On March 4, 2025, at Nishijin Plaza, we will hold the 2nd Symposium of the Digital Society Creation Division, Headquarters for Digital Transformation, titled “Happiness in a Digital Society: How to Measure and How to Support.” We are honored to welcome Professor Shunsuke Managi, Distinguished Professor at the Faculty of Engineering and Director of the Urban Institute at Kyushu University, as our keynote speaker. He will deliver a lecture on his research regarding the measurement of happiness from the perspective of well-being. Following this, we will have panelist presentations from Professor Fukuda of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, who conducts research on medical data linkage; Associate Professor Matsushita of the Center for Health Sciences and Counseling, from the perspective of counseling; Professor Inaba of the Center for Co-Evolutional Social Systems, from the perspective of social welfare and social work; and Assistant Professor Arima of the Faculty of Human-Environment Studies, from the perspective of the living environment. A panel discussion will follow.

Information technology is now used in various aspects of our lives, and while we benefit from it, it also brings about various issues. In such an era, there is much to consider regarding what human happiness truly is.

We hope this symposium will be an opportunity to rethink these matters. We invite all those interested to participate (registration required: please register here).

The detailed program is provided below.

—

Since ancient times, humans have lived with the desire to be “happy.” Throughout long history, as technological inventions have occurred and life, society, and values have shifted in various ways, humans have continued to pursue “happiness.” In the modern era, where generative AI and other technologies have emerged and are being utilized at an astonishing speed, the forms of “affluence” and “happiness” we seek may be diversifying, and the pursuit of them may accelerate even further.
In order for information technology to support the realization of a “happy life,” it is necessary to “measure” the current state in order to grasp and estimate the state of being “happy.” However, what does it mean to “measure happiness”? And how should the results be utilized to support people’s happiness? In this symposium, to consider happiness in the digital society we should aim for, we welcome Professor Shunsuke Managi, Distinguished Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, who is working on the measurement of “happiness” in various situations and fields, as our keynote speaker. We will also discuss happiness in a digital society, its measurement methods, and support methods to enhance happiness from the perspectives of medical data linkage, clinical psychology, social welfare, and the living environment.

[Date and Time]
March 4, 2025 (Tue) 13:00 – 16:00

[Venue]
Kyushu University Nishijin Plaza (2-16-23 Nishijin, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka)
Approximately a 10-minute walk from Exit 7 of Nishijin Station on the Subway Airport Line

[Format]
Hybrid event
Capacity for in-person participation: 80 people

[Target Audience]
Companies, local governments, medical and welfare professionals, citizens interested in this theme, educational institution personnel, and researchers

[Program]
Moderator: Masanori Yamada (Professor, Data-Driven Innovation Initiative, Kyushu University)

13:00-13:05 Opening Remarks
Seiichi Uchida (Executive Vice President, Kyushu University / Deputy Director, Data-Driven Innovation Initiative)

13:05-13:45 Keynote Lecture: “Well-being Strategy: Securing Regional Sustainability through Datafication”
Shunsuke Managi (Distinguished Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University)

13:45-14:45 Panelist Presentations (15 minutes each)
From the perspective of medical data linkage and analysis:
Haruhisa Fukuda (Associate Professor, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University)
From the perspective of counseling:
Tomoko Matsushita (Associate Professor, Center for Health Sciences and Counseling, Kyushu University)
From the perspective of social welfare:
Miyuki Inaba (Professor, Center for Co-Evolutional Social Systems, Kyushu University)
From the perspective of the living environment:
Yusuke Arima (Assistant Professor, Faculty of Human-Environment Studies, Kyushu University)

14:45-14:55 Break

14:55-15:45 Panel Discussion
Designated Discussant: Yuichi Nakamura (Visiting Professor/Director, Data-Driven Innovation Initiative, Kyushu University)
Panelists: Shunsuke Managi, Haruhisa Fukuda, Tomoko Matsushita, Miyuki Inaba, Yusuke Arima

15:45-15:55 Q&A

15:55-16:00 Closing Remarks
Yutaka Arakawa (Professor, Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University)

A networking event is planned to be held at the same venue after the closing.
Participation fee: 3,000 yen (approx. 1 hour) (Deadline for application: February 23)

[Registration]
Please register via the URL below
https://forms.office.com/r/A06fbJ6mtv

[Supported by]
Fukuoka City, IEEE Fukuoka Section, Information Processing Society of Japan (IPSJ) Kyushu Chapter, Health and Medical DX Promotion Division of the Data-Driven Innovation Initiative at Kyushu University, Faculty of Arts and Science at Kyushu University, Kyushu University Commons for Collaborative Research and Education in Humanities and Social Sciences, Japan Society for Educational Technology