【Photo Diary】(1) Visit to the United States, and Antigua and Barbuda
Published on November 28, 2025
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I would like to share with you some of the photographs taken during my visit to the United States, and Antigua and Barbuda from October 15 to 23, 2025, in my capacity as honorary chair of The Nippon Foundation.
In Woods Hole, 120 kilometers south of Boston, I visited the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to be awarded its inaugural series Centennial Medal.
In Washington, I met with President Roberta Cornano of Gallaudet University, the world’s premier higher education institution for the deaf and hard of hearing.
In St. John’s, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, I talked with Prime Minister Gaston Alfonso Browne and invited him to attend a summit of island states that the foundation plans to organize in Tokyo in June 2026.
In the course of the nine-day trip, I met and enjoyed talking with Sasakawa fellows and alumni who studied at various institutions under the foundations’ fellowship programs.
[October 15, Boston, the United States]
[October 16, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, the United States]
President and Director Peter de Menocal (left) of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) hands me its Centennial Medal in recognition of my decades of contributions to ocean science, conservation and governance.
WHOI is the world’s leading independent oceanographic research institution with 74 buildings and over 1,000 staff and students.
In the run-up to its 100th anniversary in 2030, it is honoring a select group of ocean explorers, advocates, and philanthropists with its inaugural series Centennial Medal, which recognizes individuals and organizations for significant contributions to understanding, protecting and raising awareness of the ocean.
With NASA astronaut Ms. Sunita Williams (left) and
Mr. Bruce Strickrott (right), the lead pilot of the DSV (Deep-sea Submersible Vehicle) Alvin (at rear) at WHOI.
Ms. Williams set records on her three flights to the International Space Station (ISS). She has logged 608 days in space over the three flights, the second most of any NASA astronaut after Ms. Peggy Whitson, who has spent 675 days in space.
Mr. Strickrott completed nearly 400 dives in Alvin on more than 140 dive expeditions since joining the program in 1996. The DSV is owned by the United States Navy and operated by WHOI. He helped lead the effort to upgrade Alvin’s maximum depth to 6,500 meters, completed in August of 2023.
(To be continued)
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