【Photo Diary】 (3) Visit to Malaysia
Published on October 21, 2024
I would like to share with you some of the photographs taken during my visit to Malaysia from August 31 to September 4, 2024, in my capacity as chairman of The Nippon Foundation.
[September 3, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia]
With Ms. Jawil Nururu Izzah binti Anwar, Co-chairperson of the Secretariat of the Special Advisory Body to the Minister of Finance and the daughter of Prime Minister Mr. Anwar bin Ibrahim.
On the situation in Myanmar, I expressed the foundation’s policy of continuing to provide humanitarian assistance while keeping in touch with ethnic armed organizations (EAOs). I shall desist from giving further details according to my policy of “silent diplomacy.”
With Mr. Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change.
I told the minister that under the “Orangutan Forest Restoration Project,” launched in November 2023 by The Nippon Foundation Volunteer Center and the Japan Malaysia Association (JMA), four groups of 15 Japanese student volunteers have already been sent to Sarakak and planted 10,000 trees in Gunung Apeng National Park in Serian.
“We will strive to achieve the goal of planting a total of 100,000 trees over 10 years,” I said, noting that Malaysian students are also participating in these activities, which I hope will promote exchanges between Japanese and Malaysian students.
I also asked the minister to arrange for Japanese students to be allocated larger areas of land for their reforestation activities. So far, their planting efforts have been limited to areas near roads.
Minister Nik Nazmi promised to contact the state of Sarawak to ensure that the Japanese students are offered the most suitable land for their planting activities, so that when they return in 20 to 30 years’ time, they will be able to say that these are the trees they planted.
(End)