Reports of Past Events
Professor Akiba Organizes a Panel in the 16th International Conference of Ottoman Social and Economic History
Report Professor Jun Akiba organized a panel titled "Approaching Ottoman Gender History Through the Rereading of Court Records" on July 8 at the 16th International Conference of Ottoman Social and Economic History (ICOSEH-16), held at the University of Bucharest, from July 7 to 11, 2025. In addition to Professor Akiba, the panel featured presentations by Gürer Karagedikli of Middle East Technical University and Tommaso Stefini of Sabancı University. Madoka Morita of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies participated as a discussant. The panel attracted an audience of about 20 people and drew significant attention. The panel's composition was as follows: Event Details Panel: Approaching Ottoman Gender History Through the Rereading
The Tōbunken Seminar : Public Research Meeting: Documentary Materials Accompanying Chinese Paintings and Research on the Edo Kano School
Report On December 15, 2025, the Tōbunken Seminar Public Research Meeting: Documentary Materials Accompanying Chinese Paintings and Research on the Edo Kano School was held. Approximately 40 participants attended in person, with around 90 joining online. As an opening statement of issues, Uematsu Mizuki (Tokyo National Museum), who initiated the preliminary research and the public research meeting leading up to this seminar, delivered a presentation entitled “The Past and Future of Research on Documentary Materials Accompanying ‘Works’: The Potential of the Tokyo National Museum Database ‘Records of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy.’” Uematsu defined “documentary materials accompanying works” as objects and texts that are materially part of the artwork but were
Tobunken Seminar “Japonya’da Sohbet-i Osmaniye-8”
Report On August 25, 2025, the Tobunken Seminar, "Japonya'da Sohbet-i Osmaniye-8" took place at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia. This seminar series has been organized to promote scholarly exchange by bringing together young researchers in Japan and leading international scholars in the field of Ottoman history. For the eighth meeting, we have invited Professor Betül İpşirli Argıt (Marmara University / IASA visiting researcher), a renowned specialist of the Ottoman imperial court, to discuss the presentations by two doctoral students. Saito Mori discussed the functions of the Cairo citadel, the center of the Ottoman rule in Egypt. Nami Murata analyzed the legislative process behind the Ottoman passport laws of
Lecture by Professor James D. Fearon, Stanford University “What Is, or Was, Contemporary Interstate Military Conflict About?”
Report On October 20, 2025, Professor James D. Fearon of Stanford University delivered a lecture at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, the University of Tokyo, titled “What Is, or Was, Contemporary Interstate Military Conflict About?” The lecture was co-hosted by Professor Ryo Sahashi’s office at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, the Security Studies Unit at the Institute for Future Initiatives, and the International Politics Study Group at the University of Tokyo. The event was held in person and was attended by more than 30 faculty members and students. Professor Fearon argued that the primary drivers of today’s interstate conflicts are not traditional national-security concerns per se,
Beyond Hedging? Indo-Pacific Realignments under Trump 2.0 and Southeast Asian Responses
Report On 22 October 2025, a seminar titled “Beyond Hedging? Indo-Pacific Realignments under Trump 2.0 and Southeast Asian Responses” was held at the University of Tokyo, featuring Professor Cheng-Chwee Kuik of the National University of Malaysia as the speaker. He is concurrently a Japan Foundation JFSEAP Visiting Fellow, Kyoto University. The event drew approximately 30 in-person participants and about 70 online participants, totaling around 100 attendees. The seminar was co-hosted by the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia and the Security Studies Unit of the Institute for Future Initiatives at the University of Tokyo, and was organized as a part of JSPS Project “The Historical Process of Development of the
The 5th Regular Seminar (2025) “Modern Uniform, Medieval Mindset: Feudal Culture and the Thai Military’s Business Empire”
Report On November 22, 2025, from 14.00, the Tobunken Seminar titled “Modern Uniform, Medieval Mindset: Feudal Culture and the Thai Military's Business Empire” was held and presented by Puangthong Pawakapan, from Chulalongkorn University and currently a visiting professor at Institute for Studies on Asia. In this presentation, Professor Puangthong revealed a detailed analysis into the Thai military's business operation, which was characterized by neo-feudalism, privilege, and institutional resistance to scrutiny. The military, particularly the Army, consistently refused to provide complete financial reports, justifying its lack of transparency and accountability by claiming "unparalleled sacrifices for the nation" and invoking "national security." The core issue is the military's decentralized "separate power, separate
