NEWS

From March 14 to 16, 2026, the Special Interest Group on Business Informatics (SIG-BI) of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence (JSAI) held a research workshop at the Nobumoto Ohama Memorial Hall in Ishigaki City, Okinawa. APU students presented a total of six research papers at the conference.

Among them, a study conducted by Minori Takanaga (second-year student, College of International Management) and her colleagues received the Outstanding Research Award. Takanaga and her fellow researchers were formally recognized at the award ceremony held on June 29, 2026, at Keio University’s Mita Campus.

The award-winning paper, titled “Quantifying Collective Risk Perception Bias Using Unstructured Text Data: An Analysis of "Ambiguous Labeling" and "Excessive Avoidance Behavior" in Food Allergies,” examined how ambiguous expressions such as “may contain” influence consumers’ risk perceptions and purchasing decisions. Using unstructured text data, the researchers quantitatively analyzed the relationship between food allergy labeling and consumer behavior.

The study suggests that challenges surrounding food allergy labeling may stem not only from consumers’ lack of knowledge but also from structural issues in information design. The findings have potential applications in improving government food-allergen labeling systems and supporting food-tech services designed for people with dietary restrictions, demonstrating significant potential for social implementation.

Outstanding Research Award-Winning Paper

• Quantifying Collective Risk Perception Bias Using Unstructured Text Data: An Analysis of "Ambiguous Labeling" and "Excessive Avoidance Behavior" in Food Allergies
  Authors: Minori Takanaga, Hayato Honda (second-year students, College of International Management), Hiroto Sato (Associate Professor, College of International Management), Noriaki Kamei (Professor, College of International Management), Masanori Fujita (Professor, College of International Management)
  Paper available here.

In addition to the award-winning study, APU students presented research on a wide range of educational, social, and business issues, including education, financial markets, consumer behavior, and generative AI. The presented studies included:

• The Effects of Alumni Special Lectures on Students（Paper available here）
• Analysis of Information Propagation Structure in Japanese Stock Market through Inter-Stock Network Based on Granger Causality of News Sentiment（Paper available here）
• Restaurant Selection Preferences of Families with Food Allergies: A Conjoint Analysis of Decision-Making Factors（Paper available here）
• The Role of AI in Fashion Purchase Decision-Making（Paper available here）
• An Analysis of the Impact of Generative AI on Group Work through the Reallocation of Learning Effort（Paper available here）

The six conference presentations and the Outstanding Research Award were made possible through a student-centered learning and research community led by three faculty members from the College of International Management: Masanori Fujita, Noriaki Kamei, and Hiroto Sato.

The community brings together students who are passionate about pursuing ideas and projects they wish to realize. Supported by multiple faculty members, participants engage in collaborative learning, research, and mentoring. Although participation is entirely voluntary and carries no academic credit, highly motivated students continue to gather, challenge themselves, and pursue value creation and solutions to social issues.

The research presentations and award recognition demonstrate the outcomes of ongoing educational and research activities, including personalized mentoring and research supervision. In addition to academic conferences, participating students actively engage in business competitions, research forums, and other opportunities that bridge entrepreneurship, data science, and social innovation.

APU will continue to support students’ self-directed learning and challenge-driven initiatives while promoting practical educational activities that contribute to research, entrepreneurship, and the resolution of social issues.

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