Johan Galtung, a Norwegian peace scholar known as the ``father of peace studies'' who was involved in mediating conflicts around the world, passed away on the 17th of this month. He was 93 years old.
Mr. Galtung, who was born in Oslo, Norway, in 1930, became interested in peace research after experiencing his homeland being occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II and having his father sent to a concentration camp.
He advocated the idea of ``positive peace,'' which is free from structural violence such as poverty, discrimination, and oppression, in contrast to ``negative peace,'' which is a state in which there is no war, and founded the Oslo International Peace Institute in 1959. led peace research.
He has been involved in mediating conflicts around the world, including Israel and Palestine, the former Yugoslavia, and the Korean Peninsula, and in 1987 was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, which is also known as another Nobel Peace Prize.
Mr. Galtung, who was known as the ``father of peace studies,'' visited Japan frequently and taught at universities around the country. He pointed out the importance of deepening cooperative relationships with neighboring countries.
At a lecture held in Yokohama in 2015, he sent a message to young Japanese people: ``I want them to learn about international issues and think about what they can do for peace.''