56
September

http://www.wmujapan.net

Japan Field Study Trip in 2016

The Journey and Arrival:
Saturday-Sunday, May 14-15

For the WMU Sasakawa Fellowship Programme
students, the field study trip to Japan is thehighlight of their year. And so, 21 excited
students arrived early at Malmö Centralen station
to begin their journey. After many hours in theair, we glimpsed the landscape that would becomea familiar sight - the ocean and mountains ofJapan - as we came in to land at KansaiInternational Airport.
We were welcomed by a familiar face (and thecamera lens) of Mr Shinichi Ichikawa from the
Sasakawa Peace Foundation and the new face ofMs Miyoko Wada, who would be our trusty tour
guide for the whole week. With our greetings andintroductions complete, heads counted and bags
loaded onto an air-conditioned coach, we set off
for Kobe and our hotel, which would be our basefor the next few days. Kobe is a long and narrowcoastal city, on a thin piece of land between thesteep inland mountains and the waters of Osaka
Bay, a beautiful place to begin our week.
At our hotel, we found another familiar facegreeting us, Mr Eisuke Kudo. After a brieforientation session we proceeded to a Welcome
Reception, attended by senior representatives ofthe maritime industry and maritime academic
institutions. Mr Anas Alamoush delivered aheartfelt address on behalf of the students. The

reception ended with the students performing
the WMU song, capping off a wonderful
beginning to our week.

Ashiya & Himeji: Monday May 16
Photo:IMO

Fukuyama & Yamaguchi:
Tuesday May 17

Well-rested and well-fed, we left the hotel for
our first site visit at the Marine TechnicalCollege in Ashiya, Kobe. We were welcomed
there by former WMU Professor Toshio
Hikima and received an introduction to theinstitution by the Rector, Mr Reiji Tanabe. We
then enjoyed a tour of the facilities on campus,
which included a range of different simulators.
The afternoon was spent at the Hamanaka Chain
Factory in Himeji, Hyogo. Many students had
expressed an excited interest when seeing thislocation on the schedule, and we were indeed
given a fascinating tour, which gave us
knowledge of the chain manufacturing process
and an insight into an industry which supports
maritime and offshore activities.

An early start to the day, with a short walk to
Shin-Kobe station to catch the Shinkansen“bullet train”, and with Ms Wada’s help we allboarded safely. Before too long, travelling atfull speed and covering many kilometres
southwards along the coast we were able to see
more of the beautiful Japanese countryside.
Our first stop of the day was the Tsuneishi
Shipbuilding Company in Fukuyama,
Hiroshima, where we were given a very
interesting tour of the shipyard. The students
were able to see different stages of ship
construction and were impressed by what they
saw with regards to energy efficiency and safety
on modern ships. Mr Sokhdara Srey foundhimself volunteered to take part in the laddersafety training, much to the amusement of his
fellow students.

plane to Tokyo, which would serve as our basefor the remainder of our stay in Japan. Afterlanding at Haneda Airport, we took anotherair-conditioned coach into the centre of thecity, taking in the buildings, bridges and publicgardens of Tokyo on our way. At the other end
we were rewarded by the sight of The Nippon
Foundation building.

From Fukuyama we travelled further south onanother Shinkansen to the very tip of the mainisland of Honshu, to the National Fisheries
University, set in an idyllic location in a
sheltered bay in Yamaguchi, Shimonoseki.
After an introduction to the University and its
different programmes of study by President
Keiji Washio, the students received a detailed
explanation of the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries, under whose auspices
the University runs. They were grateful for an
extensive question and answer session before atour of the campus and facilities.
From Yamaguchi we travelled over the
Kanmonkyo Bridge to the southern island of
Kyushu to our new hotel in the castle town of
Kokura.

