[KineJapan] Familial question for the assembled company: help appreciated!

[jimharper666 at yahoo.co.uk]

Good morning!

I hope you are all well.

I have a question about horror director and former Kiyoshi Kurosawa collaborator Ataru Oikawa, director of three Tomie movies and the two Higurashi no naku koro ni films. Does anyone know- or would it be possible to find out?- if he is related to frequent Ryuichi Hiroka collaborator Shotaro Oikawa, who scripted Tokyo Trash Baby? I ask because he also wrote another Tomie film, and Ataru Oikawa's first Tomie film starred Mami Nakamura from Tokyo Trash Baby. I'm not certain but it definitely seems plausible they might be brothers or perhaps cousins.

Can anyone here help? I'd prefer not to miss a connection like that, should it exist.

All the best,

Jim Harper.