He is credited with spurring the development of the compact disc (CD)[1] as a commercially viable audio format.

[2] When he was a child, he suffered tuberculosis that kept him in bed for a long time during which an acquaintance taught him physics and music.

As a young man, Ohga aspired to be a professional opera singer, and went on to read at the prestigious Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, graduating in 1953.

[3] Ohga went on to study music in Munich and Berlin, where he formed a friendship with the conductor Herbert von Karajan.

His international recognition included the Japanese Medal of Honor with Blue Ribbon (1988), Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (2001) and France's Legion of Honour.