AGU RESEARCH

Economics and Management

※ Video markItems marked with include video content.

  • School of International Politics, Economics and Communication, Department of International Politics
  • Published on 2025/05/16
  • Analyzing horizontal cooperation among allied nations
    Research that contributes to stability in the Indo-Pacific region
  • Associate Professor Tomohiko Satake
  • In recent years, security cooperation among allies such as Japan, Australia, and South Korea has been strengthened in the Asia-Pacific region, in addition to the bilateral alliance network centered on the United States. Associate Professor Tomohiko Satake studies the structural reasons behind this strengthening of cooperation among allies and its impact on the regional security environment. Amidst increasing instability in the international situation due to events such as the rise of the second Trump administration in the United States, what foreign policy should Japan adopt going forward? This book explores the answer to that question through research on diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific and Indo-Pacific regions. (To be published in 2025)

  • School of International Politics, Economics and Communication, Department of International Politics
  • Published on 2025/05/16
  • Unraveling the causal relationships of conflicts and wars, and deriving logic that can be applied to similar cases.
  • Professor Yasuhiro Izumikawa
  • International relations theory is the study that seeks to understand the causes of repeated conflicts and wars in humankind, and the reasons why various actors cooperate across national borders. Professor Yasuhiro Izumikawa has focused on alliance politics and adversarial relationships between nations since his time studying in the United States, and has continued his research from various perspectives to this day. Amidst the rapidly changing situations in Europe, the United States, and East Asia, his research is attracting considerable attention from overseas.
    (To be released in 2025)

  • School of Business, Department of Marketing
  • Posted on 2024/05/17
  • Unraveling the mechanisms of the distribution system that intertwines economy, society, culture, and history
  • Professor Nobukazu Azuma
  • "Distribution" is a huge social system that connects production and consumption. Professor Nobukazu Azuma has been shedding light on the factors that lead to the creation of distinctive distribution structures in each country and region, taking into account the background of culture, history, society, and economy. In order to unravel the mechanisms of distribution, which are woven together with diverse and complex elements, it is important to find a method that is appropriate for the research subject. For this reason, he is also working on research methods unique to social sciences. Currently, as the representative of a joint research project involving multiple universities in Japan and the UK, he is focusing on a series of research to examine leading theories and hypotheses related to the ocean of distribution as a whole and each part, and to verify them in light of actual distribution phenomena.

  • Faculty of Social Informatics, Department of Social Informatics
  • Unraveling the mechanisms of people's financial behavior and stabilizing financial markets
  • Professor Hirotaka Fushiya
  • In financial markets, mimicking and following the buying and selling of others can sometimes become widespread. This can cause stock prices to fluctuate wildly beyond the appropriate range, destabilizing the market. Professor Fushiya Hirotaka considers financial market movements as being divided into long-term trends and short-term uncertainties, and continues his research to keep the uncertainty caused by following-up behavior within an appropriate range, thereby contributing to the stabilization of financial markets. Stochastic differential equations are used for this purpose, and are expected to be applied not only to finance but also to predicting trends in various social and natural phenomena.
    (Released in 2023)

  • School of Business, Department of Business Administration
  • Present accurate and objective information to encourage appropriate decision-making throughout society
  • Professor Masuo Araki
  • "Official statistics" are statistical surveys compiled by national and local governments. They are literally big data collected through meticulous preparation and a huge amount of work, and are required to accurately reflect the realities of society. Professor Araki has participated in government committees to ensure the accuracy and objectivity of the data used in various decision-making processes, and has been involved in a wide range of work, from designing surveys to analyzing the resulting data. By presenting objective numerical data as evidence, he encourages constructive discussion in society.
    (Released in 2023)

  • School of Business, Department of Business Administration
  • Turning expertise into social benefit.
    Exploring data science to create more value
  • Associate Professor Ibuki Hoshina
  • Statistical modeling is a method of deriving mathematical models from data that represent the structure behind the data, which can be used to predict and interpret various phenomena. Associate Professor Hoshina is working on developing new methods that apply existing theories, aiming for more accurate predictions and more versatile models. By taking advantage of the strengths of theoretical research and introducing methods to society that allow for error-free data analysis even without specialized knowledge, he looks toward a future in which anyone can make the most of the benefits that data science brings.
    (Released in 2023)

