The Australian Cardijn Institute is pleased to invite you to a special webinar exploring one of the most moving and significant chapters in modern Christian history.
On Thursday 23 July 2026 at 7.00 pm (AEST), Assoc. Prof. Maika Nakao of Hiroshima University will present a lecture entitled “Exploring the deep Christian roots of Nagasaki and its response to the atomic bombing.”
Nagasaki has occupied a unique place in the history of Christianity in Japan for more than four centuries. From the arrival of the first missionaries in the sixteenth century, through centuries of persecution and the remarkable survival of the Hidden Christians, to the rebirth of the Catholic community in the nineteenth century, the city’s Christian heritage has become known throughout the world.
That history reached its darkest moment on 9 August 1945, when the atomic bomb exploded over the Urakami Valley, destroying Urakami Cathedral and devastating the heart of Japan’s largest Catholic community.
Drawing on her extensive research into the history of nuclear science, memory and post-war Japan, Assoc. Prof. Nakao will examine how Nagasaki’s Christian community responded to this catastrophe and how faith shaped the ways survivors remembered, interpreted and rebuilt their lives after the bombing. The webinar will explore the intersection of religion, history and memory while considering the continuing significance of Nagasaki’s witness for peace in today’s world.
This promises to be a fascinating presentation for anyone interested in Christian history, Japan, peace studies, social history and the enduring resilience of communities of faith.
Our speaker
Assoc. Prof. Maika Nakao is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hiroshima University. She holds a Ph.D. in the History of Science from the University of Tokyo and is an internationally recognised scholar of Japan’s nuclear history, the history of science, and the cultural and social legacies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
She previously served as Assistant Professor at Nagasaki University (2018–2021), where she deepened her research into the history and memory of the atomic bombing. (seeds.office.hiroshima-u.ac.jp)
Her research examines the relationships between science, religion, memory and society in modern Japan, with particular attention to the experiences of atomic bomb survivors and the ways Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been remembered. She has lectured internationally on nuclear history, peace studies and the Christian history of Nagasaki, and has contributed to major scholarly works on the history and legacy of the atomic bombings.
She co-edited Seventy-five Years after the Atomic Bombing: Tracing Records and Memories of Nagasaki (Shoshi Tsukumo, 2021) and has published widely on the history of radiation, nuclear science and post-war Japan. (seeds.office.hiroshima-u.ac.jp)
Webinar details
Exploring the deep Christian roots of Nagasaki and its response to the atomic bombing
Speaker: Assoc. Prof. Maika Nakao (Hiroshima University)
Date: Thursday 23 July 2026
Time: 7.00 pm AEST
Registration:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/NCosBMYFT-yN8efsxQ2UdQ
