[Source: Fiji Government / Facebook]

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has commended the Nippon Foundation for its lead role in facilitating development cooperation.

Rabuka met with Dr Yohei Sasakawa, the Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, in Tokyo, Japan.

The PM commended the Foundation’s work on ocean-related projects as well as disaster preparedness and quality education and health, particularly on leprosy and poverty.

The Foundation has also assisted Fiji Government officials with scholarships to undertake capacity-building programs in Japan, in the oceans, education, and health-related sectors.

The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to extend a formal invitation to Dr. Yohei Sasakawa to visit Fiji next year, the 55th anniversary of Fiji and Japan’s bilateral relations.

The Nippon Foundation has been instrumental in assisting Fiji and the Pacific region in their development efforts and forging strong bonds, or Kizuna, among Pacific nations.

The Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established in 1962 by Dr. Sasakawa’s late father, Ryoichi Sasakawa, with the aim of assisting community-led efforts to realize a more peaceful and prosperous global society.

The Nippon Foundation is the parent organization of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and has been providing ongoing support since 1962.