Hideo Ogata, the founder of Japan’s first animation magazine “Animage,” has died of stomach cancer. He was 73.

Ogata joined the Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co. in 1961. In the wake of the popularity of animated movie “Uchu Senkan Yamato” (Space Battleship Yamato) released in the late 1970, he became the founding managing editor of Japan’s first animation magazine, Animage, published by his company.

Among his achievements, Ogata helped launch the comic version of Hayao Miyazaki’s “Kaze no Tani no Nausica” (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind), and was involved with the hit movie of the same title.

As a producer and planner, Ogata was involved in other Studio Ghibli works including “My Neighbour Totoro” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service”.

By Sun Tzu on 27-01-2007