Greetings

　The Asia-Pacific Society of Harm Reduction and Addiction (ASHRA) was founded in November 2025 with the aim of researching and promoting harm reduction interventions for addiction in the Asia-Pacific region. Harm reduction is a public health philosophy whose intent is to help people stay alive by preventing infections, overdoses, and other negative consequences of substance use and behavior addiction. On the surface, harm reduction is a set of evidence-based interventions. In reality, it is more. It is about creating spaces where people can find community and connection and identify the positive changes they want to make to improve their own lives (Dasgupta N, 2022). However, it is also true that the acceptance of substance use and behavior addiction has sparked debate around the world. Additionally, harm reduction is influenced by the state of abuse and addiction, cultural and religious beliefs and values, and the nature of the judicial and administrative systems in each country and region. Therefore, there is no single universally applicable definition of harm reduction. Until now, attention has tended to be focused on Europe and the United States, but in the countries and regions of the Asia-Pacific region, initiatives of harm reduction are also being taken that are tailored to the specific circumstances and cultures of each area. This academic conference, will focus specifically on harm reduction in the Asia-Pacific region, is the first congress of its kind in this region. I sincerely hope that we can engage in discussions with our Asian neighbors and gain new knowledge about how harm reduction should be tailored to Asian needs.

　October is the best season for sightseeing in Hokkaido, as you can enjoy beautiful autumn leaves and savor delicious seasonal foods. I am very much looking forward to meeting you all in Sapporo.

2026 Congress Chair　Hisatsugu Miyata
ASHRA President　Prof. Tony Szu-Hsien Lee

General Information

1. Name of Congress
The 1st Congress of Asia-Pacific Society of Harm Reduction and Addiction
2. Congress Theme
Harm Reduction in the Asia-Pacific Rim
3. Date
October 9-11, 2026
4. Venue
Sapporo Convention Center
1-1-1 Higashi-Sapporo 6-jo, Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo, 003-0006, Japan
5. Secretary

1) The program committee
E-mail: ashra2026meeting@gmail.com
Submission address for symposium, workshop, and oral/poster presentation.

2) Congress secretariat
Convention Linkage, Inc.
E-mail: alcohol2026@c-linkage.co.jp
Contact information for general inquiries regarding the congress including registration and the congress schedule, etc.

Administrative Members

1. Officers
  • PresidentTony Szu-Hsien Lee
    National Taiwan Normal University (Taiwan)
  • Vice-PresidentHisatsugu Miyata
    Jikei University School of Medicine (Japan)
  • Senior AdvisorToshikazu Saito
    Sapporo Medical University (Japan)
  • SecretaryTomohiro Shirasaka
    Kotoni shirasaka mental clinic (Japan)
  • Chia-chun Hung
    National Taiwan Normal University (Taiwan)
  • TreasurerNaoyuki Hironaka
    Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science (Japan)
  • Assistant Secretary
  • Nirmin Juber
    National Taiwan Normal University (Taiwan & Indonesia)
2. Directors
  • Vicknasingam Balasingam KasinatherUniversity Sains Malaysia (Malaysia)
  • Le Minh GiangProfessor and Dean, School of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University (Vietnam)
  • Mariano S HembraPhilippine Addiction Specialists Society (Philippines)
  • Kristiana SisteFaculty of Medicine, Universitas (Indonesia)
  • Woraphat Ratta-aphaMahidol University (Thailand)
  • Koji TakadaTeikyo University (Japan)

Program

Friday, October 9, 2026 (Pre-Congress Session)

Venue 1（1F Conference Hall）
Time Session Title Chairs & Speakers
■13:20～14:30(70 min) Mini-Symposium Harm reduction services abroad and collaborative practices between communities, peers, and researchers in Japan Chairs:Ayumi Takano(Japan)
Shinichiro Shinden (Japan)
Speakers:Ayumi Takano(Japan)
Shinichiro Shinden (Japan)
Takasumi Sone (Japan)
■14:40～16:10(90 min) Joint Session with the 11th World Congress of Asian Psychiatry (WCAP 2026) Addiction and Harm Reduction in Asia-Pacific Rim Chairs:Tony Szu-Hsien Lee
WCAP member
Speakers:Hisatsugu Miyata (Japan)
V. Balasingam Kasinather (Malaysia)
2 speakers from WCAP
■16:40～17:40 Committee Activities
■18:00～20:00 Board of Directors Meeting

