Playwright and critic Masakazu Yamazaki, who received Japan's top cultural award for his plays and publications, died of malignant mesothelioma this week, a cultural foundation said Friday. He was 86.Yamazaki began writing plays when he was attending Kyoto University's graduate school and earned recognition for his 1963 work "Zeami," featuring the 14th to 15th century Noh performer and producer known by the same name.Also known for his 1984 book "Yawarakai Kojinshugi no Tanjo" (Birth of soft individualism), in which he predicted how society would change following Japan's rapid economic grow…READ FULL ARTICLE