Kitakyushu & Tokyo: Wednesday May 18

As a visitor to Japan it is easy to forget that thecountry is so long from North to South, but theheat and humidity of the morning and thepalm trees lining the roads on our way to ourfirst destination served as a reminder of how far
south we had come.
The morning had a distinctly green theme. Our
first visit was to the Port of Kitakyushu,
Fukuoka. The lectures here provided a wealthof information and gave the students a
fascinating insight into the remarkabletransformation of Kitakyushu City, which is a
global success story with regards to overcoming
the effects of pollution. From here we travelled
down the road to the Hibiki LNG Base, where
after a short introduction we were given a tourof the facilities. We were fortunate to be taken
onto the roof of the main building where we
had a bird’s eye view of the entire site.
Our brief stay on the island of Kyushu was now
over as we travelled to the airport to board a

Another early start and a bus ride out of thecity to the Japan Coast Guard Research Centerin Tachikawa, Tokyo. The tour of the facilities
gave the students an appreciation of the wide
range of specialist research undertaken at thecenter, and they were grateful that in each area
there were willing members of the researchteam on hand to answer their questions.

A mixture of excitement and nerves could befelt in the room as we patiently waited for thearrival of Dr Yohei Sasakawa. This was, after
all, the day the students had all been waiting
for, and they were extremely happy that Dr
Sasakawa was able to find time in his busy
schedule to see them. Mr Henry Mwasaru
delivered an address on their behalf,passionately speaking of the responsibility all
the Sasakawa Fellowship Programme students
have to serve the maritime industry and makethe world a better place, and thanking Dr
Sasakawa for the opportunity to do so. Dr
Sasakawa then addressed the students,
speaking of his own philanthropic missions.
Fortunately, we were able to squeeze in a shortphoto opportunity, and the students were very
happy to be able to exchange business cards
and present Dr Sasakawa with gifts from theirhome countries.

Tachikawa & Machida:
Thursday May 19

2

From Tachikawa we then made our way to the
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, “K” Line Training
Center in Machida, Tokyo. The students wereparticularly excited about visiting such a major
shipping and logistics company. Captain Eiji
Kadono gave a welcome speech, after which weheard lectures on the history and outline of the“K” Line Company and its seafarer education
programme. A tour of the facilities wasfollowed by another extensive question andanswer session. The students were particularlyinterested to hear about the origin of the ship’s
names.

Tokyo: Friday May 20

Kamakura. Fortunately for us we had Ms
Wada on hand to explain to us the significanceof the different parts of the shrine, and thesense of tradition was further enhanced by thefact that there was a traditional wedding
occurring that day. After spending some timewithin the gardens around the shrine we wereable to explore the town, which was filled withsouvenir shops and restaurants. And with thesun still shining, we made our way back toTokyo, a perfect end to a perfect week.
For our morning in Tokyo we were treated tosome of the best views of the city from thedizzying heights of the Tokyo Skytree. Whilethe clouds were not kind enough to grant us aview of Mount Fuji, some 120km away, wewere treated to a fabulous view of the city andTokyo Bay, down to Yokohama on one side
and Chiba on the other.
After lunch we made our way to the Ministryof Land, Infrastructure, Transport andTourism (MLIT) in an area of Tokyo filledwith government ministry buildings. Deputy
Director-General, Mr Koichi Kato, gave some
opening remarks to the students, welcoming
them to the Ministry. Mr Wynchester
Florentino addressed the representatives of the
Ministry, expressing thanks on behalf of thestudents. Then Mr Takenori Oka delivered an
informative presentation on the structure of the
Ministry and maritime policy in Japan. He wasalso able to answer some of the questions sentin advance of the visit.

Peace Foundation and former WMU
Governor, opened the meeting before Mr
Hiroaki Sakashita, Director-General of the
Maritime Bureau at MLIT, made a toast. A
dinner buffet was served, and Ms Fatima Zahra
El Marzouki spoke on behalf of the students,
thanking the hosts for the wonderful
opportunity they had been given. The evening
was rounded off by the energetic singing of the
WMU song, where the students were joined by
the WMU graduates.

