Media briefing on Peace Boat’s Project 80 Years Since World War II: “TIME FOR PEACE”

April 9 (Wed) 2025, 16:00 at Peace Boat Tokyo

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).

Interviews with participating members prior to the ship’s departure, at ports of call, and with those travelling onboard Peace Boat can be arranged.

A media briefing will be held at Peace Boat’s office in Takadanobaba, Tokyo from 4pm on April 9, 2025. Please enquire if you would like to attend and require interpretation into English.

Project highlights include:

Nobel Peace Center Onboard and its Peace Prize Exhibition “A Message to Humanity”: 

Peace Boat and the Nobel Peace Center (Oslo, Norway) have entered into a new partnership to share the work of the 2024 Nobel Peace Laureate worldwide. An outreach edition of the Nobel Peace Center’s Nihon Hidankyo Nobel Prize "A Message to Humanity" exhibition will be established onboard the Pacific World, and Peace Boat will carry this to global audiences, reaching communities that might not otherwise have access to such initiatives and amplifying the voices of the Hibakusha.The dedicated room onboard the vessel features many of the powerful and moving exhibits of Nihon Hidankyo's work that are on display in Oslo, including photographs by Magnum photographer Antoine d'Agata. An inauguration will be held prior onboard the ship as it is docked in Yokohama on April 22, with the presence of both the Nobel Peace Center Curator and Director of Communications.

Renewing the Call for Nuclear Weapons Abolition: 

With the support of Nihon Hidankyo and the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, “Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World: Peace Boat Hibakusha Project” will travel with a-bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki to share their testimonies on board the ship and at ports of call. In Europe, Melissa Parke, Executive Director of ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) will come aboard together with ICAN staff to discuss their work on nuclear disarmament with Peace Boat voyage participants. An atomic-bombed violin will be on the ship as it crosses the Atlantic Ocean, enabling participants to use music to spread the message of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Understand wars from a victim-centred perspective:

What do weapons do to human beings in war? Can the wounds of violence ever heal? These questions will be considered through directly listening to the voices of war victims and survivors from around the world. From Porto to Hamburg, in partnership with the Tehran Peace Museum, victims of chemical weapons in the Iran-Iraq War will be on board. Between Zeebrugge and Bergen, together with the Mukwege Foundation (founded by 2018 Nobel Peace Laureate Denis Mukwege), victims of wartime sexual violence in Ukraine will be invited to reflect on gender-based violence during wartime.

Learning from experts on conflict prevention and peacebuilding:

Throughout the voyage, we will invite conflict prevention and peacebuilding practitioners from member organisations of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC). In Asia, members of the Northeast Asian Peacebuilding Institute (NARPI) will be on board to provide training and workshops on conflict prevention and peacebuilding. In Europe, peace activists, including one from East Jerusalem, will be on board to discuss conflict prevention and peacebuilding from the perspectives of human security and gender.

Empowering next-generation changemakers:

In collaboration with the Japanese organisation PEACE DAY, a Peace Day Messenger will join the voyage with the aim of spreading the philosophy of Peace Day. In addition, a youth programme entitled ‘Youth for the SDGs’ will be held during the Latin American leg of the voyage to address ocean issues as part of the UN Decade of Marine Science for Sustainable Development.

Event in New York: 

On June 29, as the ship is docked in New York, Peace Boat will organise an event onboard on the theme of peace and disarmament. UN officials and related delegations will be invited to the event, which will include a mix of music, talks and testimonies.

For more information on the voyage route and itinerary, click here.

For further information, please contact Sumiko Hatakeyama (English and Japanese):
s-hatakeyama@peaceboat.gr.jp / 070-8577-2576