A life well lived Mickey…… treasure the memories.

Bob and Gail

Truly beloved husband, father and grandfather. He left us much too soon.

My heartfelt condolences to Mickey, Mie, Naomi & Noah….of course the rest of his family. I will do acts of kindness daily in John’s memory & help make the world a better place for all.

Sending love to your entire family and hoping your beautiful memories sustain you during this time of terrible grief. Know that all 5 of us in our household will be doing random acts of kindness in his memory and continue to do our best to promote patience, kindness and a sense of peace in the world.

Mickey and Mie, we are very sad to learn this. Your dad was the very best! I was just telling my kids how he taught me to ski, and how I so appreciated that. A huge thanks to all the Asakawas for all the adventures you shared with me. In his honor, I will continue to strive for acts of kindness, cultural tolerance and peace, and pass that, and his love for skiing, on to the children… what an inspirational person and life well lived!

Dear Mickey, Mie, Byron, Naomi and Noah,
We are all saddened to hear of John’s passing. May you be strengthened every day by the many wonderful memories you have of him. We know we will fondly remember his stories and his cooking. How appropriate that his wish would be for acts of kindness and acceptance of others. Our deepest condolences, Susan, Russell, and Scott Kassel

A special man. He changed lives at IUJ, mine included. He will be missed. His request for an act of kindness to others says it all.

Will take your request to heart. Thank you!

Sensei, may your soul Rest In Peace.

You indeed lived a wholesome life.

I pray God that he give strength and courage to your family to overcome the grief.

My condolences to Professor Asakawa’s family. He is a very friendly, nice and kind professor at the International University of Japan while I was an MBA student with him in 2004-2006 in Urasa, Niigata, Japan. Please rest in peace, Asakawa-sensei!

Rest In Peace, Sensei

My heart-felt condolences to the family. I was a student of Asakawa-sensei’s accounting class of MBA 2005 batch at IUJ. I will fondly remember Asakawa-sensei as a great teacher, and a wonderful human being. He gave us challenging assignments! but he was kind, and patient ! I will miss him.

I did not have the pleasure to meet Professor Asakawa, yet as an IUJer (2006-2008) it is an honor that he was a faculty member at my university in Japan where I obtained my master degree.

I will kindly fulfill Professor Asakawa last wish, and show an act of kindness to someone.
My condolences to his family.

John, We never got to meet, unfortunately our paths at IUJ did not cross. But you made the campus a brighter, more friendly place,
as you will do in heaven. Rest in Peace…

Condolences to the bereaved family. May the soul of the beloved departed rest in perfect peace.

RIP, Sensei

Truly one of my SEMPAIs that I respected a great deal. His speeches and lectures he did for us when I used to head up the Japanese Practice in L.A. for KPMG were second to none and it helped me immensely with my clients. I had dinner with him a little over a year ago and it was so nice having a chance to spend some time with him. He will be very missed but I know he is in a very good place now. I hope his family stays well and enjoys the great memories they’ve had with him. Rest In Peace Asakawa-san. See you again.

Am sending my condolences to my late professor. He taught us transfer pricing and was very friendly and accommodating of all cultures.

Zelma Ademba

Kenya

IUJ-Alumni.

Dear Mie

I would like to express my sincere condolences to you and your family.

He touched, and changed many lives at IUJ including mine. His wish for us to do something kind for another says it all. He will be missed.

Asakawa sensei was both an inspiring teacher and a wonderful person. His memories both in the classroom (getting many non accountants like me understand and appreciate the field of accounting) and away from the classroom (trip on a safari in Africa!) Will forever be cherished. Heartfelt condolences to Mickey and the rest of the family.

RIP seisei! Your warm
heart & lessons insprise us.

We are so sad. Will miss you for so long

I was one of his first students when he started teaching at IUJ in 1999. He was a very approachable person and enjoyed learning about new cultures. He used to ask me a lot about my home country Ethiopia. We met a couple of times after graduation including in NY though I lost contact the last couple of years. I fondly remember all our chats and the career advise he gave me.

May God rest his soul in peace!