Professor Morimoto Selected as an Honorary Member of the Middle East Medievalists
At the annual business meeting of the Middle East Medievalists (MEM) held on November 14, 2025, Professor Kazuo Morimoto of our institute was selected as an Honorary Member. As defined by MEM, honorary membership “is awarded by the Board of Directors of MEM to a few senior medievalists who have distinguished themselves in their teaching and research. Honorary membership is for life and is gratis.” Professor Morimoto commented, “I first thought it had to be a mistake. I now hope to grow into a scholar worthy of this honor.” Middle East Medievalists (MEM) Website: Middle East Medievalists
Public lecture “A Reflection on Muslim Identities in South Asia,” by Dr David Lelyveld
Report On October 24, 2025, a lecture titled “A Reflection on Muslim Identities in South Asia” was delivered by Dr. David Lelyveld. The lecture explored various issues concerning Muslims in South Asia and their identities, focusing on the historical and political contexts from the colonial period to the present. Professor Lelyveld began by noting that South Asian Muslims constitute a complex and multifaceted group, possessing diverse and fluid identities that correspond to their varied linguistic, sectarian, and social environments. He then discussed how, through policies implemented during British colonial rule, religiously based identities were reinforced—leading to the perception of Muslims in India as an “alien” presence. He also described how
Tobunken Workshop “Digital Humanities for Middle Eastern History”
Report On August 1, 2025, the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia held the Tobuken Workshop, "Digital Humanities for Middle Eastern History." The workshop aimed to facilitate an exchange of ideas between Japanese researchers and Professor Betül İpşirli Argıt of Marmara University, who was then a visiting researcher at IASA, regarding the application of digital humanities (DH) methodologies to historical research on the Middle East and Islamic regions. From the Japanese side, Dr. Erina Ota (Uehiro Project for the Asian Research Library, The University of Tokyo) and Dr. Tomoaki Shinoda (ILCAA, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies), gave presentations on their research incorporating DH methodologies. Professor Wakako Kumakura (Keio University) provided her
Public lecture “Legends of ‘Ali b. Abi Talib and Sacred Geographies in Central Asia,” by Dr Shamim Homayun
Report On October 19, 2025, a lecture entitled “Legends of ‘Ali b. Abi Talib and Sacred Geographies in Central Asia” was held, featuring Dr Shamim Homayun, who will serve as a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow at IASA from November 2025. Dr Homayun is conducting anthropological research on the legend of ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib’s dragon-slaying and the development of veneration in the Bamiyan region of Afghanistan. In this lecture, drawing on fieldwork at the Band-e Amir Lakes, he analyzed the narrative structure and historical background of the legend, and theoretically examined how specific spatial settings and pilgrims’ ritual practices contribute to making these legends perceived as realities among local communities. The
Tobuken Seminar: “4th Ottoman Studies Seminar”
Report On July 29, 2025, the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia held the 4th Ottoman Studies Seminar as part of Tobuken Seminar series. The seminar featured Professor Betül İpşirli Argıt from Marmara University (IASA Visiting Researcher), who visited Japan under the JSPS Invitational Fellowship Program. She conducted a close reading of letters written by the Valide Sultans (queen mothers) with the participants. Seven participants attended in person and seven participated online. The seminar was conducted in Turkish. Professor İpşirli Argıt began by an overview of the letters written by women of the Ottoman court She discussed their current locations, authors, recipients and contents of the letters, as well as issues
IJAS holds workshop on Hong Kong in Asian Studies
Report The International Journal of Asian Studies (IJAS) and Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia hosted a workshop on Hong Kong in Asia Studies on 24th September 2025. Junior and senior scholars presented ten papers in dialogue with four discussants, covering a wide range of issues and disciplinary and methodological approaches. The morning session was devoted to Post-handover Politics and Law. The afternoon sessions focused on Hong Kong Cultural Productions, and Late-Colonial State-Society Dynamics. Each paper prompted lively discussion, creating a constructive environment to consider new approaches and connections to the broader field of Asian Studies, and to consider the path toward publication in new light. IJAS plans to continue
