Our Founder
[Jun. 24, 2008]
Ryoichi Sasakawa (1899-1995) was born on May 4, 1899, in what is today known as Minoo City, between Osaka and Kyoto. He is best known for the controversy that continues to surround him as a result of his unapologetically nationalistic stance, and the gambling-based philanthropic machine that he constructed following the war.
Highlights from his life include: conscription as an aviator into Japan's peace-time army; success on the highly-speculative early 1900s Osaka commodities market; founding of the small but vocal National People's Party; jail for 3 years, followed by acquittal; election to the national legislature as an independent candidate; voluntary prison time served at Sugamo Prison; and most importantly, the establishment of a philanthropic enterprise that eventually expanded to support humanitarian projects around the world.
Early Years
In 1919, at the age of 20 Ryoichi Sasakawa was conscripted into the army, as a private in the army's Second Air Battalion. In the battalion, previous flying experience helped him to rise quickly, attaining the rank of lance corporal. However, in 1921, his shoulder was smashed when starting a plane, and he was discharged.
This period in Sasakawa's life was pivotal. Not only was he denied a military career in aviation, but shortly thereafter, his father passed away, leaving considerable assets to him as the eldest son. Sasakawa invested these assets heavily in the mid-1920s Osaka rice exchange, making a remarkable fortune in a short time. Thereafter, he continued to amass wealth through contrarian investments in the stock market, and minimized his risks by moving into the mining and industrial fields.
This was also the period for Sasakawa's first foray into politics--a four-year term as a village assemblyman. At the end of his term however, he opted to not run again, saying that he had already achieved everything he would ever be able to do in that position.