The Asian Conference on Ethics, Religion & Philosophy (ACERP) is one of IAFOR's longest established and best attended events, bringing together delegates from many different national, cultural and linguistic backgrounds to present new research and exchange ideas. This exceptional platform welcomes speakers and delegates working in any area of ethics, religion or philosophy for challenging debate and stimulating discussions around the latest concepts and newest approaches.
IAFOR's conferences are encouraging and nurturing environments where ideas can be shared and tested, where research synergies and collaborations can be formed, and where some of the biggest names in the field have the opportunity to interact with up-and-coming faculty members.
IAFOR’s ethics, religion and philosophy conferences are organised in partnership with some of the world’s most reputable institutions, including Birkbeck, University of London (UK), University of Sussex (UK), Waseda University (Japan), Moscow State University (Russia), Barcelona University (Spain) and Virginia Tech (USA), and feature programmes developed by leading academics to ensure both timeliness and academic rigour.
ACERP2022
March 29-31, 2022 | Held online from Tokyo, Japan
ACERP2021
March 29-31, 2021 | Held online from Tokyo, Japan
ACERP2020
March 26-29, 2020 | Held online from Tokyo, Japan
ACERP2019
Conference Theme: "Value and Values"
March 21-23, 2019 | Toshi Center, Tokyo, Japan
ACERP2018
Conference Theme: “Surviving and Thriving in Times of Change”
March 22–24, 2018 | Art Center Kobe, Kobe, Japan
ACERP2017
Conference Themes: “Identity” & “History, Story & Narrative”
March 22–25, 2017 | Art Center Kobe, Kobe, Japan
ACERP2016
Conference Theme: “Justice”
March 31 – April 3, 2016 | Art Center Kobe, Kobe, Japan
ACERP2016, located for the first time in the port city of Kobe was held alongside The Asian Conference on Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences (ACP2016). The event brought together 232 delegates from 37 different countries to present their latest research and participate in interdisciplinary discussion.
The Keynote, Featured and Spotlight speakers gave high quality and interesting presentations around the conference theme, "Justice", that were testament to their academic expertise and credentials. In her Keynote Presentation, Vickie Skorji, Director of TELL Lifeline, addressed the conference on crisis hotlines and how they provide a vital resource for people contemplating suicide and undergoing other forms of mental distress in Japan, while Professor Frank S. Ravitch, ACERP2016 Keynote Speaker, presented on "Freedom’s Edge: Religious Freedom, Sexual Freedom, and the Future of Justice in America", outlining a clear path for balancing religious freedom and sexual freedom in the United States. On the final day, Dr Adriana Ginanjar gave an informative Featured Presentation on "Bullying and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Helping the Victims to Cope and Report", stimulating lively discussion as the conference drew to a close.
ACERP2015
Conference Theme: “Power”
March 26–29, 2015 | Osaka International Conference Center, Osaka, Japan
ACERP2015 was a joint interdisciplinary event with ACP2015 that enabled 270 delegates to engage in an exciting programme. The programme addressed the central aim of the conference theme in a variety of ways – through the presentation of conference papers that drew upon solid empirical research and developed theoretical and conceptual insights, and also through synergetic networking opportunities across a variety of research approaches.
The ACERP2015 Organising Committee was thrilled to welcome such a strong international line-up of Keynote and Featured Speakers, including Professor Mimi Bong of Brain and Motivation Research Institute (bMRI) at Korea University, Professor Satoru Nishizawa of Yamanashi Prefectural University, Japan, Professor James McNally, Director of the NACDA Programme on Aging, University of Michigan, and Professor Thomas Brian Mooney of Charles Darwin University, Australia. All were inspiring in their commitment to world-class research and the outstanding and informative ways in which they presented their latest projects.
ACERP2014
Conference Theme: “Individual, Community & Society: Conflict, Resolution & Synergy”
March 27–30, 2014 | Osaka International Conference Center, Osaka, Japan
ACERP2014 was held alongside ACP2014 and attracted around 310 delegates from over 35 countries, offering a diverse variety of papers that encouraged interdisciplinary reflection and discussion around the conference theme of “Individual, Community & Society: Conflict, Resolution & Synergy”. ACERP2014 provided the many researchers, academics, scholars and practitioners who attended with an excellent opportunity for intellectual discovery and the development of collaborative links and connections.
