Invitation to the International Forum of the 26th Asia Pacific Forum, Awaji Conference Japan

Theme: Thirty Years Since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the Asia-Pacific Region: Conflict, Cooperation, and Inclusion

The Asia Pacific Forum, Awaji Conference Japan (Awaji Conference) has promoted intellectual and cultural exchanges, with the aim of creating a new framework for Asia Pacific civilization suitable for the 21st century that enables symbiosis among the diverse cultures of the Asia-Pacific region, which boasts a diversity of nations, ethnicities, religions and culture, with the diversity serving as a source of vitality and creativity.

The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. At the Asia-Pacific Forum Awaji Conference, we will extract key issues from the past 30 years, focusing on conflict observed in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region, and inclusion identified in disaster recovery, care, and gender, reflecting on the past three decades and discussing the next 30 years.

Date and Time: Friday, August 1, 2025
　10:00-14:10
Venue: Main Hall, Awaji Yumebutai International Conference Center
1 Yumebutai, Awaji, Hyogo
https://www.yumebutai.co.jp/access/
Program: Commemorative Lecture 1 (10:30-11:10)
“The Trump 2.0 Shockwave and the World”
Speaker: Koji Murata (Professor, Faculty of Law, Doshisha University); Commemorative Lecture 2 (11:10-11:50)
“Thirty Years of Economic Engagement between Japan and the Asia-Pacific Region”
Speaker: Shigeyuki Abe (Advisor, Hyogo Earthquake Memorial 21st Century Research Institute); Keynote Proposal 1 (12:40-13:10)
“Can We Overcome This Century of Conflict?”
Speaker: Keiko Yoshioka (Columnist and Editorial Board Member, Asahi Shimbun); Keynote Proposal 2 (13:10-13:40)
“Japanese Society and Gender: A Society That Does Not Utilize Women Has No Future”
Speaker: Chizuko Ueno (Professor Emeritus, the University of Tokyo / Chairperson, Women’s Action Network); Keynote Proposal 3 (13:40-14:10)
“Looking Back on the 30 Years of Recovery from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and Preparing for Future Disasters”
Speaker: Yoshiteru Murosaki (Professor Emeritus, Kobe University); ・At the event, the winners of the Asia Pacific Research Prize, which rewards dissertations in the field of humanities or social science relating to the Asia Pacific region, will be introduced.
How to Participate: Participation is free of charge, but advance registration is required.
How to Register: To participate, please register in advance using either of the following:
Registration URL: https://forms.gle/PkYnkY2VFC17fvhL8
QR Code:
Registration Deadline: Friday, July 25, 2025
Contact information: Secretariat, the Asia Pacific Forum, Awaji Conference Japan
(Hyogo Earthquake Memorial 21st Century Research Institute)
Higashikan 6F, 1-5-2, Wakinohamakaigan-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan 651-0073
Tel.: 078-262-5713 　Fax: 078-262-5122 　Email: gakujutsu@dri.ne.jp