The photo was taken at the 2023 MEXT Scholarship Award Presentation Ceremony held at the Official Residence of the Consul General on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2023. The person in the middle is Consul-General Aoki.

The Monbukagakusho Scholarship (MEXT) is a prestigious scholarship offered by the Japanese government. The Scholarship was established in 1954, and thousands of students from over 160 countries have studied in Japanese universities under this all-expenses-paid Scholarship. 
 
For decades, the Japanese program at the University of Hawaii has been sending its outstanding Majors for the Scholarship, and, for this year’s Scholarship competition, Ms. Sarah Domingo (left) and Mr. Maximilien Halim (right) were awarded the Scholarships.
 
Only four undergraduate students were selected for the Award and Sara and Max were two of the four representing the US. They will be leaving Honolulu in mid-September to study at Aichi Shukutoku University (Sarah) and Waseda University (Max) for the 2022-23 Academic Year.