Ryōichi Sasakawa (笹川 良一, Sasakawa Ryōichi; May 4, 1899 – July 18, 1995) was a Japanese businessman, far-right politician, suspected 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. He served in the House of Representatives from 1942 to 1945. 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 1962 he founded the Nippon Foundation and became its first chairman. The foundation has done charitable work around the world, for which it and Sasakawa have received many official honors.
Source: “Ryōichi Sasakawa”, English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), excerpt