The Foundation for the Support of the United Nations (FSUN) was incorporated in 1988 by Mr. Kihachiro Onizuka, President and founder of ASICS Corp. (the sports shoe manufacturer), Mr. Yasushi Akashi, then Under Secretary General of the United Nations in charge of disarmament and later in charge of United Nations peace keeping operations in Cambodia and the former Yugoslavia, and Ben Haraguchi. FSUN was established as a 501(c)3 New York not-for-profit corporation with the backing of the Parliamentarian's League for the Promotion of United Nations Activities, an organization of 250 members of the Japanese Diet (representing all political parties) under the chairmanship of representatives Susumu Nikaido of Kagoshima Prefecture and Ichiro Watanabe of Hyogo Prefecture and the City of Kobe. FSUN has also been able to obtain, as a non-Japanese not-for-profit, the very rare status as a tax exempt entity in Japan permitting donations to FSUN for approved programs to be deducted from Japanese income for Japanese tax purposes. In December 1996 FSUN was granted General Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Counsel of the United Nations by the General Assembly thus joining only 80 other Non Governmental Organizations (such as the Red Cross) permitted to express their opinions in the United Nations. In December 1998 FSUN purchased 809 United Nations Plaza, a 12 story office building located opposite the main entrance to the United Nations, to which it will move its headquarters in April, 1999.
The Officers of FSUN are as follows:
1. Honorary Chairman: Takashi Mukaibo, former Chairman of Tokyo University.
2. Honorary President: Michio Okamoto, former Chairman of Kyoto University.
3. Acting Chairman: Hideo Nagasawa, President of Univeral Enterprises, Inc.
4. President: Ben I. Haraguchi, Partner, Arent Fox
5. Executive V.P.: Hideo Nagasawa
6. Vice President: Koh Gotoh, President, Pacific Access Corp.
7. Secretary: Ben I. Haraguchi
8. Treasurer: Ben I. Haraguchi
9. Assist. Sec.: Hideo Nagasawa
10. Assist. Treas.: Hideo Nagasawa
Koh Gotoh
The current Senior Advisers to FSUN are as follows:
1. Mr. Ichiro Watanabe, Secretary General, World Parliamentarians Conference and former member of the Japanese House of Representatives.
2. Mr. Yasushi Akashi, Professor, Ritsumeikan University, Director of the Hiroshima Peace Academy, and former Under Secretary General of the United Nations and head of peace keeping operations in Cambodia and the former Yugoslavia.
3. Mr. Kihachiro Onitsuka, President, ASICS Corp., and Chairman of the World Sports Goods Federation.
4. Mr. Susumu Nikaido, former member of Japan's House of Representatives.
5. Mr. Yasunori Nakasone, member of Japan's House of Representatives and former Prime Minister of Japan.
6. Mr. Toshiki Kaifu, member of Japan's House of Representatives and former Prime Minister of Japan.
7. Mr. Tsutomu Hata, member of Japan's House of Representatives and former Prime Minister of Japan.
8. Mr. Ryutaro Hashimoto, member of Japan's House of Representatives and former Prime Minister of Japan.
9. Ms. Kumiko Hashimoto (wife of the former Prime Minister, Ryutaro Hashimoto), and member of the awards committee, Foundation for the Support of the United Nations.
10. Johan Galtung, Chairman of the International Peace Academy (Sweden) and Professor, Ritsumeikan University.
Current members of FSUN's board of directors are as follows:
1. Mr. Ben Haraguchi, Partner, Arent, Fox, Kintner, Plotkin & Kahn;
2. Mr. Katsumi Sezaki, former Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations and to South Africa;
3. Mr. Koh Goto, President, Pacific Access Co., Ltd. (Gotoh family controls the Tokyu Zaibatsu);
4. Mr. Takashi Mukaido, Chairman of Japan's Association of Nuclear Industries, and former Chairman of Tokyo University;
5. Mr. Michio Okamoto, Chairman of the International Advance Studies Academy and former Chairman of Kyoto University;
6. Ms. Michiko Watanabe, former Member of Japan's House of Peers;
7. Mr. Kazuo Torii, former Member of Japan's House of Representatives;
8. Mr. Katsuyoshi Akasaka, President, Akasaka Uni Base, Inc.;
9. Mr. Makoto Ishikawa, Owner and Chairman of Ishikawa Hospital;
10. Mr. Kenichi Kuwagaki, Vice President, Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.;
11. Mr. Hideo Nakajima, Vice President, Dai Ichi Commodities Co., Ltd.;
12. Mr. Tsuneo Kawazu, President, Petit Monde Co., Ltd.;
13. Naotaka Kumagaya, President, Environmental Technologies, Co., Ltd.;
14. Mr. Toshio Hagihara, President, Shizenbi Co., Ltd.;
15. Mr. Hideo Nagasawa, President, Universal Enterprises Co., Ltd.;
16. Mrs. Elizabeth Kummerfeld, President, Kummerfeld Associates;
17. Mr. Hideaki Ishihara, President, M & I Co., Ltd.;
18. Mr. Mikio Tajima, Professor, Kansei Gakuin University;
19. Ms. Sadako Hashimoto, Professor, Tokushima Bunri University;
20. Mr. Shin Won, Professor, Peking University;
21. Mr. Rabinder Malik, Professor, Florida University;
22. Mr. Ninpou Kou. Professor, Fourth Military Medical University of Shian;
23. Ms. Yuri Hojo, Chairman, FSUN Ark Branch;
24. Ms. Seiko Watanabe, Chairman, FSUN Kanagawa Prefecture Branch;
25. Ms. Junko Maeyama, Chairman, FSUN Kamakura Branch