Hikari Oe

Hikari Oe (b. 1962) is a Japanese composer who has autism. He is the son of Japanese author Kenzaburo Oe.

Hikari Oe was born developmentally disabled. Doctors tried to convince his parents to let their son die, but they refused to do so. Even after an operation, Oe remained visually impaired, developmentally delayed, epileptic and with limited physical coordination. He still does not speak much.

When Oe expressed interest in music, his parents arranged a piano teacher, Kumiko Tamura, for him. Instead of speaking, Oe began to express his feelings in music and through musical composition. Eventually he was taught musical notation.

Kenzaburo Oe has credited his son for influencing his literary career because he tried to give his son a "voice" through his writing.