NARPI on the 120th Global Voyage: Building Safer, Sustainable Peace in Northeast Asia

Peace Boat was honored to host the Steering Committee and alumni of the Northeast Asia Regional Peacebuilding Institute (NARPI) onboard our 120th Global Voyage as part of the TIME FOR PEACE project, as the ship journeyed through East Asia with stops in China, Viet Nam, and Singapore. Nearly 30 peacebuilders joined us for several days of meetings, workshops, and exchanges—continuing the collective work of strengthening NARPI as a safer and more sustainable space for peace education and action.

What is NARPI?

The Northeast Asia Regional Peacebuilding Institute (NARPI) is a joint project created and promoted by an ever-growing network of peacebuilders across Northeast Asia. Its Steering Committee is made up of representatives from diverse partner organizations, including Peace Boat, who are united in their commitment to transforming the culture of militarism and animosity in the region into one of peace and reconciliation.

Northeast Asia is a region burdened by historical, territorial, military, and nuclear tensions. Enormous human and financial resources continue to be devoted to militarization, yet opportunities for peace education and cross-border training remain scarce. NARPI was founded to fill this gap.

Through its annual summer peacebuilding institute, NARPI provides training in peacebuilding, conflict transformation, restorative justice, and mediation. Just as importantly, it creates space for participants from across Northeast Asia to build relationships, learn from each other’s experiences, and practice transformative approaches to cultural difference and conflict. By empowering individuals with knowledge, skills, and networks, NARPI is contributing to a paradigm shift in how peace is envisioned and built in the region.

NARPI 2.0: Charting a Sustainable Future

The first several days onboard focused on a Reunion including also NARPI alumni, while the Planning Meeting of NARPI's Steering Committee followed, focusing on the organization’s future transition: “NARPI 2.0.” With the quiet focus of meeting rooms as well as moments of fresh air on the open deck, the Steering Committee worked on questions of sustainability, safety, and long-term growth.

Topics included reviewing feedback from former participant and partner surveys, drafting new policies related to risk management, safeguarding, and a code of conduct, and planning for the organization’s first-ever salaried position on the Admin Team—a major step toward building capacity and ensuring continuity. These discussions reflected the deep commitment of Steering Committee members to making NARPI not only a vibrant educational space, but also a resilient and sustainable organization that can continue to meet the needs of peacebuilders in Northeast Asia for years to come.

Connecting With the Peace Boat Community

In addition to internal planning, the NARPI group contributed actively to Peace Boat’s wider educational program. In one public lecture to hundreds of people onboard, Steering Committee members Lee Jae Young and Okumoto Kyoko offered an introduction to NARPI’s history and mission. Their presentation was followed by moving personal testimonies from other members - Ishihara Akiko, Kim Hong Soek (Scott), Bolorsaikhan (Bo) Badamsambuu, and lu deting - who each shared why NARPI has been meaningful in their own journeys as peacebuilders.

The following day, Kyoko, Scott, and deting facilitated an interactive multilingual workshop on peace, violence, and conflict. Participants first reflected in small language groups on the words they most closely associated with “peace” and “violence,” and then came together to explore conflict as more than a negative force—one that, when approached creatively and without violence, can open pathways for positive transformation.

On the final morning of the voyage, the NARPI group gathered in two small circles for an intimate conversation with atsomic bomb survivors, Kuramori Terumi and Fukushima Tomiko. Each participant shared their own work for peace, exchanged words of encouragement, and in some cases expressed apologies for the suffering of the past. These heartfelt dialogues created a powerful sense of connection across generations, and for many participants, became one of the most treasured memories of the entire journey.

Connecting Across Ports of Call

The NARPI group also engaged in various local encounters in the ports visited during their time at sea. The group’s journey began in Shenzhen, China, where participants gathered together before embarking on the ship. There, they joined an event with the Charhar Institute, a leading Chinese think tank, to discuss pressing issues related to peace and security in Northeast Asia.

A few days later, the voyage reached Ha Long, Viet Nam, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the end of the Viet Nam War on April 30. Marking this historic moment, the NARPI group was warmly welcomed by local partners for a city tour and shared lunch. Later that day, they returned to the ship for a cultural exchange and a symposium on peace issues, co-hosted with the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO), and others. These experiences in port highlighted how NARPI’s work is strengthened by local partnerships and by grounding discussions of peace in the histories and lived experiences of communities in the region.

Moving Forward Together

The days spent onboard Peace Boat during the 120th Global Voyage were a reminder of how powerful cross-border connection can be. Just as the ship itself moves between countries, NARPI continues to build bridges between people in a region too often defined by division and militarization.

Peace Boat is proud to be a partner in this journey and to support NARPI’s mission of education, empowerment, and transformation. As NARPI steps into a new chapter with stronger structures for sustainability, the commitment to nurturing peacebuilders who can imagine and create a more just, reconciled Northeast Asia remains at the heart of its work.

Read the full story in NARPI's newsletter here.