This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors.
Louane from France performs the song "maman" during the second semi-final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A horse works out at Pimlico Race Course ahead of the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, left, welcomes Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, ahead of a summit where the leaders of 47 European countries and organizations will discuss security, defense and democratic standards against the backdrop of Russia's war on Ukraine, in Tirana, Albania, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)
Police officers clash with protesters during a demonstration to commemorate the Nakba Day in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
President Donald Trump shows the guest book after touring the Abrahamic Family House, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Independent miners rest after marching to demand a solution to the diesel shortage and the economic crisis, in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Peyton Stearns of the United States returns the ball to Jasmine Paolini of Italy during the semi-final tennis match at the Italian Open at the Foro Italico, in Rome, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva kisses Lucia Topolansky, widow of former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, during funeral ceremonies for the late leader at the Legislative Palace in Montevideo, Uruguay, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Mourners react next to the body of Tzeela Gez, 37, an Israeli who was on her way to have her baby delivered when she was shot and killed by a Palestinian gunman in the occupied West Bank, during her funeral at Givat Shaul cemetery in Jerusalem on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
The U.S. Capitol is seen from Arlington National Cemetery at sunrise, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Edmonton Oilers right wing Kasperi Kapanen (42) scores against the Vegas Golden Knights during overtime of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Inter Miami midfielder Lionel Messi, left, and San Jose Earthquakes defender Daniel Munie compete for possession of the ball during the second half of an MLS soccer match Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
President Donald Trump on stage at the Al Udeid Air Base, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump gestures backdropped by an MQ-9 Reaper drone at the Al Udeid Air Base, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Cadets and young volunteers unfurl a giant replica of the Soviet Flag of Victory, during a continued observance of Victory Day. celebrating 80 years after the victory in World War II, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Palestinians inspect the rubble of the Al-Lahham family's home, destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A woman, from the Durua Indigenous community, prepares to take part in the Chaitra Parab festival, a monthlong harvest celebration, in Hatipakna village, Koraput district, in India's eastern state of Odisha, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Father Paisios is followed by cats walks at the Simonopetra, or Simonos Petra Monastery, home of the all-male autonomous community of Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Anti-government demonstrators block a highway to protest a law, which overhauls the social security agency, and the recently signed Panama-U.S. memorandum concerning the Panama Canal, in Santiago, Panama, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A bronze statue and a banner of former Cincinnati Reds player Pete Rose are seen outside the Great American Ball Park, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Klavdia from Greece performs the song "Asteromata" during the dress rehearsal for the second semi-final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Tom Cruise poses for photographers during the photo call for the film 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Andie MacDowell poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Photo by Lewis Joly/Invision/AP)
Italy's Jannik Sinner, left, shares a light moment with Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of their meeting at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)
In this photo released by the Saudi Royal Palace, Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, left, shakes hands with President Donald Trump, centre, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. At right is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.(Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace via AP)
Palestinians mourn their relatives killed in an Israeli airstrikes in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. According to local hospitals, 48 people were killed in the strikes, including 22 children. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
President Donald Trump holds up a pen given by Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as they exchange documents during a signing ceremony at the Amiri Diwan in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Qatar Emiri Air Force F-15s provide an honorary escort for Air Force One, carrying President Donald Trump, as it arrives in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shake hands after exchanging documents during a signing ceremony at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Elon Musk, departs a lunch between President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Keegan Bradley hits from the bunker on the 13th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Kim Kardashian waves as she arrives to testify regarding a robbery of millions of dollars in jewels from her Paris hotel room in 2016, in Paris, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
The full moon sets behind the St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia, early Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz serves during a round of sixteen match against Russia's Karen Khachanov at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Kim Kardashian waves as she arrives to testify regarding a robbery of millions of dollars in jewels from her Paris hotel room in 2016, in Paris, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Jabir Kaur, wife of Sukhwinder Singh, center, wails after her husband died consuming toxic liquor, in Majitha village on the outskirts of Amritsar, India, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Prabhjot Gill)
