Greetings from the President

Takamasa Fujioka (Professor, Graduate School of Global Business, Meiji University)

Since its founding in 1997, the Japan Academy for Asian Market Economies (hereafter JAFAME) has witnessed profound changes in the socio-economic landscape across Asia. These shifts have influenced Asian market economies in multiple ways, broadening our research focus and practical interests beyond traditional disciplines. The academy is a diverse group of researchers and practitioners specializing in fields such as economics, commerce, marketing, and management. By embracing international and interdisciplinary approaches, we aim to contribute to understand Asia’s unique challenges in practical contexts to benefit society, while upholding our strong academic traditions.

As I assume the presidency, I have set two essential goals for the further development of JAFAME. First, strengthen our internationalization efforts beyond Japan, especially with Asia. Although we have already fostered active exchanges, particularly with researchers from Asia, further steps are necessary to develop the academy to the next level. By engaging in joint research and symposiums, we aim to position ourselves as "international academy" that is attractive both the current and the next generation of scholars and practitioners.

Second, strengthening our foundations is essential for the further development of the society. Although JAFAME has one of the highest levels of diversity among domestic the societies, the Academy is not large enough to reach a truly international level. Increasing our membership and strengthening our connections not only in academia but also in industry and government is vital to our growth.

To accomplish these interconnected goals, it is important to establish a platform for co-creation of value that involves various stakeholders in Asian market economies. To realize this vision, JAFAME has established the Global Asia Research Center (GARC) to accelerate industry-academia collaboration and international activities. In addition, we have established a Young Researchers Group to provide research guidance and a forum for research presentations to young researchers and practitioners. Through these activities, we are building a platform for active intellectual exchange in close collaboration with existing committees.

While preserving the academic traditions established by professors at the Asian Market Economy Academy, we would like to promote innovative initiatives that respond to current socio-economic shifts and changes for further development of the Academy. We sincerely ask for your support and cooperation.

Overview

Our academy's mission is to conduct historical, theoretical, and empirical research on the Asian market, fostering collaborations with related academic societies and institutions. In doing so, we strive to contribute to the development of both the Asian and global economies and to advance academic progress.

Purpose of Establishment

Asian regions and countries, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, and South Korea have shown remarkable economic development in recent times, and the 21st century has long been labeled the Asian era. This development has resulted from the active promotion of the individual policies of these regions and nations to introduce foreign capital and to actively propagate export-led industrial policies in the current context. In particular, the countries that had adopted closed economic systems under planned economies shifted to the open economic systems and accrued great expansion. Since the 1990s, China has been forced to adopt the policy of introducing foreign capital in the context of self-rehabilitation to execute the Chinese socialist market economy. Such a circumstance has caused the rapid construction and expansion of an international market economy system in Asia. Conversely, it is noteworthy that the formation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is centered on the expansion of the United States and regional economic zones such as the European Union (EU) are looking eastward. Ultimately, they may be construed as targeting the establishment of a global market economy system. Hence, these regional entities are attempting to intensify their active associations with Asian regions and countries.

Hence, the themes and methods for the study of Asian economies have become more diversified than ever before conceived as the economies of Asian regions and nations advance rapidly. It may be claimed that research methods solely founded on conventional phenomenon analysis no longer suffice. The academic conferences we dare and endeavor to establish will aim at interdisciplinary research that integrates theories and practices of Asian market economies after studying the history and culture of Asian regions and countries as intensively as possible. Many of the regions and countries of Asia were originally multi-social and each comprised distinctive ethnicities, languages, religions, and cultures. Most can boast long histories, followed by an era of negative modernization. Therefore, they do not necessarily share the foundations of economic principles cultivated thus far by the advanced nations and may not be able to immediately apply the strategies of such nations even if they have adopted the market economy system. Therefore, the establishment of a market economy system in Asia poses unique problems that can cause cross-domain conflicts and the process of their resolution will require wisdom, experience, and a lot of time. In this context, many academic societies have already been instituted in national organizations related to Asia. However, we intend to study the future of Asia: for instance, the trajectories of the economic development and the future growth of the countries that constitute the continent. To this end, researchers of disciplines such as commerce, economics, and business administration who agree with the aforementioned research methods will work together to conduct interdisciplinary studies. For example, we will promote research on a wide range of issues that have emerged in Asia, including social and environmental problems arising from the rapid shifts to the market economy. In undertaking such initiatives, we will take the perspective of developing the international economy in general, rather than merely the Japanese standpoint as we collect wisdom from discrete countries. We hope we can achieve the support and participation of scholars across varied research disciplines.