Kamakura: Saturday May 21

Following our appointment at the Ministry we
had just enough time to take in the beautiful
Hamarikyu Gardens, former Imperial gardens
now open to the public, before it was time to
go to our Farewell Reception. This took placeon the 35th floor of the Kasumigaseki
Building, with a fantastic view of the city,
including the iconic Tokyo Tower, and as we
looked down, even The Nippon Foundationbuilding we had visited just days before. The
week had gone by so quickly, and this was afi t t i n g e n d t o o u r o ffi c i a l fi e l d s t u d yprogramme, in the company of senior
representatives of The Nippon Foundation,
Sasakawa Peace Foundation, the MLIT,
members of the diplomatic corps, maritime
industry officials and WMU graduates.
Mr Hiroshi Terashima, President of the Ocean
Policy Research Institute at the Sasakawa

With our official programme over, we had theopportunity to experience some cultural sites
on our last full day. We travelled south to theseaside resort town of Kamakura, Kanagawa,on what happened to be a beautiful sunnymorning. Our first stop was the Buddhist
temple of Kotoku-in, which is renowned for its
monumental large bronze Amida Buddha. We
were not only impressed by the size of the
Buddha but that it had survived many
earthquakes and a tsunami!
From Kotoku-in we made a short journey
down the road to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, aShinto shrine in the centre of the city of3

Departure: Sunday May 22

We left for Narita International Airport earlyon Sunday morning, feeling lucky to have spent
the past eight days in this beautiful country.
We had been to nine field study locations
spread across six prefectures in a week. The
variety of different site visits, the hospitality of
our hosts and their generosity in sharing somuch information with us was truly
appreciated. At each location we werewelcomed and made to feel like friends. In eachquestion and answer session the students
received thoughtful and thorough answers to
the many questions they had. The spirit ofinternational cooperation we experienced was alesson in itself.
Our thanks go to all the people that made thistrip possible: The Nippon Foundation, MLIT,
and all of our field study hosts. But especially,
our thanks go to those who were with us forthe whole week, Mr Kudo, Mr Ichikawa andMs Wada. A special mention should also go to
our Japanese students, Mr Koki Matsushima,
M r To m o t s u gu N o m a an d Mr Ka zu y a
Shintani, who selflessly donated their time andlocal knowledge to make sure there were avariety of things for the students to do in theevenings when they were not engaged in
official activities. They all helped to make sure
we left with memories which will last alifetime.
Peter Marriott
Assistant Registrar,
World Maritime University

World Maritime Institutesof Sasakawa Fellows
The Philippine Merchant Marine Academy
Myrna Daite Alvarez (Philippines, 2008)

A Brief History:
The Philippine Merchant Marine Academy(PMMA) was originally named "Escuela
Nautica de Manila” and was created by virtueof a royal decree issued on January 1, 1820,
through the recommendation of the Consulateof Commerce. It was inaugurated on April 5 ofthat year and was initially located at Calle
Cabildo Intramuros, Manila, until 1863. It was
subsequently moved three more times over the
next 35 years.
Temporarily closed during the Philippine
Revolution, it was reopened after the American
Occupation on December 15¸ 1899, and was
renamed as the Nautical School of thePhilippine Islands. It was moved once more
into the U.S. Navy Warehouse at Calle Sta.
Elena in San Nicolas, with Spanish as themedium of instruction.
Converted into the Philippine Nautical
School and reopened in 1913, it was placed
under the auspices of the Philippine School for
Arts and Trades. Then, in 1963, R.A. 3680
converted the Philippine Nautical School into
the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy andchanged its course offerings to B.S. Degrees. It
was relocated to Fort Bonifacio, Makati City in1968. From then on, it was placed under the
Department of Transportation andCommunications. In 1997 it was placed
directly under the supervision of theCommission on Higher Education, and on
February 2, 1998, PMMA found its permanent
home at San Narciso, Zambales.

This 196-year old Academy - a pillar among
maritime institutions in the country - has notlagged behind in its quest to produce competentand qualified merchant marine officers. With its
status as the only state maritime academy in thePhilippines, PMMA is faced with the growing
challenge of providing the international marine
fleet with qualified Filipino seafarers. As such, it
has taken the initiative to lead other maritime
institutions in the country in establishingsubstantial standards and criteria toprofessionalize maritime careers that are able tomeet the skills and competency required by theindustry.
PMMA has developed a Quality Standard
System in compliance with the requirements of
the 1995 International Convention on Seafarer'sStandards of Training, Certification andWatchkeeping (STCW '95) and the Policies,
Standards and Guidelines for Maritime
Education of the Commission on Higher
Education.
With this dynamic System, it is hoped thatthose who will manage this prestigious
institution in the future will be inspired tocontinue to improve and build upon this legacy a world famous merchant marine institution

