From: Sam Sloan <sloan <at> ISHIPRESS <dot> COM>
Date: 13 jan 2003
Subject: Japan Chess Association President Yasuji Matsumoto has died

Japan Chess Association President Yasuji Matsumoto passed away January
5th 2003. A long sufferer from diabetes, he fell down at the New Year
chess tournament and was carried to the hospital by an ambulance. We
mourn the passing of a Friend of FIDE and send our deepest condolences
to his family.

Matsumoto founded the Japan Chess Association and personally funded it
for decades. A self-made millionaire, he financed its chess club at
the heart of Tokyo at great personal expense and used his business and
government contacts to promote chess in a climate dominated by 'go'
and 'shogi'. He became Zone President of FIDE in 1970 and organized
the Asian Zonal Championship in Itoo, Japan. He became a member of the
FIDE Central Committee, then Executive Council and Asian Executive
Board.

Matsumoto attended almost all FIDE Congresses since the '60s and led
the Japan teams to the Olympiads. He shall be missed by his many
friends in FIDE. This photo was taken in his last FIDE meeting at the
1999 FIDE Congress in Doha, Qatar after which diabetes started to take
its toll on him. His last activity was as he would have wanted it - a
chess tournament.

The above is taken from the FIDE website at
http://www.fideonline.com/news.asp?id=107

Note: In addition to being a chess player, Yasuji Matsumoto was one of
the strongest amateur go players in the world. He also granted refuge
to one of the strongest fugitive chess players in the world.

Sam Sloan