SEATTLE, Washington — The leader and co-founder of the rock band X Japan, Yoshiki Hayashi, best known by the mononym Yoshiki, has given much more than his music to the world. This Japanese musician’s ongoing philanthropic contributions are quite notable. Hayashi founded the nonprofit corporation Yoshiki Foundation America in 2010. Yoshiki Hayashi’s philanthropic contributions are of such merit that he was chosen as one of 30 “Asia’s 2019 Heroes of Philanthropy” by Forbes.
Hayashi’s Philanthropic Contributions
In 2018, Hayashi held a charity auction in which he sold some of clothes previously worn at concerts and other personal belongings. The bids yielded 69.26 million yen (roughly $643,000), all of which were donated to nonprofit organizations through the Yoshiki Foundation America. The nonprofit also contributed 10 million yen (about $93,000) toward the Japanese Red Cross Society’s “Hesei 30 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake Relief Fund,” which followed the 2018 disaster that wounded hundreds and claimed over 40 lives.
The Tohoku earthquake of 2011 was the largest and most destructive earthquake in Japan’s modern history. In hopes of aiding the victims of the catastrophe, Hayashi contributed 11 million yen (roughly $100,000). Hayashi provided another 10 million yen to the Japanese Red Cross Society in 2020 in remembrance of the 2011 earthquake, also known as the “Great East Japan Earthquake,” that claimed more than 15,000 lives and displaced roughly 450,000 people.
Hayashi and COVID-19
In 2020, Hayashi collaborated with artists will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, Bono of U2 and Jennifer Hudson in the recording of the single Sing for Life (#SING4LIFE). The song aimed to unify and support the masses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during the trying times of self-isolation and social distancing.
The Yoshiki Foundation America supplied Japan’s National Center for Global Health and Medicine with 10 million yen (about $93,000) in 2020, in the spirit of combatting COVID-19 in Japan.
According to the organization’s announcement, Hayashi had this to say about his generosity: “I believe that the people we should be supporting are the healthcare workers who are treating coronavirus patients as we speak. 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.”
From charity concerts to direct financial aid, Hayashi has aided recovery efforts not only in Japan but across the world as well, contributing to global humanitarianism organizations and nonprofits on the ground. According to Yoshiki Foundation America’s mission statement, “[Hayashi] wanted to do more, something permanent and enduring.” Yoshiki Hayashi’s philanthropic contributions are part of the musician’s continuing and inspiring effort to have a positive impact on global issues.
– Carlos Williams
Photo: Flickr