MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT

Greetings from the New President of the EASTS

Dear Honorable Members of the EASTS,

It is a great honor for me to address you today as the newly appointed President of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the past presidents of the Society and all those who have contributed to the success of the Society. Through their dedication, we have maintained a platform for learning and sharing knowledge on diverse transportation phenomena across Asia and innovative solutions over the past three decades since our establishment in 1994.

EASTS has always served as a nexus where outstanding researchers and practitioners in transport fields have come together to cultivate new knowledge. I am committed to upholding this rich tradition while further developing the Society’s activities as a conduit for interdisciplinary collaboration. As our lives become increasingly intertwined with AI technology, we are on the verge of the Singularity era. Encouraged by the new values that have emerged from the Corona disaster, we want to embark on a variety of new endeavors.

To accomplish the new missions, each of you gathered here could generate new ideas and evolve together. I firmly believe that by facilitating exchanges among members with different backgrounds and perspectives, we can deepen our understanding and knowledge.

I have outlined several goals for the future of our Society.
1. First and foremost, we are committed to providing unprecedented support to young researchers and students, and to ensuring an environment that fosters their academic growth with confidence.
2. At the same time, I am determined to expand the Society’s international footprint, fostering global collaborations and catalyzing groundbreaking research that will have a global impact.
3. In particular, recognizing the pressing need, we are committed to raising the profile of Asian Transport Studies, a scholarly journal that explores the transportation challenges unique to our region.
4. We will redesign sustainable financial systems in partnership with emerging industries.
5. More open decision-making is needed in the governance of society.

The world is in the midst of a mobility transformation. It is also time for EASTS to transform its own community.

Finally, I welcome your comments and suggestions. My door is always open and I am fully committed to working with you to enhance the value of EASTS together.

Once again, I would like to express my respect and gratitude to Dr. Jaehok Oh for his outstanding leadership of our Society during his four years as President.

With warmest regards,

Akimasa Fujiwara, Dr.
The 8th President, Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies
Professor, Hiroshima University
Email: afujiw<@>hiroshima-u.ac.jp

September 6, 2023 at Shah Alam, Malaysia

 

Past president’s messages