Seiichiro Kudo, a scholar of Russian literature who translated numerous Russian literary works into Japanese, died July 9 in Sapporo, his family said Thursday. He was 86.

Kudo, a former professor at Kansai University, produced renditions of Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace," Fyodor Dostoevski's "Crime and Punishment" and a memoir by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

The Sapporo resident's funeral has already been held, the family said.