WMU Sasakawa Fellows Funded by The Nippon Foundation Tops 500
This year marked the 30th anniversary of WMU and a milestone in extraordinary support of the University and the global maritime network by The Nippon Foundation, and associated Ocean Policy Research Foundation (OPRF). At a reception hosted by OPRF on 22 November, the 23 students sponsored in the Class of 2013 were honored as WMU Sasakawa Fellows, bringing the total number sponsored directly by the Foundation to 511. Upon receiving the honor of Fellow, each of the recipients also becomes a member of the Friends of WMU, Japan.
The Sasakawa Fellowship Program is funded by The Nippon Foundation, and administered through the Ocean Policy Research Foundation (OPRF). Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, Yohei Sasakawa, is carrying on the philanthropic work of his father, and first Chairman of the Foundation, Ryoichi Sasakawa. Operating on 2.5% of the proceeds of motor-boat racing in Japan, the Foundation carries out a range of philanthropic work with Yohei Sasakawa particularly focused on eliminating Leprosy, reducing poverty in sub-Saharan Africa through agricultural technology, and relations between China and Japan. In terms of marine and maritime affairs, Yohei Sasakawa anticipated the twenty-first century would become the “century of the oceans” and has nurtured the global development of future maritime leaders as well as supporting research on the marine environment, maritime resources, and the prevention of piracy.
Speaking at the recent Sasakawa Fellows Reception were Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Director of The Nippon Foundation, Eisuke Kudo, Special Advisor of OPRF, Shinichi Ichikawa, Section Chief of the Maritime Affairs Division of the Maritime Technology Department of OPRF, and Tomoyuki Hashimoto, Manager, Maritime Safety & Education Team, Maritime Affairs Department of The Nippon Foundation.
The Class of 2013 Fellows have now officially joined the global network of individuals whose lives have been changed by accepting their roles as Sasakawa Fellows. Mr. Unno addressed the Fellows and impressed upon them their responsibility as members of this important network as they will serve as agents of change forwarding the goals of The Nippon Foundation.
“Share the Pain. Share the Hope. Share the Future,” can be found on the Foundation’s website, reflecting their mission of social innovation to achieve a society where people support one another. Their mission for social innovation maintains that, “Everyone has a role to play: citizens, corporations, nonprofit organizations, government, and international bodies. By forging networks among these actors, The Nippon Foundation serves as a hub for the world’s wisdom, experience, and human resources, giving individuals the capacity to change society - the hope that they can make a difference.”
Amr Moneer Ibrahim from Egypt was chosen to speak on behalf of the 2013 Fellows. In his remarks, he recounted a conversation with a work colleague that took place prior to Ibrahim’s departure for WMU. This colleague was a previous recipient of a WMU Sasakawa Fellowship and emphasized the importance of becoming a Sasakawa Fellow, noting that the value may not be understood for years to come, but can literally change your life. Ibrahim reflected it was initially difficult to understand why a Japanese organization would be interested in the future of a lawyer from the Solomon Islands, or a Coast Guard officer from Argentina, but that after being at WMU, and being part of the Sasakawa program, he understood it is not simply individuals that The Nippon Foundation is interested in, rather they are interested in building cadres to support their home organizations as well as the broader society. He addressed the newly honored Fellows saying, “It’s a great responsibility we have on our shoulders right now...We are the latest gear added to the Sasakawa Fellows train, so please let’s do our very best to sync-in with other fellows in their countries and regions from all around the world, and most importantly with our mother network, the Friends of WMU, Japan.”
The Nippon Foundation’s contributions to WMU began in 1987 with a 1 million dollar fund to provide fellowships for WMU students from Asia and Africa. The following year, the Foundation utilized the fund to establish the WMU Sasakawa Fellowship Program and began awarding fellowships to WMU students to support the development of personnel in the international maritime community. An additional fund worth 4 million dollars was instituted in 1991 in response to the request of IMO and the Japanese Ministry of Transport. Initially administered by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation under the auspice of The Nippon Foundation, the recipients of The Nippon Foundation’s WMU fellowships became known as Sasakawa Fellows.
Second only to WMU’s host country of Sweden, The Nippon Foundation, through OPRF, is the largest fellowship donor to the University, providing 23-25 new awards on an annual basis. To date, The Nippon Foundation has directly funded 511 Sasakawa Fellows totaling over 21.5 million USD. Together with other Japanese donors including the Shipbuilders' Association of Japan, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NK), the Japanese Shipowners' Association, Nippon Kaiji Kentei Kyokai (NKKK), Oshima Shipbuilding Co. and Namura Shipbuilding Co. the total number of WMU Sasakawa Fellows reaches 521 from 60 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 most recent taking place this past October in Ghana.
Aside from the extraordinary support for students, The Nippon Foundation has further supported the capacity building mission of WMU by sponsoring Professorial Chairs beginning with one annually in 2003 and increasing to two annually in 2011 for a total of 4.4 million USD. In addition, the Foundation provides support for numerous conferences and events connected with WMU, most recently funding the Northern European Shipping CSR Symposium held last month in Helsingør, Denmark in cooperation with the Danish Shipowners’ Association, Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), and the Japan International Transportation Institute.
At the WMU 30th Anniversary Dinner held on 23 November, Eisuke Kudo, Special Advisor of OPRF, received an Honorary Fellow award from the University. Over his 25 year relationship with WMU, he has played an instrumental role in securing the major donations that established the funds in 1987 and 1991 to support the WMU Sasakawa Fellowship Program, and the establishment of the Friends of WMU. As a long-standing supporter of the University, and serving as Executive Director of the Ocean Policy Research Foundation between 1999 and 2009, he was closely involved in the selection, progress, and graduation of almost 400 of the Sasakawa Fellows, and has been active in maintaining connections within the network.
The vision of The Nippon Foundation, and their long-standing support of WMU, has created an extraordinary network of maritime professionals promoting the social innovation ideals of the Foundation while focusing on capacity building within their nations. The Foundation’s inspirational generosity is undoubtedly contributing to a global community instilled with hope that as individuals, we can make a difference.
Share the Pain. Share the Hope. Share the Future.
Click here for more information about The Nippon Foundation
Click here for information about the Sasakawa Fellowship Program and Friends of WMU, Japan
Click here for an album of photos from the 2013 Sasakawa Fellows Reception
