Forbes Asia has named Japanese rock star YOSHIKI one of Asia’s 30 Heroes of Philanthropy in 2019.
Forbes’ 13th annual Heroes of Philanthropy list honors billionaires, entrepreneurs, and celebrities who are committed to solving the most pressing issues facing the Asia-Pacific, including Jack Ma (former chairman of Chinese multinational conglomerate Alibaba), Azim Premji (founder and chairman of India’s giant tech firm Wipro), and Suh Kyung-bae (CEO of Amorepacific Group, South Korea’s largest cosmetics company).
Forbes highlights YOSHIKI’s ongoing commitment to world change through his 501(c)(3) Yoshiki Foundation America, which has raised over $1.5 million dollars in its mission for disaster relief, environmental recovery, cancer research, and education in Japan and the United States as well as other areas worldwide.
Forbes: “Asia’s 2019 Heroes of Philanthropy: Catalysts for Change”
In 2019 alone, YOSHIKI donated $100,000 to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Earth Alliance to combat Amazon forest fires, 10 million yen to support victims and survivors of the Kyoto Animation Fire, $90,000 to disaster relief for forest fires in South Korea, 10 million yen to Japan’s Chiba prefecture which suffered a devastating blow from Typhoon Faxai, and 10 million yen to aid Typhoon Hagibis Victims in Eastern Japan, and $150,000 to the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.
In previous years, YOSHIKI donated 10 million yen in 2018 for heavy rain disaster in western Japan and 10 million yen the same year to victims of the Eastern Iburi earthquake. In 2017, YOSHIKI donated $100,000 to disaster relief for Hurricane Harvey victims in Texas through the Recording Academy’s MusiCares® Foundation.
In 2016, YOSHIKI donated 10 million yen to the victims of the Kumamoto earthquakes. In 2015, his band X JAPAN donated 28 million yen to the earthquake reconstruction of Ishinomaki. In addition, YOSHIKI has contributed to numerous other charities since creating his foundation in 2010.
YOSHIKI’s ongoing charity work includes supporting the Japanese Red Cross, the Make A Wish Foundation, the Grammy Foundation, and multiple other organizations including the Pablove Foundation which supports children with childhood cancer.
For more information, visit: https://www.yoshikifoundationamerica.org/.
YOSHIKI Official Website: https://www.yoshiki.net/