In his Keynote Presentation, “Blameworthy Character Invites Harsher Punishment: A Social Psychological Approach to Punitive Motives against Individuals and Groups”, Professor Minoru Karasawa from the Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Japan, addressed how our intuitive judgments of fairness is formed against unwanted or unlikable characters within the context of criminal behavior. As part of an interdisciplinary plenary session, our ACERP2014 Keynote Speaker, Professor Frank S. Ravitch of Michigan State University College of Law, USA, spoke on the constitutional and ethical struggles that lie within Japanese government officials’ visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine and gave delegates a fascinating legal insight into the challenging issue of separation of religion and state.
ACERP2013
Conference Theme: “Connectedness, Identity and Alienation: The 21st Century Enigma”
March 28–31, 2013 | The Ramada Osaka, Osaka, Japan
ACERP2013 was held alongside ACP2013, welcoming 275 delegates from around the world to join in discussion ranging from trust, motivation and psychological concerns and mental health issues in modern social systems to practical studies on emotions, policies, and clinical psychology. In the plenary session, our Keynote speaker, Professor Dennis McInerny of The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong, addressed the interconnectedness of child education, parental psychological support, and caring schools. His speech, "Harnessing the Power of Social Forces for Healthy Self Development and Successful Engagement in Education" touched on the self-identity formation relative to the self-determination theory, which could predict a child's learning outcome. He also advocated for the concept of parental involvement/engagement being a strong factor for the child's development as well as connectedness with the school. Professor McInerny emphasised that teachers are still a powerful source of reinforcement for a child's academic behaviour and encouraged high quality teacher-child relationships to facilitate higher academic achievement.
Later on in the conference, Featured Speaker Professor Jiro Takai from Nagoya University, Japan, spoke on "When Japanese Are Not Japanese: Being Betrayed by Japanese Samples in Cross-cultural Comparisons" and gave details of how Japanese people could not properly respond to questionnaires without context. Other featured speakers included Dr Sandra Neil from the Satir Centre of Australia, Australia, who gave a presentation on "New Concepts in Family Psychology: Reconnection of Couples, Families and Cultures; Through Affinity, Love and Compassion" and Dr Monty Satiadarma from Tarumanagara University, Indonesia who gave his presentation on "Münchausen by Internet: Psychological Concerns in Modern Communication Systems".
ACERP2012
Conference Theme: “Trust”
March 28–30, 2012 | The Ramada Osaka, Osaka, Japan
Under the simple but powerful theme of “Trust”, ACERP2012, which was held alongside ACP2012, encouraged us to reflect upon how we think, as well as reason, believe and behave. The conference theme was an important one for all delegates, whether engaged in the study of science, philosophy or religion, and was no doubt in part the reason that the conference attracted more than two hundred and fifty delegates from across the globe.
ACERP2012 Featured Speakers included Professor Dexter Da Silva, The Reverend Professor Stuart D. B. Picken, Mr Lowell Sheppard, Professor Monty Satiadarma, Dr Beth Hedva and Dr Patti Tamara Lenard.
ACERP2011
Conference Theme: "Brave New World"
March 20–22, 2011 | The Ramada Osaka, Osaka, Japan
Since its inaugural year, The Asian Conference on Ethics, Religion and Philosophy (ACERP) has been held alongside The Asian Conference on Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences (ACP) in the Kansai region of Japan. The 2011 event offered a diverse variety of papers that encouraged interdisciplinary reflection and the forging of new relations across national borders. Although the programme was interrupted by an above-average number of withdrawals due to the earthquake of early March 2011, the conference was a success, and provided a solid foundation for the event to grow in 2012.
Featured Speakers and conference committee members included Professor Ken Kawan Soetanto of Waseda University, Japan, The Reverend Professor Stuart D. B. Picken, Mr Lowell Sheppard of the HOPE International Development Agency, Japan, and Professor Steve Cornwell of Osaka Jogakuin University, Japan.