Nemoto: The 2025 Hiroshima Declaration identifies “meeting basic needs” and “preserving human dignity” as the foundations for peace. Technology is indispensable for both of these. The NTT Group contributes by providing broadband networks through technologies such as fiber optic cable and the 5G high-speed communications standard, transforming lifestyles through new forms of communication. In emerging economies, the Group promotes inclusive connectivity through the introduction of Open RAN, which enables the low-cost deployment of high-speed networks.

Usui: AllianceBernstein integrate financially material environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into most of our actively managed investment platform, approximately 70% of total asset under management. We recognize that issues like climate change, water resource management and corporate governance could affect corporate’s future cash flow and value. Our analysis of the MSCI All Country World Index suggested that companies with better workplace safety outperformed ones with poor safety practices. As such, integrating ESG factors can enhance longer-term investment outcomes. We recognize that issues like climate change countermeasures, water resource management and governance are deeply interconnected with business continuity. Analysis of companies included in the MSCI All Country World Index has identified a positive correlation between workplace safety and stock performance. Incorporating ESG factors can thus enhance medium-term returns.

Kimura: My experience leading management strategy at the Asian Development Bank has convinced me that poverty and economic disparity are root causes of conflict. Revitalizing regional communities through private-sector investment in industries like manufacturing and agriculture can provide a foundation for peace.

Wang: Global challenges such as climate change and inequality are barriers to peace, and mutual understanding is essential to overcoming them.

Usui: When engaging with companies, interactive dialogue based on mutual trust is vital. We seek to act as a trusted advisor to have a positive influence on corporate governance.

Kimura: In international projects, conflicts of interest often arise across different regions and nations. By sharing data and fostering open dialogue, it is possible to build trust, and thereby overcome divisions and develop a shared vision.

Ban: In the wake of building collapses caused by earthquakes and other disasters, I came to see improving the poor conditions of evacuation centers and temporary housing as part of my responsibilities as an architect. This led to the use of tubes made of recycled paper as a substitute for scarce timber materials. In refugee support efforts in Rwanda, I proposed building shelters from these paper tubes to reduce deforestation, and developed dwellings for a unit price of just 50 dollars. In Japan, I worked on designing temporary dwellings and partitions for shelters that use paper tubes for their structural frames. The temporary dwellings are designed to serve as permanent homes.

Yoshimura: Our company manufactures and sells building materials and is committed to disaster relief. Leveraging logistics centers in Hiroshima and Ibaraki and a nationwide network of around 90 stores, we rapidly supply construction materials to support recovery efforts in times of disaster.

We commissioned Mr. Ban to design the Shimose Art Museum we built in the city of Otake in Hiroshima Prefecture, inspired by his philosophy on disaster relief. Mr. Ban proposed the innovative concept of floating, movable galleries on barges in the Seto Inland Sea. In 2024, this earned the museum the Prix Versailles from UNESCO as the “World’s Most Beautiful Museum.” This recognition boosted employee morale, enhanced our corporate branding and increased new graduate recruitment, while also contributing significantly to regional revitalization.

We recognize that disaster relief is fundamentally a responsibility of the national government. However, in urgent situations, private companies must act swiftly within their capacity. To that end, we aim to expand our business networks to complement government efforts where support is lacking.

Yamaguchi: Paper tube architecture is low-cost, environmentally friendly and contributes to building a sustainable society. Most of what we see walking through a city has been built by businesses; indeed, we could say that cities themselves are created by business. We must consider the fate of these built environments in the long term. To achieve a sustainable society, decision-makers need to act with a sense of responsibility informed by social awareness, aesthetic sensibility and a long-term perspective.

Kumra: The world is more deeply interconnected than ever before. While the ratio of trade to global GDP has remained flat, transactions involving intangible assets such as intellectual property and data are growing at a rate over 50% higher than that of physical goods trade. But there are also many challenges such as geopolitical tensions, climate change and energy transition. Business leaders must pursue both risk management and proactive growth strategies, guided by a mindset of “protect, prepare and promote.”

Yoshida: In the field of semiconductors, the supply chain from materials and design to manufacturing is global, and no single company controls the entire supply chain. This industry interdependence is the very foundation of peace. Entertainment also connects people across national borders and language barriers. This interdependence and connectedness embody the desire for peace in Hiroshima.

