Yasushi Akashi (明石 康 Akashi Yasushi, born January 19, 1931, in Hinai, Akita Prefecture) is a senior Japanese diplomat and United Nations administrator.

Akashi addressed the Commemorative Ceremony of the 60th Anniversary of Japan’s Accession to the United Nations (at the United Nations University on December 19, 2016)

Akashi graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tokyo in 1954, studied as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Virginia, and later at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. As a politically appointed International Civil Servant at the Headquarters of the United Nations Secretariat in New York City, he held positions as Under-Secretary-General of Public Information, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs and Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.