Robert C. Neff, who was at the center of America’s debate about a rapidly rising Japan in the late 1980s, died July 31 at his home in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture, after a long illness. He was 77 years old. He is survived by his wife of more than 40 years, Fumiko Sekizawa. His death was announced by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.

Neff was born on July 22, 1947, in St. Louis, Missouri. His missionary parents were posted to Asia, leading Neff to spend much of his youth in Japan, where he attended the American School in Japan and developed native fluency in the Japanese language.