‘Iron Chef’ Kenichi Chen Dies at Age 67

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:58 JST, March 14, 2023

Chef Kenichi Chen, famous for his appearances on the popular TV series “Ryouri no Tetsujin” (Iron Chef), died in a Tokyo hospital on Saturday due to interstitial pneumonia. He was 67.

Chen was known as “Chyuka no Tetsujin,” or the iron man of Chinese cuisine.

Born in Tokyo in 1956, Chen’s real name was Kenichi Azuma. His father was a chef from China who introduced Sichuan cuisine throughout Japan.

Chen was chairman of the Szechwan Restaurant group and also chaired The Japan Association of Chinese Cuisine from 2011.