CSEAS celebrates 50th anniversary (11 December 2015)

On 11 December, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) marked the 50th anniversary of its establishment with a ceremony and party held at Kyoto University's International Science Innovation Building.

The ceremony opened with an address by CSEAS's Director Yasuyuki Kono, followed by a welcome speech by Professor Nagahiro Minato, Kyoto University's Executive Vice-President for Research, Planning, and Hospital Administration. Congratulatory speeches were made by four persons: Director Norifumi Ushio of the Scientific Research Institutes Division, Research Promotion Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) (via a written message read by his Division's Deputy Director Kazuhisa Okamoto); Executive Director Yoshiko Shirokizawa of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST); Professor Toshitaka Tsuda, president of the Council for Research Institutes and Centers of Japanese National Universities; and Professor Masato Iizuka, director of the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS). Next, Professor Narifumi Tachimoto, President of the National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU), delivered a lecture titled "Lifeblood of CSEAS", in which the former CSEAS Director reflected on the institute's 50 years of progress and shared his expectations for the next 50 years.

As the ceremony wrapped up, Balinese dancers came on stage to present their performance, setting the mood for the celebration, which began with two guests offering their congratulations -- Professor Toru Aoyama of the Japan Society for Southeast Asian Studies (JSSEAS) and Professor Sunait Chutintaranond, representative of the Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies in Asia (SEASIA), which was established in 2013 by CSAS and seven other area-studies institutes. Professor Kayo Inaba, Kyoto University's Executive Vice-President for Gender Equality, International Affairs, and Public Relations, toasted the crowd, and the 230 guests from Kyoto University and elsewhere mingled and enjoyed each other's company, while a slideshow of CSEAS's history, video messages from ASEAN-based researchers, and presentations on the wide variety of research projects being undertaken at the institute added to the festivities.

The celebration was followed on the next two days by SEASIA's first international conference, SEASIA 2015, held at the Kyoto International Conference Center. Some 530 people from 27 countries attended the gathering and engaged in lively discussions.

Related link

• CSEAS 50th Anniversary
  http://www.cseas.kyoto-u.ac.jp/50th-anniversary/