I was born in Hokkaido in 1959. After graduating from Chuo University (Faculty of Law), I majored in political thought at Chuo University Graduate School of Law. In 1991, I became a full-time instructor of Kumamoto University. I took up a post at Ritsumeikan University in 1994 when the College of Policy Science was established.

I developed an interest in relatively speculative fields when I was an undergraduate student. I chose the history of political thought for the seminar. After entering the graduate school, I conducted research on Thomas Hobbes. I have continued research on political thought in modern U.K., including David Hume and Jeremy Bentham. Recently, my main research focus is the history of social administration in the U.K. in the 19th century from the viewpoint of the history of political thought. In the College of Policy Science, I am in charge of “Political Thought,” “Public Philosophy,” and other subjects. In the Graduate School of Policy Science, I am in charge of “Research on Public Philosophy.” All of them are low-profile subjects based on books and theories of classical thinkers and theorists but are effective to develop the basic capabilities of policy science.

Main works

David Hume and the 18th-century British Thought, Chuo University Library, 1988 (co-authored); A Bibliographical Catalogue of the Works of Jeremy Bentham, Chuo University Library, 1989 (co-authored); Hobbes ― National Image of Civil Enlightenment (Modern World and Future of Nation State, Ochanomizushobo Co., Ltd., 1990); Hobbes’ Struggle in His Late Years with Aloof Dignity ― On Heresy and Persecution (Hogaku Shimpo, Vol. 96, Issues 9 and 10, 1990); Boundary of Justice ― In the case of David Hume (Memoirs of the Faculty of General Education, Kumamoto University, Humanities and Social Sciences, Issue 28, 1993); Adam Smith (Outline of the History of Western Political Thought, Minerva Shobo, 1994); Bentham’s Criticism of the Church of England ― His Euthanasia Concept and Religious Liberalization Theory (Hogaku Shimpo, Vol. 101, Issues 5 and 6, 1995); Bentham’s Theory on Anti-poverty Programs ― Commercialization and Disciplinarianism (Hogaku Shimpo, Vol. 107, Issues 3 and 4, 2000); Upset of Anti-poverty Law and System and Workfare Initiative ― Three Tactics for Employment Support (Politics of Welfare State Reorganization, Minerva Shobo, 2002); Knowledge and Action in Reign ― From the Early History of Policy Science (Field of Policy Science, Koyo Shobo Corporation, 2006); British Eugenic Movement: Its Social Context and Rhetoric for Governance (1) (Policy Science, Vol. 14, Issue 2, 2007); Edwin Chadwick and the Problems of Pauperism and Public Health: Strategies of Policy Analysis Transformed (Policy Science, Vol. 14, Issue 3, 2007); F. Cunningham, Democratic Theory and Socialism (Nihon Keizai Hyouronsha Ltd., 1992, jointly translated); Richard Tuck, Thomas Hobbes (Mirai-sha Publishers, 1995, jointly translated); A. Vincent, Modern Political Ideologies (Showado, 1997, supervised translation); D. Bobrow, and J. Dryzek, Policy Analysis by Design (Showado, 2001, translated by Shigemori alone); Thomas Hobbes, Discourse between a Philosopher and a Jurist (Iwanami Shoten, Publishers, 2002, jointly translated); Susan Moller Okin, Women in Western Political Thought. (Koyo Shobo Corporation, 2010, jointly translated)

Policy science is a relatively new discipline in Japan. It aims to understand issues in rapidly changing “contemporary” society and seek solutions. It may be considered as a contemporary form of intellectual interest in mankind and society with a long history. Why not challenge this discipline, which is new but properly takes over the intellectual heritage of mankind? Our college is relatively small at Ritsumeikan University, and its workshop-style atmosphere is another attractive feature.

Recommendations: Rochefoucauld. La Rochefoucauld Maxims. (Iwanami Shoten, Publishers); Montaigne. Essais. (Iwanami Shoten, Publishers). These books are great classics full of deep and interesting insights about mankind with humor and pathos. They offer wisdom accumulated by two men of letters in the early modern period on various aspects of life, including friendship, work, love, and social interaction.

Political science, political thought