AC Japan Support Campaign's New Commercials Launch July 1! Narration by Erika Toda, who visited the project site 14 years ago; Music by Masakatsu Takagi, original composition.

Japan Heart, a NPO of international medical assistance originating in Japan (Taito-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Haruna Yoshioka), has been selected for the 2026 fiscal year Support Campaign by the Public Interest Incorporated Association AC Japan (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Nobuhiro Torii), and its new commercials will launch on July 1, 2026 (Wed).

This marks the third consecutive year and sixth time that Japan Heart's advertisements will be featured through the AC Japan Support Campaign. From 2019 to 2021, the campaign focused on themes such as global medical disparities. Since 2024, as an NGO originating in Japan, it has been developing themes of "Medical assistance that benefits Japan" and "Medical assistance for natural disasters, which are not distant issues for Japanese people."

This time, the message conveyed is Japan Heart's unchanging aspiration since its founding: "We don't want to leave anyone behind" and "To be a source of hope for those without access to medical care."

Dr. Yoshioka's solo activities in Myanmar in 1995.

Japan Heart was founded in 2004 as a volunteer organization by six Japanese individuals, including Dr. Yoshioka, and several local staff members, stemming from Dr. Yoshioka Hideyo's solo medical aid activities in Myanmar in 1995.

With the mission of "Delivering medical care where it is not available," the organization has expanded its activities overseas to Cambodia and Laos, countries with high infant mortality rates like Myanmar, and within Japan to remote islands and disaster-stricken areas where medical access is difficult.

The aspirations of many Japanese people have converged on the initiative started by a single individual, and over the past 20 years, more than 4,500 Japanese medical professionals have participated in its activities.

Through these new commercials, which depict its journey and aspirations, Japan Heart aims to create a larger circle of support, continue to evolve as a medical aid organization originating in Japan, and realize a society where no one is left behind, neither in developing countries nor in Japan.

The narration is provided by actress Erika Toda, who visited Japan Heart's project sites in Myanmar and participated in volunteer work in 2012. Since then, she has cherished the words exchanged with Dr. Yoshioka and her memories with the children there.

Furthermore, the music was composed by Masakatsu Takagi, who has created numerous acclaimed songs, including those for Mamoru Hosoda's films and the NHK serial TV novel "Okaeri Monet." He has created an original song for this campaign. Comments from both are as follows:

[Erika Toda's Comment]

Respected Dr. Yoshioka,

If there is anything I can do, I want to do it.

You are someone I want to support.

Through this commercial, seeing your face, the faces of the staff, and the children made my heart ache, and tears welled up multiple times during the recording.

I miss them terribly.

I pray that your passionate dedication reaches many hearts.

[Masakatsu Takagi's Comment]

As soon as I read the proposal and storyboards, a melody came to mind.

I played it while wanting to approach the gentle breeze of how one person's actions spread to many and changed the world.

The line spoken in the commercial, "Wanting to help others is our instinct," is a sentiment I believe we all share.

I believe that by taking even a small step in our daily lives and doing what we want to do, the world can change.

[Japan Heart (Certified Non-Profit Organization)] https://www.japanheart.org/

An international medical NGO originating in Japan that operates both domestically and internationally with the philosophy of "Delivering medical care where it is not available." In developing countries in Asia, it provides approximately 40,000 treatments annually, including advanced medical procedures such as pediatric cancer surgery, with a cumulative total of over 350,000 cases since its establishment in 2004. Within Japan, it engages in regional medical support for remote islands and rural areas, disaster relief, and support for children with cancer and their families. Its creed is to save not only lives but also "lives" and "spirits," and it has been dedicated to facing each individual for 20 years.