Tokyo, August 11, 2025 — Fourteen alumni of the Peace Study Tour 2025 Hiroshima Orizuru Fellow, under the Asia and Middle East Program, gathered at the headquarters of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) in Tokyo. The meeting served as a strategic forum to present their learning outcomes, reflect on their experiences, and formulate opportunities for long-term cross-national collaboration.

The event was attended by Nobuko Kayashima, Executive Director of SPF, and Nobuyuki Konishi, Director of the Strategic Dialogue and Exchange Program. Also present were representatives of the international press, signaling the global attention given to the issues of peace and sustainability championed by the program.

Participants came from various countries across Asia and the Middle East, including Indonesia, India, Syria, the Philippines, and Myanmar. The Indonesian delegation was represented by two graduate students from the Faculty of Da‘wah and Communication Studies (FIDIKOM), UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta.

During the presentation session, participants shared their series of experiences throughout the program, which included public lectures, workshops, a field trip to Etajima, a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and in-depth dialogues with atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha). These activities were designed to strengthen cross-cultural understanding, cultivate empathy, and explore concrete contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

SPF expressed its appreciation for the active engagement of the participants and highlighted the importance of sustaining the collaborative networks that have been established. “Cross-national and interdisciplinary cooperation is the key to building lasting peace,” emphasized Kayashima in her remarks.

The meeting marked the conclusion of the participants’ activities in Japan, while at the same time opening a new chapter for broader international cooperation between SPF and academic partners across Asia and the Middle East.