Abstract
Economist Hiroshi Kato sought to establish “comprehensive policy studies”. Why was this so? What was his ideological background? And did he succeed in his efforts? This paper has been developed to answer these questions. In conclusion, Kato believed that economics has not been able to provide effective solutions to social problems since the 1980s. He believed that economics alone was not sufficient for social analysis, and that it needed to be combined and synthesized with other social science disciplines besides economics. In accordance with his view of academia, disciplines have continued to subdivide throughout history. Therefore, Kato proposed the view that the synthesis of the social sciences would also mean a return to the way the disciplines were before their fragmentation. It is in this context that he emphasized Keio University’s philosophy of “practical science”. He introduced “natural language” and “information language” into the curriculum of Keio University’s Faculty of Policy Studies and “accounting language” into the curriculum of Chiba University of Commerce, in addition to these two languages, in order to develop human resources who can realize the synthesis of social sciences. It is fair to say that Kato succeeded in leaving behind a system of education based on his principles. However, the principles that were supposed to support that system have been forgotten. The current situation is that this has led to the rigidification of that system.
