Naokazu Takeuchi, founder and former representative of the Consumers Union of Japan, died Dec. 16 of a ruptured aorta, acquaintances said Wednesday. He was 83.
A Kyoto native, Takeuchi graduated from the Tokyo Imperial University, which is now the University of Tokyo, in 1942 and joined the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry. He served as the accounting section chief at the ministry and as counselor at the general planning department of the Economic Planning Agency before retiring in 1968.
In 1969, he set up a committee to create a consumer union and became its first representative when it was established in 1974.
He wrote many books as a consumer movement expert, including "Shohisha Undo Sengen" ("Declaration of the Consumer Movement") and "Kigyo Kenryoku to Shohisha" ("Company Power and Consumers").