President Donald Trump walks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during an arrival ceremony at the Royal Terminal of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A woman processes gold at a mining site in the Kedougou region of Senegal on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene dives safely into home plate against the Boston Red Sox in the third inning during a baseball game, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A cross atop the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is silhouetted against the rising full moon Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Nepalese devotees light butter lamps during Buddha Jayanti, also known as Buddha Purnima festival, to celebrate Buddha's birthday, in Boudhanath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Ward Nar, left, reacts as she speaks with the photographer after returning empty-handed from attempting to receive donated food for her family, including her husband Mohammed Zaharna (center right) and their children, Sally (right) and Raed, at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Israelis gather ahead to watch a live broadcast in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander being released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Monday, May 12, 2025. Alexander was abducted during the Hamas-led attack on his base on October 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Palestinians struggle to obtain donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Bismarck the Sphinx cat hisses while a judge takes notes during an international feline beauty competition in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A Buddhist monk circumambulates the Boudhanath stupa during Buddha Jayanti, also known as Buddha Purnima festival, to celebrate Buddha's birthday, in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
School students participate in a mock drill trained by civil defence members to respond in case of attack in Guwahati, India, Saturday, May 10, 2025 amid rising fears of wider conflict following India's strikes in Pakistan. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Dancers gather on a sidewalk after performing at a wedding in Cartagena, Colombia, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
People celebrate waving flyers of newly-elected Pope Leo XIV during a Mass in his honor, in Chiclayo, Peru, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)
A flag from the United States waves from the crowd as Pope Leo XIV appears at the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica for his first Sunday blessing after his election, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, May 11, 2025.(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
From left, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz make a call to U.S. President Donald Trump from Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)
Click to Gallery
Louane from France performs the song "maman" during the second semi-final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A horse works out at Pimlico Race Course ahead of the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, left, welcomes Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, ahead of a summit where the leaders of 47 European countries and organizations will discuss security, defense and democratic standards against the backdrop of Russia's war on Ukraine, in Tirana, Albania, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)
Police officers clash with protesters during a demonstration to commemorate the Nakba Day in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
President Donald Trump shows the guest book after touring the Abrahamic Family House, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Independent miners rest after marching to demand a solution to the diesel shortage and the economic crisis, in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Peyton Stearns of the United States returns the ball to Jasmine Paolini of Italy during the semi-final tennis match at the Italian Open at the Foro Italico, in Rome, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva kisses Lucia Topolansky, widow of former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, during funeral ceremonies for the late leader at the Legislative Palace in Montevideo, Uruguay, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Mourners react next to the body of Tzeela Gez, 37, an Israeli who was on her way to have her baby delivered when she was shot and killed by a Palestinian gunman in the occupied West Bank, during her funeral at Givat Shaul cemetery in Jerusalem on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
The U.S. Capitol is seen from Arlington National Cemetery at sunrise, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Edmonton Oilers right wing Kasperi Kapanen (42) scores against the Vegas Golden Knights during overtime of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Inter Miami midfielder Lionel Messi, left, and San Jose Earthquakes defender Daniel Munie compete for possession of the ball during the second half of an MLS soccer match Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
President Donald Trump on stage at the Al Udeid Air Base, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump gestures backdropped by an MQ-9 Reaper drone at the Al Udeid Air Base, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Cadets and young volunteers unfurl a giant replica of the Soviet Flag of Victory, during a continued observance of Victory Day. celebrating 80 years after the victory in World War II, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Palestinians inspect the rubble of the Al-Lahham family's home, destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A woman, from the Durua Indigenous community, prepares to take part in the Chaitra Parab festival, a monthlong harvest celebration, in Hatipakna village, Koraput district, in India's eastern state of Odisha, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Father Paisios is followed by cats walks at the Simonopetra, or Simonos Petra Monastery, home of the all-male autonomous community of Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Anti-government demonstrators block a highway to protest a law, which overhauls the social security agency, and the recently signed Panama-U.S. memorandum concerning the Panama Canal, in Santiago, Panama, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A bronze statue and a banner of former Cincinnati Reds player Pete Rose are seen outside the Great American Ball Park, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Klavdia from Greece performs the song "Asteromata" during the dress rehearsal for the second semi-final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Tom Cruise poses for photographers during the photo call for the film 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Andie MacDowell poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Photo by Lewis Joly/Invision/AP)
Italy's Jannik Sinner, left, shares a light moment with Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of their meeting at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)
In this photo released by the Saudi Royal Palace, Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, left, shakes hands with President Donald Trump, centre, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. At right is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.(Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace via AP)
