Sakuji Tanaka Rotary International President Nominee
Sakuji Tanaka,
Rotary International
President Elect 2012-13
Sakuji Tanaka, a member of the Rotary Club of Yashio, Saitama, Japan,
is the President Nominee of Rotary International for 2012-13. Tanaka
said he would like to see Rotary "continue its vital work as the force
to improve our communities." To do this work, Rotary needs active,
involved clubs, he added. "We are fortunate to have our revised RI
Strategic Plan to help build strong clubs that are vibrant,
action-oriented, and relevant in the changing world."
For 32 years, Tanaka was President of Tanaka Company Ltd., a
wholesale firm that went public in 1993 and later merged with other
leading wholesalers in Japan. Currently, he serves as Vice President of
the Yashio City Chamber of Commerce and adviser to Arata Co. Ltd., an
animal feed and pet food wholesaler. He also chaired the National
Household Papers Distribution Association of Japan for eight years.
Tanaka studied business at Nihon Management Daigakuin and Tokyo
Management Daigakuin. Currently a trustee of The Rotary Foundation,
Tanaka chaired the 2009 Birmingham Convention Committee. His other
service to Rotary includes RI director, Regional Rotary Foundation
coordinator, District Governor, and member of the Polio Eradication
Advocacy Task Force, the Permanent Fund Committee for Japan, and the
Future Vision Committee.
Tanaka established an endowed Rotary Peace Fellowship, and he and his
wife, Kyoko, are Paul Harris Fellows, Benefactors of the Permanent
Fund, and Major Donors. He is a recipient of RI's Service Above Self
Award and The Rotary Foundation's Distinguished Service Award.
Tanaka said that eradicating polio will "fulfill the promise we made
to children in the world" and that "there is no doubt in my mind that
the day of this success will be realized in the near future." Tanaka and
Kyoko have three children and five grandchildren.