Even at the age of 94, Shigeaki Hinohara's mind and memory are so clear as to put some of his medical students to shame. And even despite being Japan's best-known and most highly acclaimed physician -- and chairman of the board of trustees of prestigious St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo -- Hinohara shows no sign at all of tiring in his pursuit of reform of the country's hidebound medical laws and systems. On the contrary, Hinohara confides, with a twinkle in his eye, that he is becoming "more and more radical" in his drive to raise standards -- declaring boldly that "laws must be broken or they will never change."

However, this charismatic physician, who still treats patients, was not drawn to medicine initially. Born into the family of a Methodist minister in Yamaguchi City in western Japan, may well have followed in his father's footsteps until being deeply moved by the kindness and professionalism of the local doctor who long tended his ailing mother.

Then, while studying medicine at Kyoto University, he himself contracted tuberculosis, which at that time was often a fatal disease. Due to his illness, he was not only exempted from military service, but he says that his experience of being bedridden for months has made it easier for him to understand his patients' feelings.