YOHEI SASAKAWA  - Chairman of The Nippon Foundation

(Source: The Nippon Foundation)

"The Nippon Foundation envisions a world in which we have transcended politics and ideology, religion and race, a world where we no longer suffer from hunger or disease. But there is a barrier at present, a wall that was created by human hands. This man-made wall prevents us from understanding the suffering of others, and blocks us from finding a solution to poverty and human misery. It is our belief that, by removing this wall, by enabling people who are now impoverished and socially handicapped to be the arbiter and creator of their own lives, we will make it possible to create a better world"
 

Nippon Foundation and Maritime Development & Safety Measures

Nippon Foundation has given a special focus to the development and protection of the world's maritime and marine resources. The oceans, with their inherently global nature, both tie our world together and possess unlimited potential for conflict. It is for this reason that Sasakawa has guided his foundation in efforts to strengthen the framework within which nations use the seas. Knowing that strong structures are built by people with an intimate understanding of the field, has extended his focus on global education to this area with the creation of major scholarships at the World Maritime University, the International Maritime Law Institute, and the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea.

Regionally, Asian societies are benefiting directly from Nippon Foundation's Marine Safety initiatives. And as they grow more prosperous, the issue of regional trade and its attendant security comes more into the picture. Much of Asia is inherently reliant on the sea for trade and for resources. And yet, its myriad islands and complex coastal systems have the potential to make Asia's seas some of the most treacherous in the world. This is particularly true in the area between Indonesia and Malaysia, known as the Malacca-Singapore Straits. The straits, which connect Southeast Asia with Europe and Africa, are is vital to regional health. But with their shallowness, the complexity of their currents, and the ever-present danger of piracy, they present innumerable dangers.

For this reason, Sasakawa has devoted a large amount of effort to ensuring the safety of this area. Over the past few decades, his foundation has built more than 30 buoys and navigational aids along the straits. It has donated two ships, one to Indonesia and one to Malaysia, for the purpose of caring for these buoys. It has conducted underwater surveys and developed nautical charts to aid the thousands of ships that pass this way.

Equally importantly, it has conducted international meetings between high-level officials of the various Asian coast guards, in an attempt to reduce the number and severity of pirate attacks in the region. This effort has had a major impact, and in the past two years, regional piracy has fallen by 40%. All of this work has been done at Sasakawa's direction.

In March 2007, at Sasakawa's initiative, a Symposium on the Enhancement of Safety of Navigation and Environmental Protection of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At this symposium, Sasakawa proposed a new voluntary fund for navigational safety and urged that users of the straits take the lead in donating funds.

The information on this page are obtained mainly from The Nippon Foundation's website. For further detailed information on Yohei Sasakawa, our readers are referred to Nippon Foundation - Yohei Sasakawa biography website.

Copyright © 2006 Environmental Business