Junji Kinoshita, Japanese playwright and scholar (b. 1914)
Junji Kinoshita (木下 順二, Kinoshita Junji, 2 August 1914 – 30 October 2006) was the foremost playwright of modern drama in postwar Japan. He was also a translator and scholar of Shakespeare's plays. Kinoshita’s achievements were not limited to Japan. He helped to promote theatrical exchanges between Japan and the People’s Republic of China, and he traveled broadly in Europe and Asia. In addition to his international work, Kinoshita joined various societies that focused on the study of folktales and the Japanese language.