Noburu Inamoto; Expert on Japan Taught at USC

Noburu Inamoto, 78, expert on Japanese language, history and culture. A native of Vancouver, Canada, Inamoto studied in Japan and eventually earned degrees from the University of Minnesota and Columbia University. During World War II, he was interned in Idaho and then sent to the Army Specialized Training Program in Minnesota. Inamoto taught at USC from 1953 until his retirement in 1986. He and his wife, Barbara, conducted several monthlong educational tours of Japan. Inamoto also hosted groups of students from Japan for intercultural conferences at USC. He wrote several books on Japanese and American culture, including the grammar book “Colloquial Japanese,” handwriting book “Japanese Primer” and in 1994 “Three Homelands” about his Japanese roots, Canadian birthplace and U.S. citizenship. On July 30 in Los Angeles from complications of a series of strokes.