May 4, 1899 - Ryōichi Sasakawa
Few figures of the twentieth century managed so complete a reinvention: from financing paramilitary operations in wartime Japan to receiving international honors for philanthropy, Sasakawa's trajectory traced one of the era's more unsettling arcs. His postwar rehabilitation — built on gambling revenues and anti-communist networks — allowed him to move through respectable circles worldwide while his wartime record remained a source of serious historical dispute. The tension between his charitable legacy and his earlier activities makes him a singular case in the study of how power, money, and memory interact.
From Wikipedia
Ryōichi Sasakawa (笹川 良一, Sasakawa Ryōichi; May 4, 1899 – July 18, 1995) was a Japanese businessman, far-right politician, class A war criminal, and philanthropist.
In the 1930s and during the Second World War, he was active both in finance and in politics, actively supporting the Japanese war effort including raising his own paramilitary units.
After Japan's defeat he was accused of war crimes and imprisoned for a time. After his release, he found financial success in various business ventures, including motorboat-racing gambling events (Kyōtei) and ship building. He supported anti-communist activities, including the World Anti-Communist League. In 1951 he founded the Nippon Foundation and became its first president. The foundation has done charitable work around the world, for which it and Sasakawa have received many official honors.
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