Pham Ha Huong, a first-year student at Ritsumeikan University's College of Global Liberal Arts, and Miguel Rischmaui, a master's student at Ritsumeikan University's Graduate School of International Relations, participated in the international forum “Nagasaki Peace-preneur Forum 2025 (NPPF)” held in Nagasaki from May 16 to 18, 2025. This forum was held at the A-bombed city of Nagasaki in the 80th year since the A-bombing.

This forum is organized by the One Young World Nagasaki Council, which brought together about 200 young people from around the world to share ideas and actions toward the realization of peace under the theme of “division and dialogue.” It was held in Nagasaki, a historic setting for peace talks, as it celebrates its 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing. Through lectures, workshops, and networking, they explored new perspectives on how to build peace.

“Peace-preneur” is a term coined by combining the words ‘Peace’ and “Entrepreneur,” and refers to people who seek to achieve peace through solving social problems. At the NPPF, participants presented and discussed their projects and ideas for peace based on their backgrounds.

As a graduate student specializing in peace and community studies, Miguel saw his participation in the forum as a “valuable opportunity to find out how other people felt about peace and what they’re doing to forward it in their environment.” He further comments that his work in the Kyoto Museum for World Peace and his background as a Palestinian from the Chile community raised in the United States gave him a layered understanding of peace, and one that he found fully appreciated in the setting that the NPPF provided.

As an international student from Vietnam, Pham also participated in the program with an interest in the memory of war and the importance of peace education. She references the “Story Of A Thousand Cranes” as what exposed her to the tragedy of the atomic bombing in Nagasaki. She also has a background in striving for peace in Vietnam, having started her non-profit project and sustainable initiatives that align with the SDGs. She was excited to be involved in the forum to listen to more experienced individuals.

Key Takeaways from The NPPF

The forum featured lectures by UN officials, NGO and business leaders, providing an opportunity to learn about the current state of “divide” and how to overcome it from multiple perspectives. Both Pham and Miguel found one speaker particularly memorable. That speaker was Linda Cruse, an international frontline humanitarian who has lived on every continent to help solve the most critical social, environmental, and humanitarian problems around the world.

They felt she delivered a powerful and impactful speech. For Miguel, it was the way she humanized the communities she was involved in. Through her speech, he thought of how we should “take people for who they are, not what they are. Building a better world - has to be a goal for everybody”. For Pham, she also mentioned Suzuka Nakamura, executive director of the NPO BORDERLESS FOUNDATION. She is a third-generation A-bomb survivor who, since high school, has been engaged in peace activism from Nagasaki. This inspires Pham, who now realizes the importance of local projects within your close community.

The Nature of “Divide” Seen through Dialogue

Miguel said, "Divisions are rooted not only in national and cultural differences, but also in generational and economic disparities. I was pleased with the work people are doing in the NPPF as it affirmed to me that people are continuing this peace dialogue.” Hence, he would apply what he learned at the forum to his future research and activities.

Pham reflected, “It was very meaningful to have time to think deeply about peace in the historical place of Nagasaki,” and shared her future plans, saying, “I would like to launch a non-profit project or startup in Japan from Ritsumeikan, which focuses on sustainable local systems.”