Former Prime Minister Mahathir of Malaysia was originally a doctor and later became a political leader and statesman who worked tirelessly to modernize his country over his 22 years in office.

Dr. Mahathir created the “Look East Policy,” which promoted modernization by studying Japan and other countries to the east of Malaysia enabling it to stand on the world platform. Malaysia achieved dramatic progress as a result of his unwavering philosophical commitment and strong leadership. After a long and distinguished career, Dr. Mahathir stepped down as Prime Minister in 2003.

Dr. Mahathir and the JCMT

The idea of inviting people involved in medicine in the ASEAN countries to Japan for advanced expert medical training, which became the basic purpose of the JCMT, was first proposed in 1980 by Japan’s Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira. Later, the idea was taken up by Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki, and the process towards realizing this proposal began.
Prime Minister Mahathir expressed his strong support in achieving the goals and contents of the program, and provided important backing for its concrete realization.

Thus, Dr. Mahathir is the spiritual presence behind today's JCMT Program.
In July 2010, we had an opportunity to visit Dr. Mahathir, together as a group with JCMT graduates, at Putrajaya in Malaysia. The meeting proceeded in friendly atmosphere, with discussions centering on the activities of the JCMT.

Dr. Mahathir’s Message

From the time I took office as Prime Minister, I requested international cooperation from Japan for the modernization of the developing nations, not limited simply to economic cooperation, but also through human exchanges and development of human resources.

This request was also realized in the JCMT. This program has now continued under a consistent concept for more than a quarter of a century since its inception in 1983, and I am pleased to say that it has made an important contribution to improving the level of medical care in the nations of Southeast Asia, beginning with Malaysia.

Although this project was launched with funding from the government of Japan, I am impressed that it is now continuing, with no change in its philosophy and goals, with the sponsorship of several private corporations in Japan.

I would like to express my heartfelt respect to these corporate sponsors for their generous support, and to Toranomon Hospital for continuing to provide this opportunity for our doctors to receive advanced medical training.
I strongly hope that this program will continue for many, many years to come.

2010.7.28
Dr.Mahathir bin Mohamad