New Year’s Greeting 2026: Happy New Year from Prof. Yasushi Kosugi, the Director of AJI.

I wish you all a Happy New Year! I am very much looking forward to meeting you and collaborating with you again in 2026.

Last December 2025, the Asia-Japan Research Institute (AJI) celebrated its 10th anniversary. Over these 10 years, we have been privileged to receive your warm encouragement and support. This has inspired the members of our institute to collaborate closely to continue to expand our research activities. During this decade, we have successfully overcome the challenges of the pandemic through digital transformation (DX), as well as achieving significant milestones during the university’s “4th Medium-Term Plan for Research Advancement Promotion.” We would like to express our deepest gratitude for your continued guidance and support.

Looking forward to the years ahead, the university will launch its “5th Medium-Term Plan in April. This exciting news marks the beginning of the second half of our ten-year journey to become a “Next-Generation Research University,” as envisioned in the “R2030 Challenge Design.” Both the Ritsumeikan Asia-Japan Research Organization and our Institute are committed to successfully concluding the current plan. In this new phase, we will intensify our efforts not only in research but also in disseminating our research findings and strengthening international academic collaborations.

Next month, in February 2026, we will host our annual AJI Global Symposium, titled “Co-creating Future Values from Ritsumeikan: Perspectives from Asia-Japan Studies.” This year’s theme explores how Japanese culture, including manga and anime, has resonated across Asia and become globalized. Through keynote speeches and panel discussions, we aim to reflect on these cultural synergies together. As you can see from our symposium poster , we are striving for a fresh style of communication that engages the younger generation. For the keynote speech, we are honored to welcome Dr. Essam Bukhary from Saudi Arabia, a leading figure in his country’s manga and animation industries. Having studied in Japan, he will be delivering his presentation in fluent Japanese. Our panel discussion will also feature front-line experts from both within and outside the university. We are looking forward to your participation.

The cornerstone of our Institute’s activities is our contribution to the global academic community through our academic journals. We currently publish two English journals and one Japanese journal annually. All of them employ a rigorous peer-review process and are registered with J-STAGE. We are profoundly grateful for the high regard from our contributors and readers. This year, our editorial committees and staff remain fully committed to maintaining these high academic standards.

Since its launch in 2023, “Asia Map: Asia-Japan Research Web Magazine” (written in Japanese) has been widely read as an ISSN-registered periodical. It serves a dual purpose: providing readers with accessible insights into Asia and Japan, while offering contributors a platform for recognized academic achievement. Our members take great pride in developing this innovative medium, and we will continue to focus on its growth this year.

Furthermore, we have launched a new researcher essay series titled “Asia and Japan: A Journey of Food and Taste.”Alongside “Asia Map,” this series features engaging articles and vivid photography from researchers recording their experiences in the field. These essays have been received very well for capturing the distinctive atmospheres of their locales. We invite you to “savor” these journeys.

Regarding the development of the next generation of researchers, the “Graduate School Collaboration & Next-Generation Researcher Development Program” is now in its fifth year. Last year, several members of this program successfully attained full-time academic positions. We expect more good news this spring and will share updates in our “Special News”.

As we embark on our “Next 10 Years,” our Institute’s members have been engaged in active discussions on how to further refine and advance Asia-Japan studies. We look forward to your continued support and engagement throughout the coming year.