Professor Kota Suechika wins the Ritsumeikan Award (Main Award)

The “Ritsumeikan Awards” was established in AY2025 as an initiative to recognize faculty and staff who have achieved outstanding results or made significant contributions in the fields of education, research, social contribution, and academic administration. In its memorable first year, Professor Kota Suechika (RARA Fellow) received the “Main Award” and delivered a speech on behalf of all the awardees at the ceremony.

As an expert in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, Prof. Suechika has fundamentally transformed traditional research methods by actively incorporating data science techniques, thereby charting a new course for area studies based on quantitative evidence. The impact of his research extends beyond the academic community; his analysis, which focuses on “Historical Syria” in the Middle East to understand the structure of conflict, has garnered significant public attention as it foreshadowed the recent Gaza crisis and the spread of hostilities to neighboring countries.

Furthermore, he has made significant contributions to the development of the next generation of researchers, including the establishment of a new regional studies hub within the University, the dissemination of research through international collaboration with research institutions in the Middle East, Europe, and East Asia, and the cultivation of four tenured faculty members. Prof. Suechika’s energetic research and educational activities, deeply rooted in the University’s founding spirit of “peace and democracy,” have been highly commended as a role model for researchers in Humanities and Social Sciences.