Following are sex nikki litte and jmac videossome of the notable individuals who passed away during the past year.
Akebono, 54, on April 6. Originally from Hawaii, he was sumo’s first foreign-born yokozuna and an 11-time grand tournament winner. He helped fuel a sumo boom in the 1990s.
Sakaye Aratani, 104, on March 18. A long-time board member of the Japan America Society of Southern California and co-founder of the Nisei Women’s Golf Club and the Asia American Symphony Women’s Guild, she and her husband George supported many institutions, including the UCLA Asian American Studies Department, Keiro, Japanese American National Museum and Japanese American Cultural & Community Center.
Jimmy Carter, 100, on Dec. 29. He served as U.S. president from 1977 to 1981. In 1980 he signed a bill establishing the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, which held a series of hearings and in 1982 recommended redress for Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII.
Angela Chao, 50, on Feb. 11. Billionaire businesswoman who was CEO of the Foremost Group. Sister of former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao.
Lynn Yamada Davis, 67, on Jan. 1. Celebrity chef known for her viral cooking videos on TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
Alberto Fujimori, 86, on Sept. 11. President of Peru from 1990 to 2000, he was forced from office amid allegations of corruption and was later imprisoned.
Tad Fujioka, 50, was found dead on Oct. 30 in Nakwasina Sound, Alaska, apparently from a bear attack. A community leader in Sitka, he was board chair of the Seafood Producers Cooperative and a member of the Sitka Fish & Game Advisory Committee.
Yasuomi Hashimura, 79, on Nov. 11. An acclaimed photographer and founder of Hashi Studio in Manhattan, he was attacked by a stranger on Oct. 22 and died of his injuries.
Akira Hirose, 70, on Sept. 26. The chef-owner of Azay restaurant in Little Tokyo and formerly of Maison Akira in Pasadena, he supported a variety of community causes.
Eikoh Hosoe, 91, on Sept. 16. A photographer and filmmaker who emerged in the experimental arts movement of post-war Japan, he was known for his dark, high-contrast, black-and-white photographs of human bodies.
Hiroshi Kagawa, 99, on Dec. 5. A long-time soccer writer who covered 10 World Cups, he was the first Japanese recipient of the FIFA Presidential Award.
Chisako Kakehi, 78, on Dec. 26. A death row inmate convicted of murdering her husband and two common-law partners with poison in western Japan more than a decade ago, she was dubbed the “Black Widow.”
Yumi Katsura, 94, on April 26. A bridal fashion designer known for popularizing Western-style wedding dresses in Japan.
Dr. Mark Hideki Kawachi, 69, on Dec. 9, 2023. As director of the Prostate Cancer Center at City of Hope, he and his colleagues pioneered one of the top robotic urologic programs in the nation.
Iwao George Kawakami, 102, on April 12. A veteran of the 442ndRegimental Combat Team, a general surgeon for over 40 years, and an avid golfer.
Aiko Kawaratani, 95, on Dec. 2, 2023. She and her husband Kiyoshi “Skip” Kawaratani, who predeceased her in 2014, owned Rafu Bussan in Little Tokyo for 65 years and supported many community organizations.
Joan Kawase, 83, on Nov. 19, 2023. A president and board member of So-Phis, she received the Nisei Week Foundation’s Pioneer Spirit Award for her contributions to the Southern California Japanese American community.
Taro Kida, 93, on May 15. A prolific composer of theme songs for TV programs and commercials who was dubbed the “Mozart of Naniwa,” his most famous work included TV commercial songs for Demae Iccho instant ramen.
Kitanofuji, 82, on Nov. 12. He made his debut as a professional sumo wrestler in 1957 and became the sport’s 52ndyokozuna in 1970.
Takayuki Kubota, 89, on Aug. 14. He held the title of sōke for his development of the Gosoku-ryū style of karate and was the founder and president of the International Karate Association.
Kurt Kuniyoshi, 60, on March 14. An actor, singer and dancer affiliated with Grateful Crane Ensemble and East West Players. He appeared in the TV series “Hit” and the film “Only the Brave.”
Samuel Kurohara, 94, on Sept. 22. A professor at USC Medical School who was in private practice in Whittier for many years.
Fumihiko Maki, 95, on June 6. A Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect whose work explored pioneering uses of new materials and fused the cultures of East and West.
Gann Matsuda, 61, on Oct. 12. A community leader, educator, and journalist known for his work in preserving Japanese American history, particularly through the Manzanar Committee, as well as his dedication to student activism and his love for Los Angeles Kings hockey.
Nob Mihara, 93, on Oct. 4. In 1968 he and his wife Shizuko opened Paper Tree, now the second-oldest business in San Francisco Japantown.
May Mineta, 90, on July 3. An educator, church and community volunteer, and former wife of then-Rep. Norman Mineta.
Tooru Mochida, 90, on Nov. 28, 2023. The last surviving male from the famous Mochida family photograph taken by Dorothea Lange in 1942 in Hayward when the family was waiting for a bus to take them to camp.
Takashi Morita, 100, on Aug. 12. A Hiroshima survivor who moved to Brazil in the 1950s, worked as a peace activist and helped other survivors overseas receive aid from Japan.
Keizo Murase, 89, on Oct. 14. Japanese suitmaker, stuntman, sculptor, modeler, and film director known for his work in giant monster films, including “Mothra” and “King Kong vs. Godzilla.”
Rieko Nakagawa, 89, on Oct. 14. A celebrated author and lyricist behind some of Japan’s most beloved picture books, including “Guri and Gura.”
Miho Nakayama, 54, on Dec. 6. A Japanese singer and actress who made her debut in the 1985 drama “Maido Osawagase Shimasu,” she was found dead in her house in Tokyo. Police said they found no signs of foul play.