Dear Ms. Asakawa and family

We were very sorry to hear of the loss of John.
On behalf of all of us here at KPMG Japan Tax, my deepest sympathies are with you in this difficult time.

John was a wonderful person to work with and he remained a good friend and life coach long after he left KPMG Japan. His contributions to our firm were invaluable, and without them KPMG Japan Tax would never have achieved the success that it has.
He will be missed greatly.

With my deepest and heartfelt condolences.

Yuichi Komakine

Senior Partner
KPMG Japan Tax

May you rest in peace Sensei!
Please continue to watch over your family from where you are.

My condolences to Asakawa-sensei’s family! I have only fond memories of my interactions with him – firstly, for being one of the first people to show me the stark difference between those in academia and those, like himself, with a successful career in the professional world, secondly for being such a nice and friendly guy, and thirdly for kindly lending me his car for an entire term! RIP Asakawa-sensei!!!

Very Sorry to hear about the passing away of Professor Asakawa. May his soul rest in peace and god give his family the strength to overcome this loss.

Will miss my good friend. We shared the profession and always enjoyed a good round of golf in Westfield. John was my Guardian angel in Tokyo. Helped ease the transition and my education in all things Japanese. Many good times with him, Mickey and Mie. He even hosted us at his parents home in Nigata. He had a good heart. He and Mickey were always generous with their time and interest. May God Bless him and keep watch over Mickey, Mie and her family.

John and I traveled a lot together. He gave my wife, Delia and I a tour of Japan, and taught us to love the country, the food and the culture. We gave him a tour of Colombia where he met his Colombian “family.” He was an ideal travel companion. John was fun, warm, kind, informative and eager to learn more, and generous. Yoichi will always live in our heart.

Sending our love to you and your family, Mie. Love, The McEacherns

I never knew him in my days at KPMG. But I was moved reading his obituary to find myself in the presence of a truly wonderful man. My condolences to his equally wonderful family. May he Rest In Peace.

Mickey and Mie – my condolence to you for your loss. A great family man, professional and all around good guy has left us too soon.

Very sad to learn of John’s passing. I had the privilege of working with John during his years at KPMG. He was a true professional, highly valued and respected by clients and colleagues alike. Much of the firm’s success in attracting and retaining Japanese clients was attributable to his stellar reputation in the Japanese business community. Will always remember all that he did to support my career at KPMG and the kindness and humility he extended to all. Deepest condolences to Mickey and family. Bob Decelles Retired KPMG Partner

It is sad to know that John moved on to next life so suddenly. He was a man of integrity with a kind heart. I enjoyed his company professionally at KPMG as well as in personal life with lots of laugh together. He was so much loved by his family and I will miss him.

Deeply saddened by the news of Asakawa-sensei’s passing. He was a wonderful and inspiring teacher, not only in international taxation, but as well in kindness and humanity. I will miss and remember him forever. May I as well express my deepest condolence for the big loss to all his family and loved ones.

All the lessons he taught me in IUJ still contribute to running my own business. Also, I impressed that you deeply thought your family from his talk in class.

Please accept my sincerest condolences. May he rest in peace.

Asakawa sensei, you inspired me to get my license and pursue my career. More importantly, you taught me how to be a kind-hearted person. I really treasure your mentorship and our friendship for more than 12 years. You will always be in my heart.
With my deepest condolences,
Your student Ivy
IUJ 2009

I didn’t expect to be informed of this sad news… I would like to express my condolence to Professor Asakawa’s family. I was his student at IUJ and often met him to eat and talk together when he came back to Japan. He inspired me by his professional lecture and wonderful human nature. Thank you very much. RIP.

Dear Asakawa family,

It was with great sadness that we learned of the loss of John. Please accept our heartfelt condolences. Our deepest sympathies go out to you during this difficult time. John will be greatly missed by his friends at KPMG.

Kaz Mori
National Leader, KPMG US Japanese Practice

My deepest condolence. John is a true leader and a pioneer for our profession servicing Japanese clients. I respect John very much and have looked upon him for guidances. I will deeply miss him. ご冥福をお祈りします。

I was saddened to hear that Asakawa sensei passed away

My deepest condolences to Asakawa Sensei’s Family. He is remarkable professor in IUJ. I really enjoyed his class.

