Sōichi Ōya was a Japanese journalist noted for his research and commentaries on popular culture.
Background
Born in what is now part of Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan where his father was a soy sauce brewer, Ōya showed an early interest in social issues, and after dropping out of the University of Tokyo, he became involved in the Japan Fabian Society (a gradualist Socialist group).
Career
He was also active as a literary essayist and founded the Mass Communication Juku (マスコミ塾, literally the "Mass Communication Workshop"). Most of his literary works are included in the Ōya Sōichi Zenshū (大宅壮一全集) published by Sōyōsha (蒼洋社). He was praised "as an iconoclast and hailed for the "heckling spirit" he had cultivated throughout his career," but he has also been criticized for his critical attitude towards new religions.