September
http://www.wmujapan.net

The 1st WMU Sasakawa Fellows Network Africa Meeting
and Blue Economy Conference- Dar es Salaam, Tanzania July 23-25, 2018 -Tumaini Gurumo(Tanzania, 2007)

1 INTRODUCTIONWMU Sasakawa Fellows from the Africa region
arranged for a three-day networking meeting todiscuss maritime matters in relation to sustainable
development. Among the reasons for the meeting
was to honour Dr. Yohei Sasakawa, theChairman of The Nippon Foundation, for his
generosity in capacity-building for the benefit ofthis region and the world; to make aself-assessment regarding the role of WMU
Sasakawa Fellows in Africa; and to shareknowledge and experience in areas of expertise.
This regional network was inspired by the 2013
Ghana gathering that was arranged through thekind courtesy of Dr. Sasakawa.
2 ZANZIBAR ISLAND TOUROn the first day, the Fellows took a fast ferry to
Zanzibar where they stayed overnight. Amongthe places visited were the old city, People Palace,old dispensary, and Darajani shopping square. In
the evening the Fellows visited Forodhani Park,
which is situated by the Indian Ocean. The parkis famous for its special treats that include local
food and a network of nationalities from aroundthe globe. The trip gave the Fellows theopportunity to see first hand economic activities
that relate to the oceans, such as transportation,
trade, fishing and tourism, in relation to thesustainable use of the oceans and the many
opportunities for expansion and collaboration.
3 WMU SASAKAWA FELLOWS MEETING
On the Second day, African Fellows had aregional meeting at the New Africa Hotelsituated at the Dar es Salaam city centre. Capt.
Hannah Aggrey from Ghana was appointed
Chairperson at the meeting.
The official opening ceremony started at
10:00am with remarks from Dr. Tumaini
Gurumo on behalf of the WMU Sasakawa
Fellows Tanzania Chapter, followed by
self-introductions from all participants. Dr.
Sasakawa’s photo was displayed before his
keynote address was read to the Fellows present.
In his address, he congratulated the initiative by

the Sasakawa Africa Fellows to hold such ameeting and conference regarding a “blueeconomy”. He encouraged the Fellows to take thelead in a collaborative approach to effectively
address maritime matters. Before he concluded,
he wished us success in that endeavour, andexpressed The Nippon Foundation’s readiness to
support collective innovative ideas. Thereafter,
Ms. Stella J. Katondo addressed the Fellows anddeclared the meeting officially open.
Three papers were presented and discussed.
Capt. Catherine Haizel was the first to present a
paper on the “Importance of higher education to
the blue economy”. She underlined the fact thatknowledge at higher levels must be given priority
in order to benefit the oceans. She emphasised
the fact that human capital is essential insystematic planning and in unveiling thepotentials for sustainable economic development
through maritime and related sectors.
Eng. Stephen Toya presented his paper about“Kenya’s role in the blue economy for sustainable
development in Africa”. For many years, Kenya
has been focusing on fisheries and port
infrastructure, but the full economic potential ofmarine resources has not been exploited. He
explained that currently “the blue economy
concept” has been prioritized as a driver toachieve Kenya’s development agenda.
In the last presentation Dr. Tumaini Gurumo
shared information about a book which is in its

final stages of preparation. Written in Swahili
in order to be delivered directly to all Tanzanians,
the book talks about the ocean as an opportunity
and the facilitator of economic growth. Its
purpose is to share knowledge about the ocean, its
importance to human life and how it could be
useful for socioeconomic development and adriver towards middle-income country status.
Research shows that the concept of a blue
economy is not yet understood well enough tobenefit the country and its people. It was
concluded that Tanzanians needed to be wellinformed about the maritime sector in order toparticipate effectively.
During the discussions it was noted that:
The concept of a blue economy is interpreted bycountries in various ways, yet a common idea isshared that it should be put at the centre ofdevelopment agendas.
Lack of knowledge at a grassroots level hinders
Africa from developing economically through theoceans.
The maritime sector does not have the needed
leadership to ensure it is put forward as a priority
and is well supported.
Capacity-building is a challenge in theimplementation of blue economy strategies.
Presentations from Fellows’ National Chaptersshowed that not much had been done in our
respective countries since 2013. Fellows
deliberated that:

Sasakawa Fellows should be in the forefront toinitiate activities and include other WMU
Fellows to ensure success.
To allow smooth communication among
members, both e-mail and WhatsApp would be
used, with the caution that strictly businessmatters are to be discussed on these platforms.
Every country should organise a Chapter tobring everyone on board, and that they are toundertake at least two activities in two years tokeep them ongoing.
Each Chapter will be required to pay a yearlysubscription fee, to be determined, to the
Regional office.
There should be a Regional meeting at least
once every two years.
The next meeting will be held in Ghana in
2021.

