Messages from the President and the General Director
Message from the President of MSF Japan
Stay interested in humanitarian aid close to you
What kind of people is it who come to be in need of medical and humanitarian assistance? Are they somehow fundamentally other? Of course not. Some of us just happen to be born in countries with political instability, or in the middle of a conflict, or exposed to a disaster that puts life under threat. It is this sense of shared humanity and unequally distributed danger that never ceases to stand out in Médecins Sans Frontière’s (MSF) field activities. It never escapes us that geopolitical circumstances could change at any moment, reversing the role of aid giver and the receiver of aid.
From a young age it has struck me deeply that some of us suffer for no other reason than they were born in a war zone; that their lives were placed in a double danger, firstly from direct harm, and secondly from a lack of access to adequate medical care. Those of us who do not live our lives under the shadow of war and disaster are fortunate not only because we need not continually worry about the immediate safety of ourselves and our families, but also because we are in the position to render help to others; because we are in the position to do something.
Dr. Yuko Nakajima
2022 marked MSF’s 51st year and MSF Japan’s 30th. Sadly, the need for medical humanitarian aid around the world has not decreased in the intervening years. MSF has grown in concert with the complexity of the times and the ever-changing global situation. As an organization, we are also in the midst of a large-scale transformation to decentralize decision-making in an effort to deliver more patient-centered care in the field.
With your support, MSF will continue to make important contributions to the world community. As MSF Japan President, I look forward to working together with MSF Japan supporters to cultivate a movement capable of making important contributions to MSF activities around the world.
Humanitarian aid begins with the simple desire to help people in need. It is rooted in a concern for others and a readiness to think together about what can be done. It is my strong hope that this impulse to participate in humanitarian aid will continue to grow, and that society as a whole will become kinder and more committed to helping those of us in need.
Dr. Yuko Nakajima is an Emergency Physician and Anaesthetist. After graduating from Tokyo Metropolitan Kokusai High School, she obtained her medical degree from Sapporo Medical University. She completed a transitional internship at the US Naval Hospital in Okinawa, trained in Anesthesiology and Emergency/General Medicine at Urasoe General Hospital, and worked as staff at the Anesthesiology department at Tokyo Metropolitan Bokutoh Hospital. After passing the USMLE (US Medical Licensing Examination) and obtaining her ECFMG (Educational Committee for Foreign Medical Graduates) she went on to complete an Emergency Medicine Residency at Yale University and gain board certification in Emergency Medicine. She then completed an EMS (Emergency Medical Services)/Disaster Medicine Fellowship at UC San Diego. In 2017, she joined the faculty of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Emory University as an Assistant Professor. In the same year, she became board certified in EMS. Along with her clinical duty, Dr. Nakajima currently serves as Medical Director for Metro Atlanta Ambulance Service.
Dr. Nakajima started working with MSF in 2009. She is currently based in the US . She was elected to the board of MSF Japan in 2017 through 2020, co-served as vice president from 2019 to 2020 before being elected president of MSF Japan in March 2022.
Message from the General Director of MSF Japan
Mitsuyo Morikawa
Building Bridges Between Japan and Communities in Crisis
As humanitarian crises driven by conflict, disease outbreaks, and natural disasters continue around the world, the challenges facing people in need of medical care are becoming increasingly severe. At the same time, respect for patients, healthcare facilities, and humanitarian aid activities are being eroded in many places, while the space for humanitarian organizations to operate safely and independently is shrinking.
Even in these difficult circumstances, Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has remained committed to its principles of independence, neutrality, and impartiality, providing medical and humanitarian aid wherever it is needed most.
Through my experience engaging with donors at MSF Japan office, as well as working in field operations in Sudan, Yemen, and Ukraine, I have witnessed how the commitment and generosity of our supporters help make this work possible. The ability to provide assistance based solely on need, free from political or economic interests, is one of MSF’s greatest strengths, and it is made possible by the trust of those who support us.
The humanitarian crises we see today are not distant events taking place far from our lives. In an increasingly interconnected world, conflict, disease outbreaks, and instability affect us all. I believe it is more important than ever for people to understand the realities faced by those living through crisis and to recognize that each of us can contribute to humanitarian action in our own way.
I also believe that MSF Japan has an important role to play in connecting people in Japan with people affected by crises around the world. Whether through support, professional expertise, partnerships with companies, or collaboration with medical institutions, we can help connect people's commitment and solidarity to where they are needed most. At the same time, we have a responsibility to bring the voices and experiences of people living through crisis to Japanese society and to the wider international community.
By valuing open dialogue with our supporters and communicating our work with transparency and accountability, we will continue to build the trust that makes our work possible.
To ensure that medical and humanitarian aid reaches people in need, we will continue to expand the circle of participation and solidarity, enabling people from diverse backgrounds to take action alongside MSF in their own way and become a driving force in supporting humanitarian action.
Mitsuyo Morikawa is the General Director of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Japan. She joined MSF in 2005 and has held positions at both the organization’s Japan office and in field operations, responsible for finance and human resources in Sudan, Nigeria, Yemen, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and Ukraine.
After completing a master’s degree at a state university in the United States and working as an English teacher in Japan, she built a career spanning the humanitarian, finance, and consulting sectors. She became a U.S. Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 2015 and worked for a global consulting firm from 2016 to 2026 before taking up her current position. She was born in 1973 and is from Chiba, Japan.
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