The 37th Ship for World Youth Program was successfully completed in March 2026.
This time, the program structure was quite different from previous years, as it began in Bangkok immediately after the conclusion of SSEAYP (Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program).
Although the Participating Youths (PYs) only began their icebreaking activities after boarding the ship, they quickly opened up to one another and formed close connections, leaving a strong impression.
Port of Call Activities were delivered in two different formats. One was the Cultural Experience Session, aiming to touch on Japanese culture, and the other was Project-Based Learning, aiming to cultivate problem-solving skills by implementing projects to solve local issues based on the Course Discussion theme.
It has already been announced that the Nippon Maru will retire in May 2026, making this the final SWY voyage aboard the ship. Many Ex-PYs visited the Nippon Maru when she called at Okinawa, Aichi, and Tokyo, enjoying special moments on board while reminiscing about their cherished memories.
Participating Countries
Cameroon, Canada, Republic of Chile, Dominican Republic, Greece, Jamaica, Japan, Mongolia, Mozambique, Republic of Palau, New Zealand and Spain
Schedule
Face to Face Program: Feb. 15 to Mar. 13, 2026
*Bangkok: Feb. 15 to 16
*Cultural Experience Session in Okinawa Prefecture: Feb. 23 to 25
*Project-Based Learning Session in Aichi: Feb. 28 to Mar. 4
*Tokyo Program: Mar. 10 to 13