Sasakawa Fellows Network Africa Meetings
shall be held every two years.
Sasakawa Fellows’ National Chapters shall be
more active and conduct at least two events before
the regional meetings.
The next Sasakawa Fellows meeting shall beheld in Ghana, in 2021. This will allow two years
of National Chapters to organise events that canbe reported in the Meeting.
WMU Sasakawa Fellows’ National Chaptersshall be free to invite other WMU Fellows toparticipate in conducting activities beneficial tothe maritime industry especially in mentoring andinforming the young generation in schools,
colleges, etc.
WMU Sasakawa Fellows will be invited for thelaunching of Dr. Tumaini’s book later in the year
to support her.

the Fellows attended a conference to celebrate
Africa Day of the Seas and Oceans at the ILO
conference centre located at the ILO offices.
The theme of the conference was “Blue
Economy for the Sustainable Development ofAfrica”. The conference gathered about 70
stakeholders from maritime and related sectors
in Tanzania. In his opening speech, theMinister for Works, Transport andCommunication recognised WMU Sasakawa
Fellows as among the major stakeholders of themaritime sector. The conference initiative wasalso commended at the conference.
Among presented papers were: Blue
Economy Concept; Quality Maritime
Education and Training as a Challenge for
Emerging Economies; Maritime Economics
and Supply Chain Systems; and Enhancing theBlue Economy by Enforcing Maritime Safety
and Security. The Chairperson, Capt. Aggrey
5 CONCLUSION
4 RESOLUTIONS
The meeting was considered a new beginning for took the opportunity to speak about WMU
It was agreed at the meeting that:
Registration: WMU Sasakawa Fellows networking and working toward the development S a s a k a w a F e l l o w s a n d Th e N i p p o nFoundation.
Network Africa should be registered to gain legal of the maritime sector in Africa and the world.
status. The network should be registered in
Tanzania as a courtesy of the first meeting being 6 BLUE ECONOMY CONFERENCE
Note from the Secretariat
On July 25, 2018, as part of our planned activities,
hosted by Tanzania Fellows.
The Sasakawa Fellows Regional Network
The WMU Sasakawa Fellows Network Africa
Meeting has been held four times in the past,shall have its regional headquarters in Dar esin Thailand (2007), Sri Lanka (2010), Ghana
Salaam, Tanzania.
(2013) and the U.K. (2018), all with thefi n a n c i a l s u p p o r t f r o m Th e N i p p o n
Visibility: Fellows should be at the forefront ofFoundation. However this time, even thoughinnovations that will result in maritime
it was on a small scale, it could be said to be aknowledge reaching African people at all levels invery innovative conference since the Sasakawa
order to boost blue economy developments.
Fellows bore the cost to work across national
Collaboration: Fellows should foster
borders. Dr. Sasakawa highly praised thiscollaboration with other WMU Graduates,
network activity and sent a congratulatory
Sasakawa Fellows, Nippon Fellows around themessage.
world, and other related maritime initiatives.

Participants at the Fellows’ meeting:
Name|

Title and Work Place| Country | Graduation
Year

Capt. Hannah Aggrey| Regional Maritime University| Ghana | 2000

Mr. Musa Hassan Musa

| Maritime Management Consultant at Maritime Management Consultancy Company|

Ms. Stella Joshua Katondo| Director of Safety and Environment at Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication | Tanzania | 2001

Capt. Catherine Haizel| Regional Maritime University| Ghana | 2002

Eng. Stephen Toya

| Acting Head of Marine Engineering Department at Kenya Ports Authority| Kenya | 2002

