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June 2, 2026 2 Min Read

Final East Asia Symposium Continues Building Trust Across Historical Divides

In a region shaped by war, colonialism, and contested memory, what does genuine reconciliation require?

The Soka Institute for Global Solutions (SIGS) continued exploring this question at the third and final symposium in its Peace and Reconciliation in East Asia series, a multiyear initiative examining how dialogue, cultural exchange, and shared acknowledgement of past harms can help build trust across historical divides.

Dongyoun Hwang, professor of Asian studies and chair of the organizing committee, built the series around three commitments: keeping students at the center of each symposium; drawing participants from across disciplines, including NGO activists, artists, and academics; and opening the programming to the wider SUA community through pre-symposium events.

Held April 17–18 at SUA, the final symposium focused on the People’s Republic of China and brought together scholars, artists, and students from East Asia and North America for two days of presentations, performances, and roundtable discussions. The diverse series of sessions explored artistic exchange and expression, wartime memory, territorial disputes, the role of artificial intelligence, and environmental cooperation.

Across sessions, participants returned to a shared premise: reconciliation is never a finished achievement, but an ongoing practice sustained by artists, scholars, students, and ordinary citizens.

Student voices shaped the symposium from start to finish, with SIGS student research fellows and students from other institutions in East Asia serving as respondents and discussants and presenting original research on film, diplomacy, historical disputes, anti-war activism, and peace education museums. This depth of student involvement reflects one of the symposium’s core commitments: creating opportunities for emerging scholars to contribute to debates with real stakes for the region’s future.

In the closing discussion, student participants reflected on the difficulty and promise of the work they had encountered. “Being mature, sometimes [we] have to face reality,” said Yuji Ishiyama ’26, a student research fellow at SIGS, “but thanks to the severe winter, we can bloom in spring.”

Hwang, who opened and closed the symposium, reminded participants to carry Soka’s values of wisdom, courage, and compassion into the long work of peace and reconciliation.

“The symposia affirmed the importance of what we call ‘Soka Steps,’” said Hwang, “which involves a long, continuous, and open process that includes dialogue. Pursuing peace and reconciliation in East Asia and beyond requires both grassroots/people-based approaches and involvement at the national level, as suggested in SUA founder Daisaku Ikeda’s 1987 peace proposal.”

A man with short black hair is wearing a gray suit and gestures with his left hand as he stands in front of a projector screen while giving a presentation. — Professor of Asian Studies Dongyoun Hwang opens the first formal session of the third Peace and Reconciliation in East Asia symposium.

A man with white hair and glasses wearing a navy suit speaks into a microphone as he stands in front of a white projector screen. — President Edward M. Feasel delivers welcome remarks during the opening session.

A person wearing a mask depicting a closed, crying eye on their head performs and holds both of their hands in the air. — Wu Meng of the theater collective Grass Stage performs “Farewell to Today” during a speakers session.

A man with short black hair and glasses wearing a navy button up holds a stack of white papers and throws one into the air during a theatrical performance inside a classroom auditorium. — Zhao Chuan, a founder and director of the theater collective Grass Stage, performs during a session.

Audience members watch presentations and performances during a pre-symposium event.

Geoff Westropp, on violin, Gloria Takahashi, and Hiroki Iwasa, on keyboard, perform during a pre-symposium event.

A woman with long curly blonde braids wearing a white t-shirt and blue jacket speaks into the microphone behind a wooden lectern. — Chinenye Elom M.A. ’27 presents “Biafra at the Crossroads: Pathways to Dialogue, Justice, and Lasting Peace in Nigeria, Africa” during a pre-symposium event.

A woman with long brown hair wearing a dark suit jacket over a white shirt speaks into the microphone during a presentation. — Hiina Miki ’27 presents during a roundtable discussion.

A woman with long dark hair wearing a white blouse speaks into the microphone at a wooden lectern during a presentation. — Nakyeong Kim, a graduate student at Seoul National University in South Korea, presents during a roundtable discussion.

A man with curly short dark brown hair wearing a light blue dress shirt with rolled up sleeves holds the microphone with both hands as they ask a question to the presenter. — Yuji Ishiyama ’26 asks a question during Chris Connery’s presentation, “War, Anti-War, Capitalist Peace, Real Peace: Frameworks for Thinking U.S.-China Relations.”

Left to right: Sijia Yao, assistant professor of Chinese language and culture at Soka University of America; Effie Yin, liberal arts faculty at the Ringling College of Art + Design; Jinhee Lee, professor of history at Eastern Illinois University; researcher Chizu Nishida of Nara Women’s University; and Yuka Hiruma Kishida, associate professor of history at Bridgewater College, participate in the “Lessons from the Past” session.