Tobunken Seminar: Negotiating Asian Modernity: Educational Reform, Hyderabad, and Japan, 1868–1926
Report On September 19, 2025, the Tobunken Seminar hosted Dr. Mimi Hanaoka (University of Richmond) for a lecture titled “Negotiating Asian Modernity: Educational Reform, Hyderabad, and Japan, 1868–1926.” Dr. Hanaoka is currently preparing a monograph on Syed Ross Masood's interwar visit to Japan—undertaken in his capacity as an official responsible for educational reform in the princely state of Hyderabad—and on the report he produced. The lecture provided an overview of this research, highlighting its theoretical contributions to the field of Inter-Asian Studies. Approximately fifteen participants attended, both in person and online, and the presentation was followed by a lively discussion engaging both factual and theoretical issues. Event Details
Tobuken Seminar “Re-examining Ottoman migrations in light of Hikiagesha researches”
Report On June 26, 2025, the Tobunken Seminar "Re-examining Ottoman migrations in light of Hikiagesha researches" was held at the IASA. The seminar featured Professor Fuat Dündar from TOBB University of Economics and Technology, who visited the IASA through the JSPS invitational fellowship program. Ten participants attended in person and nine participated online.In his lecture, Professor Dündar first discussed the comparability of two migrations accompanying the collapse of empires, namely, the influx of immigrants from the Balkans and the Caucasus into the Ottoman Empire and the repatriation of Japanese citizens after World War II. He then compared these two migrations in terms of memory and commemoration. Specifically, he discussed the
JF-GJS Fellow Talk Series “What Does Transitional Justice Mean in Southeast Asia?”
Event Report The Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia hosted Dr. Erik Martinez Kuhonta for the sixth installment of the Japan Foundation-Global Japan Studies (JF-GJS) Talk Series on July 30th, 2025. Associate Professor of Political Science at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, Dr. Kuhonta delivered his talk, “What Does Transitional Justice Mean in Southeast Asia?” to a hybrid audience. Taking a Comparative Politics approach, Dr. Kuhonta examined both the failure of transitional justice initiatives in countries like the Philippines, Cambodia, and Indonesia, but also the shortcomings inherent in the liberal notion of transitional justice itself. At the heart of Dr. Kuhonta’s analysis was the concept of ambivalence, which was aimed
Tobuken Seminar “Social and Professional Profiles of Members of the Ottoman Imperial Court: A Prosopographic Study (1600-1789)”
Report On August 27, 2025, the Tobuken Seminar "Social and Professional Profiles of Members of the Ottoman Imperial Court: A Prosopographic Study (1600-1789)" was held at the IASA. The seminar featured Professor Betül İpşirli Argıt from Marmara University, who visited the IASA through the JSPS invitational fellowship program. Ten participants attended in person and 15 participated online.Professor İpşirli Argıt first outlined her new research findings regarding the social origins and recruitment and promotion patterns of male palace personnel at the Ottoman imperial court during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, based primarily on data from over 3,000 individuals collected from sharia court records. She then attempted a comparison with officials of
Tobuken Seminar “Islamic Modernities: The Ulema Between Revolution and Reaction in the Late Ottoman Empire”
Report On August 25, the Tobuken Seminar "Islamic Modernities: The Ulema Between Revolution and Reaction in the Late Ottoman Empire" was held at the IASA. Dr. Yakoob Ahmed of Istanbul University, who has been a visiting researcher at the IASA since October 2024, presented the lecture. During his lecture, Dr. Ahmed examined the role of the ulema during and after the Young Turk Revolution, discussing how the provincial and central ulema played an active role in the constitutional revival in the time of revolution, and how those who were marginalized after the revolution and demanded justice were labeled "reactionary." Dr. Ahmed also emphasized the presence of the ulema in the constitutional amendment committee.
Exhibition and Free Distribution of Institute Publications at the ASPS Conference
Report At the conference of the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies, held from August 12 to 16 at Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies (Republic of Uzbekistan), nine publications from the Institute’s Research & Information Center for Asian Studies were exhibited and distributed free of charge. Professors Lloyd Ridgeon and Kazuo Morimoto of the Institute are participating in the event.