Popular Japanese Actor, Producer Yujiro Ishihara

Yujiro Ishihara, a popular Japanese actor, died of liver cancer Friday. He was 52. A noted singer and movie producer, Ishihara also produced and starred in several movies, including “Alone in the Pacific.”

Ishihara died at Keio University Hospital, where he had been treated since May, a hospital official said.

Ishihara, a native of Kobe in western Japan, made his movie debut in 1956. He appeared in “Season of the Sun” while he was a student at Keio University. The movie was based on a book writted by his elder brother, Shintaro Ishihara, a novelist and now a member of Parliament. It depicted a modern youth who resisted established ideals in postwar Japan.

Ishihara later played leading roles as a rebellious youth in numerous action films, including “A Man Calling for a Storm.”

Ishihara is survived by his wife, Mie Kitahara, a former actress.