Message from the Director

On the path to enhancing Asia-Japan Research Further and Further

0511-02リンク先写真kosugi

Based on the Campus Vision R2030, Ritsumeikan University has implemented the 4th medium-term plan for research advancement (five fiscal years) since 2021. Aiming to become a next-generation research university, we strive to further develop our research activities and increase our contribution to global society as a university located in the Asia-Pacific region.

Since the Ritsumeikan Asia-Japan Research Institute, Ritsumeikan University, and its affiliated Asia-Japan Research Institute (AJI) were established in December 2015, we have been promoting research by combining Ritsumeikan University’s unique concept and strategy to contribute to the “Age of Asia” and disseminate the research results in Japan and overseas.

We will continue to prompt development in natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences, as well as interdisciplinary research that bridges and integrates various fields. As a base for the creation of challenging and distinctive knowledge that creates new value, the AJI will pursue the possibilities of unique Asian and Asian-Japanese research based on the Asian region.

Under the Research Development Program, which started in 2016, we have already adapted 27 projects in the three fields of “symbiosis,” “co-creation,” and “co-commitment,” and 9 projects are currently engaged in vibrant research activities.

We also collaborate internationally with multiple universities and research institutes in Asia and the Pacific region. From 2018 to 2023, we actively participated in Meridian180, a global multilingual forum for policy advocacy, and hosted annual multilingual forums in English and three Asian languages. As one of the results of these efforts, the e-book City, Public Value, and Capitalism was published in July 2022, and we are still working to disseminate the results.

Furthermore, for the firm establishment and development of this international network for research collaboration, we plan to launch the Asia-Japan Global Forum.

The AJI is also intensively engaged in fostering next-generation researchers. As part of this engagement, we launched the AJI Advanced Support for Academic Writing in English in 2018, the AJI Program to Develop Career Path Forming Capabilities in 2019, and the Next-Generation Researcher Development Program in 2021. Through them, the AJI has supported next-generation researchers in organizing various events every year. Today, researchers are required not only to contribute to research and education, but also to manage research activities such as planning and organizing international research workshops. In this regard, the AJI provides careful support so that these researchers can develop their management skills for the global dissemination of research findings.

In order to reinforce the international dissemination of knowledge alongside globalization, we put our energy into publishing academic journals in English. In 2024, we published volume 6 of the English journal, The Journal of the Asia-Japan Research Institute of Ritsumeikan University ; we are now publishing volume 5 of the online English bulletin, Asia-Japan Research Academic Bulletin, in the style that “submissions are accepted at any time and will be posted upon completion of peer review.” The fifth issue of the Annual Review of Asia-Japan Research at Ritsumeikan, a Japanese academic journal that has gained a reputation for its extensive book reviews, has also been published. Additionally, more than ten booklets of the AJI Books series have been published in the three and a half years since its launch.

The COVID-19 pandemic from the end of December 2019 to 2023 had a major impact on research and education worldwide. To overcome the obstacles that such tragic events bring, we have worked to develop new research formats by promoting digital transformation (DX) in collaboration with universities and research institutions overseas with which we have partnered. New forms of research, global interaction, and ways of disseminating research findings are becoming important pillars that should be promoted in the future. Moreover, we launched the online edition of Asia Map: Asia and Japan Research Web Magazine in 2023 as an “alternative form” for disseminating research results. The results have been extremely positive and it has been very well received by our readers, which is most encouraging.

As a result of these combined efforts, we confidently expect further developments in Asia and Japan Research, and we are sincerely looking forward to your support and encouragement in our endeavors.

(October 2024)