Abstract
During the Second World War, the author began to study the theory of political economy, mainly as presented in the works of Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Thomas Robert Malthus. Afterwards, Iida was interested in the Historical School of Germany, because his study interest had gradually shifted to the study of social problems and Marxian doctrine, as Japan has been deeply influenced by the Historical School of Germany since the 1890s, the days of the Chino-Japanese War. The author's attention towards Japanese social problems was concentrated on the development of social policy theory and history as it was transplanted from Germany and other European countries.
Since the 1970s, Iida has also been engaged in the study of Fukuzawa Yukichi, who was well known for his introduction of European civilization and economics to Japan. The author's intention is mainly to clarify the relationship between European economic theory and the modernization of Japan.
