Uniqlo chief to donate for cancer, virus research

Jun 25, 2020 | News On Japan

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.

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.