Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1960 and grew up in Okayama Prefecture. After graduating from the Graduate School of Economics, Osaka City University, I took a post at Kochi Junior College in 1993 and then Kochi University. I joined the faculty of Ritsumeikan University in 2006. While I studied international taxation as a graduate student, I have been engaged in research on local public finance and regional economy since my days in Kochi. I value the experience of studying with adult students at night classes and with researchers in Kochi.

I am engaged in research on regional policies and local public finance based on public finance studies. My recent research themes include: inter-local-government cooperation and public finance; Covid-19 control measures and public finance; privatization of local publicly-run companies; digitization of government services and public finance.

Education

The courses I teach include “Local Public Finance” and “Regional Political Economy” to undergraduate students. In the “Policy Science Seminar,” I focus on rural agricultural and mountainous areas, analyzing the regions and local governments in terms of local public finance, and examine regional policies based on the results. In the research project of the Graduate School, I conduct field research together with graduate students and faculty members.

Recent publications

Authored Local Public Finance in the Midst of Population Decline and Crisis (Jichitai Kenkyusha, 2020)
Co-authored and edited Fight of Local Governments against the COVID-19 Pandemic (Jichitai Kenkyusha, 2021)
Co-authored and edited Introduction to Local Public Finance: Regional Autonomy and Community (Jichitai Kenkyusha, 2023)
Co-authored Digitization and Local Autonomy (Jichitai Kenkyusha, 2023)

Policy science is a discipline worthy of pursuing, but we should also recognize our huge responsibility in studying this discipline considering that it deals with important social issues. Students studying policy science should have specialized knowledge in order to assess and criticize the status quo, as well as the mindset to humbly learn from people working at the forefront, sympathizing with their struggles and efforts. In short, policy science, as a new field, requires a lot of study. I look forward to welcoming graduate students interested in issues that face regions and local governments, or those related to public finance.

Public finance, local public finance, regional economy