Professor Anthony Reid, Fukuoka Prize 2002 Academic Prize Laureate, has passed away on the 8th of June 2025.

Professor Anthony Reid is a historian who has played a leading role in a new type of historical research that has resulted in the creation of a different historical viewpoint of the region. In his research into Southeast Asian history, Professor Reid has systematically focused on the climate, the population, and the various vital aspects of the everyday life of the people that had previously been passed over. His work has incorporated research into such subjects as diet, marriage, ceremonies, women, and amusements. His major work "Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce", Professor Reid studied an enormous number of historical records to create a new type of historical research. His arguments are formulated from the perspective of the everyday life of the people and include both the shared and unique characteristics of the nations of Southeast Asia created by large-scale maritime trade from 1450 to 1680, as well as the diversity of the natural environment and religion. His discoveries and insights from this regional research created a new picture of Southeast Asia.
He has continued his wide-ranging studies, which include a comparative examination of the position of Chinese in Southeast Asia and Jews in Central Europe in the first half of the 20th century, as well as focusing on the unification and internal conflicts of Indonesia.

In the Award Ceremony held in 2002, Professor Reid mentioned that he visited Japan as an 18years-old student where he learned the importance of language as well as the powerful bonds that link humans across barriers of comprehension and culture. He visited Japan many times since and continued to learn about life and culture from his Japanese friends. He expressed his long-lasting great interest in Japan and friendship with Japanese people through close exchange with them. 

In the Southeast Asian History Seminar, Professor Reid made his keynote speech titled ‘People in “the Age of Commerce”: their food, marriage and entertainment’. In his speech, he presented the changes took place along with the decline of the commerce in the area following that time. Then he claimed that these changes resulted from simultaneous globalization and localization. He also introduced some criticism that he had received on his works and offered counterarguments to further clarify his own theory. 

In memory of his many achievements, we would like to send our sincere condolences to his friends and family. 

Secretariat of Fukuoka Prize Committee