Report of International Conference on Trust (Institute of Social Sciences, Chuo University) (November 18-20, 2017)

The International Conference on Trust, hosted by the Institute of Social Sciences at Chuo University, took place November 18th through 20th, 2017 at the Surugadai Memorial Hall in central Tokyo.
This conference brought together more than one hundred-twenty participants from thirty-one nations, with one hundred presentations (fifteen presentations in plenary sessions and eighty-five presentations in areas sessions), in the fields of sociology, social psychology, economics, political science, organizational studies, management, education, law, and even literature.
 

On the first day, in the morning plenary session, after a welcome address by Prof. Masaru Miyano, the Director of the Institute, a video presentation entitled “Trust in the Moral Space” was given by Prof. Piotr Sztompka of Jagiellonian University of Poland, a world renowned sociologist, an influential trust researcher, and past president of the International Sociological Association. The video was followed by a presentation entitled “Radical Uncertainty and the Economic Need for Trust” by Prof. Bart Nooteboom of Tillburg University of Holland, also an influential trust researcher, renowned economist, organizational researcher, and social philosopher who was awarded the Gunnar Myrdal Prize for his work on trust. Finally, Prof. Reinhard Bachmann, Head of the School of Finance and Management and Director of the Center for Trust Research, SOAS University of London of UK, gave a presentation entitled “Trust as a Fundamental Mechanism to Coordinate Social Interaction.” After the area sessions, a dinner reception was held in a congenial and friendly atmosphere, and featuring a Japanese drum performance.
The second day included five presentations and the third day six presentations during the morning plenary sessions. The presentation topics and speakers for both the plenary and area sessions are shown in the conference program attached with this report. After both sessions, on the second and third days, “Meet the Editors” gatherings were held with the editors of Comparative Sociology, Journal of Trust Research, and Sociological Studies to explain the call for papers for their regular and special issues on trust. Some of the excellent papers from this conference may be published.
The characteristics of this conference were threefold: 1) This conference may have been the first such conference to offer a collegial atmosphere in which to present current
research results, and to discuss and exchange ideas on the subject of trust by meeting together in one place, with a multi-disciplinary approach. 2) Participants were from thirty-one nations covering all five continents. 3) This conference attempted to connect presentations at the conference and papers stemming from the presentations with calls for papers for journals which deal with trust research in regular and special issues.
Complimentary and praising comments were offered by the conference participants with respect to the conference organization and management, as well as substantially fulfilling its objectives. In addition, many emails were sent to express appreciation for obtaining new directions for participants’ trust research.

December 7, 2017

Organizing Committee Members
   Professor Emeritus Akihiro Ishikawa, PhD
   Professor Masaru Miyano, Director of the Institute
   Professor Daishiro Nomiya, PhD
   Professor Emeritus Masamichi Sasaki, PhD, Conference Organizer
   Professor Yoshiro Yano, PhD
   Professor Satoko Yasuno, PhD

* We express our appreciation to the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) for partial financial support.

program

Report of International Conference on Trust