Kenya

| 2000Dr. Tumaini S. Gurumo (Ph.D) | Deputy Principal at Dar es Salaam Maritime Institute| Tanzania | 2007

| Maritime Law Operations Officer at Tanzania Navy

| Tanzania | 2008

Lt. Cdr. Hassan M. Kheri

2

WMU Japan Field Study Trip 2018:
All Questions Answered

May 12-13
With excitement, a group of 29 Sasakawa
Fellowship Programme students, sponsored by
The Nippon Foundation, and two members of
WMU staff, including Nippon Foundation
Chair Dr. Aykut Ölçer, travelled by train to
Kastrup International Airport in Copenhagento board a plane bound for Tokyo, Japan. We
landed some eleven hours later at Narita
International Airport and were met by thefriendly, smiling faces of Shinichi Ichikawa,
Sachiko Sumitomo, and Miyoko Wada, who
would be our trusted and extremely helpful
guide until the end of the trip. We were
whisked straight from the arrivals lounge out toa bus which took us into the very heart ofTokyo and to the offices of the Sasakawa Peace
Foundation for our induction session. Here wewere met by even more friendly, smiling faces.
By the time we reached the hotel, the group
was beginning to tire. It had been a long day.

May 14After much needed rest we awoke to glorious
clear blue skies and bright sunshine, perfectweather for what was to be such an importantday. And what better way to start than going forsome lunch? We travelled a little through thecity and before long arrived at a buffet lunch,which included some rather sizeable crabs’ legs,
which many of the group enjoyed.
Suitably fed, we continued on to the office of
The Nippon Foundation and our first visit, acourtesy visit with Dr. Sasakawa, which thestudents had been looking forward to the most.
Dr. Ölçer said a few words on behalf of the
University before the students each introduced
themselves. Banshidhar Singh made animpassioned speech on behalf of the students,
and then Dr. Sasakawa addressed them.
Following this, the students were delighted to beable to have an individual photo taken with him.
After leaving The Nippon Foundation, we
made our visit to the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. After
opening remarks by Senior Deputy Director
General Dr. Otsubo, the students were given an
introduction to some of the activities of the
Maritime Bureau followed by an extensive
question and answer session. Augustine
Imhomoh gave some words of thanks on behalfof the students.

3

Rather fittingly, the official programme of the
day was capped off with a Welcome Reception,
held on the 35th floor of the Kasumigasekibuilding. The weather had remained clear allday, and so the views across the city werestunning. The students were able to meet with
diplomatic representatives from their countries,
WMU alumni and many officials fromgovernments and the maritime industry. As an
added surprise, former Secretary General of theInternational Maritime Organization andformer WMU Chancellor, Dr. Koji Sekimizu
was in attendance, and he kindly addressed thereception. The students sang the WMU song,which was very well received. Gustavo Mejia
Jovane spoke on behalf of the students before
the evening was brought to a close with somewords of thanks from Dr. Ölçer.

May 15
Another day began with bright sunshine andthis time a drive out of the city. Our first site
visit of the day was to Kashiwa Company, amarine equipment manufacturer specializingin ship safety and environmental protections y s t e m s . Th e s t u d e n t s w e r e g i v e n a n
introduction to the products and a tour of thetesting facility, where they were able to see atest of the high expansion foam system and ahigh performance firefighting system which
could discharge water a distance of well over
one hundred meters. The students weregrateful for another extensive question andanswer session.
After a quick lunch break, we then went toour second site visit of the day, to the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) at the
Tsukuba Space Center. Here the students
were given a tour of the facility and wereallowed to view the mission control room.
After the official tour was over, there was also
the chance to see some fascinating exhibits inthe museum.
May 16
By Wednesday we were beginning to feelrather lucky. It was another beautiful day, thesun once again shining and clear blue skies.
Our first visit of the day was to the Ariake
Water Reclamation Center. Here the students
were given an in-depth tour of the museum
and facilities, learning about the advanced
water treatment systems in use in the city.
They were able to see the actual water at
different stages, from the smelly brown stuff
at the beginning to the clear and odourless
liquid at the end.
In the afternoon we visited the Tokyo
University of Marine Science andTechnology. The students were first given a
presentation on the different areas of study
and research at the University followed by atour of the site, including simulator andnavigation labs. We were then taken to the
Meiji-Maru where we were able to view
Emperor Meiji’s cabin from his voyage in
1876.
May 17The morning began, sunny again, with a bus
across town to Odaiba, a man-made island in
the heart of the Port of Tokyo, which would
be the subject of our visit. To begin with, thestudents were given a presentation about thehistory of the port and some information
regarding the layout of present-day port
operations. We then went on a boat tour,
which took us around a section of the Port.
This gave the students an opportunity toappreciate and see first-hand the sheer scale of
the Port.

