The Hiroshima Peace Scholarship was founded in 2009 by Hiromi Peterson and Naomi Hirano-Omizo, retired Japanese language faculty of Punahou School, to encourage young PEACEBUILDERS and strengthen relationships between Hawaii and Hiroshima. JASH took over administration of the program in 2021.

HPS provides high school juniors residing on Oahu an opportunity to study peace-related resources in their community and to participate in an educational trip to Hiroshima, Japan, where they will explore the history and effects of World War II, engage in collaborative activities with students in Hiroshima, and share their peace messages in Hiroshima and Hawaii. This scholarship program includes a 10-day trip to Hiroshima where students will visit the Peace Memorial Park and Museum, participate in events commemorating the August 6, 1945 bombing of Hiroshima, present their research projects at a Peace Forum for high school students, and experience homestays with host families and exchanges with Japanese students.

The program also includes mandatory pre- and post-trip commitments including pre-trip orientation, post-trip debriefing meeting, and monthly half-day workshops during which they will prepare for their Peace Forum presentations, engage with the local community in the Sadako Peace Projects at Pearl Harbor, learn about Japanese culture, and undergo media training to prepare them as representatives of Hawaii. Upon returning from Hiroshima, scholars are required to present on their HPS experience at their schools to share what they learned about the war and the connections they built in Hiroshima. Scholars are also expected to participate in the orientation meeting for the following year's incoming scholars.

APPLICATIONS MATERIALS DUE

1/12/2026

INTERVIEWS ON

1/24/2026

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