Yoshiki has donated 10 million yen (appx. $100,000) to the National Center for Global Health and Medicine through his 501c3 non-profit organization Yoshiki Foundation America.
The National Center for Global Health and Medicine researches infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases, including the coronavirus. The organization’s Center Hospital is the National Center’s only general hospital, and it has the largest number of accommodations for specified infectious diseases.
With the world in chaos due to the spread of the coronavirus, YOSHIKI has been stressing the importance of properly handling the coronavirus, even before Japan declared a state of emergency. Now that there are over 10,000 coronavirus cases in Japan, the health system is likely to collapse. Fearing this situation, YOSHIKI has donated to support frontline healthcare providers.
YOSHIKI commented on the donation:
“In America, where I live, there have been over 54,000 coronavirus deaths. It’s so sad. I heard that, unfortunately, the virus has also been spreading in Japan. It saddens me that people working in the entertainment industry, including myself, as well as people from many other industries, are economically and psychologically stressed because nobody knows when things will settle down. However, I believe that the people we should be supporting are the healthcare workers who are treating coronavirus patients as we speak. I wanted to support as much as I could. I want people, including myself, to remember that the actions of everyone who’s enduring staying home are contributing thousands of times more to the healthcare workers than what I have donated. I will also do my best as a musician to support people.”
The National Center for Global Health and Medicine commented regarding YOSHIKI’s donation:
“Our center aims to contribute to the health and welfare of people in Japan and all around the world through the fields of medical care, research, education, and international cooperation. Our mission includes the identification, assessment, prevention, diagnosis, and development of cutting-edge treatments for infectious diseases and other diseases, as well as promoting the development of medical supplies and equipment to make it possible to apply those treatments in clinical sites. We believe that this is exactly what YOSHIKI has been supporting. Our staff members will continue their dedicated efforts to overcome the critical situation Japan is facing today.”
In March, the Japanese rock star donated $100,000 to the COVID-19 Relief Fund in the U.S. established by The Recording Academy/GRAMMYs and its charitable foundation MusiCares to help music creators and professionals affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Additionally, this year alone, YOSHIKI has also donated 10 million yen (appx. $100,000) to the Japan Red Cross in commemoration of the ninth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and donated a total of $24,000 to Meals on Wheels branches across Los Angeles for seniors affected by the coronavirus situation.
YOSHIKI also donated a combined $100,000 to Australian Wildfire Relief and the Rainforest Trust. He has supported numerous other humanitarian causes, including donating $100,000 to disaster relief for Hurricane Harvey victims in Texas in 2017.
YOSHIKI was interviewed by BBC News about the COVID-19 pandemic and collaborating with Bono, will.i.am, and Jennifer Hudson to create the hopeful new song “#SING4LIFE.”
YOSHIKI recently hosted a conversation with Nobel Laureate Shinya Yamanaka (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and director of the Center for iPS Cell Research) to discuss worldwide health concerns. The video was streamed worldwide on Yoshiki Channel International.
