2025 International Conference on Human Rights: Youth in Asia
Concept Note

Co-organized by East Asia Young Scholars Association (EAYSA), Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP) Tokyo, and the Graduate Program on Human Security (HSP) and Research Center for Sustainable Peace (RCSP), the University of Tokyo.

The University of Tokyo Komaba Campus Tokyo, Japan (Hybrid)
20-22 March 2025

Background

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become extraordinarily prominent across a broad spectrum of applications, ranging from industrial sectors such as automobile manufacturing to leisure activities like drawing. This surge in AI adoption underscores the indispensable role that technology plays in our daily lives. However, the rapid development of AI presents significant challenges to human rights, both on a global scale and within specific regions like East Asia. Globally, AI’s rapid development has outpaced regulatory frameworks, raising concerns about privacy, surveillance, and bias in automated decision-making (Bradford, 2023)[1]. These issues can undermine democratic processes and exacerbate social inequalities. In East Asia, the challenge is also complicated by differing governance models, where AI is often deployed for national security and social stability, potentially at the expense of individual freedoms (Center for Ai and Digital Policy, 2024)[2]. The ongoing challenge, both regionally and globally, lies in striking a balance between fostering innovation and safeguarding fundamental human rights.

The continuous expansion of autocratic powers and governing models poses unceasing threats to the promotion of democracy and human rights worldwide. Yet, another issue that increasingly raises concerns is the rise of far-right and far-left groups within democracies. A dataset covering 31 countries in Europe indicates that the vote shares of far-left and far-right parties have increased from 12% in the early 1990s to over 32% in 2022 (Rooduijn et al., 2024)[3]. The political consequences of this rise extend beyond the electoral arena. For instance, the Report of the Secretary-General submitted to the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly on the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (2022)[4] highlights the need to recognize the relationship between terrorist attacks and far-right/extreme right-wing ideology. Mass shooting incidents involving far-left ideologically inspired shooters have resulted in a higher rate of police casualties, although evidence also shows that far-right ideologically motivated shooters have caused the most severe outcomes in comparison (Silva, 2022)[5]. The recent protests and riots involving far-right and far-left groups in Britain in August 2024 provide yet another example of the threats they pose to refugees, immigrants, and democracy. They also underscore the significant role that technology and disinformation play in mobilizing emotions and exacerbating tensions. Despite the relatively less ethnically diverse and politically extreme context in Japan and its democratic neighbors, the potential implications of far-left/far-right inspired events beyond borders are worth considering.

Purpose

We seek to offer an international, intergeneration, and inclusive opportunity for young scholars to engage with human rights issues in the contemporary world. Acknowledging that current viewpoints on human rights are too often crowded out in discussions taking place in Western fora and conditioned to favor Western perspectives, we also seek to provide a forum that gives primacy to Japanese and Asian perspectives on global issues. We encourage submissions from scholars the world over, and are equally excited to welcome seasoned and new academics to discuss the most pressing human rights issues of our time.

Themes

The thematic structure of the 2025 International Conference on Human Rights: Youth in Asia is composed of the areas: (a) Contemporary Society, and (b) Democracy and Autocracy. Subthemes of each area are presented below:

A. Contemporary Society

• Technology and Human Rights
• Climate Change and Humanitarian Action
• Inequalities and Education
• Gender and Conflict
• Business and Human Rights

B. Democracy and Autocracy

• Democratic Upheavals and Autocratization
• Immigration and the Sustainability of Multiethnic Democracies
• Refugees
• Far-Right, Far-Left, and Polarization
• Censorship and the Right to Express

Suggested Topics

We welcome submissions of all topics under the umbrella of each of the aforementioned themes. In particular, we encourage submissions from young scholars on topics in which (i) they may be well-versed, and (ii) have a bearing on the everyday life of Japanese citizens and individuals living in Japan.

We have created the list of proposed issues below to spark discussion on issues central to Japan in particular and East Asia more generally. Submissions on alternative topics are of course welcome.

Contemporary Society

• AI and ethics/human rights 
• Deepfake and fake information
• Hate speech in multicultural society
• Tensions between national security and human rights protection
• Trends and transformation of immigration policies in East Asia
• Multilateral collaboration in human rights promotion

Democracy and Autocracy

• Human rights protections in XinJiang and Hong Kong
• Polarization in Taiwan, Korea, United States
• Far-left and/or far-right ideologically inspired social movements
• The role of media in democratic transitions
• Post-autocracy democratization 
• Political secularism in theory and practice
• Consociationalism/power-sharing in divided societies
• Social-economic inequality and equality protections

Event Details

• The event will be held in mid-March 2025 at The University of Tokyo Komaba Campus in a hybrid format
• Paper Submissions and Conference Presentation abstracts will be open to applicants around the world
• The Conference is free and open to the public. Presenters and participants are not required to pay for registration fees.
• Accepted submissions will have the opportunity to deliver a presentation during the conference, either in-person or online.
• No full paper will be accepted.

Conference Manager:

Helix Lo, The University of Tokyo

Contact Details

Before contacting the Task Force of the 2025 ICHR, you are suggested to take a look at the Submission Guideline page and FAQ page. You can find the contact information of corresponding staff there.

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[1] Bradford, A. (2023). Digital empires: The global battle to regulate technology. Oxford University Press.

[2] Center for AI and Digital Policy. (2024). Artificial intelligence and democratic values 2023. Center for AI and Digital Policy.

[3] Rooduijn, M., Pirro, A. L. P., Halikiopoulou, D., Froio, C., Van Kessel, S., De Lange,    
S. L., … Taggart, P. (2024). The PopuList: A Database of Populist, Far-Left, and Far-Right Parties Using Expert-Informed Qualitative Comparative Classification (EiQCC). British Journal of Political Science, 54(3), 969–978.

[4] Secretary-General, U. N. (2022). Terrorist attacks on the basis of xenophobia, racism and other forms of intolerance, or in the name of religion or belief: report of the Secretary-General. https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n22/450/52/pdf/n2245052.pdf.

[5] Silva, J. R. (2023). Ideologically motivated mass shootings: a crime script analysis of far-right, far-left, and jihadist-inspired attacks in the United States. Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, 18(1), 1-23.