Peace Boat Cruises / Japan Grace

Origins and history

Peace Boat combines cruises with an educational and exchange program that puts the regions visited at its center. The organization dates its first independently operated cruise to September 2, 1983. Since 1995, Japan Grace Co., Ltd. has been responsible for planning and operating global world cruises and regional cruises. The programs on board and ashore are developed jointly with partner organization Peace Boat. The two therefore have distinct roles: Japan Grace organizes the trips, while Peace Boat develops and supports the educational and exchange activities.

A retrospective published in September 2025 describes a lecture and an exhibition on board about the history of Peace Boat. It also featured the medal Peace Boat received in connection with the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), of whose international steering group Peace Boat is a member. The retrospective thus links the history of the voyages with the organization’s commitment to peace activism.

Operator, brand and program provider

Peace Boat Cruises is the cruise brand under which international and regional voyages are offered. Japan Grace is a Japanese travel company based in Tokyo. It is registered as travel agency No. 617, is a member of the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), and is an associate member of the Japan Oceangoing Passenger Ship Association (JOPA). Peace Boat is a nonprofit organization whose work is reflected in the travel programs. Among other things, it offers peace education events, cultural activities and opportunities to meet people from the regions visited.

Learning and encounters on the voyage

The program may include lectures and discussions with guest speakers, performances by international artists, and workshops. Based on published examples, topics range from culture and history to insights into the regions visited on a voyage. Language lessons, including Japanese classes, and courses in music, dance or art round out the program. Passengers also organize their own events: they can prepare lectures, discussions or other group activities. The Peace Boat Center serves as a workspace and coordination area on board for staff and passengers, where events are organized and materials such as posters, videos and the daily ship newspaper are produced.

In selected ports, optional excursions can foster closer contact with local communities. Japan Grace cites homestays and cultural exchange programs as examples. Other educational activities address social, historical or environmental topics and are sometimes led by local experts. In this way, the usual sequence of days at sea and time in port is complemented by opportunities to explore the places visited in greater depth. The lectures, classes, artists and excursions on offer vary from one voyage to another.

Pacific World and the 2023 world cruise

The Pacific World, formerly the hull of the 1995 Sun Princess, is a clear example of how chartered ships are used. Peace Boat described it in 2023 as a newly chartered ship. A world cruise with 22 ports of call in Asia, Europe and Central America began in Yokohama on April 7, 2023. The voyage combined an extensive cruise route with the organization’s educational and exchange mission. The 1995 Sun Princess had previously sailed for Princess Cruises and was later used as the Pacific World for Peace Boat voyages.