{"id":2146,"date":"2026-08-29T11:38:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T02:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/?p=2146"},"modified":"2026-10-13T14:31:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T05:31:08","slug":"there-is-more-than-one-answer-looking-at-the-future-with-young-people-around-the-world-forum2050-newsletter-august-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/en\/2026\/08\/29\/there-is-more-than-one-answer-looking-at-the-future-with-young-people-around-the-world-forum2050-newsletter-august-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;There Is More Than One Answer&#8221;: Looking at the Future with Young People Around the World | Forum2050 Newsletter, August 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*This email is sent to members of the NPO Forum2050 and to those who have exchanged information or business cards with us, or who have subscribed to our newsletter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hello. This is Takuzo Komabashiri, PR officer at Forum2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With a grant from the Children&#8217;s Dream Fund (National Institution for Youth Education) for FY2026 (Reiwa 8), and as part of the Forum2050 project, we are developing &#8220;learning materials to help the next generation think about a peaceful future as their own issue.&#8221; This month, we filmed the interview videos that will form the core of these materials in three countries: Bangladesh, the Philippines and Cambodia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[Filming on location]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Main interview questions<\/li>\n\n\n<li>&#8220;What is precious to me?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;Am I connected to the world?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;What if peace were lost?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;What can each of us do?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Filming team<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Student members took the lead in conducting the interviews on location, with senior members providing support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have any questions or comments about the newsletter, please let us know by email or other means. Requests like &#8220;I&#8217;d like to know more about this&#8221; are very welcome too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Topics in this newsletter &#8211;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>[Our Activities]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>[Report from TODA Takao, President, Forum2050]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Report from our student members on making the learning materials (filming)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our Activities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1. [Our Activities]<br>Recent main activities and events (shared with subscribers only)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jul 21       Discussion on collaboration with JICA (Human Development Department + JICA Global Plaza)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jul 22       Discussion on collaboration with the APU International Relations Student Association (IRSA)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jul 23       Meeting with Inoue (Representative), Seichi no Kodomo wo Sasaeru Kai (Association for Supporting the Children of the Holy Land)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jul 24       Meeting with the Strategic Planning Office, Tokyo Legal Mind K.K. (LEC)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jul 24       Meeting with the Management Division, Community Life Department, Suginami City (in charge of peace programs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jul 26       Workshop in Meguro City<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jul 29       Lunchtime lecture at Accenture Japan Ltd<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jul 29       Courtesy visit to the Director General of JICA Tokyo<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aug 1         Interviews and filming at JICA Chubu (Nagoya)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Late Jul to early Aug:   Interviews and filming in Bangladesh, the Philippines and Cambodia<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aug 13, Aug 15          Interviews and filming at the &#8220;Bridge of Peace Project&#8221; hosted by Seichi no Kodomo wo Sasaeru Kai (Association for Supporting the Children of the Holy Land)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aug 19       Meeting with graphic creator Harunaka (developing a character for the learning materials)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Report from TODA Takao, President, Forum2050<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dear all,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The memory of autumn arriving once the Obon holidays are over feels distant now, and the intense heat continues here in Japan. I hope none of you have been worn down by the summer heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the end of last month, there have been some big developments. One was the event in Meguro City on July 26. Our member Keiko Itaya carried out careful preparations in advance and then passed the baton to Akari Itaya, who did a wonderful job of everything from planning and liaison and coordination with the city and related organizations, to publicity and running the event on the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then, on August 1, Makoto Kajita, together with Akinori Kajita and Miyu Kajita (a university student), worked closely with JICA Chubu in Nagoya and Theatre Company Himawari to make interviews with children in the region possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, as our organization&#8217;s first activity overseas, our members set out to gather material for the learning materials, beginning in Bangladesh at the end of last month and continuing on to the Philippines and Cambodia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this way, our members were out and about all through the hot summer. The activities in Aichi Prefecture and overseas were part of the project funded by the Children&#8217;s Dream Fund, but long-distance travel and overseas trip expenses were covered by our organization&#8217;s own funds. (This was thanks to all of your support. Once again, my heartfelt thanks.