known for quality and good performance withstandards of management and training
comparable only to the best.
Baccalaureate Programs:
P M M A o ff e r s t w o m a j o r p r o g r a m s :Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation(BSMT) and Bachelor of Science in Marine
Engineering (BSMarE). These programs are
four-year residency courses consisting of
three-year academic studies (1st, 2nd and 4thyear) and one year apprenticeship training inthe 3rd year on board commercial vessels plying
the international routes as deck or engine
cadets.
Post-Baccalaureate Degree Programs:• Master in Ship Management (MSM)• Master in Maritime Education andTraining (MMET)• Master in Port Management• Ship Superintendency Course
Lastly, Vice Admiral Richard U Ritual, ourbeloved Superintendent, is a graduate of theWorld Maritime University, Class of 2000,
Master in Maritime Education and Training.

Introduction to Dalian Maritime University, China
Bao Junzhong (China, 2004)

Dalian Maritime University (DMU) is
located in Dalian, China, and aims to cultivate
advanced talents in navigation and marine
engineering. It is a key maritime institution
under the Ministry of Transport of thePeople's Republic of China. DMU has a long
history of 107 years, which can be traced backto 1909, when the Nanyang Institute inShanghai established a Shipping
Administration Section.
Currently DMU has 51 undergraduate
majors. Navigation and Marine Engineering
are two majors with the longest history andthe highest teaching standard. Law (Maritime
Law) and Shipping Management arecharacteristic specialties of the university, while
Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
are new. DMU enrolls overseas students forvarious programs.
DMU has a highly qualified faculty which
comprises 1309 full-time teachers, 330 ofwhom a r e p r o f e s s o rs . Th e u n i v e rs i t y i s
authorized to confer bachelor’s, master’s andd o c t o r ’ s d e g r e e s . Th e c u r r e n t s t u d e n t
population has risen to approximately 20,000.
DMU is well equipped with experiment andtraining facilities, and has more than 100
laboratories for teaching, training and research,such as the laboratories for the navigation
simulator and engine simulator. DMU also

4owns and operates two ocean-going training
vessels. Undergraduate Students majoring in
Navigation and Marine Engineering generally
work as officers serving on ocean-going vessels
after graduation. Most other students
graduating from DMU also devote themselves
to shipping industries.

Merchant Marine Training Centre, Thailand
Sarinee Tongbai (Thailand, 2009)
The Merchant Marine Training Centre(MMTC), the first Maritime Education &Training institute in Thailand, is a bureau of
the Marine Department under the Ministry ofTransport.
MMTC is responsible for the production ofseafarers at all levels to meet the needs of thelabor market, as well as training to increase theacademic standing of seafarers to meetinternational standards in accordance with theprovisions of STCW 2010.
Programme
100 navigation & 100 engine cadets are
accepted per year for a 5-year course.
After graduation the students will be qualifiedas:
1. Deck Officer in charge of navigational watch
on a seagoing ship of 500 Gross Tonnage or
more, as well as Bachelor of Science (Nautical
Science), issued by Bhurapa University
2. Engine Dept.: Second Engineer Officer on aseagoing ship powered by main propulsion
machinery of 750-3000 K.W. propulsion
power, as well as Bachelor of Engineering(Marine Engineering), issued by Bhurapa
University
Upgrading course for seafarers and professional
training courses

MMTC also conducts various short courses totrain seafarers in order to meet the requirementsof national authorities to obtain COC. For
example: RADAR & ARPA, GMDSS,ECDIS, BRM, Leadership and teamwork, etc.
Facilities
A simulator building plays an important role
towards effective learning. MMTC has a fullmission bridge simulator with 360 degrees, 270
degrees, and 3 cubicles with 180 degrees,
including an engine simulator. The simulator isused for ship handling, safe anchorage training
course, radar simulator, etc. Moreover, MMTC
has a separate simulator for GMDSS, ECDIS
and Liquid cargo handling.
Training ships
We are proud to present our training ships
equipped with high technology, T.S. Sakon
Wisai and T.S. Visud Sakorn.
T.S. Sakon Wisai (HSB3901) was designed by
IHI Marine Engineering Singapore, by thecompany Italthai Marine (Thailand). With 4200
gross tonnage and 1500 dwt, 92-meter LOA,
16.80-meter breadth and a water depth of 6
meters, it supports 250 people, made up of 200
students and 50 crew members. The ship has afully integrated navigation and command system(NACOS), including a simulator for shiphandling training.
T.S. Visud Sakorn (HSUC) was designed by
Dwinger Marine Consult Denmark
Ringkobing at Northsea Shipyard Denmark,with a budget of 37.8 million kronor (May.
Prof. 2527). The launching ceremony was held
on December 9, 1986, and the ship was namedby the Director General of the Marine
Department. With a LOA of 60m, a breadthof 11m, and a draught of 5m, it supports 60
students and 30 crew members.
MMTC is certified to ISO 9001:2008 by
Global UKAS and Class NK.
Explore our activities on Facebook“https://www.facebok.com/ThaiMMTC”

