Time for Peace: 120th Global Voyage departs

Peace Boat's 120th Global Voyage departed from the port of Yokohama on April 23. Many people gathered at the pier to see the ship off, despite heavy rain. The voyage will visit 23 ports of call in 19 countries around the world (including Japan) over the next 107 days, with approximately 1700 participants onboard. A highlight of this voyage will be the "Time for Peace" project, marking eighty years since the end of World War II. Rooted in Peace Boat’s founding philosophy of reflecting on the past to shape a peaceful future, this initiative will amplify the voices of those impacted by war, past and present, connecting 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 addition, through a new partnership Peace Boat and the Nobel Peace Center in Norway, an outreach edition of the Nobel Peace Prize exhibition “A Message to Humanity” has been established onboard the ship, introducing the legacy and work of Nihon Hidankyo to those onboard as well as new audiences around the world.

A press conference held prior to the ship's departure featured remarks by Ms Wada Masako, Assistant Secretary General of Nihon Hidankyo, as well as A-bomb survivors Mr Ito Masao (Hiroshima) and Ms Kuramori Terumi (Nagasaki), who will join Peace Boat for the full voyage throughout the next three months.

Mr Ito said, "Since Nihon Hidankyo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, many people from overseas have come to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. I decided to participate in this voyage out of a sense of responsibility to convey our call for nuclear abolition to people around the world, not only to those who come to Japan."

Ms Kuramori stated that "the average age of A-bomb survivors is now 85 years old. There is less and less time left for our real voices to be heard. I would like to convey our voices to the world and contribute to a nuclear-free future."

Communications and Marketing Director of the Nobel Peace Center, Kim Reksten Gronneberg, also shared that "it brings us immense joy that a version of this exhibition now also will sail aboard this magnificent vessel,  embracing the unique opportunity to share these voices around the world. The ship becomes a floating platform of hope—a tangible reminder that distance is no barrier to understanding and empathy. Our partnership with the Peace Boat signifies a shared vision: the belief that by amplifying the voices of survivors and advocates, we can foster a culture of peace that encourages action and inspires change."

Following the press conference, a departure ceremony was held from a stage onboard the ship's deck. Ambassador of Norway to Japan H.E. Ms Kristin Iglum addressed those onboard the ship and well-wishers on land, expressing that the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize "was a particularly important and timely one, in today’s dangerous world. And in this year, when we mark that 80 years have passed since the horrific events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I think we can all join the hibakusha in their strong wish, that nuclear weapons must never be used again.  I had the great pleasure to visit the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo earlier this year to see the wonderful and also very touching Nihon Hidankyo Nobel Prize exhibition “A Message to Humanity”. I am therefore particularly pleased that an outreach edition of the exhibition will now travel onboard the Peace Boat and continue to spread Nihon Hidankyo’s important testimonies and messages."

Peace Boat first set sail in 1983, with the philosophy of reflecting on past wars to create future peace. Now, as wars and conflicts escalate around the world and the risk of use of nuclear weapons becomes higher, the message of building peace through dialogue is needed more than ever. Throughout the 120th Voyage, we will continue to highlight and amplify the voices and actions of people around the world working to build peace, on this anniversary of 80 years since the end of World War II.