Atsuo Inoue was born in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan on July 15th, 1947. He first began working in the mass media as a student at Waseda University in Tokyo. Later, he branched off into the fields of specific news items and interviews with selected guests from abroad, including the U.S.A. & U.K.
There have been quite a few leading Japanese book and literary publishing houses that have published a number of his works and translations. Among them is the very popular People’s Almanac. This was re-edited and translated into a seven-volume encyclopedia by Shueisha Publishers. The series went on to become one of their top sellers.
Later, he published a translation of Bob Woodward’s Wired, which also did extremely well on the Japanese market. Many of its readers’ were attracted by its unique style of ‘New Journalism’.
Futami Shobo published Zennoshiko, which translated into English as Thinking with the Total Brain. This book demonstrated how one could enhance his or her thinking through techniques that employ both the right and left sides of the brain.
Obunsha, one of the world’s leading publishers, encouraged him to translate the autobiography if Kareem Abdul Jabar, former superstar of the NBA. The book went on to make the national list of recommended books for young people.
Atsuo is most proud of his magazine work. As a student at Waseda, he wrote for WEEKLY PLAYBOY, SHUFU-TO-SEIKATSU, and JOSEI JISHIN. During his time at WEEKLY PLAYBOY, he did exclusive interviews with the son of President Jimmy Carter, George Harrison of the Beatles, and Kemmons Wilson, the president of the Holiday Inn Corporation. Another of his highlights was a series on the life of Howard Hughes.
In the mid-1980’s he wrote for the WEEKLY GENDAI, a leading mass circulation magazine. His popular article was titled: “GIWAKU NO KAMEN”, which translates as THE MASK OF THE SCANDAL. In order to prepare for this series, he went to live in Los Angeles to work with Lt. Jimmy Sakota of the LAPD.

In the following year, he put together a series for the same magazine called: “LEADING FIGURES” in modern day America. For this series he interviewed: Mayor Ed Koch of New York City, Gerald K. O’Neill of NASA, Malcolm Forbes of FORBES MAGAZINE, and the famous Los Angeles attorney, Ira Reiner.
Later, he wrote a three-month series for the WEEKLY POST called WAKAKI AMERIKA KIGYO NO SHORISA, which translates into English as VICTORS of YOUNG AMERICAN ENTREPRENERS. In this series, he interviewed Ted Turner of CNN, Bill Gates of Microsoft Company and Fred Smith of Federal Express. Following that, he wrote for SEISHUN TO DOKUSHO. As part of this project he went to England to interview Mr. Archer.
Since the new century, Atsuo has been very prolific translating, What Dogs Tell Us for Penguin in 2003, Heartfelt Expressions for Jitsugyo no nihonsha in January, 2004 and most recent, Kokozashitakaku: “Aim High!” The Biography of Masayoshi Son in May of 2004.
Mr. Inoue lives in the heart of the city in Aoyoma, Minato-ward of central Tokyo. He is an avid swimmer and sportsman.