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu:
A University that Focuses on Maritime Studies
Faizal Fuad (Malaysia, 2008)

University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) isa public university located at a beach facing
the South China Sea in the Kuala Nerus
district of the state of Terengganu, Malaysia.
It was started as a small Fishery and Marine
Science Centre at the Agricultural Universityof Malaysia (UPM) in 1979. This centre
provided subjects that were not available at themain campus, especially those that required
marine field work to fisheries and marine
science students. This facility also served as a
research facility for the academic staff at thetime, and was upgraded to a UPM
Terengganu branch campus (UPMT) in 1996,
with the shifting of the Fisheries and Marine
Science Faculty from the main campus in theState of Selangor to Terengganu. It was thenrenamed the Faculty of Applied Science andTechnology. Another new faculty was alsoestablished at UPMT, along with a
pre-university education centre. In 1999,
UPMT separated from UPM and was
renamed the University College ofTerengganu (UCT). It was later upgraded in2007 as University Malaysia Terengganu. The
Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia has
assigned UMT as a focus university formaritime studies.
Currently, there are eight schools at UMT,
with four of them related to marine andmaritime studies: the School of Marine &Environmental Sciences (PPSMS), the Schoolof Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences (PPSPA),
the School of Maritime Business &Management (PPPPM), and the School of
Ocean Engineering (PPKK).
Th e N a u t i c a l S c i e n c e a n d M a r i t i m e
Transportation (NSMT) degree program isoffered by the School of Ocean Engineering,along with Maritime Technology, Physic
Electronic and Instrumentation, andEnvironmental Technology. The four-year(eight semesters) NSMT degree program was
first offered by UMT in 2007, with the firstgroup graduating in 2011. During the final
semester of this program, the students have to5attend six-month industrial training.
Currently, five groups have graduated, with a
85% employability rate after six months.
Graduates from this program have been wellreceived by the maritime industries in
Malaysia, including major ports, shipping
companies, OSV providers, oil and gas
companies and maritime authorities. Amongthe facilities at UMT available for this course
are a 38m research vessel that also serves as a
training ship, a full mission ship simulator andpart task ship simulator, a GMDSS lab,
SMCP lab, chart works lab, marine safety lab
and an Olympic sized swimming pool.

