My academic background is economic history and historical demography. After graduating from Keio University Faculty of Economics, I taught geography at a high school. Following my appointment to the Faculty of Economics at this university in 1980, I have mainly been in charge of courses on Japanese economic history and population studies.
At the end of the day, economic problems are only about how human beings can gain the goods and services necessary for them to live. In my research, I have endeavored to understand the types of solutions that have been selected throughout history and how these have changed. At present, I am conducting research on population size and composition in the past and long-term changes, with the aim of understanding the problem of humans and the resources that are indispensable to fulfill our material needs from the angle of the relationship between the environment and civilization (technology).

For me, learning about the environment does not stop at only knowing about the environment that surrounds human beings, such as the atmosphere, water, soil, and life forms. I am interested in humans and ecosystems that include humans that can be understood from various perspectives. Thus, focusing on population, my research considers how the size and activities of humanity influence ecosystems and how humanity itself has been influenced.
I am not an expert on the environment. At the very most, I have only attempted to consider the relationship between population and the environment through historical demography. Therefore, my classes are not suited to those who expect to be taught something or who expect classes that will help them obtain qualifications or find a job. However, I hope to be of some help to students interested in considering the following areas:

• Those who wish to study the historical relationship between human activities and climate.
• Those who wish to study the historical relationship between humans and illness.
• Those who wish to study the historical relationship between humans and land usage and development such as forests, arable land, seashores, and urban areas.
• Those who wish to study the historical relationship between human clothing, food and housing, and the usage of resources.

Students at the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies come from a wide range of academic backgrounds. Although this leads to the occasional disagreement in viewpoints and way of thinking, conversely it means that students can expect to learn from each other. I would like students to participate in my classes by adopting an attitude in which they study together as well as teach each other. I would also like them to master the following skills that are necessary for research of all kinds.

• Statistics (correlation analysis, etc.)
• Ways of reading and creating charts
• Ways of reading and creating maps
• Where necessary, an ability to read and comprehend texts written in ancient and foreign languages