Members of JAAS, greetings! This is Akio Takahara, your new president. I don’t think I have contributed that much to the Association, but somehow I have been chosen, and having accepted this as fate, I am ready to be at your service and do my best. I humbly ask for your guidance and support. I am afraid there will be various requests asking you individually for help in doing this and that, but please respond to them generously and positively for the sake of promoting Asia Studies and serving the interests of other members.

  I see the major task of the new board of the Association to be twofold. First, it has to contribute to the further development of research. Needless to say, Asia Studies is increasingly important to the world. In Japan, however, we cannot hope for an increase in the number of university teaching posts, and the fiscal situation of the government is very tight indeed. Under such condition and from a long term perspective, we have to think hard how we can further galvanise our research activities and publicise our achievements to the world. To begin with, we have just embarked on a renewal of the programme of our conventions through the establishment of a new research planning committee, and a further improvement in the content of Asia Studies through a reform in the editorial system.

  Second, during this term we must stride forward in our preparation for the non-profit legal persons’ system reform. From December 2008, the Legal Foundation Japan Association for Asia Studies has been turned into a Special Civil Law Legal Person according to the relevant law and regulations. However, this is only a transitory step. If we don’t make the preparations and turn ourselves into a legal person under the new system by the end of November 2013, we will have to resolve our Association. Although the term of this board only lasts till the autumn of 2011, we shall have to set the course for the transition clearly and firmly by that time. I have placed two capable members of board in charge of the reform, so that we will not any mistakes in choosing the options and designing the course of change.

  Perhaps the legal, systemic reform provides us with an opportunity to rethink the role of an academic association. What are the tasks for Asian Studies in contemporary Japan? For instance, what comes to my mind immediately are questions such as: combining the usual, country-by-country area studies with each other and with theoretical and historical studies so that we can tackle better the globalising and regionalising world; enhancing the capacities of the researchers to publicise their study results to the world, among others the ability to communicate comfortably in English, and promoting exchanges with overseas researchers in Asia and other parts of the world. If there is anything the Association can do in tackling these tasks, I am most willing to implement them, so please send in your good ideas. Let us see how much potential our Association has.