Saturday, October 10, 2026 (Day 1, AM)

Venue 1（1F Conference Hall）
Time Session Title Chairs & Speakers
■08:45～08:55(10 min) Opening Ceremony Hisatsugu Miyata (Congress Chair)
Tony Szu-Hsien Lee (President of ASHRA)
Marc Potenza (President Elect of ISAM)
■09:00～09:40(40 min) Keynote Lecture 1 Foundation, mission and promotion of harm reduction in the Asia-Pacific Rim Chairs:Hisatsugu Miyata (Japan)
Chia-chun Hung (Taiwan)
Speaker:Tony Szu-Hsien Lee (Taiwan)
■09:50～10:30(40 min) Keynote Lecture 2 Alteration in Drug Policy; From Harsh Punishment Policies to Harm Reduction Chairs:Susumu Higuchi (Japan)
Anne Yee (Malaysia)
Speaker:Toshikazu Saito (Japan)
■10:40～11:20(40 min) Keynote Lecture 3 Harm reduction and behavioral addiction Chairs:Tony Szu-Hsien Lee (Taiwan)
Naoyuki Hironaka (Japan)
Speaker:Marc Potenza (USA)
■11:30～12:00(30 min) Mini- Lecture Beyond “Just Say No”: A Harm Reduction Perspective on Over-the-Counter Drug Overdose Among Young People in Japan Chairs:Toshihiko Matsumoto (Japan)
Yi-Chien Ku (Taiwan)
Speaker : Takuya Shimane (Japan)
■12:10～13:10(60 min) Lunch Time Session 1

Saturday, October 10, 2026 (Day 1, PM)

Venue 2（1F Mid-sized Hall A）
■13:20～14:50(90 min) Symposium 1 Diverse Harm Reduction Strategies in Asian Countries Chairs:Marc Potenza (USA)
Kohji Takada (Japan)
Speakers:V. Balasingam Kasinather (Malaysia)
Le Minh Giang (Vietnam)
Mariano S Hembra (Philippines)
Yi-Chien Ku (Taiwan)
Nobuya Naruse (Japan)
■15:00～16:00(60 min) Oral Presentation 6 presentation (7 min for talk, 3 min for Q&A) Facilitator: Toshikazu Saito (Japan)
V. Balasingam Kasinather (Malaysia)
■16:10～17:40(90 min) Workshop Hot topics around harm reduction of addiction in Asia and other countries Chairs: Le Minh Giang (Vietnam)
Sookja Suh (Japan)
Speakers:Prem Kumar Shanmugam (Malaysia)
Zuhlhilmi Bramantyo Mardiawan (Indonesia)
Hussien Elkholy (UK)
【Banquet】Sapporo Beer Garden (Genghis Khan barbecue)

Sunday, October 11, 2026 (Day 2, AM/PM)

Venue 1（1F Conference Hall）
Time Session Title Chairs & Speakers
■08:50～10:20(90 min) Symposium 2 Drug Policy and Harm Reduction in Asia Chairs: Takayuki Harada (Japan)
Mariano S Hembra (Philippines)
Speakers: Kana Unuma (Japan)
Mariano S Hembra (Philippines)
Woraphat Ratta-apha (Thailand)
ne Yee (Malaysia)
■10:30～12:00(90 min) Symposium 3 Global Status of Tobacco Harm Reduction - Comparing Country Approaches Chairs:Marewa Glover (New Zealand)
Hiroya Kumamaru (Japan)
Speakers:Alex Wodak (Australia)
Marewa Glover (New Zealand)
Rohan Andrade de Sequeira (India)
Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh (Malaysia)
Hiroya Kumamaru (Japan)
■12:10～13:10(60 min) Lunch time session 2
■13:20～14:50(90 min) Symposium 4 Behavioral Addiction in the Asia-Pacific Rim Chairs:Kristiana Siste (Indonesia)
Kohji Takada (Japan)
Speakers:Kristiana Siste (Indonesia)
Anne Yee (Malaysia)
Woraphat Ratta-apha (Thailand)
Tomohiro Shirasaka (Japan)
Pei-Chen Lin (Taiwan)
■15:00～16:30(90 min) Symposium 5 Asian Harm Reduction Strategies based on Cultural and Religious Beliefs and Values Chairs: Le Minh Giang (Vietnam)
Takayuki Harada (Japan)
Speakers: WONG Chung Hin Willy (Hong Kong)
Woraphat Ratta-apha (Thailand)
Ayumu Tateno(Japan)
Yasunobu Komoto (Japan)
■16:40～17:10(30 min) Round Table Discussion How to Promote Harm Reduction in the Asia-Pacific Rim Chairs: Tony Szu-Hsien Lee (Taiwan)
Toshikazu Saito (Japan)
Speakers: Board Directors of ASHRA
■17:20～17:30(10 min) Closing Ceremony Tony Szu-Hsien Lee (President of ASHRA)
Hisatsugu Miyata (Congress Chair)

