Ryotaro Takahashi (Appointed in AY2025)

 At the time of my university entrance exams, I didn't have anything in particular that I wanted to study. I chose the Faculty of Economics simply because I thought it would be advantageous for finding a job. I think I was a typical university student.

After entering university, I joined an English impromptu debate club, again because I thought it would be good for my career. While being exposed to topics regarding inequality, freedom, democracy, and public finance, my interest in society grew stronger. On the other hand, I also felt a sense of discomfort with discussing complex real-world problems by dividing them into binary oppositions of pros and cons. It was during this time that I encountered "Fiscal Sociology," which views the relationship between the state and society from the perspective of public finance.  

The concept of "society" is quite elusive, isn't it? It is extremely complex and can be viewed from various angles. Even with the same word "society," the implied scope can differ depending on the speaker. In the first place, the range of meaning for the Japanese word "shakai" and the English word "society" is not necessarily the same.

However, when focusing on public finance, a concrete relationship emerges where people bear the burden of taxes and the government provides social services. From this perspective, I am researching why Japan achieved income equality until the 1990s, despite the size of its government being relatively small in international comparisons. By elucidating past mechanisms, I hope to gain clues for thinking about current difficult problems such as widening inequality, fiscal deficits, and the nature of governance.

On social media, I often see voices saying "working is hard." Even so, the reason many people are preoccupied with job hunting might be because they have internalized society's "correct answers" and want to escape anxiety by getting closer to those answers. I was the same way. It is easy, but it isn't fun.

After entering university, the number of situations without a "correct answer" increases. In other words, you have to face your anxieties. Speaking with some self-reflection, please spend your time formulating your own questions in a world without "correct answers." To do that, read books. Not just academic books, but also novels and manga. Then, meet people and put yourself in unknown places. Through such dialogues with others, please think about how you want to live. By all means, learn to navigate your anxiety.