Kenjiro Shinozuka, the first Japanese driver to win the Paris-Dakar in 1997, died Monday at the age of 75 from pancreatic cancer. The Japanese participated in the Dakar until 2007 despite a serious accident in 2003 which left him in a coma, still finishing on the podium twice (1998 and 2002) He also distinguished himself on the Ivory Coast rally, with two victories in 1991 and 1992.
After 2008, he participated in solar car races at Tokai University in Tokyo.