Courtesy visit from Judge Tomas Heidar, President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)

On October 21, 2025, Judge Tomas Heidar, President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), visited the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) and exchanged views with Executive Director Nobukatsu Kanehara, Senior Fellow Atsuko Kanehara, and Executive Director Eiji Sakai.
 
During the exchange, Senior Fellow Kanehara, who leads the foundation's “International Law of the Sea Study Group,” introduced the group's activities, and President Heidar showed a high level of interest.
 
President Heidar also underscored the importance of human resource development in the field of the law of the sea. He noted that the level of participation by Japanese nationals in major training programs overseas of experts on the law of the sea and the international maritime law remains low and emphasized the need to promote the participation of young people from Japan in particular.