Dr and Mrs Ushioda Scholarship 2026 Awarded to Ms Isabelle Emily Bates
2026/6/25
The recipient of this year’s Dr and Mrs Ushioda Scholarship, Ms Isabelle Emily Bates (centre) with her parents Mr Sean Bates (first from left) and Ms Georgina Gaul (first from right); Ambassador MIYAGAWA Manabu (second from right); and Mr Cian Ushioda, grandson of Dr and Mrs Ushioda (second from left).
Ambassador MIYAGAWA offering his congratulations to Ms Bates.
On 25 June, Ambassador MIYAGAWA Manabu and his wife Noriko attended the award ceremony for this year’s Dr and Mrs Ushioda Scholarship, presented by the Ireland Japan Association to Ms Isabelle Emily Bates. Ms Bates is a student of Applied Language and Translation Studies at DCU, and under this scholarship, she will study at Rikkyo University in Tokyo for one year! Congratulations!
The Dr and Mrs Ushioda Scholarship was established in 2019 in honour of Dr and Mrs Ushioda’s major contribution to the development of the Ireland Japan Association and Ireland-Japan relations, and to underpin the association’s strong commitment to supporting Japanese studies in Ireland.
Information about the scholarship and the Ireland Japan Association can be found here: https://ija.ie/dr-and-mrs-ushioda-scholarship/
【Congratulatory remarks by Ambassador MIYAGAWA】
Good afternoon, everyone. It is a great honour and pleasure to join you in celebrating the Dr and Mrs Ushioda Scholarship Award for Ms Isabelle Emily Bates from Dublin City University.
First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to Ms Bates and her family. Your love for languages, together with your consistent efforts, have translated your dream into reality.
I’d also like to pay tribute to those who have supported the Dr and Mrs Ushioda Scholarship for many years. I am sure that the vision of this respected couple has been faithfully carried forward and will continue to flourish.
Isabelle, if I may, I have read your message on the homepage of the Scholarship, and I was highly encouraged by your determination to “work hard and make lots of lasting connections during your year” in Japan. To achieve your aim, Rikkyo University must be one of the best places. You can get to know new friends and learn from each other, judging from my own experiences with making good friends from Rikkyo, whom I came to know more than 40 years ago. I am sure that your experiences in Ireland and your interest in Japan will prove invaluable in broadening your horizons in Japan.
On your return to Ireland, I hope that you will share what you experience in Japan with your friends. Such steps will deepen your ties with Japan and also shape future relations between Ireland and Japan. I wish you all the best for your forthcoming journey to Japan.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.
The Dr and Mrs Ushioda Scholarship was established in 2019 in honour of Dr and Mrs Ushioda’s major contribution to the development of the Ireland Japan Association and Ireland-Japan relations, and to underpin the association’s strong commitment to supporting Japanese studies in Ireland.
Information about the scholarship and the Ireland Japan Association can be found here: https://ija.ie/dr-and-mrs-ushioda-scholarship/
【Congratulatory remarks by Ambassador MIYAGAWA】
Good afternoon, everyone. It is a great honour and pleasure to join you in celebrating the Dr and Mrs Ushioda Scholarship Award for Ms Isabelle Emily Bates from Dublin City University.
First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to Ms Bates and her family. Your love for languages, together with your consistent efforts, have translated your dream into reality.
I’d also like to pay tribute to those who have supported the Dr and Mrs Ushioda Scholarship for many years. I am sure that the vision of this respected couple has been faithfully carried forward and will continue to flourish.
Isabelle, if I may, I have read your message on the homepage of the Scholarship, and I was highly encouraged by your determination to “work hard and make lots of lasting connections during your year” in Japan. To achieve your aim, Rikkyo University must be one of the best places. You can get to know new friends and learn from each other, judging from my own experiences with making good friends from Rikkyo, whom I came to know more than 40 years ago. I am sure that your experiences in Ireland and your interest in Japan will prove invaluable in broadening your horizons in Japan.
On your return to Ireland, I hope that you will share what you experience in Japan with your friends. Such steps will deepen your ties with Japan and also shape future relations between Ireland and Japan. I wish you all the best for your forthcoming journey to Japan.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.
Ambassador MIYAGAWA and his wife Noriko (right) speaking with Mr Raymond Hegarty, IJA Chairperson (first from left), Mr Richard Ryan, former IJA Chairperson (third from left), and his wife Mrs Helen Ryan (second from left), before pictures of James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, and Oscar Wilde.
Mr Peter Vambeck, Director of Investment at Fitzwilliam Capital, opening the award ceremony and explaining the background of Fitzwilliam Capital’s historic office building, where the award ceremony was held.