On April 29, 2024, the second lecture of the Bai Qingxian Lecture by Overseas Prestigious Scholars was held in meeting room 113 of the office building of Puhe Campus, Liaoning University. Professor Tomohiko Inui of Gakushuin University was invited to give an academic report titled ‘Productivity and Investment in both Tangible and Intangible Assets in Japan’. Professor Yu Miaojie, a Deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress, member of the International Economics Association, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and President of Liaoning University attended the meeting and delivered a welcome speech. The meeting was presided over by Professor Zhao Deqi, Dean of Asia-Australia Business College.
President Yu Miaojie expressed sincere welcome to Professor Tomohiko Inui’s presence at the lecture and introduced his research fields and academic achievements in detail, especially his important contribution as a famous thinker and researcher for the Japanese government in the field of measuring standards and determining factors of enterprise and industry productivity.
Professor Tomohiko Inui analyzed the development of Japanese enterprises’ production capacity and efficiency in the past 30 years by using rich and detailed data. On the basis of revealing the challenges in Japanese productivity and efficiency, he put forward his countermeasures and suggestions on policy making and industrial adjustment. He pointed out that severe population decline and aging in Japan brought about a sharp drop in labor force and a large amount of expenditure on care of the elderly, leading to a long-term weakness in all-factor and high-quality capital investment. The delay in the digital transformation of software and general robots has also posed a great challenge to Japan’s economy, which significantly thwarts the smooth transformation of Japanese industries to advanced manufacturing and high-end service industries. He noted that in contrast, China had displayed strong impetus in human capital and technological innovation, which is worth learning for Japan.
At the end of the report, President Yu Miaojie presented Professor Tomohiko Inui with a commemorative certificate of the Bai Qingxian Lecture by Overseas Prestigious Scholars and a copy of his English work. Professor Wang Weiguang, Deputy Director of the Faculty of Economics presented a souvenir to Professor Tomohiko Inui. Cao Jiqun, Secretary of the CPC Committee of the Asian-Australian Business College presented Professor Tomohiko Inui with a piece from the English Newsletter of Liaoning University. Professor Xie Mingyi, Vice Dean of the Asian-Australian Business College presented a school cap to Professor Tomohiko Inui. Teacher Tang Dan of the Asian-Australian Business College presented flowers to Professor Tomohiko Inui. Guests attending the lecture also took a group photo.
The lecture was hosted by the Faculty of Economics and the Asia-Australia Business College of Liaoning University. The lecture was also joined by officers from the Institute of Japan Studies, officers of the affiliated schools of the Faculty of Economics and over 120 teachers and students.
Brief biography of Tomohiko Inui
Tomohiko Inui has a Ph.D. in Economics from Hitotsubashi University. He is a professor of the Department of International Social Sciences of Gakushuin University and a visiting professor of Kyoto University. He is a researcher at the Japanese Institute of Economics, Trade and Industry and a visiting researcher for the Japanese Policy Research Institute. He was a lecturer at the School of Economics of Nihon University, director of the Office of Statistics Committee of Cabinet Office and an official of the Japan Development Bank.
His research fields include productivity analysis, economic development, international economics, health economics, education economics and the Chinese economy. He has published many articles in Economic Survey, International Economic Review, Japan and the World Economy, Journal of the Japanese and International Economics, Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, Economic Express and other periodicals.
