Composer Maki Ishii died Tuesday of thyroid cancer at a hospital in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, his family said. He was 66.
A native of Tokyo, Ishii studied in Berlin and was best known for works reflecting a fusion of Japanese traditional music and Western music.
He conducted various orchestra and chamber music productions, and produced a wide variety of works, including "Mono-Prism" for Japanese drums and an orchestra in 1976.
He traveled widely in Europe, the United States and Asia, conducting at the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, Radio Symphony Orchestra Beijing, festivals, opera and ballet productions.
He held antinuclear concerts during the 1980s and formed a group with other musicians, including conductor Hiroyuki Iwaki, to campaign against nuclear arms.