Shigeaki Hinohara ( 4 October 1911 – 18 July 2017) was a Japanese physician. This extraordinary man continued with his practice as a doctor even after turning 100 years old. He was highly respected in Japan and was a honorary head of St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo. The cause of death was respiratory failure on July 18th, according to the hospital. He was 105. Hinohara had been suffering from medical conditions affecting his heart and other organs as a result of his age. He was born in Yamaguchi prefecture in Japan on 4th of October 1911. He graduated from the Kyoto University School of Medicine in 1937. Dr Hinohara also studied at Emory University in the United States. In 1941., he began working at St Luke’s hospital, as a physician. At that time, World War II was in its peak, and Hinohara helped in treatment of victims of the firebombing that destroyed large parts of Tokyo. In 1992. he became the director of St. Luke’s hospital. In 1970. Dr Hinohara was a passenger on a Japan Airlines plane hijacked by the communist militant group, the Japanese Red Army.The armed hijackers, took 129 hostages on the flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka, later releasing them at Fukuoka and the South Korea capital Seoul. After the incident, he said that the experience changed his view of life, and at that moment he decided to dedicate his whole life to helping others. During his long career as a physician at St Luke’s hospital, he established and popularized Japan’s practice of annual medical checkups. These comprehensive medical checkups have become standard for many middle-aged Japanese. Hinohara was also an advocate for preventive medicine. He was author of 75 books, including “Living Long, Living Good,” which sold more than a million copies. In 1995. the cult Aum Shinrikyo used sarin for subway attack in Tokyo. At the time, Dr Hinohara was the director of the hospital, and just year before, he decided to install oxygen tubes throughout the walls of the hospital building, in case of emergency. The measure proved life-saving at the moment of the attack, as the hospital was able to accommodate 640 patients in just 2 hours. All the patients survived, except one. At the age of 88, he wrote a script for the Japanese musical entitled “The Fall of Freddie the Leaf,” in which he also performed as an actor, alongside children. The show was first performed in 2000, and later had a production off-Broadway in New York in 2010. In 2005. he received the Order of Culture from the Japanese government. As an remarkable figure representing the active elderly, being a centenarian did not stop Hinohara. He delivered speeches across Japan, which included motivational messages as how anyone can change his/her life at any age. Hinohara’s words have inspired many people, as words of wisdom based on his century-long experience. “My goal is still far away. I would like to become Japan’s oldest person on record without retiring, as I will keep working from now on,” Hinohara said after his lecture in October 2014. on his 103rd birthday. Until his death Dr. Hinohara remained active, traveling around the country giving lectures and seeing patients. Dr. Hinohara’s funeral ceremony will be held at St. Luke’s hospital on Saturday afternoon, July 29. Source
