Overview
- Ninomiya died at 2:40 a.m. Monday in a Fukuoka hospital of aspiration pneumonia and renal failure, according to multiple Japanese outlets.
- The funeral is set for Saturday, May 9, at 1 p.m. at Youbel Sekizensha Fukuoka Saijo Sakurazaka Hall in Fukuoka, with his wife, Hideyo, serving as chief mourner.
- He won the light-heavyweight (93 kg) gold medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, a career-defining victory in Japanese judo.
- After retiring from competition, he became chief instructor for the Fukuoka Prefectural Police, refereed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and led the Kyushu Judo Association.
- Peers remembered a towering judoka known for a sharp osoto-gari throw and for mentoring younger athletes across Kyushu and at Tenri University.