I was born in Higashiosaka City in 1954. I have lived in Kyoto since the age of two, and I regard myself as a natural-born Kyoto citizen. I attended a municipal kindergarten and elementary, junior high, and high schools in Kyoto. I also attended university in Kyoto. I consider myself a big fan of Kyoto. In retrospect, high school was great with only bad boys interested in girls. When I was in the first year of high school, the Akutagawa Prize was awarded to Akazukin-chan Ki wo Tsukete (Take Care, Red Riding Hood) . There was a rumor that Kaoru Shoji, the author of the book, attended the Maruyama seminar. I was interested in the book because it described the essence of political science. I liked political science probably because it was considered as a discipline for adults.
At present, I hold several positions in the university administration as a specially designated professor after retirement. To fulfill these positions, I give lectures only in the first semester.
I have many hobbies. I like watching students’ American football matches. I support the Gangsters in addition to the Panthers. Let’s go to the stadium together if you are interested.

In the seminar in the undergraduate program, I read The End of Liberalism written by Lowi, and in graduate school, I helped to translate this book. I encountered this magnificent book when I started to work on research. Since then, I have been motivated to conduct research on the policy formation process.
As a researcher I enjoyed being engaged in the theoretical process to return the study of political process to the mainstream of political science in the renaissance of the theories of the state.
I worked for the University of Fukui before taking up a post at Ritsumeikan University. In the project to compile the history of Fukui Prefecture, I read documents prepared by GHQ, so I am also interested in the occupying forces in Kyoto.

When I was engaged in the project to establish the College of Policy Science at Ritsumeikan University, I thought that it would not be interesting to design a policy-based college as envisioned by experts of economics. Among the policy-based colleges in Japan, our college is unique in that its theoretical cores are organization theory and political process. Policymaking in a liberal society, which is based on multifaceted values, requires both theoretical consistency of policies and political efforts to realize policies advocated by respective policymakers in “the struggle of the gods.” Policymakers are expected to ensure their vision is correct and persuasive, and to have the courage to realize their policies. This is the underlying concept of requiring students of the College of Policy Science to acquire the “two v’s”: vision and virtù (willpower). Small-group lectures, which are the core subjects, offer opportunities to strengthen virtù. Students are expected to fight with a determined spirit.

Political process, policies, policy formation process