Miller: Excessive interdependence in the tech sector can also pose national security risks. As US-China tensions intensify, China is working to build and strengthen an autonomous semiconductor supply chain. Political regulations and sanctions are creating inefficiencies in supply chains. Companies need to strike a careful balance between cost control and market strategy. I recommend greater investment in AI and robotics to retain Japan’s competitiveness.

O’Sullivan: Competition between the United States and China is intensifying across economic, military and technological domains. I see little likelihood of a fundamental resolution. Meanwhile, advances in AI will surely contribute to greater energy efficiency and provide us with new ideas and avenues to pursue net zero emissions. Yet at the same time, AI itself consumes vast amounts of energy. One estimate suggests that by 2030, AI could consume more power than the whole of Japan does. Corporations and governments will sometimes face tough choices between advancing AI and managing the energy transition.

Takatsu: We would like to gain some insights from a discussion of governance by public institutions and the private sector.

Cantale: Public institutions are slow in making decisions. Take the World Health Organization (WHO), for example. It took four months from the outbreak of COVID-19 in November 2019 to the WHO Director-General's declaration of a pandemic in March 2020, following the statement on a public health emergency of international concern in January. The cause of this delay lies in the WHO’s organizational structure. It has 194 member countries and an Executive Board composed of 34 members. This is several times larger than most boards of private corporations, and such a large group makes decision-making slower and potentially less effective.

Yonekura: Innovation is essential not only in private-sector organizations but also within public institutions. As Professor Cantale pointed out, the main obstacles lies in public structural rigidity. Public organizations involve a complex array of stakeholders-nation-states, multilateral bodies, and others- and they are often risk averse due to conflicting interests including countries and organizations, and they often fear failure due to competing interests. Legacy systems, shaped over time are ill-equipped to respond to dynamic changes such as technological disruption and the rise of emerging countries. To address this, we must reimagine governance by introducing mechanisms that eoncourage competition and performance-based incentives- creating structures that are tolerant of trial and error.

Cantale: There are also things that the private sector can learn from public institutions. Establishing criteria related to ESGP and sustainability requires complex, multi-dimensional discussion. The approaches adopted by public institutions can serve as a useful reference when cultivating discussions that take a wide-ranging view.

Yonekura: Indeed, corporations must also learn from how public institutions handle long-term goals like ESGP and sustainability. Beyond short-term profits, companies have a responsibility to collaborate with stakeholders and create shared value that supports societal sustainability and inclusive growth.

Takatsu: The roles of public institutions and corporations are changing, and both sectors are now required to balance public benefits with business profits. By learning from one another’s best practices, it will be possible to manage organizations that turn the principles of ESGP into reality.

Sasaki: We launched the Council of Economic Acts for Positive Peace (CEAPP) to explore how companies can position peace as a core management objective and identify the key factors that drive behavioral and business transformation. I would like to discuss the relationship between business and peace together with the members and advisors who contributed to CEAPP’s founding.

Iwai: Achieving peace requires both direct approaches to resolving international conflicts, and indirect ones, such as improving prosperity in emerging economies through innovation. It is also essential to assess if organizations and communities are improving wellbeing (physical and mental health and happiness).

Shibusawa: Our activities support social entrepreneurs who are tackling societal challenges proactively. Frameworks such as impact-weighted accounting, which considers environmental and social effects, are important for transparency and assessment of companies’ sustainable value creation.

Suyama: With conflicts breaking out across the globe, peace can no longer be taken for granted. Today’s realities demand a balance of realism and idealism. A key step toward peace that we can take as individuals is to reflect on how our business activities and daily lives relate to peace. Such reflection can give rise to new perspectives on how peace can be achieved.

Shirai: One root cause of war is social division and inequality. Education is critical to addressing these problems, yet funding for inclusive education remains insufficient. New flows of capital and innovation in education are urgently needed. Leaders who destabilize the global order often lack self-awareness and act dogmatically, sometimes as a result of attachment issues experienced in early childhood. To prevent the rise of authoritarian figures, we must work toward a truly inclusive society that leaves no one behind.

Soda: Hiroshima is a place where peace, one of humanity’s universal values, runs deep. By partnering with businesses around the world, Hiroshima has the potential to become a global leader in generating social value. In the discussions leading up to CEAPP’s founding statement, I was struck by the high level of interest in peace across the business sector. The question now is how to make peace-related capital visible and how to embed it in corporate management systems. I hope we can continue our research on these questions.