Katsumasa Yagisawa, Who Helped Poor Children and Women in Thailand, Other Asian Countries, Dies at 66

By Tetsuya Mizuno / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

13:21 JST, January 9, 2025

BANGKOK — Katsumasa Yagisawa, a board member of the Shanti Volunteer Association, a Tokyo-based organization providing educational support to children in Thailand and other Asian countries, has passed away at the age of 66.

Yagisawa was found collapsed at his home in Bangkok on Tuesday morning, and he was later confirmed dead. From the 1980s, he worked in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and other Asian countries, from various bases, including one in the slums of Bangkok. He was also active in the association’s affiliated organizations, and devoted himself primarily to support for the poor, such as running children’s libraries, helping women in slums to find work, and providing educational support for children of ethnic minorities.

In 2021, the association received the Yomiuri International Cooperation Prize, which recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant achievements in work related to international cooperation.