First time I met Sensei Asakawa was in summer 2017 at IUJ, when I received a fresh grad offer from KPMG, where Sensei had built his successful career. He kindly invited me for a lunch, he drove us to a nice Italian restaurant not too far from IUJ. Sensei was very humble for such a greatly successful person in business world. I was impressed how he came every year to Niigata to take care of his mother (incl.2017) and teach. He was even a regular skier at Okutadami at that time! Such a vital man.

I am greatly moved by passing away of this great and respectable man. I wish we all can learn from his example, his kindness, and his tolerance of other cultures.

I was surprised and saddened to hear about John’s passing. He was such a good guy and truly appreciated his kindness and advice when we worked together in Tokyo.

Wishing the family comfort and strength for the days and weeks ahead. We’ll be praying for all of you.

I am very sorry to hear of Asakawa-san’s passing. I worked with him at KPMG Japan and learnt so many things from him as a professional. He was a great person and I respected him a great deal. I will never forget him.
Rest in peace, Asakawa-san.

Diana and I are so saddened by John’s passing.
John was a wonderful friend and beautiful person. I remember many happy years working together with John in the Japanese Practice. John was admired throughout KPMG and in the business community.

We also remember enjoying family ski vacations together. Over the years, we have often reflected with our daughters on these fun trips.

We will miss you, John. We will be praying for Mickey, Mie and the family to be comforted.

I am profoundly saddened to hear of Asakawa-san’s passing. He guided me during my formative years at KPMG and broadened my vision on the nature of work to encompass the importance of each individual – be it the client, admin or staff. He didn’t just impart knowledge, but established trust first. His teaching moments were always with a bemused smile, with never an unkind word.

I will miss him greatly. I wish I had a chance to play bridge with him. For some reason he never would never play mahjong.

My condolences to Asakawa sensei’s family. I was very shocked to receive his passing. 77 years old is still young in my living area.
Asakawa sensei often visited IUJ library before his lecture. My good memories chatting with him in the library will be forever.
Rest in peace, Asakawa sensei. ご冥福をお祈り致します。

My sincere condolences to Mickey, Mie and John’s entire family on his untimely passing. John was both an outstanding professional and a wonderful human being. We shared many times together over a long period of years in New York and Tokyo. John will be missed by all who knew him. May his life and memory be a blessing.

I am so sad to hear that Asakawa-sensei has passed away. He not only taught well-prepared lectures but always shared his personal and professional experiences with us. It was really a pleasure to attend his class. I remember his relaxed attitude and friendly smile. Thanks for everything Sensei!
Serdar Basara, IUJ ‘1999

A good life well lived and a good neighbor. Sad to hear of John’s passing, my thoughts are with you and your family.

I’m so sorry about the loss of Asakawa-sensei. He was very friendly, active and supportive professor and I very much enjoyed working with him. R.I.P.

RIP Sensei. Thank you very much for your kindness and sharing the wealth of your knowledge with many students around the world. We were fortunate to have met you.

A brilliant professor and a beautiful soul. Enjoyed every class I took of yours at IUJ. May you rest in peace. In your memory, I will do good to other person.

So sad and shocked to hear this today. Asakawa sensei was always looking healthy…Sometimes we went for dinner together when he was teaching at GSIM, International University of Japan. He was a very knowledgeable and kind person.

Rest in Peace, Asakawa sensei! My deepest Condolence to your family.

Wenkai Li
A Professor at GSIM, IUJ.

My condolences to Professor Asakawa’s and his family.
He helped me a lot during my study at IUJ. He is such a great person that I have met. He was so friendly with his students. Our groups went to have dinner during his International Taxation class.I really miss you…Professor!
Thank you for everything you have done for us.

Very sad news. He had such a friendly personality. It was such a pleasure to talk to him. May he Rest In Peace!

Although we followed separate paths at IUJ, I did often encounter Prof. Asakawa because his classes were often scheduled just before mine in the same classroom. He was always relaxed and very open to conversation about anything under the sun. These were the best “turnaround” conversations that I had in my 30 years at IUJ.

You will be missed.