PickupResearch
News & Events
-
2026.07.24
Papers by 3 Professors Have Been Published in Academic Journals!
Professor GHOTBI Nader of the College of Asia Pacific Studies co-authored a paper with Dr. ERBAY Hasan from the Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, Faculty of Medicine, entitled, “Ars Longa, Data Brevis: the Science of Disease and the Art of Care,” has been published in the Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy Journal.
Read the abstract of the article (English)
Read Professor GHOTBI‘s Faculty Profile here
A paper single-authored by Professor SATO Yoichiro of the College of Asia Pacific Studies, entitled “US-Japan Alliance: Emmeshing Bilateralism Into Broader Multilateralism” has been published in the Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies.
Read the article (English)
Read Prof. SATO’s Faculty Profile here
A co-authored paper by Professor KUBO Takayuki of the College of Sustainability and Tourism, titled “Transforming Hot-Spring Cities into Innovation Hubs: A Comparative Cluster-Based Analysis of Beppu, Bath, and Vichy,” has been published in Regional Science Policy & Practice.
In addition, Professor Kubo’s single-authored paper, “Benchmarking Quality of Life and Urban Growth: Fukuoka among Globally Competitive Regional Cities,” has been published in GeoJournal.Benchmarking Quality of Life and Urban Growth: Fukuoka among Globally Competitive Regional Cities
Read Prof. KUBO Takayuki’s Faculty Profile here
-
2026.07.13
Associate Professor CHADHA Astha’s Paper Published in The Pacific Review
A paper by Associate Professor CHADHA Astha of the College of Asia Pacific Studies, titled “India and its China agenda: collaboration amidst confrontation,” has been published in The Pacific Review, an international Q1-ranked academic journal.
This paper examines relations between India–China, focusing on how economic engagement and cooperation within multilateral institutions are maintained despite a backdrop of ongoing geopolitical tensions, particularly over territorial disputes, and the regional security implications they might have.
This analysis focuses on India’s territorial and economic security policies under the Modi administration since 2014. Using case studies and document analysis, it examines these policies and explores the characteristics of bilateral relations and their implications.
Read the article here(English)
Read Associate Professor CHADHA’s Faculty Profile here
-
2026.07.13
Professor NATSUDA Kaoru's Co-Authored Paper Published in the Journal of Contemporary Asia
A paper co-authored by Professor NATSUDA Kaoru of the College of Asia Pacific Studies, titled “Japanese Automotive Industry under Carbon Neutrality: Multi-Pathway Strategy and Green Supply Chain Networks” has been published in the Journal of Contemporary Asia, a leading academic journal in the Asian Studies field.
The article analyses carbon-neutral policies in the Japanese automotive sector and investigates decarbonization approaches, specifically focusing on the development of green supply chains and multi-pathway strategies promoted by the Japanese government and industrial sector.
Furthermore, the article highlights the importance of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which encompasses not only emissions while a vehicle is operating, but also the entire process from manufacturing to disposal, and sets out realistic policy directions and challenges for a decarbonized society, characterized by a high degree of uncertainty.
Read the article here(English)
Read Professor NATSUDA’s Faculty Profile here
-
2026.07.07
The Rice Ball Seminar will be held on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
The Rice Ball Seminar, presented by Professor BUI Thanh Huong of the Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies (GSA), Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, will be held under the title: "Wounded Lands and Exposed People: The Drift of Agent Orange in Discourses of Science, Diplomacy and Emerging Biocitizenship in Vietnam."
We are pleased to welcome Associate Professor Tam T. T. Ngo from the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies (the Netherlands) as the guest speaker for the seminar.Click here
-
2026.07.02
June-July Newsletter
This newsletter introduces 3 new faculty members that joined APU from the Spring 2026 semester. Each faculty member’s profile features their respective areas of expertise, as well as messages to APU students and prospectives students! Furthermore, this edition also includes information on guidance sessions and deadlines for the AY2027 Applications for Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research. For more information, check out the Research website!
Please click here to read the newsletter.
