The last Executive Committee meeting of this year was held on December 15. After a report on the state of budget execution, Program Leader ICHIKAWA Mitsuo gave a report on the Kyoto University International Symposium to be held in the next fiscal year, under the title, “The Quest for Harmonious Co-existence in the Planetary Community.” This symposium will be participated in by eight of the 23 21st Century COE Programs at Kyoto University, including ASAFAS, and will be held on November 27-29, 2006.

Following this, Professor HIRAMATSU Kozo, the chairperson of the Working Group for the 7th Kyoto University International Symposium, “Coexistence with Nature in a ‘Glocalizing’ World: Field Science Perspectives,” which was held on November 23-24 in Bangkok, reported on the implementation of the symposium, which ended successfully, and on plans for publication of the results. With regard to the study tours to Laos and Myanmar that were carried out following the Symposium, Associate Professor IWATA Akihisa, who led the tour to Laos, reported on the itinerary and contents of the on-site education at the places that were visited, and said that the tours had been very effective for having the participants gain an awareness of the importance of comparative area studies. Videos and photographs taken during the Symposium and the study tours will soon be uploaded on our website along with participants’ reports. In addition to a “Report on a Visit to Bangkok” by President OIKE Kazuo of Kyoto University who attended the Symposium, many photographs related to the Symposium have already been posted in “Topics: November 25” (in Japanese only) on Kyoto University’s website (http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/cgi_build/back_number/2005.htm).

A report was then given on the state of preparations for another symposium, “Developments and Prospects of Integrated Area Studies: In the Path of Human-Nature Coexistence in a Glocalizing World,” which is scheduled to be held on November 11-12, 2006 at the Kyoto University Clock Tower Centennial Hall. Currently the Working Group is making preparations for the launching of a website in April 2006. The Public Relations Section gave a report on the recent state of updating of the Program’s website and the fact that links to our website were contained in the “Greetings for the 40th Anniversary of the Founding of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies” in “Speeches & Writings of the President” on Kyoto University’s website (http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/uni_int/01_sou/speech.htm) (in Japanese) and “Special Issue: An Appeal of My School Expressed by the Head of a University -- No. 4: President OIKE Kazuo, Kyoto University” on Z-Kai’s website (http://www.zkai.co.jp/z-style/special/004_top3.asp) (in Japanese).

As agenda items, a detailed examination was made of the state of budget execution of this fiscal year, and a reapportioning plan for the budget balance was drawn up. Then as the budget formulation plan for the next fiscal year was discussed, views were exchanged on priority issues for the next fiscal year, which will be the final year of the Program. (Sugishima)