"Olympic Ojisan" Naotoshi Yamada Dies at 92

Tokyo, March 18 (Jiji Press)--Japanese businessman Naotoshi Yamada, nicknamed "Olympic Ojisan," or "Olympic Guy," for his enthusiastic cheering at the Olympic Games in his gold silk hat and traditional "haori" and "hakama" attire, died of heart failure at a Tokyo hospital on March 9. He was 92. Yamada had attended all the Summer Games since the 1964 Tokyo Games, as well as the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, to cheer for Japanese athletes, waving a fan with a Japanese flag. A self-appointed international Olympic cheerleader, Yamada continued to promote peace and friendship through his exchanges. He was an entrepreneur, running multiple businesses, including operations involved in wire-rope manufacturing, hotels and real estate. END