Mr Umeda was the son of profesor Ryochu Stanisław Umeda who was a translator of Polish literature and a co-founder of the Department of Japanese Studies at the University of Warsaw in the interwar period. In 1963, at the age of 13, with his father’s last will, he came alone to Poland, where he was taken care by professor Konrad Jźdzewski, an archaeologist who was associated with the opposition “Ruch” organization and laureat of the”Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” medal.

In 1968 Mr Umeda began studies at the University of Warsaw, where he joined the organization aiding students relegated after the March 1968 events.

During the years 1973-1981 he worked as an assistant general manager of the Japanese Nichimen corporation. Between 1976-1981 Mr Umeda was an associate of KOR, and later KSS KOR, and and helped to import Japanese tracing paper, on which the second-circulation opposition publications were printed.

In 1980, he became involved in the organization of Radio “S” in the Mazovia Region, and from the beginning of the Solidarity Trade Union, he actively participated in the organization of the union, including establishing contacts with Japanese trade unions. In May 1981, he organized the first trade union trip of a NSZZ “Solidarności” delegation to Japan, headed by Lech Wałęsa. From July 1981, Mr Umeda served as the deputy of the foreign office of NSZZ “Solidarity” in the Mazovia Region for financial and organizational matters.

He was expelled from Poland in January 1982 for his opposition activities, but he continued his involvement in the structures of “Solidarity”. In the years 1982-1989 he was a member of the “Solidarity” Coordination Committee in France, an employee of the “Solidarity” Coordination Office in Brussels, a co-organizer of aid for Poland in Japan,. From 1984 he acted as a representative of NSZZ “Solidarity” for Asia.

After returning to Poland in 1989, he became an observer of the Round Table talks, and then joined the work of the Mazovia Region Electoral Committee.

In the new political system, he initiated the formation of the Polish-Japanese Parliamentary Group and organized meetings of Japanese delegations with parliamentarians in the Polish Parliament.

As the founder and president of YOHO Sp. z o.o. he acted to attract Japanese investments to Poland, worked for the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, developed cooperation between Poland and Japan in the field of energy, established cooperation with various Japanese companies including Chugoku Electric Power Company (Chūgoku Denryoku). His articles on greenhouse gas reduction, biomass, emissions trading and other bioenergetics issues were published in the journal “Wokół Energetyki”.

For his pro-democratic activities, in 2006 he was awarded by President Lech Kaczyński with the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, and in 2015 he was posthumously awarded by President Bronisław Komorowski with the Commander’s Cross with the Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

His profile has been presented in numerous reports, and in 1995 he became the hero of the documentary film “Góral z Tokyo” directed by Bożena Garus-Hockuba. His life is described in the biographical book “Free Agent Umeda and the Second Japan” by Anna Nasiłowska.