Palestinians mourn their relatives killed in an Israeli airstrikes in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. According to local hospitals, 48 people were killed in the strikes, including 22 children. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
President Donald Trump holds up a pen given by Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as they exchange documents during a signing ceremony at the Amiri Diwan in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Qatar Emiri Air Force F-15s provide an honorary escort for Air Force One, carrying President Donald Trump, as it arrives in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shake hands after exchanging documents during a signing ceremony at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Elon Musk, departs a lunch between President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Keegan Bradley hits from the bunker on the 13th hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Kim Kardashian waves as she arrives to testify regarding a robbery of millions of dollars in jewels from her Paris hotel room in 2016, in Paris, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
The full moon sets behind the St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia, early Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz serves during a round of sixteen match against Russia's Karen Khachanov at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Kim Kardashian waves as she arrives to testify regarding a robbery of millions of dollars in jewels from her Paris hotel room in 2016, in Paris, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Jabir Kaur, wife of Sukhwinder Singh, center, wails after her husband died consuming toxic liquor, in Majitha village on the outskirts of Amritsar, India, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Prabhjot Gill)
President Donald Trump walks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during an arrival ceremony at the Royal Terminal of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A woman processes gold at a mining site in the Kedougou region of Senegal on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene dives safely into home plate against the Boston Red Sox in the third inning during a baseball game, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A cross atop the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is silhouetted against the rising full moon Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Nepalese devotees light butter lamps during Buddha Jayanti, also known as Buddha Purnima festival, to celebrate Buddha's birthday, in Boudhanath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Ward Nar, left, reacts as she speaks with the photographer after returning empty-handed from attempting to receive donated food for her family, including her husband Mohammed Zaharna (center right) and their children, Sally (right) and Raed, at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Israelis gather ahead to watch a live broadcast in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander being released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Monday, May 12, 2025. Alexander was abducted during the Hamas-led attack on his base on October 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Palestinians struggle to obtain donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Bismarck the Sphinx cat hisses while a judge takes notes during an international feline beauty competition in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A Buddhist monk circumambulates the Boudhanath stupa during Buddha Jayanti, also known as Buddha Purnima festival, to celebrate Buddha's birthday, in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
School students participate in a mock drill trained by civil defence members to respond in case of attack in Guwahati, India, Saturday, May 10, 2025 amid rising fears of wider conflict following India's strikes in Pakistan. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Dancers gather on a sidewalk after performing at a wedding in Cartagena, Colombia, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
People celebrate waving flyers of newly-elected Pope Leo XIV during a Mass in his honor, in Chiclayo, Peru, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)
A flag from the United States waves from the crowd as Pope Leo XIV appears at the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica for his first Sunday blessing after his election, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, May 11, 2025.(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
From left, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz make a call to U.S. President Donald Trump from Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)
FUJISAWA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 12, 2026--
“Blind Sailor Single-Handed Pacific Crossing Project 2027” is a world-first initiative in which Mitsuhiro Iwamoto, a completely blind Japanese yachtsman (blind sailor) based in San Diego, will attempt a solo, non-stop trans-Pacific crossing in the spring of 2027. Sailing a 28-foot yacht single-handedly, he aims to cross the Pacific Ocean from San Diego on the U.S. West Coast to Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, without making port.
Iwamoto will speak about this project at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026, to be held in January 2026.
Project URL: https://hiros-choice.com/
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108087321/en/
The message he most wishes to convey at the WEF is the power of choice.
He lost his sight at the age of sixteen—a moment when he nearly gave up on life itself. Nevertheless, he chose to live. In 2013, he made his first attempt to cross the Pacific with a partner, but the voyage ended in failure after a collision with a whale. The incident drew intense public criticism and plunged him once again into deep despair.
Six years later, in 2019, with a new partner, Iwamoto successfully completed a non-stop Pacific crossing of approximately 13,000 kilometers, sailing from San Diego to Fukushima, Japan. At that point, he made another choice—to move even further forward. That choice led to the launch of this new project.
At the WEF, Iwamoto is scheduled to deliver his speech on January 21, 2026 (Davos, Switzerland time).
How did he come to choose this extraordinary challenge? We invite you to listen closely to his words.
WEF URL: https://www.weforum.org/
This ambitious project depends on a wide range of support systems that will serve as “his eyes.”
These include continuous satellite communication via Starlink, high-sensitivity cameras, voice-based navigation systems that convey critical information, a shore-based support center monitoring the voyage, and—most importantly—the collective support of people around the world who will guide and assist him.
Together, these elements aim to create a new form of sailing, gradually transforming what has long been considered an “impossible adventure” for a blind sailor into a possible one.
Hiro Iwamoto / Global Keynote Speaker, First Totally Blind Sailor to Cross the Pacific