Address at the Nippon Foundation – Osaka University Infectious Disease Response Project Kick-Off Symposium

Video Message

I am Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of The Nippon Foundation. The Nippon Foundation supports the infectious disease project by Osaka University with an aim to strengthen infection control in the post-COVID-19 era. It is indeed an honor for me to be speaking to you at the project’s kick-off symposium.

Smallpox is an infectious disease that had existed from ancient times. It killed many people in Japan too. The Nippon Foundation cooperated in the eradication of this disease. The last push to eliminate smallpox was made with a patient in Ethiopia. With this, smallpox was eradicated. After that, I worked on elimination of leprosy, another infectious disease. From 1995 to 2000, we distributed drugs for treating leprosy around the world for free, and saved more than 5 million patients.

I feel that fate brings me to work on infectious diseases. The Nippon Foundation, however, has provided support in other areas of medicine too. For example, more than 30 years ago, there were no hospice nurses providing special care for cancer patients. Partnering with a nursing association, we launched the Hospice Nurse Project and trained more than 5,000 hospice nurses. Today, more than 70% of the elderly say they would prefer to die at home. We set up home nursing centers in many parts of Japan in an effort to build a framework where nurses can visit people’s homes and provide care. Meanwhile, there are children who suffer from intractable diseases. Sadly, some children have to be attached to oxygen cylinders all the time. To support families facing a considerable burden of caring for such children, The Nippon Foundation has set up respite care facilities. The Nippon Foundation has also set up facilities for children who are born with disabilities and who have grown up with disabilities.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the global COVD-19 pandemic has truly been a baffling experience for us. The future emergence of other novel infections is also being discussed in the context of climate change. As for infection control, we are truly delighted to cooperate with Osaka University, which is second to none in Japan in terms of history, tradition, and concrete achievements in this field. At the same time, it is the sincere wish of The Nippon Foundation that Osaka University will provide an open platform where the world’s leading scientists can visit and conduct joint research. In conclusion, I sincerely hope that today’s symposium will yield significant results. Thank you very much.

*This video message is available at The Nippon Foundation YouTube.