Honorary Chair Yohei Sasakawa Receives Honorary Doctorate From Gallaudet UniversityIn recognition of years of continuous promotion of education and social participation for deaf and hard-of-hearing people

The Nippon Foundation Honorary Chair Yohei Sasakawa was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters by Gallaudet University in the United States on May 15, 2026.

The honorary degree was in recognition of his work over many years supporting education and social participation for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

The Nippon Foundation has supported deaf students from developing countries through the establishment of two funds at Gallaudet University: the Gallaudet University Sasakawa International Scholarship (1992) and the Gallaudet University World Deaf Leadership Scholarship (program launched in 1996, current scholarship from 2003). Along with scholarship programs at other universities, the Foundation has been engaged in a wide range of activities in addition to educating more than 400 next-generation leaders in Japan and overseas, including the promotion of bilingual deaf education, the development of sign language linguistic studies, and expanding opportunities for high school education.

The degree was awarded at Gallaudet University’s graduate school commencement ceremony, held at the Gallaudet campus in Washington, D.C., on May 15, 2026. Mr. Sasakawa attended the ceremony and gave a keynote address.

In his address, Mr. Sasakawa noted, “The knowledge you have gained here, the experiences you have shared, and the networks you have built, will support your journey and serve as a foundation for creating new values in your respective fields. I encourage you to believe in your own abilities and as leaders work toward a society in which more persons with disabilities can fully participate.”