Junki Yoshida Returns from Japan

For Immediate Release
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L. Junki Yoshida tours the devastated area near Minamisoma, Japan with his talent agent Koichi
Kosone and R. Junki Yoshida was later joined by his good friend and colleague Masashi Sada in
Minamisoma, Japan.
Junki Yoshida Returns from Japan
By Jim Hill
Junki Yoshida, President and founder of Yoshida Group, returned last week from speaking engagement
in Japan, at Haramachi Chamber of Commerce in Minamisoma.
At the event, the attendees were extremely impressed and touched by Mr. Yoshidaʼs heartfelt words of
encouragement and the importance of persevering when faced with adversity. He had been requested to
speak to the residents and officials in Minamisoma by Portlandʼs Japan-America Society of Oregon, the
State of Oregon Japan Representative Office in Tokyo, the Haramachi Chamber of Commerce, the Minamisoma International Association (MSIS) and Mr. Uchiya who is the Minamisoma-Pendeltonʼs Hometown Ambassador, to encourage and motivate them in their long road to recovery following the Great Tohoku
Earthquake and Tsunami. There was hardly a dry eye during and after the speeches.
Mr. Yoshida believes that the people who were touched by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011
are still experiencing great suffering and pain. He told me, "The people of the area are suffering still today.
They are very depressed and many have lost hope and their dreams." He continued, "I don't think it will go
away soon and the older folks are having a real hard time." He said that the youth have pretty much left the
area for other cities to find work and that the areas devastated still have damaged areas that have not been
rebuilt. He believes some older seniors may never come back to a normal state of mind. With warnings of
future natural disasters, rebuilding is not really an option. Even the issues concerning the Fukushima Nuclear power plant have still not been resolved, and many in the region still fear for their safety.
He met with city officials, business leaders, international exchange students, and others to talk to them
and remind them they are not forgotten and that people still want to help them. He stated that they didn't
need money or food; these were items that seem to be plentiful. He said they needed emotional support,
friendship and love. He told me that he encourages everyone to support the local non-profit organizations
and open your hearts and homes.
Mr. Yoshida has teamed up with Japan-American Society of Oregon and recently held a fundraiser in
which $24,000 was raised to start a homestay program to bring children from Minamisoma to Oregon for
two-week homestays. He hopes the children will stay with loving Oregon families that will open their homes
and hearts so the kids can have a fun-filled and adventurous stay in America and for a brief time can set
aside their worries and forget for a while the trauma they have experienced.
While in Japan, Mr. Yoshida also met with head of the Oregon Economic Development Office, Mr. Mokudai, who was at one time a vice president of Delta Airlines. He hopes Delta Airline will step up and support
this cause to assist the youth that were affected by the twin natural disasters and their aftermath.
This man, Junki Yoshida, the “Sauce King,” successful businessman, entrepreneur and generous philanthropist is an icon of the American dream. He has shown time and time again that he has not forgotten the
tough times he endured when he was young and ventured to America on his own with so little and overcame
much adversity to reach the level of success he now enjoys. He is always ready to help those in need both
here and in Japan, and continues to be a voice for those suffering in the aftermath of the March 11, 2011 disasters.
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