Named in memory of Kyu Sakamoto (1941-1985), a popular singer in Japan who was beloved as Kyu-chan. His songs “Let's walk turning our faces upward”, “Look up at the stars at night” and others were big hits. The first song (English title “Sukiyaki”) became one of the world's bestsellers. This planet also symbolizes the famous trio of which Kyu Sakamoto was a member, with songwriter Rokusuke Ei and pianist Hachidai Nakamura: in Japanese, Roku is 6, Kyu 9 and Hachi 8. Name proposed by the discoverers following a suggestion by T. Sato, A. Fujii and Y. Katagiri.