(NEWS) The Nippon Foundation Strengthens its Support for the Oceans

July

2016

The Nippon Foundation Strengthens its Support for the Oceans

This year on 18 July, Japan celebrates Marine Day. The Nippon Foundation, under the umbrella of the Ocean and Japan Project, is marking the occasion with 125 related activities in 43 prefectures across Japan. First celebrated in 1996, Marine Day is celebrated to give thanks for the ocean’s bounty, and to support Japan’s prosperity as a maritime nation. Initially established as the Japan Shipbuilding Industry Foundation in 1962, ocean-related issues have been a continuing focus of The Nippon Foundation’s activities.

The Nippon Foundation, through the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), is one of the largest donors to the World Maritime University, providing up to 35 new fellowship awards on an annual basis and from 2016 extending funding support to students from developed countries. In addition to the Fellowships that cover all tuition and living expenses, since 1993 The Nippon Foundation has hosted a week-long field study to Japan for Sasakawa Fellowship Students and since 2001 has regularly hosted Sasakawa Fellow gatherings. The total number of WMU Sasakawa Fellows is now 565.

In addition to the generous support for students, The Nippon Foundation further supports the capacity building mission of WMU by sponsoring Professorial Chairs and an Associate Professor as well as numerous conferences and events connected with WMU. In May 2015, the Foundation announced the intent to establish a US$100 million endowment to support the University’s efforts in creating an international ocean and maritime research institute.

The generosity of the Foundation and their ocean-related focus directly supports WMU’s core mission of capacity building as well as WMU’s commitment to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and, in particular, Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. It is also in line with the recently adopted WMU Strategic Plan 2016-2019, in particular, strategic direction 3 focused on expansion to oceans-related matters and strategic direction 4 that calls for strengthening maritime and oceans research.

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