"Five years ago, most people were skeptical about the eradication," said Sasakawa, 67, who assumed the chairmanship of the foundation last summer, in a recent interview with The Japan Times.

Now the world is coming very close to conquering a disease that has afflicted societies in most parts of the globe for centuries, obviously due in no small measure to Sasakawa's continuous and strenuous efforts.

Yohei Sasakawa

The number of countries where leprosy is endemic has plummeted from 122 in 1985 to seven -- Nepal, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Brazil and Central Africa.

"India, which accounted for most of the patients in the past, in January declared its success in conquering the disease while Brazil is expected to issue a 'conquer declaration' soon," Sasakawa said.

The "conquer declaration" is issued, pursuant to World Health Organization standards, when a leprosy-plagued country with a population of 1 million or more has reduced the number of patients to one in 10,000 of the population.

Since the development in the early 1980s of "wonder" multidrug therapy (MDT), 13 million leprosy patients have been cured. The Nippon Foundation has delivered MDT free since 1995, and has so far spent approximately 30 billion yen since 1975 on helping to eradicate the disease.

Sasakawa's father, Ryoichi (1899-1995), established the Japan Shipbuilding Industry Promotion Foundation in 1962, which is now known as the Nippon Foundation. The organization is technically under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The foundation has few parallels around the world in that it operates on 3.3 percent of the proceeds from motorboat races held by local governments throughout the country. Its annual budget in recent years ranged from a little more than 35 billion yen to 86 billion yen.

In 2004, for instance, the foundation spent about 26.22 billion yen to conduct public-interest or assistance activities, including 10.2 billion yen for maritime affairs, and 12.04 billion yen for public-interest and welfare activities.

Sasakawa said he had followed in the footsteps of his father who had taken him to various parts of the world. His father's celebrated philosophy -- "the world is one family; all mankind are brothers and sisters" -- became a Japanese household phrase because of frequent television commercials in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Lifelong commitment

"Although we are private people, we are entrusted with using a large amount of public money. I'm always telling my people to be public-minded and cost-conscious, and do things better than Kasumigaseki (government) officials," said Sasakawa.

He spends about one-third of the year (134 days last year) abroad, mostly in developing or underdeveloped countries, to promote foundation programs, deliver speeches and meet leaders and people at grass-roots levels. Last year, he visited India seven times mainly for the crusade against leprosy. "I can meet the presidents and prime ministers of any countries I visit if I want, not because I've been serving as WHO's special ambassador for the elimination of leprosy (since 2001), but because they know I represent the Nippon Foundation."

He has met top leaders of many countries and persuaded them to cooperate in defeating leprosy. "No one can deny the importance of the cause. If the president gives an instruction, the administration starts to work. I visit colonies of leprosy patients and talk to them. If you want to promote important and worthwhile programs, and accomplish something, it is better to address the issue both from the administration side and from the grass-roots level."

Although most of the world's leprosy patients have been cured, which Sasakawa says "represents a milestone," the disease continues to cause social discrimination. Even those who have been cured are often unable to return to their places in the community, and many are no better off than when they were first diagnosed with the disease.

Sasakawa declared he would shortly launch a major campaign, involving local leaders and grass-roots groups, to eradicate the beggar colonies of former leprosy patients in India.

On Jan. 29, Sasakawa and 11 others, including five Nobel Peace Prize laureates and the presidents of two countries, jointly issued a "global appeal to end stigma and discrimination against people affected by leprosy." They appealed to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights to take up this matter as an item on its agenda, and requested that it issue principles and guidelines for governments to follow in eliminating all discrimination against people affected by leprosy.

Protecting the sea

Although Sasakawa regards himself as an optimist, he expressed concern over the possibility that Japan's rights to its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) may be infringed as a result of Japanese inaction.

"Japan is an island nation and must be more vigilant of smugglers, poachers and invaders. It must change from a country protected by the sea to a country that protects the sea," he said.

The foundation put on public display in Tokyo a salvaged North Korean spy ship with the aim of helping people to understand the importance of protecting national waters from acts of invasion. About 1.63 million people visited the foundation's Science Museum of Ships to view the spy ship, which was sunk in December 2001 and salvaged in September 2002. "We have three think tanks, but what we should have are do tanks," Sasakawa said.

Many countries have been strengthening maritime policies since the EEZ system went into effect in 1994 with the adoption of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Japan has done little about utilizing its EEZ -- the world's sixth largest in area and fourth largest in volume (that means the depths of waters are also counted). The government's inaction has allowed China to arbitrarily explore and develop natural gas resources in Japan's EEZ in the East China Sea, Sasakawa thinks.

"Japan must create integrated competent authorities on maritime affairs, which now involve 10 or so ministries and government agencies, including the ministries of economy, trade and industry, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, land, infrastructure and transport, and the environment, as well as the Meteorological Agency," he said. "Japan is behind China and South Korea in this regard, let alone the United States and Australia. Britain has integrated frameworks for shipbuilding, navigational safety, sea pollution and sailors."

Sasakawa has been urging the government to formulate a maritime basic law that will require the government to create competent authorities inside the Cabinet Office to comprehensively deal with maritime affairs with a state minister in charge. The foundation first submitted such policy proposals in 2002 to then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda. Sasakawa expects the proposals to be translated into law in a couple of years.

He maintains that Japan should seek the "sustainable development of maritime activities," which he defines as "an international policy framework that leads to the coexistence of the seas and people."

Malacca Strait security

The foundation has provided financial assistance of some $100 million for the erection of 45 lighthouses and other navigational aids. Engineers from Japan visit the strait to help to maintain the navigational aids and train local personnel.

Insurance circles, which have designated the strait as a high-risk waterway, have raised premiums on it.

"In high-risk areas where the safety of navigation incurs high costs, those concerned need to examine a new system where the burden should be borne not only by the coastal countries but also by the users," he stressed. "Because the oceans benefit people in all countries and are the common heritage of mankind, they are everyone's responsibility."