Named in honor of Yoshihide Kozai, astronomer and celestial mechanician at the Tokyo Observatory, whose interests include natural and artificial satellites, the motions of comets and minor planets, families of minor planets, and the use of satellite and lunar positions for astronomy and geodesy. His investigation of the theory of secular perturbations of minor planets of large orbital inclination or eccentricity led to the recognition of the first object known to exhibit argument-of-perihelion libration. (M 9770) _ _.