In 2018, academic research winner SUEHIRO Akira visited Fukuoka Women's High School in Nishi-ku, Fukuoka City, as part of his visit to the school for the Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize.

His slide talk, entitled “Regional Research: Observations on Gender,” touched on the development of Asian studies, the fuller participation of women in society, and other issues. He explained that many women were not only researching issues of the caste system and social participation, but also carrying out in-depth, on-site research.

When asked about his high school years, he replied that there were no prep schools then, and that he had never studied very seriously for university entrance exams. He also gave some personal anecdotes, such as that when in Thailand he noted that some of the people living on the street were eating better at the street stalls than he was himself, and he deeply felt the differences in vitality and culture.

The students presented him with a bouquet of flowers, and a student representative thanked him for giving them new ways to think of the world and their own lives, hoping that they would strive hard for their goals.