Dr. Julie Higashi is a specialist in international education and in memorial museums, Professor Emerita at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, and currently a consultant for 9/11 Memorial and Museum, New York.

She believes that museums dealing with complex and painful histories have a responsibility to remember those affected, convey their experiences to the public, and ensure that future generations understand the context and impact of these events.

She is a board member of ICOM Japan, of the Revision of the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums and has served three terms as a board member of the International Committee of Memorial and Human Rights Museums, ICMEMOHRI.