Participation in this conference was a profoundly impactful experience in many respects. Visiting Hiroshima for the first time prompted a return to one of the most fundamental and decisive moments in history, while also encouraging deep reflection on the complex challenges facing the world today. Moreover, the opportunity to engage directly with members of Hiroshima University who are deeply committed to peace was an experience of great significance.

Participation in this conference was an exceptionally valuable and significant experience that contributed greatly to personal development. It was not only deeply fulfilling on an individual level, but also meaningful in terms of the potential for future cooperation. Of particular note was the conference’s central theme of peace. Peace, in all its dimensions and implications, was strongly reaffirmed as an issue of critical and urgent importance in the contemporary world.

This conference once again highlighted the importance of student and faculty exchanges in fostering mutual understanding at a human level. As a result, our university concluded student exchange agreements with both Hiroshima University and Hiroshima Prefecture.

Participation in this conference was a meaningful opportunity to reaffirm the responsibility that academic institutions bear in shaping a peaceful and sustainable society. Through the discussions held in Hiroshima, it became clear that peace is deeply rooted in culture, education, and the lived experiences of people. On a personal level, engaging with colleagues whose historical backgrounds and contemporary contexts differ greatly provided an occasion to reflect on how global academic cooperation can foster resilience and mutual understanding—both in individual human relationships and in spaces where diverse academic perspectives intersect.

The discussions in Hiroshima powerfully reaffirmed the ethical responsibility of scholars and researchers to engage more directly with questions of peace, human security, and intergenerational responsibility. They also deepened the conviction that, in addressing global risks such as conflict, nuclear threats, and emerging technologies, academic inquiry must be firmly connected to the lived experiences of people.

Through participation in the Peace Presidents’ Conference, I gained a deeper understanding of the important role that Hiroshima University plays in fostering peace. Located in a city that experienced the devastating consequences of the atomic bomb, Hiroshima University occupies a unique position in articulating and leading principles that oppose not only nuclear aggression but war itself.