A historian and peace studies scholar from Hiroshima University is featured on NHK World-Japan’s “80 Years and Beyond: Passing the Torch of Peace,” a special program examining how the memory of World War II is shaping the next generation’s pursuit of peace.

Dr. John Lee Candelaria, assistant professor in the International Peace and Co-existence Program at Hiroshima University’s Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, speaks about war memory, stressing the importance of safeguarding historical records so their lessons can be passed to future generations.

“(W)ith knowledge of our wartime past, we are able to let the next generation know that, hey, this is what happened and we should work to stop this from happening ever again,” he said.

Aired on December 27, 2025, the program brings together atomic bomb survivors or hibakushas, students, historians, and peace advocates. It features hibakusha Takiguchi Hidetaka, who collaborated with high school student Higuchi Fumina on a painting of his wounded mother, an intergenerational project that demonstrates how lived experience can be preserved through art.

The program also follows Hayashida Mitsuhiro’s peace tours which centers empathy in conveying the horrors of the atomic bombing. In another segment, NHK employs virtual reality to recreate a hibakusha’s testimony, allowing viewers to engage with history in an immersive way. It further explores the work of Singaporean historian Lim Shao Bin, whose reflections on Japan underscore the complexity of memory, responsibility, and reconciliation in the region.

Candelaria is joined by Japan Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons’ Hideo Asano who reflects on the continued relevance of nuclear disarmament for today’s youth, connecting it to broader global issues such as public welfare and the climate crisis.

The program concludes with Candelaria’s emphasis on history’s enduring lesson that war must never again be treated as a policy tool.

“Dialogue and negotiation are not signs of weakness,” he said. “(They are) the lesson we learned from our war experience that it would be less costly if we decide to talk together and come together and sit down and decide how we can chart a more peaceful future.”

The appearance followed NHK’s discovery of a Hiroshima University feature story on Candelaria’s recently published book on war memorials titled War Memorialization and Nation-Building in Twentieth-Century Southeast Asia. Through his research and international engagement, Candelaria continues to contribute to Hiroshima University’s long-standing mission as a center for peace scholarship.

Also Read: Hiroshima’s memorials taught the world to mourn differently. Now, a new book explores what stories Southeast Asia carved in stone

The program is available for viewing until December 26, 2026 on the NHK World-Japan website.