I first noticed how Peace Boat blends both the "Japanese" workplace environment with a more relaxed non-profit workplace environment. While the hierarchical structure is not as pronounced in Peace Boat as I imagine it to be in other Japanese businesses, I still feel that there is a sense of hierarchy that I haven't seen in non-profits in the US. Deference, though not always complete, to those that have been at Peace Boat longer is certainly indicative of a Japanese-style workplace.
Like many non-profit organizations in the US, Peace Boat also has many, actually a majority, of young people working in the office. I do not think that there is any paid staff who is over 50. This makes the working environment feel energized with fresh and novel ideas about how to do and change things. This, of course, is in stark contrast to media reports about Japan's graying population and aged politicians who continue status quo policies in detriment to Japan's social and economic development. Young workers at Peace Boat also facilitates to a more communal environment, as they (though now we!) extend the work relationship to socializing together at lunch and after work. So far it has been a great way to interact with people in the office and learn about how they came to Peace Boat and their interests in peace education.
Of course, the real reason I am at Peace is because of the work they are doing, and I have been able to interact first-hand with that great work, which is also giving me some great ideas for my thesis. I am working on their Global Article 9 Campaign. They have finally started again work on pushing countries to adopt pacifist constitutions like Japan's from last year's conference in Tokyo. Just last week, they held a follow-up conference in Costa Rica, which looked at the global implications of Japan and Costa Rica's pacifist constitutions and their roles in bringing peace to East Asia and Latin America, respectively. Although I was not able to attend the conference, I have been able to read the reports from it. I have also been helping to write and edit the reports in English that will soon be posted on the Peace Boat website and monthly newsletter. In October, they will host another conference in Ecuador, which I hope to be more involved with in the planning for.
One of the great things that I am learning about is how this organization is pushing to educate the world about the uniqueness of Japan's pacifist constitution and is urging other countries to adopt a similar one. This has the dual-effect of preserving it here in Japan by making it more difficult for those who want to change the revered constitution and promoting other states to adopt similar measures, thereby building a network of countries that renounce violent and military means to solving disputes and conflicts. They are also tying this military renunciation to more sustainable development based on human security (which links what with an issue that I recently did some research on). It is just the thing that can pave the way for getting countries to think outside the box and away from military solutions!
This of course, is giving me great food for though for my thesis. While I had been hesitant to study for my thesis exclusively about Japan's constitution and its Article 9 that renounces war because the issue about change has subsided in recent years in Japan, Peace Boat's work on the Global Article 9 Campaign is providing a fresh perspective on the topic of pacifist constitutions that goes beyond Japan and casts a more positive light on an issue that is usually portrayed as being imperiled by conservative interests who want to "normalize" Japan. In addition, I think very little research is being done on this issue, which gives me a novel idea to study. But I am now heading into graduate student nerdy territory now, which may bore some of my readers...
Just know that my first few weeks at Peace Boat have been fruitful ones. I think it has been a good decision so far. Of course, I will provide some more updates about the work I am doing there in future entries, along with links to some of the articles I am helping to edit. Until then, I will try to keep cool in Japan's seasonably warm summer!
JRG
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