Kohei Mishima Associate Professor
Specialty: Industrial Economics, International Business Studies(Interviewer: 菊井・古郡)『It’s not what you normally imagine when thinking about economics!』
What is your research specialty?
My lectures are on industrial economics, but my basic research focuses on the strategies andorganizations of companies and how such strategies affect the industrialization of emerging
economies. It is mostly business based.
『The difference between economics and business』
I have an impression that you are a little different from other professors in that you focus
on your studies on the business side?
Economics has the precision of a social science. Of course, business has some of that as well.
But I think there is a difference between economics and business in that business does notnecessarily assume of human rationality. In addition, I think it is interesting to see and hear what
is going on in the actual business field, but some people may get an impression that it’s a muddy
field.
『How did you discover the interest in research? 』
I get the impression that you are close to the Faculty of Commerce?
My degree is in economics, and I also studied Macroeconomics and Microeconomics until myMaster studies. However, I was also interested in the JICA, Japanese university researchers, andVietnamese university students who were working together to make policy proposals based on
the actual conditions of Vietnamese industry. I learned how interesting market research is when I
conducted a survey on motorcycles as part of a joint research project them. After I entered thedoctorate, I was just going around the field using business as a framework. But I personally thinkthat students should properly study economics...(laughs).
『Reasons why you started your research in emerging economies 』
Why did you start your research in emerging economies?
Speaking from experience, I often traveled to Asia as an undergraduate and wondered how
people sleeping on the streets made a living, and became interested in poverty in developing
countries. There I decided that I wanted to work for the United Nations, but I knew that I neededa master's degree to do so, so I went on to graduate school. However, I gradually became more
and more interested in organizations, from individuals to companies, and at the same time, I
enjoyed doing research. I enjoyed researching and ended up studying doctorate. ......(laugh).
On the contrary, I don't know any developed countries. The only places I have been to are
Hawaii, where I went to a friend's wedding, and Houston, where I was in transit to Brazil. I amvery biased, so in that sense, my challenge is to get to know developed countries.
The first foreign country I went to was Thailand when I was 20 years old, and from there I
enjoyed visiting Asian countries, but perhaps if my first visit had been to Europe, I would havefelt that Europe was fun, and I might have studied something about Europe.

『Developed and Developing Countries, Tokyo and Rural Areas』
What is the biggest difference between the industrial economies of developed anddeveloping countries? Please tell us!
In the factory example, developing countries have youth and momentum. Although the presenceor absence of momentum does not necessarily lead to a difference in productivity, they have an
attitude of wanting to improve their productivity. In terms of management, when I visit factories
in developing countries, the workers look at me. This means that there is room for improvement
in management. On the other hand, people working in Japanese factories do not stop and look atvisitors. Thus, by looking at factories and organizations, we can say that Japan has a very highproductivity, but workers have no time to rest. On the other hand, in developing countries, I think
the difference can be said to be that management is loose, but there is momentum. Also, when it
comes to relationships with people, Japan is very kind, but people in developing countries are
more closely involved with others, whether they know each other or not. Even if you visit
suddenly without an appointment, you can still manage to meet in a developing country.
Also, although Tokyo is probably what people imagine when they hear the word "developed
Japan," I sense a difference in the awareness and working styles between the rural areas andTokyo. In the rural areas, there is a sense of doing something for the community, as in thepopular phrase "Dogennkasenntoikann" ("Do something"). In Tokyo, on the other hand, there isan awareness of how to work within a large corporation. While I feel this difference in Tokyo, adeveloped country in Japan, I have been in the countryside for a long time, so perhaps I don't
really understand what a developed country is like in that sense.

『The most important "philosophy" in an organization』
Please tell us about your educational philosophy!
After employment, students will probably work under the direction of their supervisors, soideally, they should be able to discover issues on their own in the seminar, set their own
schedule, and act independently. Theoretical economics, such as macroeconomics andmicroeconomics, should also be good training for logical skills. However, while case-based
research such as the one I am doing is easy to understand, it is difficult to convey its significance.
So, on the contrary, I hope that students will try to think about unique countries and industries ortheir own interests by connecting them to major places in the world.
『Theory and Practice』
Do you emphasize practice rather than theory?
In a seminar, you can go to various places to listen to talks because the group is small, but it isdifficult to do so in a large group like a lecture. That is why we take the stance of trying toestablish a certain viewpoint while visiting the field in seminars, where we can take advantage ofthe small-group opportunity. In the papers we usually write, we generalize by bringing
abstraction and by stating different cases together. Even though we're generalizing, we can't set
down our assumptions rigorously. Instead, we apply the inductive method. Not everything can bederived by induction, so maybe that's where the weakness of the practice lies. That is what weare struggling with in our fieldwork theory at Hiyoshi. Four of us are in charge of it with Dr.

