 Sasakawa's father was businessman, politician, and philanthropist Ryōichi Sasakawa.After serving as chairman of the Japan Motorboat Racing Association, and as a director of the Japan Foundation for Shipbuilding Advancement (now the Ocean Policy Research Foundation), Yohei Sasakawa was named president of the Nippon Foundation in 1989.In July 2005, he was appointed chairman, following the retirement of Ayako Sono, the previous chair.