Carlos Kasuga
Carlos Kasuga Osaka is a Mexican businessman, philanthropist and public speaker. He is the founder of the Mexican division of the yogurt company Yakult,[1] and he served as its director.[2] He also founded the Liceo Mexicano Japonés and served as its chair.[3] He also served as the president of the Pan American Nikkei Association (PANA, Asociación Panamericana Nikkei, APN),[2] having done so since the 1981 establishment of the organization until 1995.[4]
Carlos Kasuga | |
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Carlos Kasuga during a conference at the Semana PyME 2011 sponsored by the Secretaría de Economía. | |
Born | Carlos Kasuga Osaka October 26, 1937 |
Alma mater | Escuela Bancaria y Comercial |
Occupation | Director of Yakult (Mexican division) |
Early life
His parents were immigrants from Japan.[3] They settled in Mexico in the 1930s. Originally Kasuga and his family lived in Cerritos, San Luis Potosí. He stated that in 1942, when he was seven years old, soldiers came to his house and told his family they had to leave for Mexico City in 72 hours. He stated that later two soldiers came to the house to escort the family to the train station and that everyone in Cerritos came to the station to say goodbye to the Kasugas.[5]
Kasuga stated in an interview "I am sixty percent Mexican and sixty percent Japanese."[6]
Philanthropy
Kasuga, along with other nikkei, has helped promote Japanese attitudes to cleanliness and education in Acacoyagua, Chiapas; site of the first organized Japanese settlement in Latin America. As a result of his involvement, the municipality decreased its daily production of trash from 18 tons to 5.[7] Kasuga has donated the funds for smart boards and computers at local schools.[7]
See also
References
- "Carlos Kasuga, dueño de Yakult, comparte el secreto de su éxito Archived March 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine." Terra Networks. 13 March 2013. Updated 14 March 2013. Retrieved on March 26, 2014.
- García, Jerry. Looking Like the Enemy: Japanese Mexicans, the Mexican State, and US Hegemony, 1897-1945. University of Arizona Press. February 27, 2014. ISBN 0816530254, 9780816530250. p. 195. "[...]who provided that quote, was born in Mexico to Japanese parents who immigrated in the 1930s. Carlos is the founder and president of the Japanese Mexican School, director general of Yakult, which produces a probiotic health care product, and president of the Pan American Nikkei Association."
- Valls, Julio. "Carlos Kasuga, el líder detrás de Yakult." Forbes Mexico. July 6, 2013. Retrieved on December 25, 2013. "Es expresidente de diversas asociaciones e instancias, como la Asociación Mexicana Japonesa, del Comité de las Celebraciones del 90 Aniversario de la Migración Japonesa a México, de la Asociación Panamericana Nikkei, de la Federación Panamericana de la Leche, y presidió y fundó el Liceo Mexicano Japonés."
- Asociación Peruano Japonesa, Kokusai Kyōryoku Jigyōdan. The Centennial anniversary of the Japanese immigration to Peru, 1899-1999. Japanese International Cooperation Agency, 2000. p. 210. "Acknowledgements We wish to thank Carlos Kasuga, President of the Pan-American Nikkei Association since its foundation in 1981 until 1995."
- García, Jerry. Looking Like the Enemy: Japanese Mexicans, the Mexican State, and US Hegemony, 1897-1945. University of Arizona Press, February 27, 2014. ISBN 0816530254, 9780816530250. p. 153.
- García, Jerry (2014-02-27). Looking Like the Enemy: Japanese Mexicans, the Mexican State, and US Hegemony, 1897–1945. University of Arizona Press. p. 194.
- Palacios, Karina. "Acacoyagua, el más limpio de Chiapas por cultura nipona". Milenio (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 July 2017.
External links
- Hokama, Ricardo G. "Carlos Kasuga: "Everything That You Do, Do It well"" (Archive). Japanese American National Museum. 23 April 2009. Translated by Michael M. Brescia.
- "I am 60% Japanese and 60% Mexican: Inside México talks with Carlos Kasuga Osaka" (Archive). Inside México. Editorial Manda, SAPI de CV, July 2007.
- (in Spanish) "Alimenten su espíritu y estén orgullosos de tener un país tan rico: Carlos Kasuga Osaka" (Archive) Panamerican University.
- (in Spanish) "Carlos Kasuga, presidente del Consejo Directivo de Yakult, impartió conferencia a universitarios" (Archive) Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo. 25 August 2008. Boletín Electrónico Informativo No. 234 Imprimir.
- (in Spanish) Álvarez, Samantha. "Educación formativa es la clave del crecimiento: Carlos Kasuga." El Empresario. 4 November 2010.
- (in Spanish) Asociación Panamericana Nikkei