Kawase became seriously concerned about peace when she was in the sixth grade of elementary school. She first learned about the various issues and conflicts that arise between countries, or so-called international issues, when she visited the World Peace Museum, on a school trip. The reality is that there are people in the world who cannot even secure food for tomorrow or survive without emergency assistance, but the thing that shocked Kawase the most was learning about the existence of child soldiers. As an elementary school student herself, when she learned that children who were the same age as her were being sent to into battle, she starting to think about what she could do to help solve international issues.

Later, Kawase decided to go to Ritsumeikan University because she wanted to work as a staff member at the World Peace Museum, and without hesitating, she applied for a staff position soon after enrollment. “I realized that instead of being on the receiving end of teaching, I wanted to become someone who teaches children about issues,” recalls Kawase. This thought that became deeply etched in her mind after visiting the World Peace Museum ended up becoming a turning point in her life.

Kawase started her activities with two goals in mind. One of them was to think about what she could do herself and then take action to reduce the number of child soldiers to zero. This idea took shape with the development of the Child Soldier Board Game, a teaching tool that teachers can use for peace education.

The impetus for the board game was a short-term study abroad program in Cambodia that Kawase joined in her first year of university. One of the members on her team was a year older than her, and she shared her concerns with this upperclassman about not having any venues or opportunities to discuss the child soldier issue. Kawase’s passion inspired the upperclassman, and she decided to participate in an event to be held in Shiga Prefecture where the topic of discussion would be teaching materials for international education, together with the upperclassman.Teachers from Ritsumeikan Moriyama Junior High School and elementary schools in Shiga Prefecture helped them to prepare for their presentation at the event.

"At the time, there were many teaching materials available that dealt with child labor, but I found that there were none that specifically addressed child soldiers. I thought if nothing was available, I should just make it myself,” recounts Kawase, explaining what led her to develop the board game. Exploring ways to communicate the lives of child soldiers in a manner that elementary and junior high school students could easily understand, she devised a board-game style format that would allow them to learn through play, and with the help of many different people, she successfully completed the Child Soldier Board Game. Her hope is that by using this teaching tool, students will deepen their understanding of the child soldier issue and take a first step toward changing the future.

A loss of enthusiasm after achieving her goals

Kawase’s second goal was to get a first-hand look at the actual child soldier situation. To realize this goal, she travelled to two countries in Africa, Uganda and Rwanda, in the summer of 2024 where she engaged in practice on the frontlines of international issues. She conducted interviews with an NPO that helps former child soldiers in Uganda reintegrate into society and did an internship in Rwanda with a company providing employment support to single-mother households.

Since coming to Ritsumeikan until now, Kawase has been engaged in activities almost without interruption. However, after returning to Japan, she said a time came when she did not feel like thinking about anything related to her primary interests of international cooperation and child soldiers. Her strong sense of responsibility ended up having an opposite effect, and after she achieved her second goal, she had no idea what step to take next. She holed up at home and went through a prolonged period of feeling down. This feeling began to clear up a few months later after she finished writing a report on her activities in Rwanda and Uganda. Looking back on her activities and verbalizing her thoughts about them gradually helped her sort out her feelings. According to Kawase, this experience made her realize that she must be both mentally and physically healthy before she could attempt to solve the major issues facing the world.

Engaging the President of Iceland in a dialogue as the only university student on stage

Having regained her positive outlook toward peace-related activities, Kawase was recognized for her past activities and invited to join a talk session at the Iceland National Day event held in the UN Pavilion at World Expo Osaka, Kansai in May 2025. There she engaged in a dialogue with Icelandic President Halla Tómasdóttir about peace and equality. Kawase says she was impressed by the answer she received to a question she asked President Tómasdóttir after explaining her activity record to date.

“Before she answered my question, President Tómasdóttir said, ‘Thank you. Young people who are taking action like you give this world hope.’ Her words touched me deeply, and I felt as if all my efforts had been rewarded.”

“One step at a time, doing what I can”

For Kawase, the dialogue with the Icelandic President led her to set a new goal: to become a woman with kindness and bravery like President Tómasdóttir as someone preparing to head into the real world soon. While working on improving the Child Soldier Board Game, she is forging ahead toward new activities that will make use of what she learned in Rwanda and Uganda. She also says she plans to continue working as a student staff member at the World Peace Museum until she graduates. We will continue to keep an eye on Kawase as she steadily takes one step at a time to tackle the world's major issues.