HANDS-ON LEARNING | APU Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

On December 15, 2025, HSU Cherry (College of Asia Pacific Studies, 2nd year, Myanmar) received Third Place in the Digital Art Category of the Youth Multimedia Arts Competition, held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Treaty on the South-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ), also known as the Bangkok Treaty.

The commemorative events, including this competition, were co‑organized by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. The three‑day program took place in Bangkok from December 15 to 17, bringing together government officials, diplomats, researchers, international and regional organizations, and youth representatives. Participants reflected on three decades of regional commitment to maintaining a nuclear‑weapon‑free Southeast Asia and engaged in workshops and dialogues to strengthen youth participation in disarmament efforts.

At the center of the program was the Youth Multimedia Arts Competition, where young creators from across the ASEAN region presented works expressing their vision for a world free from nuclear weapons, through mediums such as photography, digital art, and animation.

For her artwork, Ms. HSU combined a photograph of an old tree trunk taken at Ozu Castle in Japan with imagery of Padauk flowers—the national flower of Myanmar—and birds. She selected yellow as the main color, noting that it symbolizes happiness in many cultures and is also the natural color of the Padauk. In her piece, yellow represents hope and renewal. The judges praised her work for its symbolic expression of peace and coexistence through the thoughtful integration of natural elements.

Comment from Ms. HSU Cherry

The International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Moot Court Competition organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation of Japan was held at Utsunomiya University on the 8th and 9th of November, 2025, and the APU student team has secured their third consecutive championship victory.
In the IHL Moot Court Competition, participating students are tested not only on their theoretical understanding of International Humanitarian Law as applied in armed conflict, but also on their ability to adapt that knowledge in practice. This year’s case focused on war crimes, requiring participants to apply legal theory to highly complex, real-world scenarios.

The winning team prepared under the guidance of their coach, Ms. Garima Nikam(College of Asia Pacific Studies, 4th year, India). On the day of the competition, each team member skillfully presented legal arguments based on the facts of the case, taking on the roles of both prosecutor and defendant, and ultimately secured a remarkable victory.

This achievement grant them a ticket to represent Japan in the most prestigious international IHL moot court competition— The 24th Red Cross International Humanitarian law (IHL) Moot (Asia-Pacific Region).

Winning APU team members

Team Coach

Comment from the APU team