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Yasushi Akashi

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Japanese diplomat and United Nations administrator (born 1931)

Yasushi Akashi
明石康
Akashi in 2016

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
In office 1996–1998
Preceded by	Peter Hansen
Succeeded by	Sérgio Vieira de Mello
United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Cambodia
In office 1992–1993
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolishedNorodom Sihanouk as King of Cambodia

Personal details
Born	(1931-01-19)January 19, 1931 (age 95) Hinai,Akita, Japan
Alma mater	University of Tokyo Tufts University University of Virginia, (MA)

Yasushi Akashi (明石康Akashi Yasushi, born January 19, 1931) is a Japanese senior diplomat andUnited Nations administrator.

Overview

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Akashi addressed theCommemorative Ceremony of the 60th Anniversary of Japan's Accession to the United Nations (at theUnited Nations University on December 19, 2016)

Akashi's maternal grandparents are Saitō and Mura Giichi, the breeders of the famous dogHachikō.^[1]^[2]

Akashi graduated with Bachelor of Arts degree from theUniversity of Tokyo in 1954, studied as a Fulbright Scholar at theUniversity of Virginia, and later atThe Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy atTufts University.^[3] As a politically appointedInternational Civil Servant at theHeadquarters of theUnited Nations Secretariat inNew York City, he held positions as Under-Secretary-General of Public Information, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs andUndersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.^{[citation needed]}

Among many other additional assignments, he was theSecretary-General's Personal Representative for thewar in the formerYugoslavia. He also supervised theCambodian peace negotiations and subsequentelections in 1993. Despite his successes there, he was strongly criticized for his subsequent role in theBalkans, particularly for failing to enforce the safety of civilians in a number of safe zones,^[4] such asGoražde,^[5] and his inability to prevent the massacre inSrebrenica.^[6]

Akashi was expected to visitSri Lanka in the last week of September 2006 to help facilitate negotiations between theTamil Tigers and theSri Lankan government.^[7] In the past, Akashi has met with JVP official Somawansa Amarasinghe.^[8]

He ran for Governor of Tokyo inthe election of 1999 with the support of theLiberal Democratic Party andNew Komeito coalition, but came in fourth place.^[9]

Criticism

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Akashi has been criticised for his comments in 1992 regarding the treatment of women in Cambodia by UN peacekeepers, where he told a group of aid workers that "'Eighteen-year-old hot-blooded soldiers who come in from the field after working hard should be able to chase after young, beautiful beings of the opposite sex."^[10]

Honors

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Honorary citizen ofSochi,Russia (1989).^{[citation needed]}
Eminent member of theSergio Vieira de Mello Foundation.^[11]
Sri Lanka Rathna award,Sri Lanka - August 19, 2019.^[12]

References

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^Itoh, Mayumi (2017).Hachikō: Solving Twenty Mysteries about the Most Famous Dog in Japan.Amazon.com Kindle E-book. p. 25.ISBN 978-197-33-8013-9.
^Itoh, Mayumi (2023).Hachikō: At the Centennial of his Birth.Amazon.com Kindle E-book. pp. 112–114.ISBN 979-837-01-9191-6.
^Yasushi Akashi United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Biography
^"Days of shame".TheGuardian.com. 17 November 1999.
^Sacco, Joe (2001).Safe Area Goražde. Fantagraphics Books.ISBN 1560974702.
^Bianca Jagger: The Betrayal of Srebrenica.Archived 2008-07-13 at theWayback Machine The European, 25 September-1 October 1995
^Lanka warfront largely quiet as talks hopes rise Gulf Times
^JVP leader & Yasushi Akashi meet in Japan Archived 2007-09-28 at theWayback Machine People's Liberation Front
^Kristof, Nicholas (12 April 1999)."Nationalist Critical of U.S. Air Base Is Elected Governor of Tokyo".New York Times. Retrieved8 January 2014.
^McCarthy, Terry (October 19, 1992)."Out of Cambodia: Hot tempers rise on the seamier side".Independent. RetrievedSeptember 23, 2025.
^"Structure of the Foundation".Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation. Archived fromthe original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved18 January 2014.
^"National Honours Ceremony 2019 held under the patronage of President". President's Media Division. August 19, 2019. Archived fromthe original on January 8, 2020. RetrievedJanuary 22, 2021.The Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi was presented with the Sri Lanka Rathna, the first-ever highest national honour conferred on non-nationals in order to recognize his distinguished and exceptional service rendered towards the nation.

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Positions in intergovernmental organisations

Preceded by

Peter Hansen (

)

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and
Emergency Relief Coordinator
1996–1998

Succeeded by

Sérgio Vieira de Mello (

)

United Nations

UN System

Charter	Preamble
Principal organs	Secretariat Secretary-General selections Deputy Secretary-General Under-Secretary-General General Assembly President International Court of Justice Statute Security Council Members President Reform Veto power Economic and Social Council President Trusteeship Council
Funds, programmes, and other bodies	Culture of Peace IAEA IPCC ITC MINURSO OHCHR SCSL UNAIDS UNCDF UNCITRAL UNCTAD UNDGC UNDP UNDPO peacekeeping UNEP OzonAction UNEP/GRID-Arendal UNEP-WCMC UNFPA UN-HABITAT UNHCR UNHRC UNICEF UNICRI UNIDIR UNITAR UN-Oceans UNODC UNOPS UNOSAT UNRISD UNRWA UNSDG UNSSC UNU UNU-CRIS UNU-OP UNV UN Women WFP
Specialized agencies	FAO ICAO IFAD ILO IMF IMO IOM ITU UN Tourism UNESCO UNIDO UPU WFEO WHO WIPO WMO World Bank Group IBRD IDA IFC
Secretariat offices and departments	Headquarters Conference Building General Assembly Building Secretariat Building Relocation proposals Department of Economic and Social Affairs Department of Peace Operations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Dag Hammarskjöld Library Department for Safety and Security Division for Palestinian Rights Office at Geneva Palace of Nations Office at Nairobi Office at Vienna Office for Disarmament Affairs Office for Outer Space Affairs Office for Partnerships Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Office of Internal Oversight Services Office of Legal Affairs Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States Office of Counter-Terrorism Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Office on Sport for Development and Peace UN organizations by location

Members
and observers

History

Preceding years	International Telegraph Union Universal Postal Union Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 Permanent Court of Arbitration International Office of Public Hygiene League of Nations archives covenant organization member states
Preparatory years	Declaration of St James's Palace (1941) Atlantic Charter (1941) Declaration by United Nations (1942) Moscow Conference (1943) Tehran Conference (1943) Bretton Woods Conference (1944) Dumbarton Oaks Conference (1944) Yalta Conference (1945) Conference on International Organization (1945) Genocide Convention (1948)
Activities	Enlargement Peacekeeping missions timeline governed territories UNPOL Universal Declaration of Human Rights drafting Human Rights Day World Heritage Convention Convention on the Rights of the Child committee Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Indigenous Caucus Sustainable Development Goals Declaration on the Rights of Peasants