In Memoriam: Honorary Member Sadashige Sakuma, DVM, PhD, 1935-2010
The toxicologic pathology community has losta dedicated colleague, Dr. Sadashige Sakuma, honorary
member of the Japanese Society of Toxicologic
Pathology and former professor of the Department ofVeterinary Pathology, Osaka Prefecture University.
After being hospitalized in early March 2010 due to anasthma attack, his health deteriorated, and he passed
away on March 20th at the age of 75.

Dr. Sakuma graduated in 1960 from theDepartment of Animal Science and Veterinary Science,
College of Agriculture, University of Tokyo, andimmediately joined the Toda Institute, Tanabe Seiyaku
Co., Ltd. (1960-1978). After working at the Takasaki
Institute for General Research, Japan Upjohn Co., Ltd.
(1978-1985) and the Takasaki/Tsukuba Institute forGeneral Research, Upjohn Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
(1985-1990), in September 1990 he assumed a post as aprofessor at the Department of Veterinary Pathology,
Osaka Prefecture University. He retired in March
1999.
In 1974 he received his doctorate (Ph. D) fromthe Department of Agriculture, University of Tokyo
with a dissertation titled “Experimental PathologicalStudy on Swine Erysipelas Infection”. Building onthat research, he worked vigorously to develop a variety
of models for infectious, drug-induced, hereditary, andother kinds of diseases as well as researching theirpathogenesis. In doing so, he hoped to establish
toxicologic pathology and its application to thepharmacological evaluation of drug efficacy. His
research findings were prolific. In addition, he shared
his profound knowledge and wide-ranging insights in
his interactions with undergraduates, graduate students,
and researchers at the Osaka Prefecture University,

providing not only appropriate research guidance but
also extensive advice that helped to build character. As
a result, he launched a great number of promisingpeople on their way in society.
During the time Dr. Sakuma was working forpharmaceutical companies, he served as a member ofthe Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Association’s
Safety Evaluation Committee and Drug Evaluation
Committee, and as a member of the Drug Evaluation
Committee’s Standing Board of Directors andChairman of its Basic Subcommittee. He was actively
involved in toxicologic pathology from its early days inJapan, and he contributed to the development of safety
research in the pharmaceutical industry. Also, because
he continued teaching and researching toxicologic
pathology with respect to safety assessment methods,
he served as a councilor and director of the JapaneseSociety of Toxicologic Pathology and as an Educational
Committee member and standing reviewer for theJapanese Society of Toxicology. His activities werehighly regarded, and he was recommended to become amember of Great Britain’s International Union ofToxicology and a Eurotox Registered Toxicologist,
positions which he leveraged to become active on theinternational stage. He also served in many important
posts, such as a councilor for the Japanese Society ofVeterinary Science, a director of the Japanese Societyof Veterinary Pathology, a councilor for the JapaneseSociety of Comparative Pharmacology and Toxicology,
and a councilor for the Japanese Association forLaboratory Animal Science, and he made significant
contributions to research in fields peripheral totoxicologic pathology.
The thalidomide disaster that occurred in 1961
led to heightened public interest in the safety of drug
development in pharmaceutical industries, and thenecessity and importance of toxicologic pathology andexperimental pathology in particular began to berecognized. I have heard that around that time Dr.
Sakuma devoted his youthful fervor to theestablishment of toxicologic pathology, which plays animportant role in the safety assessment of drugs incorporations. He can be considered a pioneering figure
in toxicologic pathology. Based on that experience, Dr.
Sakuma took every opportunity to communicate to us
and to the community the importance of toxicologic
pathology education and research in universities’
veterinary education. A text expressing Dr. Sakuma’s
vision for the Japanese Society of Toxicologic
Pathology was left behind in a publication called“CommemoratingDr.
Sadashige
Sakuma’sRetirement” , so I would like to share an excerpt fromthat here.
“While I was teaching at the Osaka Prefecture

1University, I was fortunate enough to have many
opportunities to be involved in the work of theacademic societies I belonged to, such as the JapaneseSociety of Toxicologic Pathology, the Japanese Societyof Veterinary Pathology, and the Japanese Society ofToxicology, and in work relating to professional
accreditation carried out by the Japanese Society ofToxicologic Pathologists and the Japanese College ofVeterinary Pathologists. The fact that through theseevents and this work, I was able to meet many
researchers and scientists working on the front lines ofnot only the veterinary field but also the medical andpharmaceutical fields, was more than I could havedreamed of, and these peers served as a source offriendly competition. In the events pertaining to theacademic societies, one of the things that left thegreatest impression on me was the 11th Annual Meetingof the Japanese Society of Toxicologic Pathology, heldat the Osaka Prefecture University on January 26 and27, 1995. Nine days before the meeting was to be held,in the early morning hours of January 17th, the tragedyof the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake struck. Having
spent more than a year preparing for the conference as
the organizer, I worried myself to death for days overwhether or not we should go ahead with the conference.
When I heard the news that the Tokaido Shinkansen
service between Tokyo and Kyoto had reopened, Idecided to continue with the conference, and I
contacted the board of directors and other parties
involved. Some of the conference participants wereaffected by the disaster, and their grief was difficult toimagine. I hope I never have to make that sort ofagonizing choice again. Participants west of the Kansai
area ended up putting in a considerable amount ofmoney and effort, but we had a lot of participants,numbering more than half of our members, and wewere able to complete the conference successfully.”
At that time when the Japanese Society of
Toxicologic Pathology was under development, there
were a number of young researchers who aspire totoxicologic pathology. Dr. Sakuma’s desires to give alot of opportunities for them and to nurture young
researchers were memorable. He devoted himself tothat and was constantly thinking about the future oftoxicologic pathology. Personally, I got the opportunity
to engage in teaching and research under Dr. Sakuma
beginning in April 1992. As a young man, not only did I
learn many things from him about life in general, but I
was also able to vigorously push forward on myresearch, thanks to his creating an excellent research
environment in the Department of Veterinary Pathology,
Osaka Prefecture University. Moreover, despite Dr.
Sakuma’s easygoing appearance, his ability to judge
people accurately (in other words, the ability to really
nail down the essence of who they were and to nurtureeach and every student or researcher in the mostsuitable way for them) was outstanding, and I learned alot from him in other areas of my life besides research(although I have certainly not reached his level). Dr.
Sakuma’s teachings and his sincere approach toresearch and education have without a doubt been
passed along in my Department of Veterinary Pathology
and to graduates who are working in the community atlarge.
In conclusion, I would like to express mygratitude to Dr. Sakuma for his warm guidance and hisoccasional words of encouragement over the years, andto offer my sincerest condolences.

Jyoji Yamate DVM., PhD.
The Department of Veterinary Pathology, Osaka Prefecture University2