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This time (and perhaps in future issues too), I would like our young members to tell you about their work themselves, including their own impressions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I will keep my own report short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u25a0 &#8220;We are happy. Are you happy?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bangladesh, Cambodia, the Philippines . . . In Japan, developing countries generally give the impression of being &#8220;poor countries.&#8221; But in this round of interviews, we also aimed to convey to children in Japan not only the negative side of &#8220;poverty,&#8221; but also the bright and joyful everyday lives of the children there as they really are, and the resilience and thoughts of children who live strongly even in difficult circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I spent 37 years at JICA and met children all over the world, and this time, as part of our NPO activities, I visited the Philippines for the first time in 20 years. I met children who overcome hardship and live strong, happy lives, and children who live happily amid new prosperity, a testament to the growth of their countries and societies. Of course, I think there is both light and darkness in their lives and in their hearts. But I believe their smiles and their words will play an important role as material for peace education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"434\" height=\"260\" data-id=\"1979\" src=\"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/202608\u30e1\u30eb\u30de\u30ac01.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: Report from TODA Takao, President, Forum2050\" class=\"wp-image-1979\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/202608\u30e1\u30eb\u30de\u30ac01.jpg 434w, https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/202608\u30e1\u30eb\u30de\u30ac01-300x180.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 434px) 100vw, 434px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u25a0 Toward a &#8220;new frontier&#8221; in peace education<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At least in Japan, peace education materials have so far mostly focused on passing on the memory of the horrors of war, centered on the atomic bombings and air raids. Of course, these memories are precious and should be carefully handed down by the Japanese people and Japanese society. In addition to them, or in a way that resonates with them, we are working to create, as something we ourselves can do, materials (or rather &#8220;learning materials&#8221;) that help &#8220;the next generation think about peace as their own issue.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our strength in this is the diversity of our members. They come from many different backgrounds: school teachers (including special needs education), ICT experts, practitioners of international cooperation, businesspeople, data analysis professionals, and, not least, parents in the thick of raising children. And above all, young members, from first-year junior high school students to university students, are actively involved on an equal footing with the adults. By making good use of these diverse perspectives, we want to actively create opportunities for the next generation to deepen their interest in the importance and appeal of co-creating a peaceful future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We would be grateful for your continued guidance and support!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To those who have kindly agreed to subscribe recently, thank you, and we look forward to staying in touch! For the path our organization has taken so far, please do take a look at our back issues when you have a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And we would be grateful for your continued guidance and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, with the intense heat continuing, please take good care of yourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aug 20, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Koenji, Suginami City<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TODA Takao<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Email: <a href=\"mailto:toda@forum2050.com\">toda@forum2050.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/takao.toda.54\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/takao.toda.54<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">X: <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/forum2050?s=21&amp;t=-jQeTjzOoHjrmEbKJvNwNg\">https:\/\/x.com\/forum2050?s=21&amp;t=-jQeTjzOoHjrmEbKJvNwNg<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(This X account has finally passed 300 posts. It&#8217;s a modest effort, but I would like to keep building it up little by little.