is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9-dan. He is a former Kisei, Kià Â, and à Âshà  title holder.
Minami was born in Kishiwada, Osaka on June 8, 1963. He entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school at the rank of 5-kyà « in 1975 as a protegee of shogi professional . He obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in January 1981.
Minami is a member of the so-called Shà Âwa 55 group (55å¹´çµÂ), a group of eight strong players that become professional in 1980âÂÂ1981 (year 55 of the Shà Âwa period) and won numerous shogi tournaments. Others in the group include Osamu Nakamura, Michio Takahashi, Akira Shima, Yasuaki Tsukada, Hiroshi Kamiya, Masaki Izumi, and .
In January 2018, Minami became the 20th shogi professional to win 800 official games and be awarded Shogi Honor Fighting-spirit Award by the JSA.
Minami finished the 81st Meijin Ranking League season with a record of 1 wins and 9 losses in Class C2. Since his result earned him a second relegation point, he decided to become "Free class" player instead of risking the automatic relegation that happens when a player receives three relegation points in Class C2.
Minami is known for his steady style of starting games slowly as for his quiet manner and strict seiza posture during games. For these reasons, his style is often referred to as the after the Jizà  statues common to Japanese Buddhism.
The promotion history for Minami is as follows:
Minami has appeared in major title matches a total of sixteen times, and has won seven major titles. In addition to major titles, Minami has won six non-title championships during his career.
Note: Tournaments marked with an asterisk (*) are no longer held.
Minami has received a number of awards and honors throughout his career for his accomplishments both on an off the shogi board. These include awards given out annually by the JSA for performance in official games as well as other JSA awards for career accomplishments, and awards received from governmental organizations, etc. for contributions made to Japanese society.