Shirota Minoru
Shirota Minoru ( Japanese 代 田 稔 ; born April 23, 1899 in Tatsuoka (today: Iida ), Nagano Prefecture , Japan; † March 10, 1982 in Tokyo ) was a Japanese microbiologist and company founder . He discovered a special strain of the yoghurt bacterium Lactobacillus casei , the Lactobacillus casei Shirota named after him , with which he developed the yoghurt drinking yakult .
Life
Minoru Shirota grew up in a family that was traditionally engaged in paper and silk manufacture. When many children died in his hometown from malnutrition and infectious diseases, he became interested in medical questions. In 1921 he began to study medicine at the University of Kyoto .
During the Second Sino-Japanese War he was a military doctor in China, where he received a professorship at Harbin Medical University . After the war was over, he returned to Japan and founded the Shirota Research Center in 1939 . In 1955, his company was registered as KK Yakult Honsha ( 株式会社 ヤ ク ル ト 本社 Kabushiki-gaisha Yakuruto Honsha ) in Tokyo.
Shirota was married and had a son.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Shirota Minoru |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 代 田 稔 (Japanese) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Japanese bacteriologist and company founder |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 23, 1899 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Tatsuoka (now: Iida ), Nagano Prefecture , Japan |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 10, 1982 |
| Place of death | Tokyo |