Mar. 2023, Agricultural Economics Society of Japan, Best Article Award　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Yoko Saito;Hideo Aizaki;Hisamitsu Saito

Sep. 2010, Agricultural Economics Society of Hokkaido, Young Scientist Award　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Hisamitsu Saito

Mar. 2005, Oregon State University, DeLoach Distinguished Graduate Fellowship　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Hisamitsu Saito

Foreign Direct Investment and Quality-Upgrading Spillovers in Indonesia
Hisamitsu Saito, Toshiyuki Matsuura
World Economy, 48, 5, 1127, 1138, May 2025, [Peer-reviewed], [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal, This study investigates whether the agglomeration of multinational enterprises (MNEs) contributes to local firms' quality upgrading in developing countries. Product quality is crucial for firm performance in global markets; recent research highlights its importance even for nonexporting firms, as they are indirectly involved in global competition through production networks. Using firm-product-level data from the Indonesian manufacturing census, we find that the agglomeration of MNEs in downstream industries enhances the product quality of nonexporting firms, particularly those that produce intermediate goods. Thus, attracting MNEs is an effective strategy for local firms and economies to enhance their value added within production networks.

Policy preferences for medical access in Japan’s remote aging municipalities: Insights from a randomized conjoint experiment
Azusa Matsumoto, Kenji Oku, Mariko Nakagawa, Hisamitsu Saito, Ghulam Dastgir Khan, Keisuke Kawata, Ichiro Oki, Tatsuya Atsumi, Yuichiro Yoshida
Social Science Japan Journal, 28, 1, jyae022, 2025, [Peer-reviewed], [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal, Improved means of transportation play a vital role in accessing medical services, particularly in remote and ageing municipalities. In this study, we identify crucial attributes for improving access to medical services in the Shinhidaka and Urakawa municipalities in Japan. Using a randomised conjoint field experiment, we identify individuals’ preferences regarding the time and means of transportation to hospitals that can provide high-level medical services, along with additional tax payments to support these services. We find, inter alia, that respondents have the highest preference for reducing emergency ambulance transportation time to high-function hospitals. We also estimate the minimum average willingness to pay for these services; respondents are willing to pay at least JPY 60,000 (approximately USD 500) additional tax per year to the municipal government if the emergency transportation time to high-function hospitals is reduced. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into addressing the challenges of improving access to medical services in remote areas with an ageing population.

Does offshoring raise female employment in a developing country? Evidence from Indonesian manufacturing plants
Hyejoon Im, Hisamitsu Saito
World Economy, 47, 6, 2608, 2630, Jun. 2024, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal, We investigate the effects of offshoring on female employment in a developing country as a recipient. We utilise unique data on outsourcing revenues from Indonesia's manufacturing plants. After correcting for offshoring's endogeneity through an instrument variable, we find substantial positive effects on the share of female workers, primarily driven by the increase in female workers without adversely affecting male employment. These positive effects are evident in production occupations but not in non-production ones. Furthermore, these effects are more pronounced in industries with a sizeable low-educated workforce, low-technology sectors or light industries. Finally, we find that international outsourcing, rather than domestic outsourcing, is the key factor for female employment.

Foreign Direct Investment and Labor Demand by Skill in Indonesian Manufacturing Firms
Toshiyuki Matsuura, Hisamitsu Saito
Review of World Economics, 159, 921, 941, Nov. 2023, [Peer-reviewed], [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal, A recent debate on globalization addresses the importance of skills for firms’ performance in developing countries. Employing microdata from Indonesian manufacturing, we examine the externality effects of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) on labor demand by skill in local firms and identify the relative contribution of each effect to their skill structure. The results show that local firms replace unskilled workers with skilled ones to enable transactions with foreign firms in downstream industries. However, severe labor market competition for skilled workers with foreign firms hinders them from upgrading the skill structure. Moreover, severe product market competition decreases demand for unskilled workers in local firms. Thus, an adequate supply of skilled workers is crucial for the better performance of local firms. The results also highlight the necessity of policies to mitigate the negative impact of inward FDI on unskilled employment in the host economy.

Assessing the Consumer Acceptability of Vaccine Rice
Yoko Saito, Hideo Aizaki, Hisamitsu Saito
Japanese Journal of Agricultural Economics, 24, 1, 13, Mar. 2022, [Peer-reviewed], [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal, A feature of much recent medical research has been to offer a range of treatment choices for a given condition. It is important therefore to understand patient preferences among the non-medical as well as medical features of these options. An instructive example is a variety of rice currently under development with recombinant DNA technology as an alternative to the vaccine injection conventionally used against cedar pollen allergy as immunotherapy treatment. We use a survey-based discrete choice experiment to examine and decompose the attitudes to this medical food, along with their likely net effects on final demand. Restricting the survey to allergy sufferers allows focus on the rice’s maximum perceived welfare benefits, in contrast to the ambiguous conclusions of previous studies. Patient characteristics, such as allergy severity, GM technology familiarity, and opportunity costs of hospital visits necessary for the injection treatment strongly influence the vaccine rice’s appeal. A successful marketing program for the new rice will require appealing to these direct benefits.