May 18This was to be our last day of official site
visits, and it began with an interesting trip to
the Osaka Gas Company at their Senboku
Plant. Our welcome here was terrific, with awelcome committee serving us all hot drinks
before our programme began. There was somuch information to take in, from both thepresentation and the tour of the facilities. The
students were then treated to ademonstration of the cryogenic properties ofliquefied natural gas. A site visit such as this,of course, would not be complete without
many of the students’ questions being
answered.
Following lunch we went to the final site
visit, which was one of the plants of IHI
Infrastructure Systems Company, a civilengineering company specializing in thedesign, fabrication, construction and repair ofbridges and other steel structures and disasterprevention equipment. The tour of the Sakai
Works, where we were this afternoon,
From boat to bus to the world famous allowed the students to view the fabrication
Shinkansen or bullet train, in no time at all we of large-scale steel structures. Of course, thewere transported over 500 kilometers to thecity of Osaka, in the Kansai region. With
little time to spare we jumped onto anotherbus and headed to our second site visit of theday.
This was with the Yanmar Company attheir Amagasaki factory. An introductory
presentation was followed by a full tour of all
the facilities, where students were able to seeeach step of large diesel engine
manufacturing, from machining and assembly
through to outfitting and testing. Once again
the students benefitted from a thoroughQ&A session before the visit was over.

4

students had many questions and at the endof the tour the representatives of thecompany were more than happy to answer
them. Throughout the week the generosity of
all of our hosts at each site visit was truly
outstanding. Everyone was so happy to share
their knowledge and expertise unreservedly.
No question had been left unanswered at any
site visit.
May 19With the official site visits complete,
Saturday was an opportunity for the group to
visit some cultural sites in the nearby city andformer capital, Kyoto. First stop was to the
Togetsu-kyo Bridge and Tenryu-ji Temple.
The area was full of people, tourist shops andrestaurants, yet inside the temple itself
everything was tranquil and calm. Behind thetemple we were able to walk through abeautiful bamboo forest. Afterwards we went
to our second stop at the Kinkaku-ji orgolden pavilion temple. Here we were able tosee the famous temple, with its top two layers
coated in gold leaf sitting in a lake andsurrounded by trees and nature.
The week’s activities were rounded off with
the Farewell Reception back at the hotel inKobe. Representatives from maritime
organizations in the region were inattendance and were all invited to say a few
words on stage. Pamela Dela Cruz Dolina
spoke on behalf of the students, thanking allof Japan for the wonderful hospitality we had
e n j o y e d d u r i n g t h e w h o l e w e e k . Th e
reception, of course, would not have been
complete without the singing of the WMU
song.

5

Sadly, this was now the end of our stay inJapan, with only the drive to KansaiInternational Airport left for the following
morning. It seemed like we had only justarrived in Japan. The time had flown by soquickly, but in just over a week we had dones o m u c h , v i s i t i n g s o m a n y d i ff e r e n torganizations, all of whom contributed tothis special week. The students didn’t justgain new perspectives which would enhancetheir education at WMU, they also learned
about Japan and Japanese culture, and it isthese memories that they will cherish fortheir whole lives.

Peter Marriott
Assistant Registrar (Student Records)
World Maritime University

Cyber Security on the Seas

- Inevitable Matters for Future Shipping and Shipbuilding Tomotsugu Noma (Japan, 2016)
Chief Researcher
Japan Ship Technology Research Association

