Yukihiro Ikeda - Retiring in AY2024

I began my service as an assistant in 1989 and have since worked as a faculty member in the Faculty of Economics for thirty-six years. Originally, I was not a student who was fond of economics, and I couldn't shake the feeling of reluctance when choosing my faculty. However, it feels as though what was supposed to be a one-night stay turned into a month, then a year, and now all these years have passed. Being that kind of student, I avoided what might be called the mainstream fields of economics. When it came time to choose a research seminar in my third year, seminars in microeconomics, macroeconomics, statistics, or policy seemed too dazzling, so I quickly excluded them from my options. Economic history also seemed interesting, but in the end, I chose the field of the history of economic thought, which has brought me to where I am today. For my research subject, I chose an Austrian scholar named Carl Menger. Compared to Jevons or Walras, the archival materials on him were less organized, which made it seem like there was still room for me to contribute. After being hired as an assistant under the old system, I had the opportunity to go to Duke University in the United States to read the Menger papers that had been donated there. Later, I studied abroad in Germany, where I wrote my dissertation on the formation of Menger's "Grundsätze der Volkswirtschaftslehre" and obtained my Ph.D. in Economics. Menger continues to be an important research theme for me to this day.

After that, I embarked on my life's work of writing a biography of Menger, but it remains unfinished to this day. I didn't feel it when I was younger, but I have come to keenly realize how much physical and mental energy archival work requires, and I feel that I no longer have enough years left to complete it. It is a great regret, but I may have to share the materials I have collected with younger researchers and entrust the research to them at some point.

An unexpected outcome of my studies in Germany was a newfound interest in Japan. Although this is something anyone might experience, I was deeply ashamed of how ignorant I was about my own country. Later, also by chance, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to read the diaries of Shinzo Koizumi and contributed to the creation of its footnotes. Koizumi's stays in Britain and Germany were extremely interesting, and from them, new connections to my own research emerged.

In the remaining space, I would like to write a little about education and administration. In the Faculty of Economics, we introduced the PEARL program, and for the past ten years or so, the courses I teach have also been offered in English. It was not just a matter of changing the language of instruction; I also had several new experiences. Students from various countries and regions. Japanese students who had accumulated diverse experiences abroad. My days were spent teaching classes to such students. It is true that teaching in a non-native language was not easy, and I still struggle with it, but what I gained from it was significant. When I was lecturing in Japanese, the number of students was usually in the triple digits, but recently it has settled at a few dozen. I also provide feedback, and I have come to believe that this is the proper way to conduct a lecture. I constantly reflect that what I was doing before was more of a speech than a lecture. I wonder if it was truly student-centered.

From the fall of 2011, I was appointed Director of the Office of Correspondence Courses, from the fall of 2017, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, and currently, while also serving as a professor in the faculty, I am involved in the administration of the Juku as a Vice-President. While I was in charge of the correspondence courses, I received cooperation from people in various faculties. The stories I heard from people in other fields, alongside my official duties, were extremely interesting. Of course, there were no special perks that came with these positions, but having incidentally enjoyed interdisciplinary exchange has become a valuable asset for me. As for what I will do with my remaining healthy years, upon my retirement, I would first like to express my gratitude to my friends in the faculty and at the Juku.