Young engineer wins MEXT Scholarship in Japan

APIA, SAMOA – 31 MARCH 2023: A young Samoan civil engineer currently working for the Samoa Water Authority, has won a MEXT Scholarship to pursue a Masters program at the Osaka University of Japan.

Lynham Mariner, a 25 year old male of Vaipuna village, holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours) from the London Southbank University in the United Kingdom.

His studies will focus on the area of hydraulic and coastal engineering, specifically on offshore tsunami mitigating effects. He hopes to gain further insights into Japan’s approaches to provide standard mitigating measures against tsunami waves that could be beneficial to countries like Samoa.

The scholarship was announced by the JICA Apia office this week and Mariner is excited to travel to Japan to further his studies in his respective field and hope that upon completion of his course, he would make a contribution to the development of Samoa.

The MEXT scholarship is offered by the Government of Japan through its Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports & Technology. It was temporarily suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic and it has been three years since the last scholarship student from Samoa travelled and studied under the program in Japan.

Japan’s ambassador to Samoa, HE Senta Keisuke congratulated the recipient and wished him  well in his studies and future endevours.

The Ambassador emphasized that the program is a testament to the string relationship between Japan and Samoa especially the celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries which aims to further promote academic and cultural exchanges.