Fujita Haruko 

(藤田晴子, February 25, 1918 – October 10, 2001) was a Japanese

pianist, teacher, music critic, and jurist. Born to a family of jurists, she became one of the
leading Japanese pianists of the 1930s. After the Pacific War she turned from music to
jurisprudence, becoming one of the first female students enrolled at University of Tokyo.
In later life she primarily worked as an academic, music critic, and constitutional scholar.

Biography[edit]
Fujita was born in Tokyo in 1918;[1] her father was an international lawyer.[2] In 1923 she
and her family moved to Leipzig, Germany, where she became fluent in German.[2] Later
in life she also became fluent in English, French, and Italian.[1]
In 1930 Fujita began to study piano with Leo Sirota, who had immigrated to Japan with
his family in 1929. In 1931 her father became ill, which strained her family's finances.
Sirota pledged to support the development of her talents and taught her free of charge.
Later when Fujita was preparing for her public debut recital, Sirota's wife showed her
support by gifting her a concert gown.[2] Fujita's father died in May 1945.[1]
During the 1930s Fujita ascended into the forefront of Japanese pianists.[3] In 1936 Fujita
was the runner-up in the piano division of the Fifth Japan Music Competition [ja]. The
1937 contest was canceled because of the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War,
but she shared the top prize with Tanaka Sonoko [ja] when it resumed in 1938.[4] In 1941
her Nippon Victor recording of the Japanese Fantasia for piano and orchestra
by Yamamoto Naotada [ja] was awarded the Ministry of Education Prize. She was also
the member of a piano trio with violinist Suzuki Shinichi and his cellist brother Fumio,
which they founded in 1937.[1]
After the start of the Pacific War, Fujita became a frequent soloist in concerts with
the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.[5] When her teacher Sirota was banned from public
performance because of his Jewish heritage, Fujita was abruptly asked to deputize for
him in a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in Yokohama.
[6] When Sirota and his wife were forcibly relocated to Karuizawa in 1944, Fujita kept her
former teacher supplied with food rations.[7] After the war in 1946 Fujita unsuccessfully
campaigned for Sirota to remain in Japan.[8]
Changing styles of piano performance disillusioned Fujita.[9] She enrolled at the Faculty
of Law at the University of Tokyo, becoming one of the institution's first 19 female
students.[1][10] After graduating in 1949 she worked as a research assistant at the
University of Tokyo,[1] then as a librarian at the National Diet Library;[10] she was
promoted to director of the Political Administration Bureau in 1966.[1] After retiring from
her post at the National Diet Library, Fujita joined the faculty of Yachiyo International
University.[1] She was also a respected constitutional scholar[2] and music critic.[11]
Fujita was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class, in 1988. She died on
October 20, 2001.[1]