My name is Tomotsugu Noma. I work for
the Japan Ship Technology Research
Association (JSTRA). After graduating fromMSEA of the World Maritime University in
2016, I was involved in IMO-related work in
the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism (MLIT). After
personnel changes in June of this year, I
continue to be engaged in IMO-related work at
my current department. I am dedicating myself
to my daily tasks, using what I learned at
WMU.
As a result of the development of information
technology around the world, connectivity toand dependence on “cyber systems” (thehardware and software systems for collecting,processing, storing, and communicating
information and data) is increasing in themaritime field, including ships, ports andharbors, and land facilities. There is a growing
concern about the risk of malicious
organizations and individuals gaining
unauthorized access to system data,
undermining navigation safety and causing
economic and other damage.
As mentioned by Mr. Yuji Okugawa of IMO
in the last issue of this newsletter, cyber security
is a cardinal issue for Maritime Autonomous
Surface Ships (MASS), which has been
identified as one of the key discussion points at
IMO and particularly at the Maritime Safety
Committee (MSC). MASS rely on cybersystems even more so than existing ships. It will
not be too much to say that theoperationalization of MASS will be difficult
without cyber security.
IMO has stepped up its efforts towards cybersecurity, proposing in November 2014 at the94th session of the MSC (MSC 94) that inlight of the dramatic increase in dependency on
cyber systems in the maritime field, guidelines
should be drawn up to strengthen coordination
between cyber security experts and operators forthe protection of vessels, ports, and marine
facilities and to promote information sharing on
potential vulnerabilities.
At MSC 94, it was agreed that althoughcyber security was an important and timely
issue, IMO should not take unilateral action on
this matter without consulting other countries
and relevant international organizations such as
the International Telecommunication Union(ITU). Member States and relevantorganizations were invited to consider the issue
and submit proposals to MSC 95.
Following this decision, a proposal was madein June 2015 at MSC 95 to draw up guidelines
on cyber-related risk management in themaritime field. After deliberations, thecommittee supported the proposal and urged
Member States and international organizations
to collaborate on proposals for guidance on
maritime cyber security and submit them to thenext session.
At MSC 96, held in May 2016, a proposal was
made for non-mandatory guidelines on cyberrisk management. As for the nature of theguidelines, the committee indicated that theyshould be (1) non-mandatory, (2) user-friendly,(3) based on threats and risks, and (4) applicable.
Based on the above, the committee drafted thenon-mandatory guidelines on cyber risk
management and approved as interim version.
Rather than focusing on technical details of
individual devices, equipment, and systems, theguidelines are a set of recommendations for
operators to adopt management-based measuresby conducting risk analysis and consideringcountermeasures. In particular, in effectively
managing risks, the guidelines recommend, as
important elements of risk management, (1)identifying the devices, equipment, and systems
that may pose risks, (2) having contingency plans
to protect against cyber-attacks and ensure
continuity of shipping operations, and (3)detecting the extent of damage fromcyber-attacks in a timely, appropriate manner.
The above guidelines were officially approvedin May 2018 at the 98th session of the MSC.
The committee additionally adopted a resolution
on maritime cyber risk management in safety
management systems (MSC.428(98)). Based on
this resolution, the committee encourages
shipowners and operators to ensure that cyberrisks are appropriately addressed in safety
management systems, based on the International
Safety Management (ISM) Code, no later than
the first annual verification of the company’s
Document of Compliance (DOC) after January
1, 2021.
Outside IMO, the shipping industry is also
promoting efforts to reinforce cyber security,
which include joint publication by the Baltic
International Maritime Council (BIMCO), the

6International Chamber of Shipping (ICS),
and other organizations on industry guidelines
pertaining to cyber security onboard ships.
Even though these measures are being
gradually implemented, the shipping industry isalready exposed to the threat of cyber-attacks.
In 2011, servers owned by the Iranian shipping
company IRISL were hacked, and information
about shipping rates, loading, cargo numbers,delivery dates, and destinations was stolen. As aresult, the company suffered damage that
included the inability to specify the location ofcertain containers, a considerable amount ofcargo being delivered to wrong destinations,and lost cargo.
Last year, the world’s largest containers h i p p i n g c o m p a n y M a e r s k s u ff e r e dconsiderable damage from a cyber-attack,which disrupted the company’s operations as it
was forced to suspend its systems.
These were cyber-attacks on land-based
systems. In recent years, many shipping
companies are using advances intelecommunication technology to provide
constant monitoring of ships. As it will become
increasingly easy to hack vessels, cyber security
will become more important than ever.
IMO has approved the resolution on theguidelines on cyber risk management.
Discussions on the MASS are expected to also
bring progress to discussions about cybersecurity measures for individual systems andequipment. We can expect these discussions tocontinue at IMO and other organizations.
Incidentally, if I were asked what kind ofvessels are most cyber resilient, the answer
would be easy. It would be the vessels that havenot been digitized. All we need to do is to shut
off the connection of various devices fromtelecommunication systems, as in the past. But
is this the right solution? As the smartphonehas become an essential part of our lives withadvances in telecommunication technology(although some may complain about constantinterruptions from e-mail and the like!), suchtechnology is now also an essential part of themaritime industry.
Indeed, cyber security may be a new anddifficult issue for the maritime industry. I hope
to contribute, even in a minor way, toaddressing this difficult issue.

