Remarks by Consul General Yoichiro Yamada at Dr. Tachi Yamada’s State Award Ceremony (December 6, 2018)

Good evening. I feel really honored and privileged to be able to host this reception to celebrate the conferment of the state award by the Government of Japan to Dr. Tadataka Yamada on November 3. On that day at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Dr. Yamada received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, directly from Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan. 

 

At a reception celebrating the conferment of the state award, I usually summarize the awardee’s lifelong achievements. I was thinking about doing the same this time at first. But as I went through Tachi’s works to prepare these remarks a few days ago, I quickly realized that it is impossible to enumerate and explain in a few minutes even the most remarkable of his achievements and impacts he has made in the field of global health, medical research and pharmaceutical development. They are simply too numerous, from writing standard medical textbooks on gastroenterology to training medical professionals, from directing the disbursement of huge philanthropic grants to encouraging private pharmaceutical companies to work on illnesses in the developing countries, from tackling neglected diseases to influencing the world leaders’ perception of global health. I have mentioned only some of his areas of work but not their contents. Do I look like I am already gasping for air? But, I will continue.

 

 In Japan, a state award is conferred based on the contributions of the awardee to the country. Here again, Tachi’s contributions are enormous, path-opening and lasting. Without him, the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize would probably not have been born. This prize was established in July 2006 to honor individuals with outstanding achievements in the medical field in Africa. Without Tachi, GHIT (Global Health Innovative Technology) Fund would definitely not have been born. GHIT Fund is an international public-private partnership between the Government of Japan, 16 pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and United Nations Development Programme that funds medical solutions for diseases that primarily affect the developing world. Tachi has trained an impressive number of medical doctors, some of whom are the leaders in the field of gastroenterology in Japan today.

 

The Japanese approach to international developmental cooperation has been centered on the word “human security.” It is an idea that emphasizes the importance of securing a safe and healthy environment for the development of individuals, and providing skills for their empowerment. In this approach, health occupies a central importance. In the year 2000, our government became the first country chair to choose global health as a main theme of the G8 Summit meeting, and the focus on the three major infectious diseases there resulted in the creation of the Global Fund the following year. At the G8 Summit meeting of 2008, our government, as a chair, again focused on global health. This time our government stressed the importance of developing countries’ health systems, from health workers to health infrastructure, medical supplies, and health budgets. Working hand-in-hand with the Japanese government to make such a policy proposal to G8 leaders was Tachi, who, representing the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, made a convincing case on the importance of a holistic approach, which was adopted in the leaders’ final communique.

 

I remember reading an article in The Economist magazine about 10 years ago about the Gates Foundation and seeing Tachi’s name mentioned as its key person in global health. I thought, “Wow I would like to meet this person one day.” That day came a year and a half ago, just after I arrived in Seattle to assume my new post. Tachi was among the very first persons I paid visit to. A few days ago I searched for Tachi’s name in The Economistand found more than 10 articles spanning over nearly 20 years. You know that magazine takes an economical approach in quoting names and having more than 10 quotes from someone who is not a global leader in politics or big business is very rare. I said another “Wow.”

 

You know that Tachi is dynamic, sociable, reserved and determined all at once. He visits poor countries, listens to the voices on the ground, understands why things have developed to be the way they are, thinks deeply and proposes remedies, and motivates people into cooperating with him. Once he moves in his quiet and persuasive manner, his extensive network works and makes things happen. 

 

I wonder how many lives in the developing world have been saved from unnecessary death or disability as a result of the renewed focus on global health, and by the efforts of Tachi and people in this room this evening. And the efforts of giants who are not in this room but still with us today. Among them, Mr. Bill Gates has contributed a video message, which we will later watch, and President Bill Clinton has sent Tachi a congratulatory letter displayed at the entrance of this hall. On behalf of the Japanese government, I thank Tachi and all the wonderful people he has worked with, as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that enabled all their good work to have a huge impact, for saving lives and making the world a better, healthier place. 

 

And I would like to recognize the good work my staff has put into today’s reception, and particularly the hard work that my colleague, Yoko Yanagimoto, has put into Tachi’s state award. I said that I was unable to make a summary of Tachi’s work, but Yoko somehow succeeded in making a great summary of his work for the State Award Jury. By the way, she has recently announced that she is getting married in January. Congratulations. Marriage may not be a State Award, but how big a prize is that?

 

To conclude, congratulations, Tachi. You are a giant scholar, strategist, and administrator who made a lasting imprint on the global health scene, and on the health of people in the developing world. The attention of the world on global health issues would not have been where it is today without you. As fellow Japanese, we feel so proud of who you are and what you have done. Through your work, you are bridging Japan and the U.S., and you are uniting people in many continents around a common concern, that is, health for all. Thank you, everybody, for your attention. Thank you all for your work.