When we returned from a conference in Ireland recently,
we were deeply shocked and saddened to learn from Basil
Dmytryshyn of the tragic, senseless death in Tajikistan of
Yutaka Akino. During the ten wonderful months that we spent
at the Slavic Research Center in 1981-82, Yutaka was a central figure in our daily lives. Because we were naive gai jin,Yutaka's role was crucial. Often taking time from his postgraduate work under Hiroshi Kimura to help us, he greatly
eased our adjustment to life in Sapporo, acting with skill,
courtesy, and humour. We were always impressed with his
intelligence, patience, and dependability. Through him we
acquired a car, driving permits, bank cards, cross-country
skiis, and numerous other lesser items (and were even politely informed that we were bowing incorrectly). When Gail's
parents visited us, they were treated to a trip to an orchard,
followed by an Akino barbecue. Yutaka was a favourite of our
two children, who would invariably shriek with delight whenever he visited our apartment. And on a couple of embarrassing (for me) occasions when I confused his name with yukata,he thought it was a huge joke and laughed hardest of all.
Throughout our stay in Sapporo we were aware that Yutaka was
working on his dissertation, being a conscientious son, husband, and father, playing rugby, visiting friends, and honing his knowledge of foreign languages. And we were far from
the only foreigners whom he befriended and assisted. To us
he seemed a larger than life figure, capable of almost anything. A few years later, when our 19-year-old daughter Lara
returned to Japan briefly with a language class, she was
thrilled when Yutaka took her to a special Chinese restaurant
in Tokyo and "treated me like a lady." It was then that we
learned, proudly, that he had become something of a TV personality in his country as a commentator.
It is with great sorrow that we extend to his wife Yoko and
her family our deep sympathy for the loss of an outstanding and unforgettable man. I think that it is fitting that he died
while on a mission of peace for the UN in a country that he
had, in part, devoted himself to. We remember him fondly and
miss him acutely.
