Study Tour

The Matsumae International Foundation organizes Study Tours in Japan for fellowship recipients to provide opportunities for contact with Japanese history, culture and businesses so as to garner deeper experience, and also to learn about the importance of the peaceful use of science and technology with high ethical standards.

In addition to visiting ancient temples in Kyoto and Nara to get a feel for Japan’s deep-rooted culture and spirit, and observing cutting-edge technology at companies, each trip always includes a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima City.

The founder, Dr. Shigeyoshi Matsumae was witness to the appalling scenes in Hiroshima in the immediate aftermath of the atomic bombing of August 6, 1945; the first atomic bomb to be unleashed upon humanity. Following the bombing, an investigative committee was dispatched to Hiroshima by the Agency for Technological Advancement, and it was Dr. Matsumae who served as head of this group. Faced with the scenes of devastation and this evidence of the bomb’s destructive power, he later recalled, ‘I was lost for words.’ It was then that he came to the strong conviction that science must be used only for the peace and development of mankind.

What does the power of the atomic bomb created by human scientific knowledge and technology, in other words, the devastation of the A-bombed city, say to us? The MIF hopes that Study Tour will help to expand the circle of researchers’ conscience throughout world.