NEWS

2024.04.30

【Report】The Report for the AJI Global Symposium 2024 has been released!

On Sunday, February 18, 2024, the Annual Symposium of the Asia-Japan Research Institute of Ritsumeikan University (AJI) was held under the title, “Challenges for Pioneering Value Creation and Our Future Directions: Visions of the Ritsumeikan Model of Asia-Japan Research.” This symposium was co-hosted by the AJI, Ritsumeikan Advanced Research Academy (RARA), and Ritsumeikan Academic Center. More than 500 people attended this event. Again, thank you very much to everyone who participated.
The program of the symposium is as follows:

Keynote Speech and Title:
Mr. Mitoji YABUNAKA (Executive Director of the Ritsumeikan Trust; Former Visiting Professor, College of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University), “Security Crisis in East Asia and Japan’s Path: Bridging Ideals and Diplomatic Ability”

Panel Discussion: “Futures of Asia and Japan and the for the Next Generation’s Ability to Live”
Moderator: Professor Yasushi KOSUGI (Director, Asia-Japan Research Institute, Ritsumeikan University)

Panelists and Titles:
Professor Satoshi TANAKA (College of Information Science and Engineering;
Fellow of the RARA), “How to Live and Think in the Age of Digitization and AI: The Future of Visual Thinking”

Professor Miwa HIRONO (College of Global Liberal Arts/Associate Fellow of the RARA), “The World Order Shaken by China’s Economic and Political Powers: Enhancing Thinking Skills from the Asia-Pacific”

Professor Sayaka OGAWA Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences; Fellow of the RARA), “The Ability of Initiation in the New Age of Internet and the Power of Local Fields: Suggestions from African Studies and Anthropology”

As the keynote speaker, Mr. Yabunaka gave his speech titled “Security Crisis in East Asia and Japan’s Path: Bridging Ideals and Diplomatic Ability.” As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, entered a war of attrition, and the outbreak of the Gaza War greatly destabilized the world security environment, Japan also strengthened its defense capabilities, and China’s threat to Japan’s security over the “Taiwan emergency” (Taiwan Yūji; 台湾有事) has been loudly voiced in both politics and the media. In this context, Mr. Yabunaka pointed out the importance of continuing arduous diplomatic efforts to maintain peace in East Asia in parallel with the strengthening of the U.S.-Japan alliance and the development and strengthening of specific defense capabilities, as a guideline for the nation-to-nation relationship that Japan should take in East Asia. During the Q&A session, the general public asked about diplomatic negotiations with China and possibly opening a dialogue with North Korea. In response to these questions, Mr. Yabunaka emphasized the importance of pursuing a diplomatic approach by establishing a cooperative relationship with China. As a richly experienced diplomat in Japan committed to resolving the North Korean abduction issue, he pointed out that there must be opportunities to find cooperation, even tense in relationships.

Mr. Mitoji Yabunaka delivering the keynote speech
Please access the link below to watch the keynote speech.

: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXBB0hJHDnA

Following the keynote speech, the panel discussion was held under the title of “Prospects of Asia and Japan and the Next Generation’s Ability to Live.” During the panel discussion, three faculty members employed as fellows of the Ritsumeikan Advanced Research Academy (RARA) gave exciting presentations.

Please access the link below to watch the panel discussion.
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtyyFlZKoZg

First, Professor Satoshi Tanaka gave a presentation titled “How to Live and Think in the Age of Digitalization and AI: The Future of Visual Thinking” on how to think in a new age, creating and sharing knowledge in collaboration with AI, in the circumstances of technological innovations such as the development of AI based on big data and generative AI technology enabled in the twenty-first century. Professor Tanaka explained that AI is not limited to a large amount of text data. In recent years, a vast amount of image data has also been accumulated, and AI processing can create various intuitive patterns and visuals. The impact of such technological innovation is expected to spread in the academic world, regardless of the so-called human science or natural science. Amid these trends, human intervention in forming various patterns and images while utilizing generative AI technologies has created the possibility of collaborative knowledge production that crosses the boundaries between experts/non-experts and disciplines, which he called “digital thinking.”

Professor Satoshi Tanaka making the presentation

Professor Miwa Hirono gave her presentation titled “The World Order Shaken by China’s Economic and Political Powers: Enhancing Thinking Skills from the Asia-Pacific.” At the beginning of the presentation, Prof. Hirono pointed out that against the backdrop of the rise of China, the world order tends to be viewed in terms of conflicts between major powers and the importance of capturing not only the leadership within the world order but also the position of various developing countries and China’s influence on the local people’s lives. While a handful of countries are advanced or major powers, over 150 are developing countries. Professor Hirono has researched how people living in the latter countries perceive the policies of major powers such as China through interviews and field studies in Nepal, Myanmar, and other countries. Through this research, Professor Hirono believes that in a rapidly changing global world, feelings and perceptions over major powers in developing countries are shaped and transformed by multiple variables, such as historical relationships, political dynamics formed by multiple countries, and practical interests. Through this presentation, Professor Hirono emphasized the need to understand the complex local context of developing countries’ societies and develop the ability to recognize and think about the world in ways not dominated by great power politics.

Professor Miwa Hirono delivering the presentation

Finally, Professor Sayaka Ogawa gave a presentation entitled “The Ability of Initiation in the New Age of Internet and the Power of Local Fields: Suggestions from African Studies and Anthropology.” The presentation first focused on the phenomenon of leap-frogging development in developing countries. It provided an accurate picture of the changes that are actually taking place in the African socio-economy. Leap-frog development refers to the changes in socio-economic systems that occur through the incursion of the latest technologies without going through the stages of socio-economic development experienced by developed countries. In fact, in African countries, the spread of Bitcoin, drones, and smartphones has been introduced without the development of roads and other infrastructures, such as the spread of fixed-line telephones and the circulation of paper money, which were essential for economic growth in developed countries. Furthermore, the recent spread of digital technologies in African societies has caused a new process of shaping unique socio-economic relationships, especially in the informal economy traditionally rooted in these societies. The widespread use of digital technology has created a unique environment where the personal connection between customers and traditional street vendors initiates the growth of e-commerce in African societies. It has happened without relying on algorithmic recommendation functions that are now common in developed countries or the efficiency-based approach of the gig economy. Instead, the personal relationship between the customer and vendor has been preserved. Through this presentation, it has been shown that digitalization will not unify the global society, but will shape a diverse socio-economy in conjunction with local relations and traditional economic activities.

Professor Sayaka Ogawa making the presentation

Each panel discussion presented distinct and exciting themes, and the concluding discussions included highly stimulating talks on the relationship between technology and society, the relationship between major powers and developing countries, and the flexible thinking of local people, all of which were significantly interconnected.

General discussion in the panel (Left: Director Yasushi Kosugi)