The COVID-19 pandemic and domestic travel subsidies
Toshiyuki Matsuura, Hisamitsu Saito
Annals of Tourism Research, 92, 103326, Elsevier BV, Jan. 2022, [Peer-reviewed], [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal, The spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has significantly reduced tourism demands worldwide. Employing weekly data on tourist flows between Japanese prefectures, we examine the cost-effectiveness of domestic travel subsidies. Our results provide two implications for the literature. First, we identify the underlying mechanism of tourist flows during the pandemic. In contrast to infectious diseases that have only local effects, the COVID-19 pandemic has decreased tourism demand not only to, but also from, severely affected regions, deteriorating tourism businesses even in areas not severely affected by the disease. Second, we confirm the effectiveness of a price-discount strategy in mitigating economic damage to the accommodation sector caused by the pandemic.

Consumer Evaluation of Genome-edited Food Products: A Case of Fully Farmed Tuna
Daiki Watanabe, Yoko Saito, Hisamitsu Saito, Koichiro Gen, Tetsuji Masaoka, Ryo Ohsawa
Agricultural Information Research, 30, 2, 24, 34, Jul. 2021, [Peer-reviewed], [Domestic magazines]
Japanese, Scientific journal, The resource management of bluefin tuna includes the development of full farming technology and varieties of tuna suitable for farming through the use of genome-editing techniques. This study employed a choice experiment to examine consumers’ evaluation of genome-edited and fully farmed tuna in Japan. The results revealed a negative attitude toward the use of genome-editing technology, implying that the extent to which the use of technology can reduce the price of tuna is key for diffusion. Because the majority of respondents were still unfamiliar with the technology, improving their understanding of the technology, explaining its effectiveness in the resource management of tuna, and increasing consumers’ interest in ethical consumption are key to improving consumers’ evaluations of genome-edited and fully farmed tuna.

Seasonality and regional productivity in the Spanish accommodation sector
Hisamitsu Saito, João Romão
Tourism Management, 69, 180, 188, Elsevier Ltd, Dec. 2018, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal

Measuring Japan’s technical barriers to trade based on the China’s fruit exports to Japan
Qianhui Gao, Shoichi Ito, Hisamitsu Saito
Agricultural Economics – Czech, 64, 3, 141, 147, 2018, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal

Consumer Evaluation of Agricultural Products Developed Using New Breeding Technology
Yoko Saito, Daiki Watanabe, Hisamitsu Saito
Agricultural Information Research, 26, 115, 125, Dec. 2017, [Peer-reviewed], [Domestic magazines]
Japanese, Scientific journal, Efficient breeding of new plant cultivars is necessary to maintain regional agricultural production under global warming. New Breeding Technology (NBT) has been developed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of plant breeding. To assess the likelihood of diffusion of NBT, we examined consumers’ attitudes toward apples developed using flowering promotion technology. Consumers’ preference is considered to be different from that of the conventional genetically modified crops because the genetic recombinant flowering technology is used only during breeding process, and the resultant fruits do not contain foreign genes. The results of a double-bounded, dichotomous choice, contingent valuation method (CVM) indicated that consumers who did not perceive a difference from regular apples tend to have a willingness to pay for those developed using the flowering promotion technology. Explaining the necessity and importance of this technology under climate change conditions is also effective at enhancing the likelihood of diffusion.

A Spatial Analysis on the Determinants of Tourism Performance in Japanese Prefectures
João Romão, Hisamitsu Saito
Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, 1, 243, 264, Apr. 2017, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal, Assuming tourism as a place-oriented activity where tourist flows often cross regional borders, local and global indicators of spatial autocorrelation can be useful tools in order to identify and to explain different patterns of regional tourism dynamics and their determinants. These techniques recently became widely used in applied economic studies, as a result of their useful insights to understand spatial phenomena and benefiting from the existence of geo-referenced data and adequate software tools. This tendency is also observed in the tourism sector in the last few years. In this work, an exploratory spatial analysis and a spatial econometric model are applied to the case of Japanese Prefectures, leading to the identification of the specific spatial aspects prevailing in Japanese regional tourism dynamics. Spatial heterogeneity and agglomeration processes are identified, with a view on policy and managerial recommendations, offering a contribution to explore potential synergies arising from inter-regional cooperation in crucial aspects of tourism development. The results reveal the existence of such spatial effects, reflecting the importance for tourism of central areas of Japan, while revealing that competition effects among Japanese Prefectures prevail over positive regional spinoffs identified in other countries. It was also possible to observe that regions where tourism plays a more prominent role in terms of its importance within regional employment do not present a relatively high performance in terms of economic impact and benefits. The results suggest that a more balanced regional economic structure and higher levels of education of the work force contribute for improvements in tourism value added. Finally, the important role of foreign tourism boosting regional tourism performance is revealed.