My Second Lifein the Philippines
Toshio Hikima

Executive Advisor
MOL Magsaysay Maritime
AcademyMy involvement with the World Maritime
University began when I visited WMU in
1993. Afterwards, I served as the Visiting
Professor for the Maritime Education andTraining (MET-(E)) Course from 1996, andwas later dispatched from the Japanese
Ministry of Transport as the Associate
Professor of the MET Course from 1999.
Even after returning to Japan in 2002, I
maintained my involvement with WMU,
serving as the chairman of the editorial boardof the “Friends of WMU” Newsletter for 16
years. When I look back on those years, I
find that it was a truly enjoyable four years at
Malmö and 16 years in Japan.
It was decided, however, that my term as
the Executive Director of the Japan agencyof Maritime Education & Training for
Seafarers (JMETS) would end in March
2018, and that I would begin working in thePhilippines from May.
Leaving Japan and moving to thePhilippines will mean that my connection
and relations with WMU Sasakawa Fellows
will change. Prof. Kunieda of the Tokyo
University of Marine Science andTechnology has succeeded me as thechairman of the editorial board of theNewsletter, which I have been involved withsince the publication of the 1st issue, in
October 2002, to the 62nd issue.
From now on, I will be at the forefront of
MET as the Executive Advisor at the MOL
Magsaysay Maritime Academy (MMMA),

After the Entrance Ceremony

Ship in Campus

which was newly established in Dasmariñas,
about 30 km south of Manila. It fills me withgreat happiness to have found an environment
in which I can make full use of my experience.
I feel I have made a perfect start to a second
career.
In terms of seafarers, from the point of viewof MET, the BIMCO/ISF estimates that
there were 1,647,500 in the world as of 2015,of which 774,000 are officers and 873,500 are
ratings. The nationality of the seafarers is
wide-ranging. The largest seafarer supply
countries are China, the Philippines, Russia,
Ukraine, and India, in that order. As for theJapanese merchant fleet, three quarters of thecrew are from the Philippines. We can rightly
say that they make possible the safe operationof our merchant fleet.
MMMA, to which I have been newly

appointed, was jointly established by theJapanese private shipping company Mitsui
O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and its
Philippine partner Magsaysay, the largest
manning company in the Philippines. The
new academy just had its matriculation
ceremony on July 23, 2018. With theobjective of training Filipino seafarers tomaintain a high standard of safety inshipping operations, MOL had previously
organized training voyages on its training
ships with its own lecturers and crew, andconducted a “Staff Candidate Program” totrain third-year students selected frompartner maritime universities under agovernment-industry partnership program
promoted by the Philippine government. The
new academy aims to build on the experienceand expertise gained from this program intraining and consistently turn out seafarers ofeven higher standards. The academy has
accepted new students and has made a goodstart.
The single most important feature of
MMMA is the “Ship in Campus” training
facility that not only looks like the ships thestudents will be boarding after graduation,
but also has a similar arrangement ofequipment as the actual ships to make thestudents work-ready.
I think that the Filipino students are very
fortunate in having access to such advanced
MET facilities. At the same time, I feel theweight of responsibility in meeting our
mission of turning out excellent seafarers. It
is truly a joy for me to be educating thestudents towards this major challenge.
Reference:
www.mol.co.jp/en/pr/2018/18029.html

Full view of the academy

7

My Recollections of the Last 14 Years
Shinichi Ichikawa
Manager, Ocean Education Division
Ocean Policy Planning and Management Department
The Sasakawa Peace Foundation