Digital Datain Today’s World
Jillian Carson-Jackson
Principal
JCJ Consulting

The ability to get information on demand,using digital data networks such as nextG,
3G and 4G, is now a normal part of life. We
use digital data communications to transfer
images of our holidays to our friends on social
media, to identify the best route to take tothe airport, pay bills and transfer funds
through on-line banking platforms, and somuch more. We truly live in a connected,
digital world.
But how does this transfer to the maritime
environment? With experience gained
through developing and implementing AIS,
and recognising the need for enhanced,
digital communications networks to support
e-Navigation and future developments in the
Global Maritime Distress and Safety System(GMDSS), a small group of experts within
IALA and ITU have been working toprovide a viable technology to facilitate
enhanced maritime communications – theVHF Data Exchange System (VDES).
It is impossible to look at the developmentof VDES without acknowledging the successof the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
since it was introduced as a carriage
requirement within the Safety of Life at Sea
Convention (SOLAS). AIS transfers data indigital ‘packets’ over existing VHF (VeryHigh Frequency) radio channels and, because
it is so effective and useful, applications of
AIS have continued to expand. As mariners
and shore authorities, we are all pretty awareof the benefits, and drawbacks, of thetechnology. The increasing use of AIS isresulting in heavy loading of the VHF datalink (VDL) – the radio frequencies that AIS
uses to transfer information. Looking aheadto the expectations of increased digital dataexchange in e-Navigation, as well as dataexchange requirements in the modernizationof GMDSS, an evolution in maritime
communications is underway.
VDES is a mobile, digital data exchange
capability over the VHF maritime mobile
radio spectrum that could see digital datatransferred pretty much anywhere, anytime.
VDES will ‘group’ bands of the VHF
spectrum together, which will enable moredata to be transferred. Think of a single laneroad - only a limited number of cars will beable to travel. The road has different speed
limits as well. If you increase the number oflanes to two or four lanes, and change thespeed limit, more cars can travel at the sametime. Using software defined radios, VDES
will take existing frequencies (single lanes)and group them together to enable more data
to be transferred. VDES is also looking atchanging the ‘speed limit’ for the datatransfer, which means some data may be able
to be transferred faster.
So, why should you be excited by thethought of digital data over a ‘multi-lane
highway’ of VHF channels? Just imagine theopportunities of a stable, robust, machine tomachine communications system which canbe developed to be language independent!
The experts have been doing just that,working with real-world scenarios to develop
use cases for VDES that take into accountthe work on e-Navigation and GMDSS
modernization. These operational use cases
will assist in determining the technicalrequirements of VDES.
Use Cases for VDES- SAR Communications- Maritime Safety Information- Ship Reporting- Vessel Traffic Services- Charts and Publications- Route Exchange- Logistics

terrestrial applications. In the lead up to the
ITU WRC-19 studies will focus on studies
to support satellite applications, including asatellite communication downlink on the
VDES frequencies. Providing the maritime
input to ITU is critical to ensure a successful
outcome.
At IMO there is continuing work on
e-Navigation and the modernization of
GMDSS. Both of these require access tor o b u s t a n d e ff e c t i v e c o m m u n i c a t i o n scapabilities. While no single communication
technology will address all the requirements,
VDES is seen as a key development.
Operational requirements and technicaldevelopments for VDES are being carried out
within the IALA e-Navigation Committee,
where input and expertise is welcomed.
Preparing for VDES
- Learn about VDES developments- Provide input on VDES through
ITU, IMO and IALA
- Consider use of Software definedradios in equipment maintenance
VDES is an evolution in maritime
communications. As a transport medium for
digital data exchange, VDES has the ability
to transform maritime communications as weknow it. As we have already learned throughthe introduction of AIS, it will really be
exciting to see what the future will hold once
VDES is implemented!
-------------------------------------------Note - Development of the VDES has beenpossible, in part, through the gracious
sponsorship of the former Ocean Policy

At the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU) World Radio Conference(WRC-15) in November 2015, a significant
amount of the maritime VHF spectrum wasmade available to support VDES for

6

Research Foundation and the Japan Coast
Guard. A number of practical studies of
VDES use are being carried out, and theseare being reported on the IALA website at:
http://e-navigation.net/

“World Maritime University, Far Away from Home…”
Although I am not a student of WMU, nora Sasakawa Fellow, I might have sung this song
the most among all Fellows.
Hi, this is Miyo. It’s my great honor to havethis opportunity to write an article for the
newsletter and send greetings from Japan to all
those I’ve met. Hopefully, you remember me!
Some of the readers might be wondering
who I am. I have been the tour assistant andtour guide of the Japan Field Study Trip since
2002, making this my 15th year. Time flies!
When I was asked to write something forthis newsletter, I immediately thought, ‘Are
you sure?’ Because I am not a Fellow, and I’m
not in the maritime sector, either, I was not
sure if I was qualified. However, aftercollecting my past documents and memories
for this occasion, I realized it has been a longtime that I’ve been involved. And mostimportantly, I have enjoyed this involvement
since the beginning and come to love it more
and more.

From 2002 to 2007, I was only with the tour
for a few days, the latter half of the trip outside
the Tokyo area. I guided in Nara, Hiroshima,
Kyoto, Himeji…, and other cities except foreastern Japan. From 2008 onwards, I was able
to travel with the group throughout the entire
trip, guiding tours all over Japan and helping
others understand the life and culture of theJapanese people.

