The Department of Economics

Training leaders with economic insight, independence, and the ability to contribute to society

Learning about Economics

　Economics is the exploration of how the limited resources of capital, land, and labor can bring economic improvements to the public welfare. Fundamentally, economic problems can be solved through the market, but the market is not an all-powerful force that can solve every problem. Today, the world faces problems with globalization, the environment, and poverty. Japan faces problems with the structural reform of its economy, an aging population, changing to a more information-oriented society, and decentralization. Studying economics and its practical applications in order to better understand such problems has become increasingly valuable.

Characteristics of the Curriculum

　In response to the needs of students in an increasingly diversified economic world, we offer basic classes that provide a systematic overview of the field of economics and other classes. Students acquire a basic knowledge of economics through classes on microeconomics and macroeconomics, and they deepen that knowledge through practicums on public finance, financing, international economics, the economics of Japan, and the economics of Okinawa. They acquire computer-related knowledge and skills through classes on economics-related information processing and information systems. We are striving to develop an even better curriculum that responds to students, goals and that efficiently assists them in acquiring the knowledge and computer training necessary to meet those goals.

Training the Leaders of the Local Community in the Twenty-first Century

　As we enter the twenty-first century, humankind faces numerous problems that must be solved economically or politically. In Japan, problems resulting from structural changes in the socio-economic world have become obvious. In Okinawa Prefecture, we face the huge task of how to bring economic growth and development to the local community. The Department of Economics is training leaders who can respond to socio-economic changes, act independently and with insight, and bear the responsibility for future growth and development.

The Department of Regional Economics and Environmental Policy

Training insightful and highly specialized graduates who can bring sustainable growth and recycling to the local community

Combining Regional Economics and Environmental Policy

　Contemporary socio-economics is confronted with numerous problems that demand solutions. The most pressing of these are environmental problems. Though there is a tendency to see environmental problems as an issue for the natural sciences, the socio-economic system of mass production, mass consumption, and mass waste places an artificially heavy burden on the environment. Bearing this in mind, one recognizes that environmental problems have an economic dimension.

　“Environmental policy” refers both to public policy that creates environmental standards desirable for human society and to a field of research that searches for efficient and environment-friendly economic systems based on economic methods. Regional economics, on the other hand, is the field of economics that analyzes regional economic structures, their emergence and historic development, the formation of rural and urban areas, and the use of land. In addition, it evaluates policies that attempt to address local economic problems.

　Our department has combined the fields of regional economics and environmental policy, and with strong educational ties to the Department of Economics, we provide an educational program that responds to the needs of a local community engaged in the creation of multifaceted values.

Training Leaders for Creating a Recycling-oriented Local Community

　The stated mission of our department is “to train insightful and highly specialized graduates who can contribute to the creation of a recycling-oriented society that can achieve maintainable growth in a diverse modern society of the twenty-first century.” With this mission in mind, students obtain a grounding in economics as they study the fields of regional economics and environmental policy, and deepen their understanding of the local community and the environment. We aim to train talented graduates who have the ability to respond appropriately to the local and environmental problems confronting modern economic societies, and who can contribute to the development of the local community.

Characteristics of the Curriculum

　In order to achieve our stated goal, students are required to take Regional Economics as well as Environmental Economics, in preparation for which they choose from Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and Economic Principles. To assist them in acquiring the knowledge expected of them in their major subject classes, students are required to take English, Basic Seminar, and Environmental Science, and the basic computer classes of Computer Literacy Seminar and Programming. Making the most of our diverse faculty, we offer a broad range of advanced major field electives that respond to the concerns of students. In addition to these classes, students in their third year chose a seminar (Seminar I) that deals with a topic that interests them. In their fourth year, students take Seminar II, in which they are assisted in further developing their ideas and guided in writing a graduation thesis, which summarizes the results of their research and investigations.