Masaya Onimaru, founder and director of the certified NPO Terra Renaissance, is launching a new talk series, "Masaya Onimaru's Journey to Peace." He visits people who work for peace in a variety of fields and talks with them across differences in position.
Onimaru founded Terra Renaissance after the shock he experienced as a university student in a Cambodian minefield. For 25 years he has spoken across Japan about landmines, small arms and child soldiers. The series grew out of a wish to carry these insights to even more people beyond the lecture format.
The guest for Episode 1 is Tomoshi Okuda, chair of the certified NPO Houboku, which has supported people experiencing homelessness in Kitakyushu for over 30 years. Starting from Houboku's practice of "leaving no one alone," they will discuss relationships where people can rely on one another, the meaning of independence, and the power to create hope amid despair. Episode 2 is planned for November 2026 with journalist Jun Hori.
Key points
- Episode 1 streams on YouTube Live and Facebook from 20:15 on October 6
- Guest: Tomoshi Okuda of Houboku; theme: a society that leaves no one alone
- Viewer comments are welcome; Episode 2 with Jun Hori is planned for November
Why we recommend this event
International cooperation and peace can feel like distant topics. This series offers an entry point: by hearing how practitioners think and act, viewers can look for a step they can take in daily life or work.
It also pairs support for conflict-affected people overseas with support for people in need in Japan, and it will be interesting to see the shared perspective of "leaving no one alone" emerge from two different fields.
Editor's comment
This series reminds us that peace is not only for special people but is built from many small steps by each of us.
Being online, it is easy to join even between work or chores. Why not watch and send in your thoughts as a comment?