Ben Okano was born in 1927. He joined the Sankei Press in 1951, working as a music correspondent, after his graduation from the University. He has been to the United States, the Soviet Union and many European countries with the purpose of covering and reporting various music events as a reporter.
In 1971, after his resignation from Sankei, he was appointed to the position of president in a joint-stock company with Billboard Publications Inc., USA. In 1981, he became a publisher-advisor of Music Labs Inc. Mr Okano also served as an executive director of the International Friendship Association in Japan.
Mr Okano was also a judge for the International Contest of Tokyo Music Festival and The World Song Festival in America.
He is now serving as a director of the Minoru Endoh Music Foundation.
