Yasuhiro Takahashi |1946-2022|

Yasuhiro Takahashi, husband of Charlotte Kennedy Takahashi and part time resident of Hillsboro passed away on March 11, 2022 at his home in Tokyo at 6:38, Japan time. He is survived by his wife, Charlotte, a brother, Kasuhiko and a nephew, Nobuhisa Onoyama. The funeral will be held at the Tokyo Baptist Church and will be officiated by Reverend Ishihara of the Swedish Reformed Church, Japan, a church which Hiro and his family have served in many capacities. (Hiro’s father had been a lay pastor). A memorial will be announced in Hillsboro at a later date. Ashes will be buried in both the US and in Japan.

Yasuhiro (Hiro) was born in Iwate Prefecture, Japan on November 28, 1946. His family was relocated there during the war period from 1945. He attended a Christian junior and senior high school in Tokyo, founded on the philosophy of J. F. Oberlin. He enjoyed basketball. He entered Chuo University to study business and was a member of the English Speaking Society of Chuo University, winning second prize in the All Japan University English debate tournament when he was a junior.

Hiro’s career started with Toshiba’s head office in Tokyo. After eight years at Toshiba, he came to the US to earn an M.B.A. from American Graduate School of International Management in Glendale, Arizona. It is today a part of Arizona State University. During one year and half at graduate school, Hiro met Charlotte, who was also earning her M.B.A., and married in 1977 in Wichita, where Charlotte’s mother, Mildred Kennedy lived.

Upon graduation in 1976, he changed his career to work in the pharmaceutical industry as Japan had just opened its pharmaceutical market for capital investment by foreign firms. He stayed in the industry until he retired in 2014. His initial success was the introduction of Tagamet, an ulcer medicine at Smith Kline & French Labs in Japan. Hiro and Charlotte were relocated to Japan 1978 by SKF. His career advanced into executive positions and country manager at Centocor Inc., a part of Johnson and Johnson Company and then Board member at ABBOTT Laboratories, Inc. in Japan. He started a consulting service firm in Tokyo in 2000 to help young biotechnology firms from U.S. and Europe to make technology deals with Japanese large pharmaceutical companies. While he was in the pharmaceutical industry, he was elected nine years consecutively as a board member for Japan’s pharmaceutical industry organization (Pharma-delegates), which has 150 international member firms.

Hiro and Charlotte enjoyed a marriage of sharing interests in history, enjoying friends, traveling (visited over 60 countries together), collecting antiques, reading, and supporting each other’s businesses. Hiro had a passion for golf and kept his 16 handi-cap until recently. Hiro especially enjoyed the Hillsboro golf course and the friends he made there. He also enjoyed experiencing mid-western American culture in Hillsboro and invited several Japanese friends to experience Hillsboro. During his initial treatment with Acute Myeloid leukemia in February 2021, Hiro published a book in Japanese on his experiences and travel in Canada, North and South America which Includes his experience of living four seasons in Hillsboro. He always hoped to return to Hillsboro to say “Hello” to his friends.

Yasuhiro will be dearly missed.