Born in Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan in 1957. Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Letters. While a student, he encountered documentary film through his involvement with Minamata disease activism. In 1981, he worked as assistant director on The Innocent Sea (dir. Naotaka Katori). After meeting residents of the Agano River during the film’s screening tour, he began filming there, living with his crew from 1989. He completed Living on the River Agano (1992), which received international acclaim. He later worked as a filmmaker, writer, and educator, teaching at Film School of Tokyo and Kyoto University of Art and Design. He passed away in 2007.