  • College of Economics, Department of Economics
  • Statistics and today's data science are rapidly spreading in modern society.
    Statistical literacy required
  • Associate Professor Tamae Kawasaki
  • The vast amounts of data that can now be collected with the evolution of ICT will be analyzed using statistical methods such as multivariate analysis to gain new perspectives that were previously invisible. Data science based on statistics is an extremely powerful tool in modern society, but it can be difficult to use correctly without statistical literacy. Looking ahead to the coming data era with Associate Professor Kawasaki's research, we will consider what kind of statistics and statistical literacy underpin data science. (Published in 2022)

  • College of Economics, Department of Economics
  • The impact of economic activity on the environment
    Combining engineering and economics perspectives
  • Professor Shigeru Matsumoto
  • Environmental economics is a field that analyzes economic activities, including their impact on the environment, and seeks to find viable measures to reduce environmental burdens. Professor Matsumoto Shigeru, who left a science faculty to study economics, approaches issues in this field from the dual perspectives of an engineer and an economist. He will introduce his research stance, as well as the basic ideas of environmental economics, which look at the choices and actions of both companies and consumers, and the results of his research on carbon pricing (a policy method that encourages behavioral change by putting a price on carbon and imposing a cost burden).
    (Published in 2022)

  • School of Business
  • Visualizing service quality and exploring the future of "customer satisfaction"
  • Professor Joji Ono
  • The tertiary industry is an economic sector that accounts for over 70% of GDP, but the services it provides are intangible and invisible, and their quality cannot be measured by machines. The JCSI (Japanese Customer Satisfaction Index) survey is one of the largest customer surveys in Japan to visualize customer satisfaction in the service industry, and its results are widely used to encourage "competition across industries based on customer evaluations." Here, we would like to consider the state of service in Japan, looking at the relationship between customer psychology and customer satisfaction revealed by the survey. (Published in 2021)

  • College of Economics
  • Predicting population distribution for the next few decades by block and district
    Urban planning and disaster prevention planning
    Providing the underlying data
  • Professor Takashi Inoue
  • Foreseeing changes in the population structure over the long term is essential for national and local government policymaking. This is all the more true in Japan, where population decline is accelerating. However, detailed population estimates have been extremely difficult due to technical barriers. The smaller the estimated area, the more likely it is that numerical fluctuations will occur, and how can this be reduced? Professor Inoue applied a certain classical theory to devise a groundbreaking equation, enabling him to estimate future populations for each small region of the country. In this column, we will get to know the researcher better and explain the details of his new methodology.
    (Published in 2021)

  • School of Business
  • Exceeded the number
    Communication leads
    The present and future of accounting
  • Professor Kenichi Yazawa
  • When most people hear the word accounting, they probably think of "calculating." However, Professor Yazawa Kenichi of the Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, says, "In accounting, calculations are just one tool. What's important is how you communicate using those numbers." Since 2020, the impact of COVID-19 has created a balance between business activities for companies, but if you carefully analyze the data released by companies, such as financial statements, including not only the numbers but also the text information in reports, the true nature of the company becomes clear. Professor Yazawa looks at the present and future of accounting, making full use of the latest text mining techniques. (Published in 2021)

  • College of Economics
  • Thinking about the economy "spatially" - A recommendation for "regional economics"
  • Professor Masaya Suda
  • When you hear the term "regional economics," some might think it's "a field of study that considers the economy of a particular region." However, this is not the case. Regional economics is a field of study that incorporates the element of "space" into economic theory to specifically consider measures to address various economic issues that arise in reality. In this column, we will introduce the basic ideas of regional economics by looking at several economic activities and considering where they are taking place and where they should be taking place. (Published in 2018)

