Youhei Sasakawa has spent over four decades fighting leprosy and the stigma surrounding it—work that's earned him positions as chairman of The Nippon Foundation, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination, and Japan's Ambassador for the Human Rights of People Affected by Leprosy. It's the cause that really defines him.

As head of Japan's largest charitable foundation, Sasakawa is widely recognized as a trailblazer in getting private organizations involved in public-interest initiatives across the country. He studied at Meiji University's School of Political Science and Economics.