Historical Development of the Debate on Human Resources in Japan: Focusing on Saburō Ōkita

Abstract

Saburō Ōkita （1914-1993） has been known as the ‘government economist’ （an economist who works at a government agency）. He played an important role in formulating the Income Doubling Plan （1960）, which sought to double the real national income within a decade, and also reaffirmed the government’s responsibility for social welfare, vocational training, and education. This new trend in formulating economic plans was based on the recognition that the growth of the productive-age population would decrease. By translating Eli Ginzberg’s Human Resources: The Wealth of a Nation in 1961. Ōkita imported the American idea of human resources into Japan. This paper illustrates the historical development of debates on human resources by focusing on the role of Ōkita.