Japanese author, economist Taichi Sakaiya dies at 83

Taichi Sakaiya, a bestselling author and an economist who served in key government posts, died of multiple organ failure on Friday at a Tokyo hospital, his office said. He was 83.Sakaiya, whose real name was Kotaro Ikeguchi, left the trade and industry ministry in October 1978 to become a fulltime writer. But between July 1998 and December 2000 he headed Japan's Economic Planning Agency, now the Cabinet Office, under former prime ministers of Keizo Obuchi and Yoshiro Mori.During the second administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, he served as a special advisor to the Cabinet.Sakaiya mad…READ FULL ARTICLE