Soda Kaichi

was a Japanese Protestant missionary and social worker. He is remembered in South Korea for his charitable work in Korea under Japanese rule, particularly through the Kamakura Orphanage (; now Youngnak Borinwon), which he led from 1921 to 1945. During this time, he cared for more than a thousand Korean orphans. He also visited Hong Kong and China; during his travels he reportedly met and was inspired by Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen. He and his wife received poor treatment from Japanese authorities; he was once arrested because a child in the orphanage had participated in the Korean independence movement.

A Japanese reporter for The Asahi Shimbun reportedly learned that Soda was unable to visit Korea, and published a column on January 1, 1960, in which they advocated for Soda to be allowed to. The story was also relayed by an Associated Press reporter, and it made its way into South Korean newspapers. South Korean pastor Kyung-Chik Han also joined in the advocacy. South Korean leader Park Chung Hee and Japanese Foreign Minister Zentarō Kosaka sent flowers to the ceremony. On April 28, 1962, he became the first Japanese person to be awarded the South Korean Order of Cultural Merit. In 1964, a memorial ceremony was held for him in Seoul. He has been featured in Korean documentaries.

Soda was reportedly a private, frugal, and humble person, and did not seek recognition for his actions. It is reportedly difficult to find historical materials about him; information on him largely comes from people who knew him.