Isao Tsukamoto, a renowned Japanese translator and scholar of Korean language, passed away on August 20, 2026, at the age of 92. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he left a lasting legacy in the world of academia and translation. Tsukamoto joined the Osaka University of Foreign Studies in 1963 as a full-time lecturer in the newly created Korean language department.
Over more than two decades, he dedicated himself to his work, leaving a profound impact on the field. Tsukamoto was instrumental in completing the "Korean-Japanese Dictionary" in 1986, a monumental work that boasts approximately 210,000 entries.