The first (preparatory) Executive Committee meeting for Cultural Typhoon 2025 Kaohsiung was held on 16 December 2024. Dr. Po-Lung Huang, Assistant Professor in the Department of Western Languages and Literature at National University of Kaohsiung (NUK), was appointed as the Executive Committee Chair. The meeting covered the overall timeline of the event, its guiding direction, and the structure of the Taiwan-based organising team.
Since February 2025, the preparation for the event has been fully underway, led by Assistant Professor Huang and Associate Professor Yu-Wen Fu from the Department of Western Languages and Literature at NUK, with support from Dr. Wen-Hsin Yu, Project Assistant Professor at the Global Education Center, Kobe University. The team has been responsible for tasks such as drafting the conference manifesto and preparing external funding proposals. The preparation has also received generous support from Dean Yi-hsiu Lai of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at NUK, as well as from many faculty members within the Department.
In addition to holding monthly committee meetings, the organising team has actively consulted with relevant parties and promoted the conference in Taiwan, Japan, and beyond. In late May 2025, the President of the Association and members of the Kanjikai (steering committee) visited NUK to meet with faculty and students and to conduct an on-site inspection of the venue.
As this is the first time Cultural Typhoon will be held outside of Japan, the Executive Committee aims to create a space where people from different backgrounds can engage in dialogue beyond linguistic boundaries. While we face limitations in terms of personnel and resources, rather than replicating the format and traditions of previous events, we are committed to shaping this conference in a creative and locally grounded way unique to Kaohsiung.
The entire organising team is working diligently to make this conference an opportunity for new encounters, exchanges, and inspiration for all participants.
We also plan to welcome more young researchers and students from Taiwan and Japan to the Executive Committee. We sincerely look forward to meeting and connecting with you in Kaohsiung during the conference.

◉ Executive Committee Members (as of June 2025, listed by order of joining)

• Po-Lung Huang｜Assistant Professor, Department of Western Languages and Literature, National University of Kaohsiung (Executive Committee Chair)
  
• Yu-Wen Fu｜Associate Professor, Department of Western Languages and Literature, National University of Kaohsiung
  
• Toko Tanaka｜Professor, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, University of Tokyo
  
• Mariko Murata｜Professor, Faculty of Sociology, Kansai University
  
• Wen-Hsin Yu｜Project Assistant Professor, Global Education Center, Kobe University
  
• Atsuya Matsumoto｜Doctoral Candidate, Graduate School of Intercultural Studies, Kobe University
  
• Kyosuke Yamamoto｜Doctoral Candidate, Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, University of Tokyo