2026 APAC Journal Launch Is a Showcase for Outstanding Student Work

_{Copies of the 2026 APAC Journal on display at the launch event on May 4th, 2026.} 

Members of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute’s student community earned some well-deserved laurels on Monday, May 4, at the official launch of the 2026 Asia Pacific Affairs Journal. The well-attended midday event drew an appreciative crowd of students, Columbia faculty, Weatherhead staff members, and many others to the Kellogg Center on the top floor of the International Affairs Building.  

The journal is the annual publication of the Asia Pacific Affairs Council (APAC), Weatherhead’s one formally affiliated student group. Founded and run by students, APAC serves as both a community and a forum for Columbia graduate students who share an interest in Northeast, Inner, and Southeast Asian affairs. APAC builds community by organizing events and coordinating Asia-related activities; it acts as a forum by sharing and disseminating information, most visibly through its flagship journal. 

The Council’s Executive Board chose as the theme of this year’s edition “Resilience and New Horizons.” Contributors explored the theme through not only research papers but also op-eds and a photo essay, with the latter two formats appearing in the publication for the first time. North and South Korea, China, Indonesia, India, and Vietnam are among the countries covered. 

APAC’s 2025–26 President and Editor in Chief Yingyi Tan (SIPA ’26) introduced and hosted the program, which included Q & A sessions with this year's journal contributors, group photo sessions, and an irresistible selection of Indonesian food and other cuisines. 

_{Weatherhead faculty member and APAC Journal expert reviewer Andrew J. Nathan with Yi Hsuan Huang, president of the student group Taiwan Focus.} 

In her remarks, Tan highlighted the Board’s commitment to the APAC Journal as a print publication. The 2025 APAC Journal marked its return to print after a few years in which it had been web-only; this year's edition upholds that standard and builds on it with perfect binding and a striking cover design by Rachel Fils-Aime (Columbia ’28). Maintaining the publication as a tangible object that can be put into people’s hands reflects the Board’s belief in the quality of its contents.

_{APAC President and Editor in Chief Yingyi Tan introduces the program on May 4.} 

_{L–R: APAC Journal contributors Agatha Situmorang, Rachel Cicilia, and Hans Sutikno participate in a Q & A session.} 

_{Contributors to the 2026 APAC Journal at the launch event on May 4.}

_{The 2026 APAC Journal editorial team at the launch event on May 4, 2026. L–R: Alice Chen, Jin Park, Subin Moon, Yingyi Tan, Ying-jia Ke, Ludovica Duchini, and Najiihah Ahmad.} 

Print copies of the 2026 APAC Journal are available (in limited quantities) at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute office on the 9th floor of the International Affairs Building, and it is also available as a free downloadable PDF on this website. 

We salute the 2025–26 Council members and all of this year's contributors for their impressive work. Watch this space in the fall for calls to join the 2026–27 Asia Pacific Affairs Council and, of course, to contribute to next year's Journal.