Sumo-loving famous Japanese screenwriter Makiko Uchidate dies at 77

TOKYO - Makiko Uchidate, a screenwriter who became the first woman to serve on the Yokozuna Deliberation Council in professional sumo, died on Dec. 17 of acute left heart failure at a hospital in Tokyo, her office said Friday. She was 77.

After graduating from an art university in Tokyo and working at a heavy industry company, Uchidate made her screenwriting debut in 1988. She went on to produce numerous works, including a television drama about a female sumo fan that drew wide national attention.