Taira Hara Dies at 63

Hara Taira (63), a popular cartoonist known for his frequent appearance on the quiz show "Quiz Derby," passed away at a hospital in Fujimi city in the Saitama Prefecture on November 10th. The cause of death was liver failure. The date of the funeral service has not been decided.

Hara Taira has been contributing works to manga magazines since his teens, and he became a mangaka in 1963. His works such as "Gebageba Jihyou" and "Monrou-chan" are known for their nonsense gags and high spirit.

Ever since 1976, Hara Taira has been appearing on the TV quiz show "Quiz Derby" as a regular contestant thanks to his wide range of knowledge. For the past 16 years, Hara Taira was known for his popular catch phrase "I bet all my points on Hara Taira-san!" (Because he always answers a majority of his questions correctly)

Hara Taira also wrote books about personal computers and English for the middle-aged and older people. He also published his experience of man's menopause syndrome and facing up to it.