ASEAN in Today's World (AsTW) 2025

ASEAN in Today's World (AsTW) was held at Universitas Gadjah Mada (Gadjah Mada University/UGM) in Indonesia from February 17 to 27, 2025.

Established in 2008 by Kyushu University’s International Student Center (Program coordinator: Associate Professor Hiroko Kinoshita), this program aims to cultivate individuals who will become key players in the future of Asian relations, focusing on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region that has recently been gaining significant influence on the global stage. For AsTW, Kyushu University is a key player in a consortium of leading universities in ASEAN countries, and each year, one consortium university serves as the program host. This year's program marks the 17th iteration and was attended by 18 participants, including students from Kyushu University, as well as international students from ASEAN countries and consortium universities. Participants from Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam took part in the program, sharing lectures, group work/discussion activities, field trips, cultural experiences and dorm life experiences, leading to active international exchange and a shared understanding of ASEAN’s diverse cultures.

Professor Kenji Iwata, Director of the Kyushu University International Student Center attended the opening ceremony held on February 17. He delivered a welcoming speech in front of the participating students and representatives from the consortium universities*.

Throughout the program, the participants discussed social issues common to the ASEAN region (human rights, disasters, multicultural coexistence, gender, etc.) and deepened their learning, inspired by the diverse opinions of the participating students.

On the final day of the program, Kyushu University students also demonstrated their group work achievements in a competition-style presentation.

During the closing ceremony on the final day, Professor Natalie Konomi, Vice President of Kyushu University for International Affairs and Diversity, and a UGM representative offered words of appreciation in their speech to all the participants, followed by the awarding of certificates of participation to the students.

The next AsTW 2026 is scheduled to be held at Vietnam National University, Hanoi, which is one of the consortium universities.

*AsTW consortium universities: Mahidol University; Ateneo de Manila University; Vietnam National University, Hanoi; University of Malaya; and Universitas Gadjah Mada.