Professor Yunus’s Social Business, a manga depicting the life and work of Professor Muhammad Yunus, has been completed and is now available at Tsuchiya Book Store, a support company within the Jikei Group of Colleges. Professor Yunus has helped impoverished women in his home country of Bangladesh achieve financial and personal independence through small loans known as microcredit and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

 

Professor Yunus’s Social Business has been produced through a collaborative effort between the Jikei Group of Colleges and the Yunus & Shiiki Social Business Research Center at Kyushu University. The goal of the project is to encourage the young people of the world to understand social business through the medium of Japanese manga. Professor Yunus’s Social Business has been published first in Japanese with versions in other languages to follow soon after.

 

Kyushu University provided detailed information regarding the work of Professor Yunus while Kouzo Kaku, a historical author and a manga department vice principal at a Jikei college, assumed responsibility for the planning and creation of the manga itself on behalf of the Jikei Group. Manga artist Toru Sugita, a graduate of Tokyo Communication Arts College, and author Daisuke Hayakawa traveled to Bangladesh to conduct research and begin work on the project.

 

A production committee was established for Professor Yunus’s Social Business, jointly headed by Kunihiko Ukifune, Chairperson of the Jikei Group, and Hiroto Yasuura, Director of the Kyushu University Yunus & Shiiki Social Business Research Center. The members of the committee act as supervising editors and provide advice during the production process.

 

Professor Yunus’ early years, his social business efforts to help impoverished women in Bangladesh achieve independence, the establishment of the Grameen Bank, and the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize are depicted in an easy-to-understand format presented across seven chapters.

 

• Chapter 1: Childhood
• Chapter 2: Study Abroad in the United States
• Chapter 3: Sowing the Seeds of his Dream
• Chapter 4: Grameen Bank
• Chapter 5: Sixteen Decisions
• Chapter 6: Social Business and its Growth
• Chapter 7: Young People!　It’s time to stand up!

 

The manga also includes fifteen pages of explanatory notes written by Professor Okada, covering topics such as Professor Yunus and his relationship with Japan, all of which will deepen readers’ understanding of Professor Yunus’s Social Business.