Jun 25, 2020 (NHK) - The head of the company that operates the Uniqlo clothing chain has pledged 10 billion yen, or about 94 million dollars, of his own money to medical research under two Japanese Nobel laureates.
Yanai Tadashi, chairman and CEO of Fast Retailing, held a news conference on Wednesday at Kyoto University.
He was joined by Honjo Tasuku, co-winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and Yamanaka Shinya, co-winner of the same prize in 2012.
Yanai described cancer and the coronavirus as the biggest medical challenges.
He said he will donate 500 million yen, or about 4.6 million dollars, every year over the next decade for research and training at the university's Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology. The center is headed by Honjo.
Yanai pledged another 500 million yen for coronavirus research led by Yamanaka. He will also donate the same amount every year for nine years starting in fiscal 2021 to build a facility for low-cost production of iPS cells.
Honjo expressed gratitude, saying it is an advantage for a private fund to be able to use money for new, freely created ideas.
Yamanaka said he feels a heavy responsibility. He said he cannot ensure 100 percent success, but his team will do its best.
