In Japan, the Russian doctor Evgeny Nikolaevich Aksyonov was called Red Beard, after a character from Akira Kurosawa's film, who treated the poor for free and was a compassionate person. For the Japanese, Aksyonov became the living embodiment of this hero. He was born in 1924 to a family of White émigrés who settled in Harbin.

In Manchuria, Evgeny Nikolaevich received an excellent education and, being fluent in Japanese, enrolled in Tokyo Medical University after World War II. He recalled about his studies: “From my student years, I understood that I had to be several levels above. What Japanese students read twice, I read five times. And so it was in everything.” Soon after graduating, the talented graduate got a job at a prestigious clinic. Evgeny Nikolaevich was a surgeon and established himself as an excellent specialist.

During his career, he treated world celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Jacques Chirac, Madonna, Mstislav Rostropovich, billionaire's daughter Christina Onassis, and other famous personalities. For instance, it was Aksyonov who first noticed heart problems in Michael Jackson. “He was a sweet, shy man. I warned him that uncontrolled intake of stimulants to maintain energy could end badly,” recalled the Russian doctor. One night, he received an urgent call from the French embassy: President Mitterrand was feeling unwell. Evgeny Nikolaevich examined him and diagnosed gout. Although the French president was skeptical about this, he agreed to the proposed treatment course, which was later confirmed as correct during an examination in Switzerland.

Despite generous fees, Aksyonov kept only the necessary amount for living and spent the rest on free treatment for the poor and purchasing expensive medications for them. He did not consider this a feat and said: “I have performed many surgeries and can say that it is not only the doctor who heals, but also a kind word.” Doctor Red Beard passed away in 2014 at the age of 90.