Yukio Hattori obit

Famous Japanese food critic Yuki Hattori dies at 78

 He was not on the list.

(Central News Agency reporter Dai Yazhen, special report from Tokyo on the 5th) Hattori Yukio, a well-known Japanese food critic and a judge on the classic program "Iron Chef" in the 1990s, collapsed on the 4th at the Hattori Nutrition College in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, where he was the principal. , died after being rushed to the hospital at the age of 78.

Hattori Yukio (real name Sometani Yukihiko) was born in Toshima Ward, Tokyo in 1945. His father was Hattori Michimasa (real name Sometani Ei), the founder of "Hattori Gakuen", Japan's first nutritionist and chef school.

Japanese media Sponichi Annex reported that Hattori Yukio graduated from Rikkyo University and received a doctorate in medicine from Showa University. Since 1977, he has served as the principal of Hattori Nutrition College and has promoted dietary education for many years.

In 2015, Hattori Yukio was awarded the "French Legion of Honor" by the President of France for his long-term contribution to the field of food. In 2020, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government for his achievements in cultivating a large number of talents in the food industry and serving as a member of the Food Education Promotion Conference of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Hattori Yukio has also appeared in TV shows many times. He served as a commentator and appeared as a challenger on the classic show "Iron Chef" in the 1990s. In addition, he is also well-known for serving as a commentator on variety shows such as "SMAPＸSMAP" and "Apron of Love".

In the English-dubbed version of Iron Chef, shown on the U.S. Food Network and Australia's SBS network, Hattori was often referred to as "Doc" by the show's announcer, Kenji Fukui. After being introduced, Hattori typically responded, "Always a pleasure." While his main role on the show was as a commentator, Hattori took the place of Chairman Takeshi Kaga at least once when the chairman "boycotted" Kitchen Stadium to protest the poor performance of his Iron Chefs. (The boycott was scripted in the show, as Kaga had another taping schedule that night.) Hattori also challenged the Iron Chefs at least twice. His first battle, in 1994, was against Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba; truffles were the theme ingredient. In his second battle, in 1998, he faced off against Iron Chef Japanese Koumei Nakamura over tuna. Hattori lost both battles.

His voice in the English-dubbed version of Iron Chef is supplied by Canadian-born voice actor Scott Morris. Hattori taped an appearance in season 2 of The Next Iron Chef.