On January 20, 2020, the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) welcomed a new Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) volunteer, Mr. Miki Sugimoto. Mr. Sugimoto hails from Toba City in the Mie Prefecture of Japan. He had previously worked at the Toba Aquarium, the Palau Aquarium’s sister aquarium, as a general manager of planning and public relations, where he created displays, video content, advertising, and press releases for the sea life housed at Toba. In his free time, Mr. Sugimoto enjoys running and fishing.
Mr. Sugimoto is working at the Palau Aquarium as an adviser to help the Aquarium Department to increase demand for the aquarium experience by improving operations, exhibits, and interaction with community and visitors. “I would like to know the splendor of Palau through PICRC, and I would like to tell them to Japan,” Mr. Sugimoto said when asked what he expected to gain from his volunteering at PICRC.
PICRC would like to welcome Mr. Sugimoto to Palau, and thank him for volunteering to help improve the Aquarium experience for visitors and locals.