80 Years Since World War II: “TIME FOR PEACE” Announcing Peace Boat’s Project onboard the 120th Global Voyage

To mark eighty years since the end of World War II, Peace Boat's 120th Global Voyage will carry out a project titled “Time for Peace.” Rooted in Peace Boat’s founding philosophy of reflecting on the past to shape a peaceful future, the initiative will amplify the voices of those impacted by war, past and present. It will connect individuals and organizations dedicated to peacebuilding and conflict prevention around the globe. Among the participants will be members of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize recipients Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), and representatives of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).
 

In a world where peace seems so remote

The year 2025 marks 80 years since the end of World War II, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It also marks the founding of the United Nations which, in response to the horrors of the World Wars, sought to outlaw war through its Charter. Over these decades, however, the world has endured the Cold War, proxy wars, regional conflicts, and civil wars that have devastated millions. At this very moment, Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine continues, as does the massacre and unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Armed conflict and militarization have reached their highest levels since 1945, with global military spending hitting a record $2.44 trillion in 2023. Nuclear-armed states are expanding and modernizing their arsenals, heightening the risk of nuclear war. The Doomsday Clock now stands at 90 seconds to midnight—the closest it has ever been to humanity's end.

Now is the TIME FOR PEACE

Peace Boat’s first voyage in 1983 was a response to government censorship of Japan’s wartime aggression in the Asia-Pacific. The ship visited neighboring countries to learn directly from those affected by the war, and to foster understanding and peaceful coexistence. Since then, Peace Boat has engaged with communities impacted by war, conflict, and militarism worldwide. Initiatives include the Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World: Peace Boat Hibakusha Project; the Peace Boat Mine Abolition Campaign (P-MAC); dialogue programs for youth from conflict-affected regions in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the Balkans; as well as study programs to important places for understanding war, such as the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp and Palestinian refugee camps.

Peace Boat believes we need to listen to the voices of the victims once again: the destruction, loss, and hatred caused by war; how difficult it is to stop a war once it breaks out; how long does it take for people to regain their peaceful lives after the fighting ends? As a Japan-based organization, we must also not forget that Japan once brought about great suffering to neighboring countries in Asia through its wars of aggression. Now is the time to choose coexistence, not division, and peace, not war.

Sailing around the world with Hibakusha and Peace Activists

80 Years Since World War II: “Time for Peace” will take place aboard Peace Boat’s 120th Global Voyage, departing Japan in April and returning in August 2025. This global initiative, organized in collaboration with international partners, will amplify the voices of those affected by war and unite peacebuilders worldwide.

A key component will be the Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World: Peace Boat Hibakusha Project, featuring testimonies of atomic bombing survivors, in collaboration with Nihon Hidankyo and ICAN. As the Northeast Asia Regional Secretariat for the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), Peace Boat will host local peacebuilders and conflict prevention experts onboard. Programmes will also focus on empowering young people as peace practitioners.

Events and activities will take place both onboard and in ports, fostering reflection on the past and connections to build a peaceful future.

Co-creating the project

Updates on “TIME FOR PEACE” will be posted on this webpage. For inquiries from organizations and individuals that are keen to partner with Peace Boat on this occasion, or from media that would like to consider covering any parts of the voyage, please contact us.

For enquiries, please contact:
Peace Boat (Attn: HATAKEYAMA Sumiko)
+81-(0)3-3363-8047 / univ@peaceboat.gr.jp