In addition to guiding, I was able to visit awide range of important places in the maritime
field, including the academic, administrative,
governmental, and industrial sectors, which hasenriched and enhanced my understanding of
this field tremendously. It is hard to believethat I didn’t even know what WMU was at the
beginning!

There are several things I have noticed inthese past 15 years, which I would like toshare:- Nationalities of Fellows have become
more diverse. Of course there are somec o m m o n c o u n t r i e s , s u c h a s Th a i l a n d ,Indonesia, the Philippines, and so on, butmore and more come from new countries,
such as Myanmar, Cameroon, Ghana, andmore.
- Except for some vital places that we almost
always visit, the rest of the sites are new. I am
amazed there are so many institutions,
agencies, and companies of different sizes inthis field, who are willing to welcome the
Sasakawa Fellows with warm hospitality. Of
course, it is due to the hard work of those whoarrange the study trip, but I also feel that thereceiving institutions understand how much

Encountering Fellows representing countries
worldwide and meeting with the same faces
every year makes me very happy. I feel a part of
the team for at least eight days each year. Since I
am an English-speaking tour guide, my guests
come from different backgrounds, and I don’t
work in the maritime field throughout the year.

Since I started guiding for the entire Field
Study I became very good at rememberingnames, which I like, as I feel closer to every oneof the Fellows. This is of course an important trip
for the Fellows to learn about what is going on in
Japan’s maritime industries professionally, but at
the same time, they can also get to see and feelthe nature of the country through theirexperiences and through cultural and social
exchanges with local people. And for me, eventhough I introduce the Japanese lifestyle tomany, I also learn a lot from you.

the Fellows will contribute to the maritime
field in the future.
Visiting all these sites, some well-known andsome not, is a great learning experience for me,
and I am amazed to see how they are allseriously and proudly engaged. I hope to visitand discover even more in this exciting sector.
- One more thing I’ve noticed. Fellows on
the field trip are now younger than me! At first,
I was definitely the youngest, but with thepassage of 15 years, I came to realize I am now
older than any of the group!
Lastly, my dear past Fellows, I always readthe newsletter and feel happy to know each oneof you is fine and actively engaging in thismaritime field all over the world. I wish you all
the best!
I thank everyone for this wonderful
opportunity.

Miyoko Wada (Miyo)
Tour Coordinator

7

Goodwill from Vietnamese Alumni

The successive earthquakes that occurred in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture in the middle of April 2016 caused serious
damage, and while The Nippon Foundation immediately extended a helping hand to relief volunteers, it has also been
expanding its fund-raising activities. News of this reached some Vietnamese Fellows, who made use of their network tocollect donations from local WMU graduates. On behalf of them, Mr. Quang Dzung Ngo, who visited Japan in order toattend the port training course held by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, delivered their donations to The Nippon
Foundation on June 13. Their spontaneous goodwill deserves great praise.

My Marriage

Surasak Changjul (Thailand, 2015)

When I graduated from WMU in 2015, I felt that I had experienced the greatest moment of my life. However, an even greater
moment came in May 2016, when I got married. My wife also attended the WMU graduation ceremony, Class of 2015.
“DO YOU BELIEVE IN DESTINY?” I met her in high school when I was 18, and she was 16. Now, I am 36 years old. It took
almost 18 years for my dream to come true.
On my wedding day, I invited Sasakawa Fellow Mr. Sadaharu Koga, my best friend at Malmö, along with Mr. Tuan from Vietnam
and Mr. Han from Korea, both WMU graduates. They were astonished that a traditional Thai wedding took place over an entire day.
In general, Thai weddings have a morning ceremony in traditional Thai wear, followed by lunch. Then, at night, there is another party
where everyone comes in business casual or smart casual to complete the wedding ceremony.
And now, my wonderful journey begins a new path, as my wife is pregnant. I feel that my world will change with my baby. My wifeand I will be parents in the future!
My news has nothing to do with my maritime activities, but I wanted so much to share it with you, my Sasakawa Fellows family. And surely, I will teach my child to respectthese words: “cleaner oceans, safer ships” (WMU’s song).

