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A biography of the renowned producer has been published. To You Crossing the River of Media: The Story of Shoichi Kotani
Voyager released the book " To You Crossing the River of Media: The Story of Shoichi Kotani " on June 29 ( e-book version available here ). After working at various media companies, Shōichi Kotani joined Dentsu Inc. in April 1958 at age 46. He established the company's Planning Center and worked as a multi-producer spanning newspapers, broadcasting, advertising, and events until his death in August 1992 at age 80. This book documents Kotani's journey, allowing readers to experience the spirit of the era from the rise to the peak of the media industry.
( Paperback, 320 pages, ¥1,800 + tax, ISBN 978-4-86239-180-3, E-book ¥90 0 + tax)
Kotani was involved in launching and founding numerous media outlets, including Japan's first horizontal newspaper, the Yukan Shin-Osaka; Japan's first private radio station, Shin Nippon Broadcasting; and Osaka Television Broadcasting. He also achieved many feats considered impossible, such as inviting violinist David Oistrakh from the communist bloc for the first time after the war, serving as overall producer for the "Sumitomo Fairy Tale Pavilion" and "Electric Power Pavilion" at the Osaka World Expo, and even being involved in the founding of the professional Pacific League baseball team. Author Okada witnessed it all firsthand as a young man working under Kotani.
Seventy years after the war, Japan rose from the ashes, and media—newspapers, magazines, television—flowed like a great river. This excellent book traces that river to its source, capturing the fascinating, resilient, and sorrowful lives of those who lived within it. It allows us to relive the world of Shoichi Kotani, who famously said, "The times are always a blank canvas."
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