In this newsletter, I wanted to let you know that I, Shinichi Ichikawa(Shin), have made a personal decision to retire from the Sasakawa Peace
Foundation on September 30, 2018.
Looking back at my years with the foundation, where I have been in
charge of the WMU Sasakawa Scholarship Program since February 2005, I
came suddenly to the realization that I have been involved in this programfor a good 13 years and eight months. As you are aware, the recipients ofthis scholarship program are mostly students from the Asia-Pacific, Africa,and Latin America regions studying at WMU. Supported by grants fromThe Nippon Foundation, this program has provided scholarships for a totalof 641 students from 74 countries.
After graduation, these scholarship students take up key positions invarious sectors including government and educational institutions in theirrespective countries where they play vital roles in maritime and marine
related fields. As one of the people who have been involved in this program
over the years, I am very happy and proud to have been a part of it.
At this time I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to The Nippon
Foundation, all WMU stakeholders, and everyone else who is part of thisprogram for their dedicated efforts. Through this program, I was afforded
many precious opportunities to visit a host of countries and regions, and,through exchanges with scholarship students of diverse nationalities
during that time, I learned about many cultures and customs, viewpoints
and ways of thinking as well as the significant importance of interpersonalcommunications. Indeed, these were life-changing experiences for me.
This year I celebrated my 50th birthday. As we are all aware, a human
lifetime is finite. With the realization that this stage of my life may be mylast opportunity to have the necessary mental and physical stamina to takeon challenges in a new field, I made a decision to retire. Upon retirement, I
will leave Tokyo, where I was born and raised, and move to Yamanashi
Prefecture, the home of Mount Fuji (3,776m above sea level), a World
Heritage site of which Japan is very proud. In this environment richly
blessed by nature, I will be able to enjoy Japan’s four seasons much morethan in metropolitan Tokyo. To be honest, I am already looking forward to
having many more opportunities to take out my single-lens reflex camera
and capture the wonderful natural phenomena surrounding me.
As I prepare for my departure, I want to extend my heartfelt wishes to allof our WMU Sasakawa Fellows for a bright future and urge you to join
forces with all of our graduates to work together to invigorate the Sasakawa
network and promote its lively activities long after I am gone.
May you all enjoy good health and meet the future with high aspirations.

Greetings from Cambodia!
Phicheyrithy Sich (Cambodia, 2016)

I am glad to have the opportunity to share good news with the entire Sasakawa Family. After graduating in2016 from the World Maritime University, I got married to Namik HENG on May 27, 2017, and my life as asingle ended.
A year later, a healthy baby girl was born on April 3, 2018. Her name is Rithynavine KIMSOUNG. Although
she is only four months old, everyone thinks she looks like a one-year-old because she is chubby and strong. I
want to thank my wife for bringing into this world such a beautiful and healthy daughter. Actually, I neverthought that having a daughter would bring this much blessing, excitement, and happiness to us. She has filled
our small family with much laughter and joy.
I am reminded of the following quote: “To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter.” Therefore,
I am lucky to have my little princess.
Thank you Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), and I hope our global SPF network grows stronger and larger!

I think many Sasakawa fellows could not believe their eyes upon seeing the news
at the top of this page. It is truly sad to learn about the early retirement of Mr.
Ichikawa, who has occupied a key position at the core of our network for many
years and who has earned the utmost trust of our Sasakawa Fellows. An
organization is composed of people, and it is developed and maintained throughpeople’s attachment to it. It is only the voluntary involvement of individual Fellows
that keeps the network built by Mr. Ichikawa alive and vibrant. We also learned
that Professor Hikima will vacate the office of editor-in-chief of this newsletter, aposition he has held since its very launch in 2002, and this also leaves us with asense of loneliness. Fortunately, however, Professor Yoshiaki Kunieda of Tokyo
University of Marine Science and Technology, who has a deep understanding of
WMU, has accepted to be Professor Hikima’s successor, and we are quite
heartened by this. The right is a commemorative photo, which will evoke various
memories for us in the future (photographed at the end of May).

Mr. Koki Matsushima, Mr. Sadaharu Koga,

Eisuke Kudo (Advisor, SPF)

Dr. Yoshiaki Kunieda

The Sasakawa Peace Foundation Bldg., 1-15-16 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8524 Japan
Tel: +81-(0)3-5157-5263 Fax: +81-(0)3-5157-5230 URL: http://www.spf.org/e/