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Report from our student members on making the learning materials (filming)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[Bangladesh]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Imagining and thinking together: A report on filming in Bangladesh<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hello, everyone. I am Shota Sekino, a student member of Forum2050. I would like to report on the filming we did in Bangladesh as part of the materials development project funded by the Children&#8217;s Dream Fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From July 28 to August 4, people in various parts of Bangladesh, including a slum, the University of Dhaka and the Mirpur area, kindly agreed to be filmed in impromptu, on-the-spot interviews. We filmed in the form of dialogue, talking about everyday topics such as what they like and what they usually do, as well as deeper themes such as &#8220;peace,&#8221; &#8220;happiness&#8221; and &#8220;the future.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The people who agreed to be filmed shared many words that were truly memorable and full of deep insight: how they imagine the future 15 years from now, and what happiness and unhappiness mean to them. There was a camera there, but I think we were able to share our honest feelings with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In my view, peace means being in an environment where you are free to pursue your dreams and love. I think it means it is all right to pursue what you want to do and what you love. Unless we are talking about an academic definition, perhaps each of us can freely give peace our own meaning. During filming, we heard about many forms of peace and happiness: having a family, being valued at work, and so on. In the local Bengali language, peace is sometimes expressed as &#8220;Shanti.&#8221; I was told that this means not only a state without war, but also a state in which a person&#8217;s heart is calm and stable. If you think about what &#8220;peace&#8221; means to you, the peace that surrounds you like the air may start to look a little more three-dimensional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"452\" height=\"340\" data-id=\"1984\" src=\"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/\u5b9f\u969b\u306e\u64ae\u5f71\u306e\u69d8\u5b50.png\" alt=\"Filming in progress\" class=\"wp-image-1984\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/\u5b9f\u969b\u306e\u64ae\u5f71\u306e\u69d8\u5b50.png 452w, https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/\u5b9f\u969b\u306e\u64ae\u5f71\u306e\u69d8\u5b50-300x226.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 452px) 100vw, 452px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Filming in progress<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Filming in progress<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"462\" height=\"262\" data-id=\"1983\" src=\"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/\u64ae\u5f71\u3092\u5171\u306b\u3057\u305f\u30e1\u30f3\u30d0\u30fc\u3068\u3002\u3059\u3079\u3066\u306e\u64ae\u5f71\u304c\u7d42\u4e86\u5f8c\u3001\u5e30\u56fd\u76f4\u524d\u306b\u5f7c\u3089\u3068\u3082\u3001\u4f55\u304c\u5e78\u305b\u304b\u306b\u3064\u3044\u3066\u8a71\u3057\u305f\u306e\u306f\u611f\u6168\u6df1\u3044\u3082\u306e\u3067\u3057\u305f.png\" alt=\"With the members who filmed with us. After all the filming was finished, just before we returned to Japan, it was deeply moving to talk with them, too, about what happiness is.\" class=\"wp-image-1983\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/\u64ae\u5f71\u3092\u5171\u306b\u3057\u305f\u30e1\u30f3\u30d0\u30fc\u3068\u3002\u3059\u3079\u3066\u306e\u64ae\u5f71\u304c\u7d42\u4e86\u5f8c\u3001\u5e30\u56fd\u76f4\u524d\u306b\u5f7c\u3089\u3068\u3082\u3001\u4f55\u304c\u5e78\u305b\u304b\u306b\u3064\u3044\u3066\u8a71\u3057\u305f\u306e\u306f\u611f\u6168\u6df1\u3044\u3082\u306e\u3067\u3057\u305f.png 462w, https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/\u64ae\u5f71\u3092\u5171\u306b\u3057\u305f\u30e1\u30f3\u30d0\u30fc\u3068\u3002\u3059\u3079\u3066\u306e\u64ae\u5f71\u304c\u7d42\u4e86\u5f8c\u3001\u5e30\u56fd\u76f4\u524d\u306b\u5f7c\u3089\u3068\u3082\u3001\u4f55\u304c\u5e78\u305b\u304b\u306b\u3064\u3044\u3066\u8a71\u3057\u305f\u306e\u306f\u611f\u6168\u6df1\u3044\u3082\u306e\u3067\u3057\u305f-300x170.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With the members who filmed with us. After all the filming was finished, just before we returned to Japan, it was deeply moving to talk with them, too, about what happiness is.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the members who filmed with us.<br>After all the filming was finished, just before we returned to Japan,<br>it was deeply moving to talk with them, too, about what happiness is<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[The Philippines]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In August, I joined Forum2050&#8217;s filming trip to the Philippines and interviewed children and young people in Manila, Cotabato and Davao.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I had previously learned about peace in places such as Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa, and after entering university I had opportunities to think about war and peace, including visiting the Gaza Strip from the Israeli side. But looking back now, I feel that those experiences somehow ended with &#8220;knowing,&#8221; and that I saw peace as an issue far removed from me, thinking, &#8220;There is nothing I can do about it.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through this trip to the Philippines, that way of thinking changed greatly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Manila, I met children who had lived as street children. Some had sold things or begged on the streets after school, and some had been beaten if they could not bring money home. Yet they said that, to them, that life had been &#8220;normal,&#8221; just &#8220;the way things were.