The human race has survived through two world wars and learned of the importance of valuing history and ethnic diversity. Today we are in an age where the economy and politics of every nation have become interconnected through the flow and exchange of material, financial, and even human resources. At the same time, however, people are entering into conflict with each other driven by their ideologies of ethnocentrism and nationalism. People of varying religions, customs, manners and cultures continue to impose their own notions of justice upon each other creating an atmosphere of intolerance. Even when this does not lead to war, we are faced with starvation, poverty, human rights suppression, environmental destruction, gaps in medical care and education, and there is no end in sight to regional conflict. We have not achieved world peace.

While movements toward attaining a “world without nuclear weapons,” are gaining momentum, the extent of these movements has been limited to some arms reduction and strategic efforts, and we have not even reached global agreement on the issue. The desperate situation of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake has shown us that we have not even adequately addressed the “peaceful utilization of nuclear energy.”

We must resolve these challenges to humanity and aim for the creation of a “sustainable global society” that brings mutual development and prosperity to nations and peoples, as well as progress that opens up possibilities for us as humans. Particularly in the light of “March 11, 2011”, a day we must not forget, we are posed with the question of how to create an environment free of nuclear threat, and live as global citizens. The role we must play as a museum is as important as ever.

In October 2008, the International Conference of Museums for Peace was held in Kyoto and Hiroshima. The conference was attended by three hundred peace museum representatives and experts from over twenty countries. The total number of participants over the five days, including students and local citizens, reached nearly five thousand people. As one of the hosts of the conference, Kyoto Museum for World Peace,　Ritsumeikan University was able to play a central role in the historical success and the advancement of discussion at the conference.

Three duties of peace museums were highlighted in reports and discussions at the International Conference of Museums for Peace. First, peace museums must convey the misery of war, and cultivate a respect for human dignity in the face of war, violence, and inhumane acts. Second, they must deepen historical awareness to enable people to understand the causes and the reality behind the undermining of peace. Third, now more than ever, peace museums must educate people who will take action to resolve the challenges of humanity through research and by laying a path to “reconciliation and coexistence” that will lead to a “sustainable peaceful society.”

At the same time, these duties cannot be achieved until we recognize that even while we may share the same goal of peace, people who hold differing values and differing understandings of history from that which we may take for granted in our region or country. People hold varying thoughts and use varying methods in their attempts at realizing peace. We should take action and engage in our studies while remaining willing to reshape our values and perceptions so that we may respect our differences.

I previously had the opportunity to serve as Vice President of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University where about 2,900 international students from over 80 countries and regions and about 3,200 Japanese students interact in student clubs, volunteer activities, and dorm life, and engage in world-class learning that helps reshape the way they think and act.

The Kyoto Museum for World Peace, Ritsumeikan University was established in 1992 and renovated in 2005. 2012 will mark the 20th anniversary of the museum’s foundation. Through our exhibitions and projects, we will pursue our role as a museum of peace-building. We hope that the museum will be a place of research and education, learning and enlightenment, and inquiry and discovery.

We ask for your support as we advance our museum operations.