North Pole City (1977), and was also principal author of The World of Popular Literature (1978). In 1968 a fan fund paid for him to attend Worldcon for the first time, and after 1979 he attended most of the Worldcons and served as the presenter of the Seiun Award. He received the E. E. Evans Big Heart Award in 1986 and a Worldcon Special Award at the 51st World Science Fiction Convention in 1993. He was the Fan Guest of Honor of the 54th World Science Fiction Convention in 1996 and the 65th World Science Fiction Convention in 2007. Nihon SF Taisho Award Special Prize, Seiun Award Special Prize, Tokyo Anime Award Award of Merit were awarded posthumously for his lifetime achievement.
Komimasa Tanaka (田中 小実昌, Tanaka Komimasa; April 29, 1925–February 29, 2000) was a noted Japanese writer, essayist, and…Komimasa Tanaka (田中 小実昌, Tanaka Komimasa; April 29, 1925–February 29, 2000) was a noted Japanese writer, essayist, and translator.
Tetsu Yano (Japanese 矢野徹 Yano Tetsu; October 5, 1923 – October 13, 2004) was a Japanese translator and writer of…Tetsu Yano (Japanese 矢野徹 Yano Tetsu; October 5, 1923 – October 13, 2004) was a Japanese translator and writer of science fiction, fantasy, adventure stories and young adult novels. He was a founder and promoter of the Japanese science fiction at the dawn of this genre in Japan. Yano introduced the works of British and American science fiction writers to Japanese readers through almost half centuries from the late 1940s. He was also the first Japanese writer of the genre to visit the United States, in 1953. He took part in founding Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan (SFWJ, 日本SF作家クラブ) in 1963, and served as its president from 1978 to 1979.
Ryūichi Tamura (田村 隆一, Tamura Ryūichi; 18 March 1923 – 26 August 1998) was a Japanese poet, essayist and translator of…Ryūichi Tamura (田村 隆一, Tamura Ryūichi; 18 March 1923 – 26 August 1998) was a Japanese poet, essayist and translator of English language novels and poetry who was active during the Shōwa period of Japan.
Yasuo Maekawa (前川 康男, Maekawa Yasuo; 1921–2003) was a Japanese children's book author. He was born in Tokyo Prefecture…Yasuo Maekawa (前川 康男, Maekawa Yasuo; 1921–2003) was a Japanese children's book author. He was born in Tokyo Prefecture, and attended Waseda University.
Tokiko Iwatani (岩谷時子, Iwatani Tokiko; March 28, 1916 – October 25, 2013) was a Japanese lyricist, poet, and translator.…Tokiko Iwatani (岩谷時子, Iwatani Tokiko; March 28, 1916 – October 25, 2013) was a Japanese lyricist, poet, and translator. Born Tokiko Iwatani (岩谷トキ子, Iwatani Tokiko) in Seoul, Korea, she moved with her family to Japan at the age of 5, where they settled in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. After attending schools in her hometown she entered the English Literature Department of Kobe College, and graduated in 1939. She then joined the publishing department of the Takarazuka Revue, where she became acquainted with the future star Fubuki Koshiji. When Koshiji decided to leave the revue in 1951 to join Tōei and become an actress and singer, Iwatani also quit the company, and moved to Tokyo with Koshiji, whose manager she was for about 30 years, until Koshiji died in 1980. After becoming a full-time independent lyricist in 1963, she wrote the lyrics to or translated over 3000 songs, for singers or groups including The Peanuts, Yūzō Kayama, Frank Nagai, Hiromi Go, and translated the lyrics of, among others, Hymne à l'amour, Save the Last Dance for Me, Million Roses, My Way, and the musicals Kiss Me, Kate, Anne of Green Gables – The Musical, Me and My Girl, and Les Misérables. In 2010 she established the Iwatani Tokiko Foundation, which awards the annual ¥3,000,000 yen Iwatani Tokiko Award. She died in October 2013 from pneumonia.
