Postcard From Sasakawa Fellow Symbolizing “Deep Links” Between Japan and Côte d'Ivoire

The Nippon Foundation provides a wide variety of scholarships to students around the world. Every year, I am delighted to receive hundreds of letters of thanks from current and past fellows across the globe.

After they graduate, we also support them through a global network we are building to help them exchange ideas and information and work together as they assist their home countries in addressing various policy challenges, and promote international cooperation.

Here, I would like to share with you a picture postcard I recently received from Mr. Kouakou D. Dominique, a naval officer in Côte d'Ivoire on the southern coast of West Africa. He is one of the 730 fellows from 81 countries who have studied at World Maritime University (WMU) of Sweden under our fellowship program.

I was greatly impressed by the picture on the card, which shows a local fishing boat with the national flags of our two countries.

“It is a common practice for the artisanal fishermen here to have multiple flying flags; I don’t know the exact reasons, but I think it is a way to show appreciation since Japan provides a lot of support to the fishing communities here,” he said in the card dated February 1, 2022.

I believe he was referring mainly to the training provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to local fishermen on fishing methods.

“Through this image, I want to celebrate the deep links which exist between Japan and Côte d'Ivoire,” he wrote, adding: “Thank you again for your support. I am very proud to be part of the Sasakawa Family.”