As one of Japan’s biggest rock stars, Yoshiki is fully aware of the power of his platform and the good it can do. That’s why the musician, who splits his time between Japan and the United States, established the nonprofit public benefit corporation Yoshiki Foundation America over a decade ago. Through the organization, he has supported causes ranging from environmental protection to earthquake relief and donated huge sums of money to areas devastated by disasters and conflicts.

His latest donation of ¥10 million went to the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Emergency Relief Fund launched by Rakuten chairman Hiroshi Mikitani. As well as his own considerable contribution to the cause, the leader of rock band X Japan and producer of the upcoming reality competition show “Yoshiki Superstar Project X” has also rallied his fans to give generously. So far, the fund has received more than ¥1 billion.

“In the past I’ve been attacked for speaking loudly about my donations,” says the 56-year-old musician, whose full name is Yoshiki Hayashi, in an interview with The Japan Times. “In this country, it’s something you’re expected to do quietly. That's a beautiful thing that I understand, but in my opinion when people in the public eye speak about their charitable contributions, it raises awareness.

"I'm not talking about being aware of the war in Ukraine, everyone knows about that. But they might not know about where they can donate or the impact the donations can have on people. I'm fortunate to have quite a lot of fans and they’re always very supportive in these situations. When I speak about a contribution, they act too, and as a result you can multiply the figure being raised by 10 or 100.”

Yoshiki stresses that the money is not being used for the war effort, but for humanitarian aid such as providing drinking water and health services, and protecting children. Around two-thirds of Ukrainian children have fled their homes in the two months since the Russian invasion. Those who have remained at home may be at risk of not having enough food.

“It’s heartbreaking to see what’s happening there,” Yoshiki says. “In the past century, we had two world wars and, incredibly, still don’t seem to have learned from them. I’m very naive when it comes to politics, but I do know that, in the 21st century, humans shouldn’t be fighting other humans. Our focus should be on environmental issues and eradicating poverty, not destroying cities.”

Many Japanese celebrities tend to shy away from commenting on any topics deemed remotely controversial, usually at the request of their management. Yoshiki, however, has a much different approach. Whether the subject is on Japan becoming carbon neutral or the COVID-19 pandemic, he’s not afraid to speak his mind.

He’s also very open about his own trauma, which resulted in large part from the deaths of his former bandmates Hideto Matsumoto and Taiji Sawada (commonly referred to as Hide and Taiji, respectively), as well as his father, who took his own life when Yoshiki was 10 years old.

"I still haven't properly digested their deaths and feel I never will," the musician says. "Part of me feels Hide and Taiji haven't actually gone and they’re going to call me tomorrow. With my father, I'll always have that one big question with no answer. It's not something I can ever overcome but I can continue to live my life in the best way possible.

"When someone close to you takes their own life, you'll always wonder whether you could have done something to stop it. My dad's death made me think about my life and why I'm still here. Now, I believe there’s a reason I'm on this Earth and it's not just to play drums. Through my music and charity work, I want to support people who are suffering."

Yoshiki's philanthropic activities began after the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995. In addition to performing a charity concert with X Japan, he donated more than 10 grand pianos to schools damaged by the quake. Around that time, Hide started supporting Mayuko Kishi, a fan with a rare blood disorder, via the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“That had a big effect on me,” Yoshiki says. “Hide was such a kind soul. He would bring Mayuko to our concerts and I was touched by all he did for her. When he left this world, I spoke to Mayuko’s mother at his funeral. We agreed that I would take over supporting her, which I did until she sadly passed away."

The experience encouraged Yoshiki to use his platform to help more people in need. He began to publicly speak about the donations he made to various causes and invited orphans from Hong Kong and Taiwan to attend X Japan concerts on separate occasions. Following the Great Sichuan Earthquake in 2008, he visited the region and donated musical instruments to schools in the affected area. Two years later, he launched his own charitable organization.

"I wanted something that was consistent rather than doing things here and there," he says. "My first intention when I established the foundation in 2010 was to support children with diseases or those who had lost parents. Then the Tohoku earthquake happened a year later and I felt it was important to help with the recovery. The objectives of the foundation broadened after that."

Yoshiki auctioned his own custom-made Kawai grand piano, raising ¥11 million for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. In the years that followed, the Yoshiki Foundation America continued to donate large sums to the Tohoku region to support reconstruction efforts. It also gave handsomely to other areas around the globe affected by natural disasters such as forest fires, typhoons and hurricanes.

Of his many philanthropic endeavors, one of the causes closest to the musician’s heart is mental health awareness. He has been open about his own history of mental health issues, and his foundation recently partnered with the nonprofit organization MusiCares to provide an annual grant so people in the music industry have more access to counselors and psychiatrists.

"It's not just for musicians, but everyone involved in the industry such as tour staff," he says. "Many events have been canceled and jobs lost due to the coronavirus pandemic. That can lead to suicidal thoughts, which I've experienced.”

For Yoshiki, the act of giving is important not only to those who need aid but to his own sense of wellbeing, and he hopes more people in Japan and overseas will follow his example.

“I want to help people who are down because helping them helps me,” he says. “Material things might bring joy for a short time, but they don’t fulfill the mind. Supporting people does. At least, it does for me."

For more information about the Yoshiki Foundation America, visit yoshikifoundationamerica.org. If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 119 in Japan for immediate assistance. The TELL Lifeline is available for those who need free and anonymous counseling at 03-5774-0992. You can also visit them at telljp.com. For those in other countries, visit suicide.org for a detailed list of resources and assistance.