  • School of International Politics, Economics and Communication
  • Immigration from an economic perspective
  • Professor Akinori Tomohara
  • Accepting immigrants means they take away jobs and wages fall. I'm sure many people have this image. However, economic research has shown that immigrants have little impact on wages and contribute to economic growth, revealing an impact of immigrants that is different from the general image. Refugees and immigrants are very complex issues, but in this column I would like to discuss immigration to developed countries from an economic perspective. (Published in 2016)

  • School of Business
  • The economics of happiness
  • Professor Akiko Kamesaka
  • Economics has developed by focusing discussion on "material and monetary wealth" up until now. However, due to growing discussion that "mental and subjective factors" cannot be ignored when measuring an individual's wealth and happiness, economics has rapidly begun to address the concept of "happiness" in recent years. In this column, we explain why economics has begun to address "happiness," provide examples of analysis on "happiness," and explore the significance and future possibilities of the "economics of happiness." (Published in 2016)

  • School of Business
  • Exploring better relationships between companies and people in organizations
  • Professor Masaru Yamashita
  • After the war, Japanese companies grew by employees sharing the ideals and values of management and taking pride in the company they work for. However, as society became more affluent and people's reasons for working became more diverse, such as "for self-actualization" or "to receive a salary," the bubble economy collapsed and companies lost their strength. Furthermore, the half-hearted introduction of a performance-based system worsened the relationship between individuals and companies, accelerating the weakening of companies. It is the people who work there that support a company. In this column, we consider how to rebuild the relationship between companies and the people who work there so that struggling Japanese companies can regain their strength, and discuss a new relationship between organizations and individuals that is suited to the Japanese corporate culture. (Published in 2015)

  • School of International Politics, Economics and Communication, Department of International Politics
  • Published on 2025/05/16
  • Analyzing horizontal cooperation among allied nations
    Research that contributes to stability in the Indo-Pacific region
  • Associate Professor Tomohiko Satake

  • School of International Politics, Economics and Communication, Department of International Politics
  • Published on 2025/05/16
  • Unraveling the causal relationships of conflicts and wars, and deriving logic that can be applied to similar cases.
  • Professor Yasuhiro Izumikawa

  • School of Business, Department of Marketing
  • Posted on 2024/05/17
  • Unraveling the mechanisms of the distribution system that intertwines economy, society, culture, and history
  • Professor Nobukazu Azuma

  • Faculty of Social Informatics, Department of Social Informatics
  • Unraveling the mechanisms of people's financial behavior and stabilizing financial markets
  • Professor Hirotaka Fushiya

  • School of Business, Department of Business Administration
  • Present accurate and objective information to encourage appropriate decision-making throughout society
  • Professor Masuo Araki

  • School of Business, Department of Business Administration
  • Turning expertise into social benefit.
    Exploring data science to create more value
  • Associate Professor Ibuki Hoshina

  • College of Economics, Department of Economics
  • Statistics and today's data science are rapidly spreading in modern society.
    Statistical literacy required
  • Associate Professor Tamae Kawasaki

  • College of Economics, Department of Economics
  • The impact of economic activity on the environment
    Combining engineering and economics perspectives
  • Professor Shigeru Matsumoto

  • School of Business
  • Visualizing service quality and exploring the future of "customer satisfaction"
  • Professor Joji Ono

  • College of Economics
  • Predicting population distribution for the next few decades by block and district
    Urban planning and disaster prevention planning
    Providing the underlying data
  • Professor Takashi Inoue

  • School of Business
  • Exceeded the number
    Communication leads
    The present and future of accounting
  • Professor Kenichi Yazawa

  • College of Economics
  • Thinking about the economy "spatially" - A recommendation for "regional economics"
  • Professor Masaya Suda

  • School of International Politics, Economics and Communication
  • Immigration from an economic perspective
  • Professor Akinori Tomohara

  • School of Business
  • The economics of happiness
  • Professor Akiko Kamesaka

  • School of Business
  • Exploring better relationships between companies and people in organizations
  • Professor Masaru Yamashita
↑