2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bomb drop on Nagasaki, Japan and the 70th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between St. Paul and Nagasaki. Hamline School of Business adjunct Dr. Jim Scheibel led students across the globe to Nagasaki during the 2025 J-Term to recognize this history.
The sister-city relationship between St. Paul and Nagasaki was established in 1955 by Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower per the work of Minnesota State Legislator Louis W. Hill Jr. The cities were linked as a symbol of peace and to foster understanding between America and Japan. For years, St. Paul and Nagasaki have offered study abroad and exchange programs for both high school and college students. The seven decade friendship has promoted many visits to both countries, tree givings, art displays and naming roads after the other.
At the beginning of their eight day trip, Hamline students collaborated with Nagasaki University students in a two day workshop to build a stronger connection between residents of the sister cities and to promote peacebuilding.
The trip was organized by Scheibel, who has traveled to Japan many times and has been able to attend ceremonies commemorating the sister-city relationship.
“This has been a great commitment and we’re committed to another 70 years,” Scheibel said.
The relationship between the cities was originally established to promote peace after the tragic outcomes of WWII. When visiting Japan, Hamline students were allowed to view history from a different culture’s perspective. Winter ‘24 graduate Will Walker, a student in the Japan study abroad program, reflected on hearing about survivors’ viewpoints.
“As Americans, we don’t have a really personal perspective into what happened. We get the political point of view, ‘Oh this needed to happen to stop the war and we need to make more bombs because nuclear deterrence is what keeps us all safe,’ but sort of the reality is that the cruelty of that is terrifying and the amount of horror the US inflicted upon civilians in World War II is kind of horrifying,” Walker said.
This exposure to a different view was a main goal for Scheibel as he organized the program. He aimed to inspire the students to promote amity in the world.
“I was hoping that [students] would walk away and say ‘I can’t be still, I can’t be quiet, I've got to work on peace,’” Scheibel said.
In addition to providing opportunities to see new parts of the world, students are accompanied by a group of peers they may not have known prior to the trip. During his time in Nagasaki, Walker found that this experience fostered close friendships.
“After the first day or two [all of us in the program] had gotten really close which was really neat. Just that ability to really fall in with any group of people in a small study abroad cohort was super cool,” Walker said.
Despite the wide variety of students on the trip from different backgrounds and majors, Scheibel admired how the group was able to connect.
“It was incredible the way that they joined together and became so much more as a group…they shared the experience, and I think the experience was richer,” Scheibel said.
Students in the Japan study abroad program emphasize the value of making use of study abroad opportunities and the unique experiences they involve. Senior Jade Hunt, who studied abroad for the first time on the Nagasaki trip, said she wants more people to be able to experience what she did.
“I would definitely go back and I think it’s something that I strongly suggest other people to do — to go out and study abroad,” Hunt said, “I can’t say enough good things about it.”
Although the trip has ended, Hamline plans to continue to provide opportunities all over the world. Hamline offers both study abroad and exchange programs students can take advantage of.
“Take the opportunity while you have it because it is probably never going to be this easy to travel again,” Walker said.
