My Forty Years in Empirical Economics

The author traces seven major events that had unmistakable impacts on his intellectual development:(1) His encounter with Professors Henry Rosovsky and Kazushi Ohkawa during his formative years, which sparked his interest in empirical research; (2) His realization of the indispensable value of modern statistics in empirical research, which was brought to his attention by Professors Saul Hymans and Dale W. Jorgenson; (3) His discovery of rich information resources from factory visits, first occasioned by a study group on occupational training chaired by Professor Mataji Umemura; (4) His introduction to the field of economic development, with a special focus on East and Southeast Asia, by Professor Shigeru Ishikawa; (5) His participation in a newly-formed academic circle of quantitative economic history (QEH), led by Professors Akira Hayami, Takafusa Nakamura, and Shunsaku Nishikawa, among others; (6) The formation and his participation in an ongoing, database-formation project, entitled Asian Statistical Historical Statistics (ASHSTAT); and (7) The opening of a fresh intellectual door, through his acquaintance with new colleagues and through his work for the first time on a full-time basis with undergraduate students at Hosei University