A joint summer program with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and Columbia University

In this milestone year marking the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing, Hiroshima University held the Peace Study Tour 2025. Timed to coincide with the Peace Memorial Day on August 6, this program invites students from partner institutions and other universities around the world to Hiroshima to participate in a series of summer programs centered on diverse global themes.

Now in its third year, the program welcomed 140 students from 37 universities across 17 countries, who joined 83 Hiroshima University students to take part in six specialized summer programs. Each program addressed contemporary global challenges such as nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, sustainable resource management and positive peace, the social role of artificial intelligence (AI), diversity and inclusion, AI applications in maritime and ocean fields, and the circular economy. The programs ran for about 10 days to two weeks between early August and mid-September.

Participants from around the world engaged in lectures by experts and practitioners, field visits, group work, and discussions—tackling global issues from multidisciplinary perspectives while actively exchanging ideas on peacebuilding.

From August 4 to 6, a cross-program Peace Learning component was also held. In addition to the annual activities—listening to testimonies from atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha), visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and attending the Peace Memorial Ceremony—this year’s program featured a special lecture by Mr. Toshiyuki Mimaki, Chairperson of Nihon Hidankyo, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024. Mr. Mimaki shared his personal experience as a survivor and his lifelong commitment to peace. His talk provided students with a profound opportunity to reflect on the horrors of war, Hiroshima’s path to peace, and the city’s remarkable recovery—leaving a lasting impression on all participants.

Students from abroad offered a wide range of reflections, including:

“The Hiroshima location is a perfect place to conduct this program because also of its significant contribution to peace and it is a history itself of reconstruction after the atomic bomb explosion. This also made me realize that peace and reconstruction is attainable given also that the community where I can from is in its reconstruction phase, maybe this learning could be applied in my community where I was currently working and staying. Also, this is a personal walk towards inner peace after my experience of bomb explosion incident. It helps me a lot in trying to resolve that traumatic experience and somehow find peace from within.”

“To have that many people from diverse background initially felt we might disagree to many of things that was going to happen in the program and particularly issues happening around the world. But it went quite well. There were many things to learn, for instances, learning, respecting, and acknowledging one’s culture and their opinions because we all live different realities, therefore different experiences. Moreover, living in coexistence with nature is one of the most things that we learned for sustainable and peaceful development of the world.”

“I learned that peace is not only about ending conflict but also about building respect, trust, and care for each other and the environment. I hope to use this experience to promote values of harmony with nature, respect for community, and peaceful dialogue to address cultural preservation and environmental challenges in my region.”

“Hiroshima has been the most significant, not just because of its history but because of its gradual reconstruction of not just infrastructure development but also development of people emotionally and psychologically. This city is the reflection of collective consciousness and determination for better future.”

These reflections indicate that the students actively considered the significance of peace and gained a wide range of learning experiences.

In a world where conflicts and wars still persist, Hiroshima University strongly believes that providing opportunities for students from across the globe to gather, learn, and engage in dialogue through international exchange is one of the most important missions of a university. Moving forward, we will continue to share the reality of the atomic bombing with students visiting Hiroshima and offer meaningful learning opportunities that inspire them to think deeply and take action toward peace and sustainability.