Co-commitment

The Institute conducts academic research on the building of new relationships and diplomatic engagements in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Islamic world, including the development of historical consciousness. As a new generation of politicians and other leaders steps forward to replace the postwar generation across the world, new historical realities are coming to light, and historical consciousness is gradually shifting. These changes demand modification of the existing paradigms of diplomacy in Japan, and necessitate new approaches to understanding Asia that encompass the task of reconciliation. Research on East Asian relations is especially important. It is unrealistic to expect the political and diplomatic spheres to respond to such needs on their own; institutions of education and research, such as universities, clearly have an important role to play. We will search for how to achieve mutual understanding among the many societies of Asia, especially considering the diversity of ways in which these societies have sought to respond to the question of "modernity" in their own distinct cultural contexts.