She received her B.A. in English and International Relations from Kobe City University of Foreign Studies in Kobe, Japan. Her M.A. in Religious Studies (1997) and Ph.D. in Religious Ethics (2003) are from the Divinity School, University of Chicago. She has a lengthy record in publication and presentation on the impact and interpretation of the atomic bomb. Her most recent publication is Beyond the Mushroom Cloud: Remembering, Religious Interpretations, and Responsibility in Atomic Bomb Experiences published by Fordham University Press in 2011.