Shigeichi Negishi, 100, on Jan. 26. One of the inventors of karaoke, he came up with the idea of wiring a microphone, speaker and tape deck together and playing an instrumental recording of a song in 1967.
Toshiyuki Nishida, 76, on Oct. 17. An actor who won two Japanese Academy Awards for
“The Silk Road” and “Tsuribaka Nisshi 6.” Outside Japan he was best known for his role as Pigsy in the TV series “Monkey.”
Alan Nishio, 78, on Dec. 27, 2023. He was an administrator at CSU Long Beach and a leader of many community organizations, including National Coalition for Redress/Reparations, Little Tokyo Service Center, Japanese American National Museum and Japanese American Cultural & Community Center.
Dr. Donald Okada, 85, on Feb. 6. He delivered more than 3,000 babies at Providence Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, where he was chief of medical staff and a board member. He was active with the Japanese American Medical Association, Asia America Symphony Association and Palos Verdes Baptist Church.
Gary Okihiro, 78, on May 20. Author and scholar who was visiting professor of American studies and ethnicity, race and migration at Yale University, professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, and founding director of Columbia’s Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race.
Nobuyo ōyama, 90, on Sept. 29. A Japanese actress, voice actress, screenwriter, singer, essayist, and television personality known for voicing the title character in the “Doraemon” anime series for 26 years.
Seiji Ozawa, 88, on Feb. 6. A conductor known internationally for his work as music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and especially the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he served for 29 years.
Daisy Satoda, 96, on Dec. 31, 2023. She was active in San Francisco community organizations, including National Japanese American Historical Society, Japanese American National Library, and Nikkei & Retirement,
Tsutomu Shirosaki, 76, on July 20. Former Japanese Red Army member who was in prison for his involvement in a 1986 terrorist attack on the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta.
Toshio Suzuki, 94, on Dec. 25. The former head of Suzuki Motor Corp. turned the Japanese mini-vehicle maker into a global player with an overwhelming dominance in India’s car market. He was Suzuki’s chairman, president or CEO from 1978 to 2021.
Sahomi Tachibana, 100, on Oct. 10. A resident of Portland, Ore., she was a master teacher and performer of Nihon buyo (traditional Japanese dance) whose career spanned 90 years. She taught dance while incarcerated at Topaz, Utah.
Norihiko Takatani, 86, on Dec. 5. His almost 70-year career at Anzen Hardware firmly established him as a fixture of the Little Tokyo landscape.
Shuntaro Tanikawa, 92, on Nov. 13. One of the most widely read and highly regarded Japanese poets, both in Japan and abroad, he was also a translator of Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” comic strip.
Tarako, 63, on March 4. She lent her husky voice to the main character of the Japanese anime series “Chibi Maruko-chan” for 34 years.
Hisako Terasaki, 95, on April 15. A Nisei artist specializing in printmaking, she and her husband Dr. Paul Terasaki were philanthropic supporters of the Japanese American and Los Angeles communities, including the Japanese American National Museum.
Dr. Keith Terasaki, 68, on Dec. 22. Radiologist and assistant chief of the Diagnostic Imaging Department at Kaiser Permanente and the son of Dr. Paul Terasaki, he, his wife Ceclia and their children supported many organizations and individuals through the Keith and Cecilia Terasaki Family Foundation and the Terasaki Family Foundation.
Akira Toriyama, 68, on March 1. A monumental figure in the Japanese manga and anime world best known for creating the “Dragon Ball” series.
Grant Ujifusa, 82, on Oct. 21. He served as co-editor of “The Almanac of American Politics.” As the JACL-Legislative Education Committee’s legislative strategy chair, he helped with getting President Ronald Reagan to sign the redress bill in 1988.
Kazuo Umezu, 88, on Oct. 28. A Japanese manga artist, musician and actor, he was among the most famous artists of horror manga, creating such series as “The Drifting Classroom,” “Makoto-chan,” and “My Name Is Shingo.”
Raymond Uno, 93, on March 8. Utah’s first minority judge, serving most recently on the 3rdDistrict Court, he was a nationally recognized civil rights and peace activist.
Tsuneo Watanabe, 98, on Dec. 19. A media titan known for holding sway over Japanese politics through the country’s influential daily newspaper, The Yomiuri Shimbun. He was also president of the Yomiuri Giants.
Rev. Cecil Williams, 94, on April 22. A civil rights activist, community leader and author who was the pastor of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. He was married to poet and activist Janice Mirikitani (1941-2021).
Taylor Wily, 56, on June 20. An actor, sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist, he was known for his recurring role as Kamekona Tupuola on “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum, P.I.”
Dr. Yep H. Wong, 98, on April 18. He was president of the medical staff at Viewpark Community Hospital, chairman of the Family Practice Section at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital and a member of the Japanese American Medical Association.
Seigen Yamaoka, 89, on Dec. 15, 2023. The bishop of Buddhist Churches of America for 15 years, he was instrumental in establishing the Campaign for Buddhism in America and the BCA Endowment Foundation.
Dr. George Yamauchi, 74, on Feb. 1. He taught at USC, dedicated over four decades to practicing at Advanced Urology, and volunteered with a team of Japanese physicians who provided long-term screenings and care for Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors living in the U.S.
Patti Yasutake, 70, on Aug. 5. A stage, film and television actress, she was known for such roles as Nurse Ogawa on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and Fumi on “Beef.”
Princess Yuriko, 101, on Nov. 15. The oldest member of Japan’s imperial family, she was the wife of Takahito, Prince Mikasa, the fourth son of Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei.