Junya Nishino: The 40 Years of the Keio Institute of East Asian Studies (KIEAS) and Aiming for Further Development

March 5, 2025

It has been 40 years since the establishment of the Keio Center for Area Studies, the predecessor of the Keio Institute of East Asian Studies (KIEAS). The Center was established in April 1984 under the leadership of then-President Tadao Ishikawa as part of Keio University's 125th anniversary commemorative projects. Since its founding, Keio University has consistently focused on area studies and education to elucidate the characteristics and conditions of various regions and nations around the world, and the Center has worked to solidify and further develop this foundation. Starting with Professor Hideo Oda, a specialist in African studies, as the first director, a succession of distinguished researchers have served as the center's director, including Professor Tatsuo Yamada for Chinese studies, Professor Masao Okonogi for Korean Peninsula studies, and Professor Ryosei Kokubun for Chinese studies.

The Keio Institute of East Asian Studies (KIEAS) was launched in October 2003 by renaming the Keio Center for Area Studies, building on the Center's approximately 20 years of achievements while reorganizing into a research structure more focused on the East Asian region. Following Professor Kokubun, Professor Yoshihide Soeya for East Asian international politics, Professor Nobuo Takahashi for Chinese studies, and Professor Yuko Mio for Taiwanese studies have served as successive directors. In October 2023, we held a commemorative symposium for the 20th anniversary of the Keio Institute of East Asian Studies (KIEAS).

There are two major pillars that have supported the activities of the Keio Institute of East Asian Studies (KIEAS) from the era of the Keio Center for Area Studies to the present day. The first pillar is the implementation of academic research projects and the publication of their results. The Research Centers and Institutes launches two two-year projects each year, led by faculty members of Keio University. Therefore, four projects are always active. All of their results have been published as academic books, and the number has now reached 74 volumes. The implementation of these projects is made possible by the support of the Takahashi Sangyo-Keizai Research Foundation. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the foundation.

The second pillar of our activities is the Keio Institute of East Asian Studies (KIEAS) Lecture Series , held biennially. Each time, we set a theme and hold a lecture series, inviting experts from within Keio and outside, attracting a large audience of students and working adults. This lecture series also publishes books based on the transcripts, and the 18th volume will be published soon.

In addition, the activities of the Research Centers and Institutes are supported by two research centers established within the Research Centers and Institutes. The Center for Contemporary Chinese Studies was established in 2007, and the Center for Korean Peninsula Studies (initially the Center for Contemporary Korean Studies) was established in 2009. They conduct their own research projects and frequently hold symposia and workshops.

When I became Director in October 2023, I pledged to aim for the further development of the Research Centers and Institutes by focusing on the following three points, while continuing our activities to date. First is to "revitalize" our operations by increasing the number of symposia and workshops hosted by the Research Centers and Institutes. In light of the post-COVID era, we will strive to provide more proactive and leading opportunities for research, academic exchange, and discussion than ever before, in active collaboration and cooperation with the two centers within the Research Centers and Institutes. Second is to further promote the "visualization" of the activities and results of the Research Centers and Institutes. We will further devise ways to disseminate information so that the activities and achievements of the Research Centers and Institutes and the centers catch everyone's attention. And the third is "networking." Through the first and second activities, we aim for the Research Centers and Institutes to continue to firmly fulfill its role as a hub of the network, while promoting collaboration and networking with researchers and research institutions in East Asian studies in Japan and around the world. Regarding networking, in November 2024, we were able to co-host a public symposium on-site with East Asia-related research centers and institutes at Columbia University and George Washington University in the United States.

The content of this issue's special feature is a record of the public symposium "Thinking about the International Order from East Asia," held at the Mita Campus on January 18, 2025, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Keio Institute of East Asian Studies (KIEAS), counting from the era of the Keio Center for Area Studies. With researchers associated with the Research Centers and Institutes taking the stage, wonderful and timely reports and discussions were held. This symposium has given us a good start toward the further development of the Research Centers and Institutes. We look forward to your continued interest, support, and cooperation in the activities of the Research Centers and Institutes.