More than 70 years have passed since Asian area studies began to gain momentum after World War II, particularly in the United States. In Japan, since the 1970s, regional research institutes such as the Institute of Oriental Cultural Studies of the University of Tokyo, the Institute of Southeast Asian Area Studies of Kyoto University, and the Institute of Developing Economies have played a central role, and research has been actively conducted mainly in East Asia and Southeast Asia. This symposium aims to discuss the achievements made in area studies to date, the role that area studies should play in the future, and the challenges that are currently being faced, by inviting researchers who have been leading area studies in Asia as lecturers.