Hibari Misora; Japanese Singer

Hibari Misora, 52, a singer who symbolized Japan’s postwar recovery to millions of Japanese. She was considered a source of strength for many Japanese after Japan’s defeat in World War II, Masao Yamaguchi, a professor at Tokyo Foreign Language University, told Kyodo News Service. Miss Misora, a Yokohama fishmonger’s daughter, made her singing debut at age 11 in 1948. She was later celebrated for her renditions of melancholy ballads such as “Kanashii Sake” (Sad Rice Wine) and “Ringo Oiwake” (Song of Apples). She first performed in the United States when she was 13. In 1973 she attracted 8,000 fans to the Forum in Inglewood for a concert where she was praised for the wide range and quality of her voice. She ended her 40-year career with a 10-hour live radio show by Nippon Broadcasting Co. on March 21, shortly before she was hospitalized with respiratory problems. Miss Misora sold 68 million records, including 45 million singles. In Tokyo on Saturday of the complications of pneumonia.