“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.” Moved by this principle from the UNESCO Constitution, groups of citizens formed UNESCO associations in various regions of Japan, beginning in Sendai in 1947. This was the world's first non-governmental movement, formed upon UNESCO's principle of promoting peace through mutual understanding. The National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan (NFUAJ) was founded in 1948. The pioneers who started this UNESCO movement aimed through their activities to provide a window on the world for Japan, which had been isolated from the rest of the international community following World War II. The movement also played a role in helping Japan join UNESCO in May 1951, five years before its admission to the United Nations and even before the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty. In the years since then the movement has continued to expand, and today 300 UNESCO associations and clubs in Japan and approximately 5,000 associations and clubs throughout the world carry out volunteer activities in the regions where they have taken root.

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