Ryōichi Sasakawa
|Sasakawa Ryōichi|May 4, 1899, in Minoh City, Osaka – July 18, 1995, in Tokyo}} was a
Japanese businessman, philanthropist, far-right politician and suspected war criminal. He was born in
Minoh, Osaka. In the 1930s and during the
Second World War he was active both in finance and in politics, actively supporting the Japanese war effort including raising his own paramilitary units. He was elected to the
Japanese parliament during the war. After Japan's defeat he was imprisoned for a time, accused of war crimes, and then found financial success in various business ventures, including motorboat-racing gambling events (''
Kyōtei'') and ship building. He supported anticommunist activities, including the
World Anti-Communist League. In 1951 he helped found the
Nippon Foundation and became its first president. The foundation has done charitable work around the world, for which it and Sasakawa have received many official honors.
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