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At first, I thought, &#8220;How sad for them.&#8221; But when I saw them talk about their dreams, saying that despite their difficult pasts, &#8220;In the future I want to become a teacher or a nurse and help children in the same situation I was in,&#8221; the question inside me changed from &#8220;How sad&#8221; to &#8220;Then what about me?&#8221; It made me ask myself whether I had been taking for granted my life in peaceful Japan, with so many choices available to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Mindanao, which experienced conflict for many years, I also met young people who had started their own businesses to create jobs in post-conflict areas. From them, I felt that peace is not simply &#8220;the absence of conflict,&#8221; but something that each person builds by thinking about and acting on their own society and future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What changed most through this trip was how I myself approach peace. I realized that I had let my past peace learning end with simply &#8220;knowing.&#8221; I came to see that it is important to go one step beyond &#8220;knowing about peace&#8221; and to think about peace as my own issue, asking, &#8220;What if it were me?&#8221; and &#8220;What can I do?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through Forum2050&#8217;s activities, I want to share the voices of the people I met on this trip and create opportunities for others to think about peace as &#8220;their own issue.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Forum2050 Core Member<br>Takashi Shimizu<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"572\" height=\"456\" data-id=\"1980\" src=\"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/202608\u30e1\u30eb\u30de\u30ac04.jpg\" alt=\"A slum area in Quezon City, Manila, with high-rise buildings lining the skyline behind it. Their smiles made me think about what &quot;peace&quot; means to them.\" class=\"wp-image-1980\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/202608\u30e1\u30eb\u30de\u30ac04.jpg 572w, https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/202608\u30e1\u30eb\u30de\u30ac04-300x239.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 572px) 100vw, 572px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A slum area in Quezon City, Manila, with high-rise buildings lining the skyline behind it. Their smiles made me think about what &quot;peace&quot; means to them.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A slum area in Quezon City, Manila, with high-rise buildings lining the skyline behind it. Their smiles made me think about what &#8220;peace&#8221; means to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[Cambodia]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Encountering diverse voices: A report on filming in Cambodia<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hello, everyone. I am Hana Miyoshi, a student member of Forum2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I would like to report on the filming we did in Cambodia to create learning materials funded by the Children&#8217;s Dream Fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From August 4 to 9, we visited Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and interviewed local children, students and guides. We visited a nursery school, a free school, a Japanese language school, the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and other places, and talked about &#8220;What is peace?&#8221; and &#8220;What is precious to you?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The children spoke words rooted in their daily lives, about family, best friends, the environment, poverty and more. It also left an impression on me that many people linked peace with education. For me, living in Japan where opportunities to learn are taken for granted, hearing that receiving an education and having the ability to think for yourself lead to peace gave me a chance to rethink what learning means. On the other hand, because of the language barrier and the difficulty of the questions, there were times when we could not have the conversations or do the filming we had imagined. I learned that to truly take in what the other person says, we also need to think carefully about how we frame questions and how we carry a conversation forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What I felt through this trip is that what matters is not finding one correct answer, but encountering diverse ideas and continuing to think together. Creating spaces where we can learn and hold dialogue with all kinds of people may be a small step toward peace that I can take, both as a member of Forum2050 and as an individual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were also many moments when speaking even a single word of the other person&#8217;s language changed their expression and brought us closer. Language is not just a skill; it is a way to connect with different cultures and people. Precisely now, as AI advances, I felt anew the meaning of learning a foreign language &#8220;to connect with someone in the world.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Building on what I learned and on my reflections from this trip, I want to keep working through trial and error so that the footage we filmed gives young people living in Japan a chance to think about peace and about what is precious to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"574\" height=\"318\" data-id=\"1982\" src=\"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/\u30c8\u30a5\u30fc\u30eb\u30b9\u30ec\u30a4\u30f3\u8650\u6bba\u535a\u7269\u9928\u3067\u51fa\u4f1a\u3063\u305f\u4e2d\u5b66\u751f\u3068.png\" alt=\"With junior high school students we met at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum\" class=\"wp-image-1982\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/\u30c8\u30a5\u30fc\u30eb\u30b9\u30ec\u30a4\u30f3\u8650\u6bba\u535a\u7269\u9928\u3067\u51fa\u4f1a\u3063\u305f\u4e2d\u5b66\u751f\u3068.png 574w, https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/\u30c8\u30a5\u30fc\u30eb\u30b9\u30ec\u30a4\u30f3\u8650\u6bba\u535a\u7269\u9928\u3067\u51fa\u4f1a\u3063\u305f\u4e2d\u5b66\u751f\u3068-300x166.