The Research Institute of Peace and Community was founded in 2004 and is affiliated with Rikkyo University.

The Institute's mission is to develop inter-disciplinary research and educational programs on the conditions that can help inspire the creation of new cross-border, transnational peace-oriented communities for the 21st century. Research mainly concerns the inter-relationships among nations, social groups, and human beings who share Asian-specific cognitive understandings and social values.

The Institute has two main research areas. The first is an investigation of the methods, conditions and organizations that can play a role in constructing new transnational communities in Asia that are based on cross-border forms of co-existence, collaboration and shared social values. The second is an exploration into entirely new community structures in Asia that, while suited to the Asian region's unique circumstances, also draws on lessons that can be learned from studying major examples of regional integration (community formation) in Europe, such as the European Union.

In particular, the Institute pursues five sub themes to develop a synthesis of approaches to regional integration in Asia:

(1) Asian exceptionalism in regional integration
(2) The construction of credible connections between human rights and social welfare systems
(3) Economic development, elimination of income disparities, technology transfers/development and human migration
(4) The creation of welfare societies and community cooperation
(5) Shared values/cognitive understandings and the building of common identities