The conference “Political Imagination Beyond National Borders: Reconciliation in Postwar East Asia” was held on September 28–29 at the University of Cambridge. Co-organized by the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge and the Institute for International Reconciliation Studies (IIRS) at Waseda University, the conference brought together Professor Barak Kushner and Professor Toyomi Asano, Director of IIRS, and some research fellows at this institute.
Participants presented their research in English, followed by lively discussions based on their presentations. The conference provided an opportunity for researchers to exchange ideas and perspectives on reconciliation.
A report on the conference has also been published on the website of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge.
Below are the reports from Participants of this seminar.
| Name of Participants | Title of Reports |
| Arauf Aji Harindra Sakti （Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University） | Religious Moderation and the Future of Reconciliation: Insights from Indonesia and Germany |
| Bjorn Wickman | |
| Fumi INOUE （Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Saitama University） | |
| Jinshiro MOTOYAMA （Hitotsubashi University Specially Appointed Lecturer (Junior Fellow), Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University） | Report on the Reconciliation Studies Summer School |
| Keitoku IKEGAMI （International Christian University PhD Student） | |
| Qu Yang （Lecturer, School of Area and Country Studies, Ludong University） | |
| Takahiro SUNAHAMA （The Ohara Institute for Social Research Associate Professor） | |
| Tatsuya MAISAWA （Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University Research Associate） | |
| Cao Thi Minh Chau （Waseda University Research Assistant at Waseda University, affiliated with the Gender & Ethnicity and International Education groups of the project） | Learning History, Listening for Closure: Reflections from Cambridge, Jena, and Munich |
| Goro FUJITA （Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University Assistant Professor） | Participating in the Summer School 2026: Presentation and Research Exchange at Cambridge University |
| Huijia Teh （Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University） | What Counts as Reconciliation: Reflections from the Summer School in Cambridge and Jena |
| Simin Cao （Osaka University Graduate School of Human Sciences Doctoral Program） | Reflections on the Potential Role of Popular Culture in Reconciliation |
Would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the following individuals for their cooperation in organizing this event. (Listed in alphabetical order)
Dr. Charalampos Karpouchtsis (Research Assistant in the Department of Political Science at Helmut
Schmidt University, specializing in political theory)
Dr. Laura Villanueva (Interdisciplinary practitioner and researcher in the fields of ecosystem-based
peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and regenerative reconciliation; Friedrich Schiller University
Jena)
Dr. Martin Leiner (Professor of Systematic Theology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena)
Dr. Qu Yang (Lecturer, School of Regional and Country Studies, Ludong University, China)
Dr. Ayako Tomizuka (Part-time Lecturer, Graduate School of International Public Policy, Hitotsubashi
University)
Written by Kosei SATO