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 574px) 100vw, 574px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With junior high school students we met at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With junior high school students we met at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"588\" height=\"440\" data-id=\"1981\" src=\"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/\u30b7\u30a7\u30e0\u30ea\u30a2\u30c3\u30d7\u5c71\u672c\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u5b66\u6821\u3067\u306e\u64ae\u5f71\u306e\u69d8\u5b50.png\" alt=\"Filming at the Yamamoto Japanese Language School in Siem Reap\" class=\"wp-image-1981\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/\u30b7\u30a7\u30e0\u30ea\u30a2\u30c3\u30d7\u5c71\u672c\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u5b66\u6821\u3067\u306e\u64ae\u5f71\u306e\u69d8\u5b50.png 588w, https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/\u30b7\u30a7\u30e0\u30ea\u30a2\u30c3\u30d7\u5c71\u672c\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u5b66\u6821\u3067\u306e\u64ae\u5f71\u306e\u69d8\u5b50-300x224.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 588px) 100vw, 588px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Filming at the Yamamoto Japanese Language School in Siem Reap<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Filming at the Yamamoto Japanese Language School in Siem Reap<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am Akari Itaya, and I work with Forum2050 as a student member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With support from the Children&#8217;s Dream Fund, I visited Cambodia for about a week to film videos for our learning materials. While there, I visited many places and had the very valuable opportunity to talk about peace with many people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a Japanese-style nursery school, I encountered a real awareness shaped by the local environment, as young children said things like &#8220;There are people close to me who are suffering from poverty.&#8221; I was also strongly inspired by the words of a local guide, &#8220;So that we never repeat our mistakes, everyone should receive an education and be able to judge right from wrong,&#8221; and by the students at the Japanese language school studying hard with strong determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We also visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields in Siem Reap. This overlapped with my experience of visiting genocide sites in Rwanda three years ago, and I felt keenly once again how important it is to know correctly the process and the facts of &#8220;why people end up killing other people,&#8221; even when the country and circumstances differ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At these sites, people who had come from all over the world were sincerely facing a painful history. What each person thinks when they see the exhibits is different, but I strongly feel that &#8220;many people around the world trying to know&#8221; is itself the first step toward peace. I also heard local people say again and again, &#8220;What matters for peace is taking an interest in others and getting to know them.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I will put all my effort into our future materials development and outreach so that students in Japan and many others can learn what I learned this time and the thoughts on peace I came to hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thank you, as always, for your support. We look forward to your continued support.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"p-blogParts post_content\" data-partsID=\"582\">\n<div class=\"swell-block-fullWide pc-py-40 sp-py-40 alignfull\" style=\"background-color:#f7f7f7\"><div class=\"swell-block-fullWide__inner l-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column has-swl-main-thin-background-color has-background\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center is-style-stitch has-swl-main-thin-background-color has-background wp-block-paragraph\"><span class=\"swl-fz u-fz-l\"><strong>Inquiries and Consultations | Newsletter Registration<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Forum2050 operates under the concept of &#8216;Children of the World: Each Child&#8217;s Vision for the Future Shapes Humanity&#8217;s Destiny,&#8217; collaborating with businesses, schools, educational institutions, and others. Together with children, we create opportunities for them to contemplate peace and development in the future human society, fostering partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<div class=\"swell-block-button is-style-btn_normal\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forum2050.com\/en\/contact\/\" class=\"swell-block-button__link\"><span>Inquiries and Consultations<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<div class=\"swell-block-button is-style-btn_normal\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forum2050.com\/en\/newsletter\/\" class=\"swell-block-button__link\"><span>Newsletter Registration<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>*This email is sent to members of the NPO Forum2050 and to those who have exchanged information or business cards with us, or who have subscribed to our newsletter. Hello. 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