What is a sustainable society after COVID-19?

As the unprecedented pandemic gripping the world reshapes our society, efforts to create a better future for all people through the development of a sustainable society must respond to new challenges across more fronts than ever before.

On September 2 and 3, researchers and experts in humanities and social sciences, science and engineering, life sciences, and more gathered on-site and online for Kyushu University Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies (Q-AOS) Symposium 2020 to advance the vision of what a sustainable society will look like around Asia, Oceania, and the world in light of COVID-19.

Held as part of Kyushu University Asia Week from September 1 to 11, this year’s symposium focused on international and cross-disciplinary exchanges across a broad range of fields to promote interdisciplinary and integrated research and educational activities under the title “Living with Infectious Diseases: What is a sustainable society after COVID-19?”

The first day of the symposium featured six invited speakers giving lectures in terms of history, natural environment, city, and economics, while the morning of the second day consisted of three concurrent sessions on the themes of “Education,” “Life,” and “Economy,” which were discussed from the perspectives of business institution, public administration, and university.

In the afternoon of day two, an international teleconference on “Current situations and future prospects on COVID-19 in each country/region” was followed by an open forum on "Our lives with/post COVID-19: Next generation research roadmap for new social needs" led by young researchers.

All talks and discussions provided the basis for discussion and interaction with international researchers in different fields to generate new ideas and research paths.

Thought-provoking presentations and lively discussions made this two-day symposium a meaningful and successful one for nearly 500 participants in all of the sessions both on-site and online, a format that will continue to evolve and play an important role in achieving a sustainable society after COVID-19.

Find out more about the symposium in the program guide.

KYUSHU UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE for ASIAN and OCEANIAN STUDIES