Poster Presentation

Saturday, October 10, 2026 (Day 1)
Poster exhibition venue (1F Conference rooms 107＋108)
■16:20～17:40(80 min) Poster Presentation 1 (Room 328) 11 presentation (5 min for talk, 3 min for Q&A)
Poster Presentation
Sunday, October 11, 2026 (Day 2)
Poster exhibition venue (1F Conference rooms 107＋108)
■09:20～11:30(130 min) Poster Presentation 2 (Room 328) 16 presentation (5 min for talk, 3 min for Q&A)
■13:30～15:40(130 min) Poster Presentation 3 (Room 328) 16 presentation (5 min for talk, 3 min for Q&A)

Call for Symposium, Workshop and
Oral/Poster presentation

Sessions Deadline for Proposals
Symposium and Workshop
Oral/Poster Presentation

*The symposium and workshop submission system consists of two steps: Step 1 and Step 2.

*Step 1 is for determining acceptance or rejection of the proposal, while Step 2 is for submitting the complete form for the symposium or workshop after the proposal has been accepted.

*Please note that the submission form and deadline are different for Step 1 and Step 2.

Submission Guidelines

  • Symposium, Workshop, and Oral/Poster submissions must be made by using each submission form and emailed to “ashra2026meeting@gmail.com”.
  • Abstract Acceptance Notification is e-mailed to each applicant by July 31, 2026.
1) Symposium submission guidelines
  • Symposium is one and a half hour.
  • A chair and co-chair are required.
  • The organizer can have four to five speakers and one to two discussants (if necessary) and decide each presentation duration considering total time slot.
  • The organizer submits the overall session title (maximum 20 words, including subtitle) and a summary abstract for the overall session (maximum 100 words).
  • Speakers are required to submit their individual titles (maximum 20 words, including subtitle) and abstracts (maximum 300 words). Abstracts include background/aims, methods, results, conclusions/implications.
pdficonSymposium submission form
for step 1 pdficonSymposium submission form
for step 2
2) Workshop submission guidelines
  • Workshop is one hour.
  • A chair and co-chair are required.
  • The organizer can have two to four speakers and decide each presentation duration considering total time slot.
  • The organizer submits the overall session title (maximum 20 words, including subtitle) and a summary abstract for the overall session (maximum 100 words).
  • Speakers are required to submit their individual titles (maximum 20 words, including subtitle), and abstracts (maximum 300 words).
  • Abstracts include background/aims, methods, results, conclusions/implications. Tables and figures are not permitted.
  • Workshops should focus on skills-building and problem-solving opportunities related to harm reduction or addiction research and treatment and are expected to be more interactive than formal symposia.
pdficonWorkshop submission form
for step 1 pdficonWorkshop submission form
for step 2
3) Oral/Poster Presentations submission guidelines

# Presentation Format

  1. The presenting author can choose his or her preferred format: Oral or Poster / Oral only / Poster only.
  2. The program committee will consider author’s preference, but final decisions may be adjusted based on the number of submissions. Presentation duration may vary depending on the total number of abstracts.

# The presenting author should choose the category and theme.

  1. Substance use harm reduction strategies
  2. Behavioral addiction harm reduction
  3. Policy, law, and public health perspectives
  4. Clinical and community-based interventions
  5. Cross-cultural and Asia-Pacific comparative studies
  6. Emerging substances and vulnerable populations
  7. Education, prevention, and capacity building
  8. Innovative practices and program evaluations
  9. Others

# Required Information

  1. The presenting authors are required to submit their titles (maximum 20 words, including subtitle) and abstracts (maximum 300 words). Abstracts include background/aims, methods, results, conclusions/implications.
  2. Abstracts include background/aims, methods, results, conclusions/implications. Tables and figures are not permitted.
pdficonOral or Poster presentation submission from
4) Disclosures of Conflict of Interest (COI) and Recipient of Appropriate Ethical Approval
  1. The presenting authors should ensure that their studies have received appropriate ethical approval.
  2. The authors must disclose any potential COI at the time of abstract submission. Additionally, the presenting authors must include COI disclosures in their presentation materials.
5) Confirmation and Modification of Submitted Abstracts
  1. After submission, a confirmation email with your abstract submission number will be sent to your registered email address.

