Background
Krisher, Bernard was born on August 9, 1931 in Frankfurt, Germany. Son of Joseph and Fella (Solnica) Krisher.
Krisher, Bernard was born on August 9, 1931 in Frankfurt, Germany. Son of Joseph and Fella (Solnica) Krisher.
Bachelor, Queens College. Postgraduate in advanced international reporting program, Columbia University, 1961-1962.
At age 12, Krisher published his own magazine and edited his high school and Queens College newspapers. Later he worked for the New York Herald Tribune and the New York World-Telegram & Sun. After graduating from Queens College Krisher was drafted into the Army during the Korean War but due to his German language skills was stationed in Heidelberg at the US Army's press and information division.
In 1958 he visited Japan for the first time. From 1959 to 1960 Krisher spent a year doing Japanese area and language studies at Columbia University as a Ford Foundation Advanced International Reporting Fellow. He joined Newsweek 's Tokyo bureau first as a stringer and eventually became bureau chief until 1980.
In 1975 he was the first and only journalist ever do a to a one-on-one press interview for the record for publication with the Japanese Emperor Hirohito (Showa Tenno). After retiring from Newsweek, Krisher joined Fortune Magazine as its Tokyo correspondent and at the same time joined Shinchosha, a large Japanese publishing company as its chief editorial advisor. There he helped create the groundbreaking and wildly successful weekly FOCUS magazine in 1981. Focus magazine reached peak editions of up to 20 million in its heyday. Bernard Krisher was also the Far East representative of MIT's Media Lab. As such he collaborated with Nicholas Negroponte who was also one of the first to sponsor a school in Cambodia in Krisher's signature school building project.
In 1993, Krisher founded and became chairman of American Assistance for Cambodia, a non-profit organization aimed at giving hope to the Cambodian people following the extermination of 2 million Cambodians during the Khmer Rouge regime. Krisher launched the charity Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE which treats the poor for free. By 2013 he has built over 550 schools, many of them with matching funds from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
He also founded and publishes "The Cambodia Daily", a newspaper dedicated to setting up a sound foundation for a free press and training journalists. In 2008, Krisher also founded The Burma Daily which aims to replicate the ideas and success of The Cambodia Daily.
Founder, volunteer chairman Japan Relief for Cambodia, since 1992. Volunteer chairman American Assistance for Cambodia, since 1993, Internet Appeal for N. Korean Flood Victims, since 1995. Honorary chairman Sihanouk (free charity) Hospital- Center for Hope, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, since 1996.
Member Council Foreign Rels., Signet Society, Player's Club.
Married Akiko Yaginuma, May 1, 1960. Children: Deborah, Joseph.