This paper discusses present trends and possibilities in the peace museum field. The document is based on a collection of written opinions of Japanese students on peace museums, visits to peace museums in other countries, and a position on a peace museum and center for peace education in Japan. Peace museums throughout the world show that they can play a role as centers for peace education, not only in the community but also in its schools. It should be important to promote visitors' active participation in peace museums and to foster critical and creative thinking for the future. National peace museums are desirable, but it is also important to have community-based peace museums to interact with schools. The opinions of Japanese students about peace museums were directly affected by whether the responding student had actually visited a peace museum. Those who had not tended to have unfavorable or apathetic attitudes toward peace museums. Those who had visited such museums had a far more favorable impression of the importance of peace education and the role of the peace museum in aiding that education. Peace museums throughout the world play a role as centers for peace education. The contents of the exhibits are related closely to the goals of peace education. Although army museums glorify war, they do imply what peace museums should be like in terms of exhibits and the method to reach the goals of peace education. (DK)