Professor Minoru Karasawa
Nagoya University, Japan
Dear Members of AASP
It is my great privilege to serve as the President of the Asian Association of Social Psychology. This is my second term in the presidency, following my service from 2023 to 2025. My current appointment, however, comes under profoundly sad circumstances, following the sudden passing of Professor Li Liu, who had only recently assumed the presidency in July 2025. The late Professor Liu was elected as President at our 16th Biennial Conference held in Kuala Lumpur, where he delivered a powerful Presidential Address that both reflected on AASP’s achievements to date and articulated the challenges ahead, as well as our collective capacity to overcome them. Tragically, shortly thereafter, he fell gravely ill and passed away in late October. In honoring the late Professor Liu’s legacy and aspirations, I am committed to contributing, to the best of my ability, to the continued development and advancement of AASP.
At the Kuala Lumpur Conference, participants enjoyed rich intellectual exchanges that encompassed not only research on core themes in social psychology, but also interdisciplinary work engaging a wide range of adjacent fields. In particular, presentations marked by international and cross-cultural perspectives represented the unique strength of AASP. The next conference is scheduled to take place in Cairns, Australia, from August 6 to 8, 2027, hosted by James Cook University. We sincerely hope that many of you will join us to engage in even deeper and broader scholarly exchange. Please be sure to mark your calendars!
Founded in the early 1990s, AASP began with a small yet ambitious group of researchers, primarily based in East Asia and Oceania. Since our first conference in Hong Kong in 1995, we have held our Biennial Conferences in various places and have seen our membership expand to over 1,800 historical members, reaching South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America.
Our growth has been remarkable, not only in numbers but also in the quality of research emanating from our region. Particularly notable is the recent advancements in the quality of research works published in our journal, Asian Journal of Social Psychology. Under the dedicated leadership of Editor-in-Chief, Yu Niiya, alongside Co-Editors-in-Chief Lucy Xiaowan Lin and Jianning Dang, AJSP has earned wide recognition and high regard from readers across diverse fields and regions by continuing to publish research of strong scholarly value while preserving the distinctive characteristics of this region. It is expected to continue its further development and growth in the years ahead.
We have also been successful in funding a series of Small Group Meetings in recent years to promote more focused and intimate collaborative settings. Supporting the training and network building of early-career researchers and graduate students is another important mission for us. Through the organization of various workshops and Summer Schools, we are committed to facilitating the development of the next generation of scholars.
Our partnership with other academic associations has further expanded our networks to foster a global exchange of ideas and research. Our history of cooperation with the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, International Association of Language and Social Psychology, Society of Australasian Psychology, Southeast Asia Indigenous Psychology Network, Vietnam Association of Psychology, and Japanese Group Dynamics Association is especially worth noting. I look forward to strengthening these ties and expanding international networks with other organizations.
Today, our Asia-Pacific region faces many pressing challenges, including political conflicts, economic inequality, threats to social justice, environmental concerns, and many more. Whereas these are all global challenges, once these problems arise in our region, they often take on distinct forms in the Asian context, making our role as social psychologists particularly vital. I am confident that AASP can bring meaningful insights and solutions to these complex issues based on scientific evidence.
I am excited to work with each of you to facilitate collaborations in research, education, and practice, strengthening our shared dedication to meaningful exchanges of diverse ideas, inspiration, and support.
Minoru Karasawa, Ph.D.
Research Professor, Nagoya University