Disability Hansen's disease Japan Medical

Nippon Foundation’s Sasakawa Visits Leprosy Colony in New Delhi

Yohei Sasakawa, honorary chair of the Nippon Foundation and WHO goodwill ambassador for leprosy elimination, visited a leprosy colony in New Delhi where up to 250 residents live, urging about 30 accompanying Japanese business representatives to support efforts against the disease. India accounts for roughly 60 percent of the world’s new leprosy cases, and the Sasakawa Health Foundation organized the visit to raise awareness among Japanese residents in the country. Although effective treatments exist, people affected by leprosy in India still face deep-rooted social exclusion and often form or join isolated colonies—some of the roughly 800 believed to exist nationwide—to escape discrimination tied to the caste system

Unknown's avatar
by Michael Gillan Peckitt
Comments 0

From Jiji

November 30 2025

New Delhi – Yohei Sasakawa, honorary chair of Japan’s Nippon Foundation, has visited a colony in New Delhi where people recovering from leprosy and their families live. 
   Sasakawa, who serves as the World Health Organization’s goodwill ambassador for leprosy elimination, called for support from about 30 people who accompanied him, including the heads of local subsidiaries of Japanese companies.
   India accounts for about 60 pct of the world’s new cases of leprosy. On the occasion of Sasakawa’s visit to the colony on Saturday, the Sasakawa Health Foundation, which works to support leprosy patients and eliminate related discrimination in India, organized a tour for Japanese people living in the country.
   The colony visited by the group is home to about 200 to 250 people.
   Although treatment methods for leprosy have been established, affected people in India are considered excluded from the country’s caste system. They are driven from their hometowns or gather voluntarily to avoid being viewed as strange, leading to the formation of these colonies, which are said to total around 800 across India.

0 comments on “Nippon Foundation’s Sasakawa Visits Leprosy Colony in New Delhi”

Leave a comment