Kyodo via Yahoo: Iwatani International founder Iwatani, 'father of propane', dies
Naoji Iwatani, founder of Iwatani International Corp. and known as the "father of propane gas" in Japan for selling the product for household use for the first time, died Tuesday of old age at a hospital in Yao, Osaka Prefecture, the company said. He was 102...In 1953, when most Japanese households were still using firewood for cooking, Iwatani International launched sales of liquefied petroleum gas under the brand name Marui Propane, marking Japan's first sales of propane gas as household fuel.
