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The Nippon Foundation is proud to be an official charity beneficiary of the Tokyo Marathon 2027 Charity Program. We warmly welcome both donations and applications from those who wish to run as Charity Runners. All donations received will be used to support The Nippon Foundation Children’s Support Fund, which provides assistance to children facing various challenges and hardships. The Tokyo Maratho

New, long-term framework for supporting island states The Nippon Foundation, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, convened the inaugural Island States Ocean Summit in Tokyo on June 3-4, 2026. The Summit brought together approximately 300 participants, including His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, Japanese Pri

In front of the new Sasakawa Memorial Hall at Losheng Sanatorium in Taiwan. I attended a ceremony to open the hall on February 11, 2026.  During my visit to Taiwan in February in my capacity as honorary chair of The Nippon Foundation, I took part in a ceremony to mark the opening of the new Sasakawa Memorial Hall built in the grounds of the Losheng Sanatorium in Taoyuan County, 40 kilometers west

Two groups of Japanese companies have started fully autonomous operations of a containership and a Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO) cargo ship on regular commercial routes, making them the second and third vessels to reach this milestone under the “MEGURI2040” fully autonomous ship project financed and administered by The Nippon Foundation. On January 30, the newly-built 5,689 gross-ton 134.9-meter-long co

Dates: June 3-4, 2026 (Wednesday-Thursday) Location: Tokyo The Nippon Foundation, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO) will jointly host an international conference, the Island States Ocean Summit, with roughly 300 people (as of May 13) including heads of state and cabinet ministers from roughly 30 countries including island stat

Results of 78th installment announced – Large increase in Japanese respondents saying ‘My country has excellent leaders,’ while ‘Increase in immigrants’ rises among major issues The 78th installment of the Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds was carried out during February 2026, asking young people aged 17 to 19 in six countries – Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, South Korea, and

(The following concerns The Nippon Foundation's official website and main email address. These are not related to the TNFSA.) Please note that the email address for The Nippon Foundation’s general correspondence in English, including The Nippon Foundation News monthly newsletter, will change from April 10.New Email Address: [[email protected]]Previous Email Address: [info_global_commun

The Nippon Foundation has embarked on a joint international research project to unlock the mystery of “dark oxygen” with Northwestern University and Boston University of the United States and the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS)From left: The Nippon Foundation Executive Director Mitsuyuki Unno, Franz Geiger of Northwestern University and Jeffrey Marlow of Boston University at a press

Since September, we have conducted a series of online panel discussions exploring the future of careers in Japanese studies. The full video series is available here: Webinar Video Available: Japan Studies – Next-Gen Career Paths: Interdisciplinary and Diverse TrajectoriesBroadening the Scope: New Possibilities through Cross-discipline CollaborationStrengthening for Sustainability: Networks, Fundin

On January 30 (Fri) 2026, The Nippon Foundation Scholars Association will host an online discussion on institutional collaboration and the avenues it can provide for Japanese studies scholars.The recording is now available here.The field has undergone seismic changes in recent decades, leaving many scholars understandably concerned about the future. At the same time, numerous important actors in J

Last month, on the eve of World Leprosy Day, I posted a message on the World Health Organization (WHO) website in my capacity as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination.In my message, I reflected on the fact that this year marks the 25th anniversary of my appointment as a WHO Goodwill Ambassador.Drawing on decades of firsthand engagement with communities affected by leprosy, I highlighted

At the beginning of the New Year, I was amazed and grateful that The Nippon Foundation received a donation of 400 million yen (about $2.62 million) from an elderly woman in Osaka, western Japan. The sender remains anonymous.A year earlier, we received a donation of 200 million yen (about $1.31 million) in three big cardboard boxes, delivered to our office by a parcel delivery service from an anony

Which best describes your impression of Japan having its first female prime minister?On October 21, 2025, Ms. Sanae Takaichi was elected Japan’s 104th prime minister by its Diet (Parliament), making her the first woman in the nation’s history to hold the office. To look into how young Japanese feel about the new leader, The Nippon Foundation conducted an online survey from November 7 to 10, coveri

The 749 gross-ton containership Mikage, equipped with an autonomous navigation system, is being readied  for certification by the Japanese government in order to start commercial operations by the end of March 2026 under the “MEGURI2040” project. Under the “MEGURI2040” project, three more vessels are slated to start fully autonomous navigation on their respective commercial routes by the end of Ma

A mobile land-based support center deployed at Shin-Okayama Port in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, for the demonstration of fully autonomous navigation by the passenger ferry Olympia Dream Seto on December 10, 2025. For the demonstration of its unmanned navigation system on December 10, 2025, the 942 gross-ton passenger ferry Olympia Dream Seto was supported by a mobile land-based Fleet Operat

The 942 gross-ton Olympia Dream Seto is to become the world’s first passenger ferry with a fully autonomous navigation system to start commercial service on a regular route under the “MEGURI2040” project. A Japanese consortium will shortly start fully autonomous operations of a passenger ferry on a regular commercial route in western Japan under the MEGURI2040 fully autonomous ship project finance

Happy New Year!All of us at The Nippon Foundation wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2026.     ******************************************A private audience with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, northern India, on November 28, 2025. I was received by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, at his headquarters in Dharamsala, northern India, on

I would like to share with you some of the photographs taken during my visit to Sri Lanaka from November 6 to 8, 2025, in my capacity as honorary chair of The Nippon Foundation and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination.[November 7, Colombo, Sri Lanka]With 15 Sasakawa fellows who studied at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Sweden under the foundation’s fellowship program.  With memb

[November 6, Colombo, Sri Lanka] I would like to share with you some of the photographs taken during my visit to Sri Lanaka from November 6 to 8, 2025, in my capacity as honorary chair of The Nippon Foundation and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination. With Prime Minister Harini Nireka Amarasuriya, who also serves as Education Minister.At the meeting at her official residence Temple Tree

I would like to share with you some of the photographs taken during my visit to Sri Lanka from November 6 to 8, 2025, in my capacity as honorary chair of The Nippon Foundation and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination. During my stay in the capital Colombo, I attended Sri Lanka’s first national leprosy conference aimed at reinvigorating the country’s efforts against leprosy and the assoc