Susumu Nishibe

Susumu Nishibe (西部 邁, 15 March 1939 – 21 January 2018) was a Japanese critic, conservative and economist. He was a professor of Socioeconomics at University of Tokyo. He criticized modern economics, progressivism, and rationalism, and advocated theories on mass society, conservatism, and the independence of Japan from the United States.

Early life and education

Susumu Nishibe was born on 15 March 1939 in

Then he majored in theoretical economics under Motō Kaji (かじ もとお、嘉治 元郎) and got a Doctor of Economics from the University of Tokyo. It was at the suggestion of Masahiko Aoki that he went to the graduate school.

Academic career

After that, he was successively an assistant professor at the Faculty of Economics, Yokohama National University and the College of Arts and Science, of the University of Tokyo.

In 1975, he published his first book, "Socio-Economics" (ソシオ・エコノミックス, Soshio Ekonomikkusu), in which he criticized modern economics by introducing the methodology of sociology and other disciplines. After that, he moved to the United States to study at the UC Berkeley and then at Cambridge. In 1979, his experience note "Into the mirage" (蜃気楼の中へ, Shinkirou no nakae) was published. After returning to Japan, he began to criticize advanced mass society and Americanism, and defend Western conservative thoughts as a conservative critic since the 1980s. In 1986, he was appointed a professor of Socio-Economics at the College of Arts and Science of University of Tokyo. He also taught as a visiting professor at The Open University of Japan.

Death

Nishibe died of suicide on 21 January 2018.^[2] It was suspected that the suicide was assisted.^[3]

See also

• Fukuzawa Yukichi
• Nakae Chōmin
• Nakano Takeshi
• Natsume Sōseki
• Saeki Keishi
• Tsuneari Fukuda
• Yamamoto Tsunetomo

References