75th Japan-America Student Conference Nagasaki Site Forum

 On Wednesday, August 16, the 75th Japan-America Student Conference "Nagasaki Site Forum" was held at Nagasaki University.

 The 75th Japan-America Student Conference was held from August 2 to 26 for three weeks in Kyoto, Nagasaki, and Tokyo, with 72 participants, 36 students each from the U.S. and Japan. Four second-year students from the School of Global Humanities and Social Sciences participated as planning committee members for the "Nagasaki Site Forum," held in Nagasaki for a week from August 11 to 17. The "Nagasaki Site Forum" was considered a summary of the activities in Nagasaki, where participating students, including Nagasaki University's students, presented the results of their research and experiences in Nagasaki (all in English).

 In the beginning, there were opening remarks by Ms. Yuko Baba, Vice Governor of Nagasaki Prefecture, Mr. Nobuhiko Yamakawa, President of Nagasaki Support Committee and the Juhachishinwa Bank,  and Mr. Shigeru Kohno, President of Nagasaki University.

 President Kohno spoke passionately about the devastation caused by the atomic bombing of Nagasaki Medical College, the predecessor of Nagasaki University, and the history of Nagasaki University and the city of Nagasaki. He expressed his expectations for the forum, saying, "I hope you will visit various places in Nagasaki and have a fruitful discussion today."

President Kohno speaks passionately to the participating students

 The presentations were followed by 10-minute presentations and 10-minute Q & A sessions on what they learned in Nagasaki from members of seven subcommittees: "Environment and Technology," "International Politics and the US-Japan Relationship," "Culture and Arts," "Linguistic and Philosophy," "Social Class and Diversity," "Sustainable Business," and "Law and Morality. During the Q & A session, the participating students raised their hands one after another.

 Ms. Kanna Kida, one of the students from the School of Global Humanities and Social Sciences who participated as a member of the planning committee, shared her thoughts, saying, "The purpose of this Nagasaki site was to learn about peace, but Nagasaki is a city with a unique culture, such as its historical ties with China, the Netherlands, and Portugal, and its history of Christianity in hiding, and we hoped the participants would know this. Besides, we wanted them to learn about Nagasaki before and after the atomic bombing and to think about peace." She also spoke about the significance of participating in the Nagasaki site, saying that she was enormously impressed by the highly talented students representing Japan and the U.S. who participated in the Nagasaki site, how the discussions progressed and deepened, how the students asserted their own opinions and the difference from the Japanese classes.

Ms. Kanna Kida (photo on the right)

 Mr. Kento Kuno (Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University), the 75th Japan-America Student Conference Japanese Executive Committee Chair, said with a smile, "Nagasaki University's students gave a presentation on the history and culture of Nagasaki, explained the program outline, were fluent in English, and played an active role in our interactions that transcended national boundaries." He also commented that "the most memorable program in Nagasaki was a lecture by an A-bomb survivor at Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, who said, "I have been giving lectures for many years, but never in my life have I had such a fulfilling experience. I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart for taking such an interest in my story and trying to learn so much. I am so happy to be able to talk like this with people from other countries." His words deeply touched me. I realized again that this Japan-America Student Conference is very special and meaningful."

Mr. Kento Kuno

The hall was filled with the enthusiasm of the participants

Information about the Japan-America Student Conference is available at the following website.
Japan-America Student Conference Website

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