History of Japanese Economic Thought

The Present and the Future

Abstract

There are several groups of scholars, both non-Japanese and Japanese, pursuing historical studies of Japanese economic thought. There have been significant societal activities such as nationwide meetings organized by the Society for the History of Japanese Economic Thought and publications both in English and in Japanese on the history of Japanese economic thought by the Japanese Society for the History of Economic Thought. Frequently discussed topics are the economic ideas in the closeddoor period, Japanese enlightenment and modernization, the introduction of Western economics into Japan, Japanese contributions to economics, and the internationalization of economics. Japan has a rich history of economic thought cultivated in Japan from the Tokugawa period to the present. Unfortunately the research results are scattered in various academic journals, commercial magazines, and university organs. Therefore, books and monographs are a powerful medium in this field. The creation of a single forum, ideally electronic, for scholarly communication is most urgently needed in order to inform the general population, including economists, of the serious research results regarding this subject. One of the important goals that Japanese scholars should attempt is to produce research results in English even if they lose something in translation.