Yoshihiko Kikuchi

Who is Yoshihiko Kikuchi?

Yoshihiko Kikuchi 義彥菊池 is an emeritus general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was the first native Asian to be called as a general authority of the LDS Church.

Kikuchi's father, a fisherman, was killed by an American submarine attack only two weeks before Japan's surrender ended World War II. With a reason to hold a grudge against Americans, when contacted by American missionaries of the LDS Church after the war he was initially resistant to having anything to do with them, but was nevertheless responsive to the missionaries' message and was baptized at age 16. Three years after his baptism, Kikuchi entered service himself as a missionary in his own country, serving for three and one half years.

After his mission service, Kikuchi attended Asia University in Tokyo, studying business psychology, while marrying and beginning his family.

After completing his education, he worked for a cookware firm. Later, he worked as the national sales manager for an international company, and eventually operated his own export import company. During this time, Kikuchi was also continuing to serve in increasingly more responsible callings in his church, including president of one of the small branches of the church in Tokyo, and as the stake president in Tokyo. Due to this service, he came to the notice of the leaders of the church, and in 1977 Kikuchi was asked to retire from his secular pursuits to serve as a full-time general authority of the church. He was ordained a Seventy and became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy at the October 1977 general conference of the church. Kikuchi continues in this service to the present day. From 1987 to 1989, he served as president of the church's Hawaii Honolulu Mission. From 1994 to 1997, he served as president of the Tokyo Japan Temple.