Message on the 50th Anniversary of the Japan Foundation Awards

Congratulations to the Japan Foundation on the 50th anniversary of the Japan Foundation Awards. I wish to take this opportunity to express my respect for, and gratitude to, the Foundation for the encouragement and inspiration it has provided to organizations and individuals involved in international exchange with Japan. I would also like to take this opportunity to reflect on the magnificent achievements of those who have been recipients of the award in the past.

It is my understanding that international exchange in Japan has changed and developed significantly according to the global situation and domestic social conditions over the years. I believe that it is no exaggeration to say that the history of the Japan Foundation Awards, the many aspects of international exchange upon which it has shined a light, and the long recognition of its achievements, is itself the very history of international exchange in Japan. This University was among the recipients of the very first awards, and some of our researchers have also been recipients of the award over the years. We are greatly aware that it is these opportunities that have guided us in our many international endeavors.

The COVID-19 pandemic and international conflicts such as the war in Ukraine have reminded international society, as it strives toward globalization in a good sense, of the existence of national borders. On the other hand, the emergence of artificial intelligence and other digital technologies that can easily cross those borders have thrown the world into a state of concern. Meanwhile, the global environment is headed toward a state that can only be improved through international cooperation. International exchange initiatives become even more important given the current state in which world peace and human dignity are under threat. And those initiatives must be achieved under an understanding shared by society as a whole. In that sense, the existence of the Japan Foundation Awards will continue to strengthen its guiding significance for those initiatives in the future.

Again, with hope for the further development of the Foundation, and great expectations for your role in international exchange, I congratulate the Japan Foundation on this, the 50th anniversary of the Japan Foundation Awards.

TERUMICHI Yoshiaki
President
Sophia University

(Original text in Japanese)

Awards and Special Prizes: Recipients List 1973 - 1995