THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
April 6, 2023 at 16:11 JST
Masanori Hata in 2011 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Masanori Hata, a writer and animal lover popularly known by his nickname “Mutsugoro,” died of cardiac infarction on April 5. He was 87.
Hata became popular for his TV program, “Mutsugoro to Yukai na Nakama tachi” (Mutsugoro and his cheerful friends), which Fuji Television Network Inc. aired.
His funeral will have only his family members in attendance.
Hata was from Fukuoka Prefecture.
He moved to Hokkaido in 1971 and founded “Mutsugoro Animal Kingdom,” his private facility to keep animals, in Hamanaka town.
Later, he set up his home in Nakashibetsu town in Hokkaido.
He was also active in films and authored many books on his friendship with animals.
One of them, “Warera Dobutsu Mina Kyodai” (We animals are all siblings), received the Japan Essayist Club Award.
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