Ashinaga alum Dr. Masao Kaneki, 50, accedes to post of deputy president
¡ÁRevamped structure will emphasize global role of Ashinaga¡Á

At the 31st meeting of the Ashinaga board of directors, and the 28th meeting of the Ashinaga Board of Councilors, both of which were held on March 27 in Tokyo, vice president Masao Kaneki was newly appointed as deputy president, while Osamu Fujimura was newly approved as a vice president. Yoshiomi Tamai will continue in his position as president. Current vice presidents Hakubun Shimomura, Osamu Murata, Takehiko Murayama, and Fumihiro Aono were reconfirmed in their posts, and will play important roles in supporting the new structure.

Mr. Tamai is committed to continuing his focus on efforts to aid orphans, but he recognizes that his current health issues -- he is wrestling with Parkinson¡Çs syndrome -- may at some point limit his activities. For more than ten years, Mr. Tamai has keenly hoped that Dr. Kaneki would succeed him as president of Ashinaga, and now the stage has been set for Dr. Kaneki to take over the reins of the organization if anything should happen to Mr. Tamai.

Dr. Kaneki, 50, is a former Ashinaga scholarship student. He obtained his medical degree and clinical training at the University of Tokyo, and currently works as an associate professor at Harvard Medical School in the U.S. In spite of the recent recession, he has continued to win research funding from the U.S. government and academic organizations. During his 15 years in the U.S., Dr. Kaneki has led doctors and researchers from various countries while focusing on basic research oriented toward developing new treatments for such illnesses as diabetes, severe infections, and HIV/AIDS.

While an undergraduate at the University of Tokyo in 1984, Dr. Kaneki acted as overall leader at the first ¡ÈYamanakako Assembly¡É (a gathering for Ashinaga scholarship students in university). Today he continues to make significant contributions to the advancement of the organization, attending the Yamanakako Assembly each year as a speaker and acting as an advisor on topics such as the overseas study programs for scholarship recipients, as well as efforts to give orphans from overseas the opportunity to study at Japanese universities. As deputy president, he will continue to support President Tamai as Ashinaga prepares to move into a new era.

As seen in outcomes such as the suprapartisan efforts to enact the ¡ÈChild Poverty Prevention Act,¡É proposed by orphans and their mothers, 40-plus years of the Ashinaga movement have realized a certain level of achievement in supporting orphans in Japan. On the occasion of his accession to the post of deputy president, Dr. Kaneki stated, ¡ÈAmidst the rapidly expanding rich-poor gap around the globe, Ashinaga does not have the option of ¡Æmaintaining the status quo.¡Ç Now is the time for us -- for the Ashinaga ¡Æfamily¡Ç -- to explore our unique capabilities, and to find new goals, establish new principles, and make our case to the world.¡É

Dr. Kaneki further elaborated on his hopes for the future, saying, ¡ÈAshinaga is entering a ¡ÆNew Age of Education.¡Ç Both in Japan and in other countries, it is becoming increasingly difficult to resolve problems solely through providing scholarships. There are currently many people who, while they are able to graduate from high school, are unable to find a job. Many of these people end up losing hope in today¡Çs unequal society. While continuing to work to enable all orphans to attain their dream of obtaining a higher education, I hope to provide a platform that will enable society to hear the voices of children who have lost parents, and their mothers and fathers, who struggle to survive amidst sorrow and poverty. In today¡Çs global economy, difficulties in finding a job, unemployment itself, and the abrupt cancellation of temporary staff contracts, are all linked to the expansion of social divisions in other countries. In order to adequately address, the issue of poverty among orphan households in Japan, it will be important to collaborate with orphans around the world. It is my hope that we former Ashinaga scholars -- the recipients of ¡Æunconditional love¡Ç from Ashinaga donors and supporters -- will spread this love around the world. Currently, with an eye toward the 100th anniversary in 2012 of the publication of the novel Daddy-Long-Legs (the original inspiration behind the Ashinaga movement), we are working on plans for a project that will call on like-minded people around the world to assist orphans from Africa -- considered one of the poorest regions on Earth -- in obtaining the opportunity to study at universities not just in Japan, but in other countries, as well. I hope that we can join with these orphans from Africa in helping and encouraging each other as we strive together to cultivate an ¡ÆAshinaga Society¡Ç (culture of philanthropy), and that we will grow into a group that contributes to the world as a whole.¡É