In Memoriam: Yasuyuki Watanabe
On September 5, 2026, Yasuyuki Watanabe, a member of the Advisory Board of the AIRS Journal of Entomology, passed away.
Mr. Watanabe had been involved in AIRS activities since their early days, participating on several occasions in our field surveys on Mt. Hon Ba in southern Vietnam and making significant contributions to our research activities.
It was only recently that we learned he was suffering from malignant mesothelioma. Apparently, the disease may have resulted from exposure to asbestos during a single day of part-time work demolishing a building when he was a university student.
There were concerns about whether he would be able to participate in our field survey on Mt. Hon Ba in May 2026, but he joined us at his own strong request. He must have had considerable difficulty breathing in the mountains, as he was unable to walk long distances and instead remained in one place, collecting specimens and taking photographs. Even under these circumstances, he managed to find larvae of the Golden Kaiser-i-Hind, Teinopalpus aureus, just as he had during our previous survey. This was truly characteristic of Mr. Watanabe and his remarkable field skills.
After returning to Japan, he continued his field activities with undiminished enthusiasm, even travelling to Hokkaido to study the skipper butterfly Pyrgus malvae. He remained devoted to his work until the very end.
At the same time, we were preparing a special section entitled "Yasuyuki Watanabe's Room" on the AIRS website. Fortunately, we were able to publish it during his lifetime.
Although Mr. Watanabe was also an accomplished nature photographer, he had never maintained a personal website. For this special section, he personally selected photographs from those he had taken over many years and wrote accompanying commentaries for each of them. Despite his illness, he devoted himself to selecting the images and preparing the texts until the very end. As it turned out, this became the final work he left behind for us. "Yasuyuki Watanabe's Room" continues to reflect his lifelong passion for insects and nature, as well as the keen and discerning eye through which he observed the natural world.
We are deeply grateful to Mr. Watanabe for his understanding of the aims and activities of AIRS and for the generous support and invaluable contributions he provided over many years. We extend our heartfelt appreciation and offer our sincere condolences on his passing.
May he rest in peace.
