Date: December 6-7, 2025
Place: Takaone Activity & Stay, Hachioji, Tokyo
Organized by International Association for Cognitive Science (IACS) as an official extension of International Conference on Cognitive Science (ICCS)
Supported by Cognitive Science Society (CSS), Japanese Cognitive Science Society (JCSS), The Korean Society for Cognitive Science (KSCS)
Updates on Septenber 1
Notifications of the presentation decisions have been sent. Registration for in-person participation is now closed, but online registration is still available [Registration]. If you believe you registered but have not received the notification, please contact us at cogsci-asia-pacific@googlegroups.com.
Past notifications are below.
Updates on August 20
The deadline for poster and oral presentation registration has now closed. Notification letters will be sent out shortly. The notification of acceptance has been delayed, but it will be sent out in early September. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience.
Registration for general participation is still open, but seats are filling quickly. Once all seats are occupied, registration will close. Registration is here
Updates on August 5
The deadline for poster and oral presentation registration has been extended to Tuesday, August 19 (Anywhere on Earth). Participation without a presentation is planned to be accepted until early September. However, registration will close once all seats are filled, so early registration is strongly recommended. Registration is here
Towards a More Inclusive and Culturally Diversified Cognitive Science
Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to understand the nature and mechanisms of intelligence—whether biological or artificial—drawing from disciplines such as psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, education, computer science, and anthropology. As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve rapidly, the question of what constitutes uniquely human intelligence becomes increasingly pressing.
The Cognitive Science Society has long played a central role in advancing this field through its flagship annual conference CogSci (47th edition in 2025: https://x.gd/WABFj). While the community has grown globally, its development has historically been centered in North America and Europe. This Western-centric landscape, while foundational, risks limiting the scope of cognitive theories and methods to those shaped by specific cultural, linguistic, and institutional contexts.
To foster a more balanced and globally representative cognitive science, we must actively expand opportunities for researchers across all regions to contribute and collaborate. The Asia-Pacific region, home to a rich diversity of languages, cultures, and research traditions, offers essential perspectives for advancing our understanding of cognition.
The CogSci Asia-Pacific Meetup Kickoff is the first in a series of events aimed at strengthening connections among cognitive scientists throughout the Asia-Pacific—spanning East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australasia, and the Pacific Islands. This inaugural meeting especially encourages the participation of early-career researchers and seeks to amplify regionally grounded approaches to cognitive science.
We invite submissions from all areas of cognitive science, including but not limited to perception, learning, reasoning, memory, language, culture, education, human-computer interaction, computational modeling, and cognitive neuroscience. Submissions that reflect cultural, linguistic, or methodological diversity, or that address underrepresented cognitive phenomena, are particularly encouraged.
Let this event mark the first step toward a more inclusive, pluralistic, and globally interconnected cognitive science.
Format and Program
The CogSci Asia-Pacific Meetup Kickoff will be held primarily in person in a 2-day retreat-style format to encourage deeper exchange and community building. While we strongly encourage on-site participation, a limited number of online participants will also be accommodated for selected sessions.
The program will consist of three main components:
Lecture Sessions:
Inspired by the Hong Kong 2024 CogSci meetup, we will invite speakers from participating countries across the Asia-Pacific region. These lectures will introduce not only each speaker’s current research but also their perspectives on cognitive science shaped by local cultural and academic contexts. The speaker will include:
Janet H. Hsiao (HKUST)
Charles Kemp (University of Melbourne)
Jeh-Kwang Ryu (Dongguk University)
and more.
Participant Presentations (Oral/Poster):
A call for oral and poster presentations will be announced in spring 2025. Presentations will be selected based on abstract submissions. While abstracts will be screened for clarity and relevance, they will not undergo formal peer review. registration form
Discussion Sessions:
In order to foster open dialogue and social connection, we will hold structured discussion sessions around selected topics in cognitive science. In addition to the plenary discussions, we plan to have small-group discussions within the shared rooms for accommodation. The specific themes will be announced closer to the event.
Updates on August 12: The event will begin on the morning of December 6, around 9–10 AM. The schedule will be finalized based on the number of registrations, including the duration of each presentation and the event’s end time. After registration closes, we will send out a survey regarding preferences for booking venue rooms on the day before the event (December 5).
Schedule
May 2025
Website opens
Late June 2025
Announcement of invited speakers
August 5, 2025 August 19, 2025 (Anywhere on Earth) Extended!
Submission deadline
Late August 2025 Early September 2025, Delayed
Notification of acceptance
Early September 2025
Participation registration closes (Registration will close once all seats are filled, so early registration is strongly recommended.)
October 2025
Tentative program released
November 2025
Online forum opens for participants
December 6–7, 2025
Event dates (in-person and hybrid sessions)
Participation fee
Students: 25,000 JPY
Non-students: 35,000 JPY
The registration fee covers accommodation (1 night), meals, and all in-person sessions. A payment site will be available soon with detailed instructions.
Online participation: 10,000 JPY (Updated on September 1)
Online participation is planned to cover every session except poster presentations, including group discussions held in Zoom breakout rooms. Please note that some technical conditions may affect the quality of the streaming.
Venue Access Information
Takaone Activity & Stay, 2264 Takaomachi, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 193-0844, Japan
Located just a 1-minute walk from Takaosanguchi Station on the Keio Line. It is situated at the base of Mt. Takao, a popular destination for hiking and cultural experiences (see Japan-Guide, Good luck trip (Japanese site)
By Train (Approx. 1.5 hours)
Take the Keikyu Line from Haneda Airport to Shinagawa Station (~15 min).
Transfer to the JR Yamanote Line to Shinjuku Station (~20 min).
Take the Keio Line from Shinjuku to Takaosanguchi Station (~50 min by Limited Express).
By Limousine Bus + Train (Approx. 2 hours)
Take a Limousine Bus from Haneda Airport to Hachioji Station (~1.5 hours).
Transfer to the JR Chuo Line to Takao Station (~10 min).
Take the Keio Line from Takao to Takaosanguchi Station (~5 min).
By Train (Approx. 2.5 hours)
Take the Narita Express (N’EX) to Shinjuku Station (~1.5 hours).
Transfer to the Keio Line to Takaosanguchi Station (~50 min by Limited Express).
By Limousine Bus + Train (Approx. 3.5 hours)
Take a Limousine Bus from Narita Airport to Hachioji Station (~2.5 hours).
Transfer to the Keio Line to Takaosanguchi Station (~50 min by Limited Express).
Organization
This event is an official extension of the International Conference on Cognitive Science (ICCS), organized by the International Association for Cognitive Science (IACS). Information about previous conferences, including ICCS 2023, can be found at the following site:
General Chair
Junya Morita (President of IACS / Shizuoka University, Japan)
Contact: j-morita@inf.shizuoka.ac.jp
Secretary
Masaru Shirasuna (Secretary of IACS / Shizuoka University, Japan)
Committee Members
Yosuke Fukuchi (Tokyo Metropolitan University)
Shohei Hidaka (JAIST, Japan)
Janet H. Hsiao (HKUST, Hong Kong)
Mutsumi Imai (Keio University, Japan)
Charles Kemp (University of Melbourne, Australia)
Jumpei Nishikawa (Okayama Prefectural University)
Yohei Oseki (University of Tokyo, Japan)
Jeh-Kwang Ryu (Dongguk University, South Korea)
Takuma Torii (Tokyo Denki University, Japan)