Welcoming Our Family’s Newest Member

Nyein Ei Phyu (Myanmar, 2011)

Life after graduating from WMU has been going up and up. I am very happy to let our Friends of WMU know about the birthof my son. I got married on November 23, 2014, and I got the best gift I could have asked for on May 1, 2016, when our little
prince decided to arrive four days early. My greatest blessing was born at 8:01am, weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces. He couldn’t be
more perfect. Since the day he was born, he has brought so much happiness to not only me and my husband but everyone aroundhim. Our little superhero is 3 months old now and couldn’t be any happier. No words can describe how much we love our littleman.
Named ‘Aung Myint Myat Thu,’ every single word has meaning. ‘Aung’ means successful, ‘Myint Myat’ means noble, and‘Thu’ means a boy. How special it is!
Since my husband is a First Engineer Officer and I am an Instructor at the Department of Shipping Management of Myanmar Maritime University, my dream, asa mother, is for our son to also serve in the Maritime Sector like his parents. There is no doubt that I would be very happy if my dream were to come true.
I would like to thank The Nippon Foundation and SPF for giving me the opportunity to share our great news, not only about my marriage, but also about the birthof our family’s newest member.

“Grant but memory to us, and we lose nothing by death.”

We were deeply saddened and shocked by the news of the untimely and tragic death of Lt Cdr (R) Asghar Ali, MET 2006 Sasakawa Fellow. After
joining the Operations Branch of the Pakistan Navy in 1987 as a cadet, he went through different phases of life and naval training. Although we worked
at the same organization, our close interaction began when he joined the Pakistan Marine Academy. In 2006, he became a Sasakawa Fellow, attending
MET - 2006 at the World Maritime University. After graduation from WMU, he served in many prestigious organizations, including the Pakistan
Marine Academy, Pakistan Navy and lastly at the Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology (NMIT) in Malaysia. After celebrating his birthday inMarch, he had a road accident and broke his hip bone. Unfortunately, during the operation, he died due to cardiac arrest. His soul departed for heaven on April 21.
This news was received with great sorrow. All of us, especially Sasakawa Fellows, wish to convey our condolences to his family. We pray for his soul to rest in peace and ahigh place in Junnah, and we also pray for his family to face this difficult time with courage. Asghar Ali, we will miss you.
Altaf-Ur Rehman (Pakistan, 2007)

Recent News from the Secretariat

The new address for the Friends of WMU Japan website and the Fellows’ Directory were released this April:

http://www.wmujapan.net/ for Friends of WMU Japan website

https://web5.sec4u.jp/wmujapan.net/ for the Fellows’ Directory

We also plan to update and publish a Directory of the WMU Sasakawa Fellows this coming November, from the Class of 1989 to the Class of 2017. We
gave notice of this in the 55th Newsletter, and a quarter of the Sasakawa Fellows have since updated their information. We therefore ask the rest to
promptly update their personal profiles in the Fellows’ Directory at the Friends of WMU Japan Website by the end of October, 2016. If you have any
questions, please contact the Secretariat by email at: wmujapan@spf.or.jp

As we notified you in the Editor’s Note in Newsletter No. 53, the Marine Technical Education Agency (MTEA) and National Institute for Sea Training (NIST)
merged on April 1, 2016, to form the new Japan Agency of Maritime Education & Training for Seafarers (JMETS).
The newly established JMETS aims to further enhance the quality of services and provide education and training for seafarers and persons aspiring to become
seafarers, as it realizes a high level of autonomy and self-discipline under a five-year objectives-based management plan. We believe that the integration will enable
the delivery of more efficient and more advanced maritime education. At a time when securing and training outstanding seafarers is a
globally shared issue in marine transportation - the largest sector of the transportation industry - we are confident that JMETS can leadmaritime education in the world through increased international activities.
Six WMU alumni hold positions in the new JMETS, and we look forward to their mobilization of the networks and influence they
developed through WMU to further enhance the internationalization of the new organization.
By combining the more than 70 years’ experience and know-how both organizations have cultivated to date, the new JMETS will beable to provide more attractive education and training, which is exactly the synergistic effect intended from the integration, and we are
Prof. Toshio Hikima
convinced that it will become a Japanese maritime education organization revered in the world.
JMETS

Mr. Yusuke Mori, Mr. Yasufumi Onishi,
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/