Ueda, Dr. Komagata, and Dr. Ito (University of Tokyo). For my part, I hope that conducting
fieldwork will lead to the discovery of problems. For example, as Professor Ito once said, "AdamSmith's division of labor is explained by the example that it is more efficient to share the processof making needles, but that is an observation!” It is not that we do not emphasize theory at all,but just like digging a tunnel from both ends, I think it is better to revisit the theory you learned
at Hiyoshi to see how it actually works in practice at Mita, so that you can get closer to the truth.
『Looking back on my student days』
Please tell us about your student days!
I attended the Faculty of Economics at Tohoku University. It was a relaxed university in thecountryside, near hot springs and the sea. I also studied economics, but it also included businessadministration and what Keio would call the commerce department. …But it’s not like I attended
all the classes though (laugh).
I was a member of the Wonder Vogel Club and climbed mountains during my first and secondyear. I would come in every Friday night, spend Saturdays and Sundays at the river or in themountains, and be dead on Mondays. I was a bad student who did not attend classes (laughs). I
wish I had attended. However, I began to think that even a cheap $2/night accommodation in adeveloping country was better than staying in a tent in the mountains. Then in my 3rd and 4thyear, I enjoyed my first trip abroad so much that I began to do part-time jobs to save money to goto more trips. I did a variety of part-time jobs, such as guiding fishing in a stream, or taking
people to Shirakami Sanchi (Mt. Shirakami). My travel destinations were mainly developing
countries, and I went there during long vacations and university festivals.
What I think now is that there are many things to study not only in graduate school but also after
entering a company. I wish I had visited more companies when I was an undergraduate student,
because I didn't do it on my own initiative. But looking back on my own activities, I see that I
liked to go to various places. When I went to developing countries as an undergraduate student, Iwould think about the transition from primary to secondary industry, or from rural to urban
areas, or I would wonder where this country was at the moment.
I may not have understood anything at the time (and maybe I still don't ......), but at the time I
was more interested in the economy as a whole than in business administration or organization.
Employing people from developing countries who are lying on the street should play a majorrole in the industrialization of those countries, but maybe that is actually something that local
companies should do, not foreign companies, and it is not a matter for me, a foreigner, to takepart of. After all, I think they will be able to survive on their own. So I am still thinking about
what the actual situation is, not about whether the situation is good or bad.

『Looking back on your own employment』
Have you thought about your path to employment?
I thought about it. But I was rejected in the final round of one bank that I had applied to. The
reason why I applied to that bank was very simple: I wondered if there is any relationship to any
developing countries in terms of loans or ODA. I was not sure how I would find a job, but Iguess I had the idea of making a living with my skills. But I never had the idea of starting abusiness, which is strange. I got my first full-time job when I was 30, and I think it is better for
my mental health to continue my studies after I get a job. There weren't so many internships backthen, so I think it's hard for third-year students to go to internships now and start job hunting intheir fourth year.
『Future Predictions』
Off topic, which industry do you think will grow in the next 20 years?
Twenty years is a difficult time. I think it is good to have a company that cares about its people,
but if it protects its full-time employees too much, the competitive relationship will disappear
and the organization itself will be ruined, so I think it is good to have a place where each person
working there can work with their own goals.
In terms of what fields are interesting in the future, I believe that measures to deal with thedeclining birthrate and aging society will definitely be needed in the future, because the aging
society will surely become an issue in East and Southeast Asia, and Japan will be a leading casestudy. Therefore, if you have a strong overseas orientation, I think it would be interesting to train
in the field of Japan's declining birthrate and aging population and then go abroad.
『As a seminar with short history』
What are you looking for in a second-year student who wants to join your seminar?
My seminar conducts fieldwork surveys, so there is a lot of complicated work involved, such as
deciding which companies to visit, making appointments, going to interviews, and writing
reports. So, I think it is necessary to be able to handle such tasks without being bothered bythem. And I would like to make it an organization where both third- and fourth-year students
write papers. The most important thing is to attend the main seminar on Tuesdays! This year, weare doing it in a way that we don't divide the seminar by time, and if we decide to do something,
we don't leave until it is done. But we are also looking for ways to proceed with the seminar. In
terms of the overseas training camp, we are also struggling with the balance between risk
management and the degree to which autonomy is respected. We have not yet decided whether
we will hold another overseas training camp next year. If there are any second-year students who
would like to do it in a certain way, I would welcome their opinions.
『Be interested, the importance of logic.'』☆Finally, what is your message to sophomores? ☆
You have plenty of time in college, so you should work on what you want to do and whatinterests you. When you are unsure of what you want to do, you can pay a little more attention to
your surroundings and try to think about it from a different aspect. For example, how can we
make the work of part-time workers more efficient, or what is the work style of employees? Ifeel that many students have very varied experiences, but it is by no means the case that those
who go abroad are always good students, and I think it is more important to be able to explain
the experience well.

{Editorial Postscript}
I enjoyed talking with him throughout the entire interview. I attribute this to Dr. Mishima's
personality, tone of voice, and his field of expertise. However, as this was his second year at theseminar, he seemed to be struggling a lot with the management methods and risk management.
Given that the future 2nd year seminar students will have an impact on seminar management, it
might be a good idea for students who are interested in seminar management and organizational
management to join. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Mishima for taking
time out of his busy schedule to conduct this interview. Thank you very much.
Written by 古郡 みか