Japan Society of Regional Science

Japan Society of Regional Science

The Japan Society of Regional Science is a scholarly association focused on the study of regional development, spatial analysis, and urban systems in Japan. Founded in the late 1960s, the Society connects researchers from universities such as University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Keio University, and Waseda University with practitioners from agencies like the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and municipal governments including Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Osaka Prefecture. The Society engages with international organizations and research centers including the Regional Studies Association, the International Geographical Union, the Economic and Social Research Institute (Cabinet Office), and the Asian Development Bank.

History

The Society emerged during a period of rapid postwar growth linked to events such as the 1964 Summer Olympics and infrastructural projects like the Tokaido Shinkansen, reflecting interests shared by academics affiliated with institutions such as Hitotsubashi University, Tohoku University, Hokkaido University, and Nagoya University. Early leadership included scholars trained under influences from Walter Isard and the Regional Science Association International network, while methodological exchange connected members to lines of work at London School of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, and Cornell University. The Society held formative meetings in Tokyo and regional chapters in cities including Sapporo, Sendai, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Fukuoka, paralleling planning debates around projects like the Seikan Tunnel and the Shinkansen network. Over successive decades, the Society adapted discussions to topics highlighted by incidents and policies such as the 1973 oil crisis, the Heisei consolidation of municipalities, and disaster responses following the Great Hanshin Earthquake and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Mission and Activities

The Society’s mission emphasizes rigorous analysis of spatial phenomena, bringing together scholars from departments at University of Tsukuba, Chuo University, Meiji University, and Ritsumeikan University with policymakers from bodies like the Cabinet Office (Japan), regional bureaus of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and local planning offices in Kanagawa Prefecture and Aichi Prefecture. Activities include methodological workshops on techniques pioneered by figures associated with Paul Krugman and Alfred Marshall traditions, hands-on training in GIS applications developed at Esri Japan and research collaborations with institutes such as the National Institute for Environmental Studies and the Japan External Trade Organization. The Society fosters comparative work involving case studies in cities like Saitama (city), Yokohama, Kobe, Nagoya, and international counterparts including Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Los Angeles, and London.

Publications and Conferences

The Society publishes a peer-reviewed journal and bulletins circulated among members, drawing submissions from researchers affiliated with Institute of Social and Economic Research, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and international contributors from University of British Columbia and National University of Singapore. Annual conferences rotate among venues such as Hiroshima University, Kobe University, Kagoshima University, and regional planning institutes, featuring keynote lectures referencing work by scholars linked to John Friedmann, Edward Glaeser, Richard Florida, and analytic methods stemming from Input–output analysis and models used in studies related to European Spatial Development Perspective. Special symposia address themes including urban resilience after disasters like the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, demographic shifts highlighted by census data from the Statistics Bureau (Japan), and transport planning in light of projects like the Chuo Shinkansen.

Membership and Organization

Membership spans faculty and researchers from departments at Nagoya Institute of Technology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, and Kanazawa University, to practitioners from prefectural offices in Ibaraki Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, and Okinawa Prefecture. The Society’s governance includes an elected board and officers often drawn from scholars associated with research centers such as the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia and the Japan Center for Economic Research, and collaborates with think tanks like the Japan Policy Research Institute. Regional chapters maintain ties with civic organizations, planning consultancies, and university-affiliated research labs, coordinating workshops on topics linked to international instruments such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Awards and Recognition

The Society confers awards recognizing contributions to regional science, honoring lifetime achievement by scholars connected to institutions including Hitotsubashi University and University of Tokyo and emerging research recognized by prizes associated with journals and conference sessions. Recipients have engaged in studies addressing spatial inequality in areas like Tohoku, labor mobility linked to migration flows between Hokkaido and Kansai, and urban design informed by precedents in Barcelona and Copenhagen. The Society’s prizes are announced at annual meetings and often lead to collaborative projects with agencies such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency and funding from bodies like the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Category:Learned societies of Japan