Greetings from the President

Creating a Peaceful Future: Advancing the Horizons of Peace Education

I am Toshifumi Murakami, and I have the honor of serving as the inaugural president of the Japan Society of Peace Education upon its establishment.
 
 We now stand at a major turning point in history. Amid intensifying conflicts within the international community, unending disputes, and increasingly divided social conditions, “peace” has become more significant than ever. Even in times of turmoil, I believe education has the power to prevent war and create peace. Education forms the foundation for building peace as a concrete reality, rather than leaving it as a mere aspiration.
 
 However, the network for sharing the theoretical foundations that support peace education, as well as the insights gained through practice, remains insufficient. I hope this association will become an open platform where researchers, educators, students, and all citizens who wish for peace can earnestly learn from one another and pool their wisdom. This association aims to systematize and develop the accumulated theories and practices of education for peace into an independent academic discipline, namely peace education.
 
 Peace education is defined as the acquisition of knowledge concerning peace-related subjects in school and social education, as well as the formation of peaceful attitudes and skills. We approach peace not merely as education focused on the absence of war, but from the perspective of actively shaping peace, encompassing structural and cultural peace as well. In other words, it is an endeavor that includes education aimed at fostering practical civic engagement—one that preserves the memory of wartime experiences while enhancing critical thinking toward society, enabling citizens to participate in building a peaceful society.
 
 Around 1980, the necessity of peace education began to be advocated in Japan, and peace education was envisioned as one field within peace studies. In 2005, the Peace Education Studies Group was established in Tokyo, marking the beginning of research into peace education as an academic field. The Peace Education Studies Group compiled the Encyclopedia of Peace Education Studies, which has been published online since 2017. The International Symposium on Peace Education, “Eighty Years After the War: An International Dialogue on the Past and Future of Peace Education,” was held in Hiroshima in September 2025. The Japanese Society of Peace Education was established at its founding general meeting held at Hiroshima University on December 4, 2025.
 
We aim to proceed with the following three goals in mind.

Establishing “Peace Education” as an Academic Discipline

We will build a solid theoretical foundation for creating peace by integrating not only education but also peace studies, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and international politics, thereby fostering a multifaceted perspective that transcends disciplinary boundaries.

Nurturing and Supporting the “Next Generation”of Peacebuilders

We provide a space where young researchers and educators can envision and study peace. It is our responsibility to respond earnestly, from the perspective of academia, to the contemporary challenges facing the next generation. We support emerging researchers and practitioners while collaborating with domestic and international institutions to explore pathways to peace across borders.
 

The Dynamics of Theory and Practice

We will advance classroom practices, community activities, and policy advocacy. By circulating insights gained from these field sites alongside theoretical frameworks, we will pursue practical peace education that contributes to the realization of a peaceful society. We will accumulate practical knowledge from diverse settings, such as school education, social education, community activities, and international cooperation, and advance its theoretical development.
  
We hope this association will become a platform where researchers with diverse expertise, educators striving daily in the field, and young people who will shape the future can gather and pool their wisdom. With academic integrity and humility, and with a passion for peace in our hearts, we will pioneer new horizons in peace education alongside you all. We sincerely request your active participation and warm support.

January 2026
Toshifumi Murakami
President, Japan Society for Peace Education