Animator Satoshi Kon (b. 1963) died on August 24. Kon began drawing manga for Young magazine and eventually became an animator, working on films including Rojin Z and Memories. In 1998, he directed Perfect Blue. He was currently working on The Dream Machine.
The Seiun Award winners were announced in Japan the weekend of August 6. Traditionally, the awards for translated works are presented to the winners at Worldcon.
Author Gene van Troyer (b.1950) died on July 18. Van Troyer not only wrote his own science fiction, but also worked to translate Japanese science fiction into English. His poetry appeared in numerous science fiction magazines and he was one-time editor of Star*Line. He first visited Japan as an exchange student in 1974 and has been living in Japan for the last several years.