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Chairman Yohei Sasakawa Receives International Maritime PrizeAward Ceremony Held at IMO Headquarters
Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, received the International Maritime Organization’s 2014 International Maritime Prize at an award ceremony held at the IMO’s headquarters in London on November 23. Mr. Sasakawa is the second Japanese national to receive this award. The award was presented by IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu, with approximately 900 representatives of the IMO’s 171 member states in attendance. Receiving the award, Mr. Sasakawa said, “I am greatly humbled and honored to accept this prestigious prize, not alone, but together with the 1,099 Sasakawa / Nippon Foundation Fellows from 131 countries and our partner institutions.”
In his remarks, Mr. Sasakawa mentioned several concerns including the destruction of ecosystems from overfishing and the impact of climate change, biological damage from the acidification of the oceans and the threat to island nations from rising sea levels, and evolving legal and policy challenges, and noted that these crises are becoming increasingly severe. In response, The Nippon Foundation has partnered with six universities, including Cambridge and Princeton, to bring together experts in various fields from around the world to cultivate young experts who are able to address these issues taking a holistic approach.
Calling for a “new framework of ocean governance that will enable us to effectively solve the problems of the oceans,” Mr. Sasakawa concluded by expressing his wish that an integrated framework of ocean governance, coupled with the abilities of the young professionals being nurtured, will be able to overcome these crises, “leaving abundant and beautiful oceans for future generations.”
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Communications Department
The Nippon Foundation
