The 31st JAMCO International Symposium, conducted online again this year, was convened on the theme of thinking about the meaning of life in a time of global crises. We have heard papers from researchers and other experts in Japan and abroad, and held many fruitful discussions.

Against the continuing background of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the global COVID-19 pandemic, these papers and discussions have reminded us again of the importance of such activities as support for refugees, international cooperation in media fields, and job creation in developing countries, and also helped us to understand many of the issues that must now be tackled.

Additionally, we have received important opinions and feedback from people who accessed the papers and discussions in Japanese and English on the JAMCO website. Their contributions will also be highly useful in future discussions. We shall continue to make rich use of the findings and insights of this symposium. We depend on your continuing cooperation with the activities of JAMCO, the Japan Media Communication Center.