Registration

Only online registrations will be accepted. All participants are required to register for the conference.

Registration Period

Early Bird Rate: August 10 - September 13, 2026 (JST)
Standard Rate: September 14 - October 11, 2026 (JST)

Registration Fees

All fees are given in Japanese Yen (JPY).

Participant Category Early Bird Standard
Regular (General participants) 100,000 JPY 120,000 JPY
Regular Low & Middle Income Country
(General participants)		 50,000 JPY 60,000 JPY
Regular (Corporate participants) 200,000 JPY 240,000 JPY
Pre-/Post-Doctoral Students/Fellows 10,000 JPY 12,000 JPY
Conference Dinner 9,000 JPY

*Pre-/Post-Doctoral Students/Fellows : Full-time university, graduate or medical students, or postdoctoral fellows in the first two years of their program.

*To qualify for the low and middle income economies rate, you must receive your main income from a country that is not classified as "high income" according to the World Bank classification (https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519).

*The registration fee in USD (1 USD ≒ 157.91 JPY) based on the reference rate on 10 August, 2026. Please note that the registration fee should be paid in Japanese Yen (JPY).

Conference Dinner

Date&Time Saturday, October 10, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue Sapporo Beer Garden

*Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Early registration is recommended.

Registration Fee includes

  • Full access to all conference sessions (October 9-11, 2026)
  • Name badge

    *Please download and print your name card from a confirmation email and bring it with you to the venue on the day of the conference.

  • Certification of attendance
  • Program and abstracts (PDF)

    *PDF file of program and abstracts will be available for browsing on our website.
    Printed copies will be available at the venue.

Receipt and Letter of Invitation

After completing your registration, you will receive a confirmation email from the ASHRA2026 Secretariat titled “ASHRA2026 Registration Confirmation.”
This email will include your personal URL, where you can download:

  • Receipt
  • Letter of Invitation

The Letter of Invitation confirms your registration for ASHRA2026. Please note that it does not imply any financial support for travel or conference expenses.

Payment

  • Payment must be made through the online portal.
  • Credit cards are the only accepted method of payment (Visa, MasterCard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club).
  • This is a cashless conference.
Registration Portal

Inquiries

Registration Office of ASHRA2026
c/o Convention Linkage, Inc.
E-mail：reg-alcohol2026@c-linkage.co.jp

The Conference Venue & Hotels

Venue

Sapporo Convention Center
1-1-1 Higashi-Sapporo 6-jo, Shiroishi-ku,Sapporo, 003-0006, Japan
Website: https://www.sora-scc.jp/eng/

Access

  • From the Airports
    Access from New Chitose Airport is possible via JR Sapporo Station or JR Shin-Sapporo Station, with a total travel time of around 60 minutes.
  • From the city center
    Sapporo Convention Center is located approximately 10 min. by taxi from Sapporo city center. Also, Sapporo's highly developed public transportation system provides easy access to all the visitors. For details, please refer to Sapporo Convention Center.

Hotels

We do not have any official hotels or a designated travel agency for ASHRA. For accommodation options, please visit the Sapporo City "Welcome to SAPPORO ? Accommodation Guide" webpage linked below.
For convenient access to the conference venue, we recommend staying in the "Around Odori" or "Around Susukino" areas.

Welcome to SAPPORO - Accommodation Guide: https://www.sapporo.travel/en/hotel/

The charm of Hokkaido

Hokkaido, located in the northernmost part of Japan, is a popular tourist destination boasting magnificent nature, fresh seafood and agricultural products, and breathtaking scenery throughout the seasons. Having ranked first in Japan's attractiveness rankings for 17 consecutive years, it offers a diverse range of attractions: the urban charm of Sapporo, Shiretoko World Natural Heritage site, the lavender fields of Furano, and the night views of Hakodate.