Research Activities
& Social Impact
Research Seeds Collection
-
Staying Ahead of the Curve with Cutting-Edge Marketing Research
Investigate cutting-edge consumer marketing through the collaboration of companies, students, and university researchers
- Management
- Marketing
LEE Geunhee
Professor, College of International Management
-
Proposing Strategies in the Context of Asset Value Uncertainty
Applying experience as a financial markets professional to academic research, proposing corporate strategies and policies to address asset price volatility
- Theoretical
- economicsFinance
YAMAKAWA Tetsufumi
Professor, College of International Management
-
Integrating All Kinds of Knowledge to Explore the Science of Management
Identifying new communication theories across academic disciplines, developing "better management," and tackling the issues facing modern society
- Management
- Information Science
FUKUYAMA Kimihiro
Associate Professor, College of International Management
-
Employee Happiness Unlocks the Future of Hospitality
Focusing on the “inside” that supports the tourism and hospitality industry: research on employee well-being contributes to sustainable growth
- Hospitality management
- Management
- Tourism
SAITO Hiroaki
Associate Professor, College of International Management
-
Transforming Japan's Public Administration by Improving the Problem-Solving Skills of Civil Servants
Creating an ecosystem to enhance the problem-solving skills of public institutions and realizing innovation in public administration through the development of human resources for the civil service
- Management Informatics
- Public Policy Studies
KANO Eiji
Associate Professor, College of Sustainability and Tourism
-
Tackling Social Problems in Regional Japan through ICT and Wisdom
Using information and communication technology(ICT) and artificial intelligence(AI) to connect people with one another and with field expertise, and unlock new solutions to address problems surrounding regional agriculture
- Information Science
- Sociology
- Educational technology
NISHANTHA Giguruwa
Professor, College of Sustainability and Tourism
-
Contributing to Future Cooperative Decision-Making by Residents and Governments
Analyzing consensus-building processes for a coastal embankment project following the Great East Japan Earthquake and establishing better cooperative decision-making models for residents and governments
- Environmental sociology
- Interdisciplinary research
YAMASHITA Hiromi
Professor, College of Asia Pacific Studies
-
Tourism and the Happiness of Local Residents: Clarifying the Relationship
This study explores community-based tourism(CBT) through the lens of social psychology, placing local residents’ identity and psychological well-being at its core
- Tourism Studies
- Social Psychology
YOUN Seung Ho
Associate Professor, College of Sustainability and Tourism
-
Connecting Non-Japanese Workers and the Japanese Language to Attain an Inclusive Society
Providing recommendations and assistance with the intention of building better relationships between non-Japanese workers and the Japanese language and between non-Japanese workers and Japanese society
- Japanese language education
NUNOO Katsuichiro
Center for Language Education Professor
-
Changing the Future of Hotel Management with Research on Organizational Culture
Developing a concrete methodology for “Treating Employees as Customers”; Realizing the sustainable growth of hotel organization with three types of support
- Hotel Management
HASHIMOTO Shunsaku
Professor, College of Sustainability and Tourism
-
Challenging Value Creation to Recover from Japan’s “Lost 30 Years”
Scientifically elucidating innovation ecosystems and challenging to create new value through diversity and new combinations
- Business Management
- Social Systems Engineering
FUJITA Masanori
Professor, College of International Management
-
Opening New Doors for Japan by Sustaining Wartime Memories
Potential for new “memory studies” in Japan generated by perspectives from dark tourism and pop culture
- Media studies / cultural studies
- Tourism
- Asian studies
- Cultural sociology
YOSHIDA Kaori
Professor, College of Asia Pacific Studies
-
Integrating All Kinds of Knowledge to Explore the Science of Management
Identifying new communication theories across academic disciplines, developing "better management," and tackling the issues facing modern society
- Management
- Information Science
FUKUYAMA Kimihiro
Associate Professor, College of International Management
-
Transforming Japan's Public Administration by Improving the Problem-Solving Skills of Civil Servants
Creating an ecosystem to enhance the problem-solving skills of public institutions and realizing innovation in public administration through the development of human resources for the civil service
- Management Informatics
- Public Policy Studies
KANO Eiji
Associate Professor, College of Sustainability and Tourism
-
Employee Happiness Unlocks the Future of Hospitality
Focusing on the “inside” that supports the tourism and hospitality industry: research on employee well-being contributes to sustainable growth
- Hospitality management
- Management
- Tourism
SAITO Hiroaki
Associate Professor, College of International Management
-
Rethinking Sustainable Tourism
Exploring sustainable tourism from a multispecies perspective, where humans and nonhumans coexist
- Tourism Studies
- Human Geography
USUI Rie
Associate Professor, College of Sustainability and Tourism
-
Creating a New Inclusive Wave in University Language Education
Use Universal Design for Learning(UDL) and challenge ourselves to create classes that considers the diversity of students in university education
- Foreign Language Education
- English Language Linguistics
BERGER Maiko
Associate Professor, Center for Language Education
-
Using UDL to Realize Foreign Language Education that Leaves No One Behind
Applying Universal Design for Learning(UDL) to language education to maximize the potential of learners with diverse attributes
- Teaching Methodologies
- Educational Policy
- Foreign Language Education
JUNG Jonghee
Associate Professor, Center for Language Education
-
Create a Universal Japanese that Promotes Diversity
Beyond “Simple Japanese”; Create a language environment for a society where diverse people live together
- Linguistics
- Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language
- Japanese Linguistics
HONDA Akiko
Professor, Center for Language Education
-
Aiming to Connect People through Language Education
Implementing language education centered on connections with society by complementing vertical learning with horizontal learning
- Language education
- Japanese language education
- Local disaster preparedness
ISHIMURA Fumie
Tenured Senior Lecturer, Center for Language Education
Research Output
Social Impact
Research at APU
Research Organization
Organizational diagram
Under the Integrated Research Organization, APU hosts numerous research hubs and centers where groups of faculty members can autonomously define specific research objectives and collaborate on research projects.
Formerly: Ritsumeikan Center for Asia-Pacific Studies (RCAPS)
Research Centers
Asia Pacific
Conference
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University and its RCAPS annually host the Asia Pacific Conference. Since its inception in 2003, AP Conference has provided researchers from around the world with an opportunity to present their research. The conference aims to contribute to the realization of "Shape Your World" through academic discussions on issues facing the Asia-Pacific region and the world surrounding it.
Research Support