Evaluating Welfare Effects of Rice Import Quota in Japan: Based on Measuring Non-Tariff Barriers of SBS Rice Imports
Qianhui Gao, Shoichi Ito, Kolawole Ogundari, Hisamitsu Saito
Sustainability, 8, 817, 1, 13, Aug. 2016, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal, The principal objective of this study is to analyze welfare effects of Japan’s rice import quota focusing on the simultaneous buy and sell (SBS) of the rice importation minimum access (MA) policy. Based on the utility function specified in this study, the constructed model is adopted to measure consumption patterns through estimating elasticity of substitution between imported rice and Japan’s domestic rice, and consumers’ preference parameters for different kinds of rice. The results showed that Japanese households prefer domestic rice to the imported rice. Besides, three scenarios of adjusting rice quota volumes were carried out to examine the changes in consumer prices of imported rice and Japanese consumers’ welfares. The results revealed that tariff equivalents of the SBS import quota almost doubled the scale of the mark-up, and the intervention by the Ministry of Agriculture of Japan did cause non-tariff barriers to trade (NTBs). Finally, if the SBS rice quota quantity was fixed at or larger than 180 thousand tons every fiscal year, the consumer prices of imported rice in Japan’s market would decrease to be less than the prices of Japan’s domestic rice, and therefore the imported rice would have more price advantages in this scenario.

Agglomeration, Congestion, and US Regional Disparities in Employment Growth
Hisamitsu Saito, JunJie Wu
Journal of Regional Science, 56, 1, 53, 71, Jan. 2016, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal

Firm Heterogeneity, Multiplant Choice, and Agglomeration
Hisamitsu Saito
Journal of Regional Science, 55, 4, 540, 559, Sep. 2015, [Peer-reviewed], [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal

Study on the Contemporary Relationship between International and Domestic Grain Prices in Developing Countries: Focusing on Long Run and Short Run
Shuqin Yan, Kolawole Ogundari, Zhengwei Cao, Hiroshi Isoda, Shoichi Ito, Hisamitsu Saito
Japanese Journal of Rural Economics, 17, 64, 69, Mar. 2015, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [Domestic magazines]
English, Scientific journal, This study attempts to analyze long-run and short-run relationships between domestic and international grain prices; and judge whether there was a significant causality relationship between them. The results indicate that international grain prices have a positive effect on the domestic prices, and international prices increased the domestic prices during and after the 2007-2008 grain price-crisis. For causality, in short-run term, for rice in Nicaragua and Tunisia, for wheat in Georgia, Pakistan and Armenia, international prices significantly affected domestic prices; in the long-run, for rice in Dominican, Nicaragua and Tunisia, for wheat in Armenia, Georgia, Mauritania and Pakistan, and for maize in Chad, Guatemala and Nicaragua, domestic prices may be influenced by international prices.

Balancing Skilled with Unskilled Migration in an Urbanizing Agricultural Economy
Thinh Nguyen, Hisamitsu Saito, Hiroshi Isoda, Shoichi Ito
World Development, 66, 457, 467, Feb. 2015, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal, In the early stages of economic development, the migration of unskilled workers contributes to labor-intensive manufacturing production. In middle-income countries, however, the migration of skilled workers becomes the more important factor in economic progress. Evaluating the skill content of migration patterns therefore is essential to understanding migration’s economic implications. For this purpose, we investigate the determinants of skilled and unskilled migration decisions in Vietnam. Rural higher education is shown to promote knowledge-intensive production by encouraging skilled individuals to migrate to cities. In complementary fashion, commercial farm development helps alleviate urban overcrowding by encouraging unskilled individuals to remain at home.

A Study on Price Fluctuation in Chinese Grain Markets: Based on ARCH-type Models
Zhengwei Cao, Shoichi Ito, Hiroshi Isoda, Hisamitsu Saito
Agricultural Marketing Journal of Japan, 22, 69, 76, Mar. 2014, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [Domestic magazines]
English, Scientific journal, 本研究では中国の穀物価格における週単位の変動について、ARCHモデルによる分析を行った。その際、分析期間を政策や世界の経済情勢をもとに5つに細分化することで、経済政策・情勢が価格変動に果たす効果について、詳細に把握するよう努めた。分析の結果、中国がWTOに加盟する以前は、トウモロコシと大豆についてARCH効果が確認された。一方、WTO加盟直後には大豆、小麦及びインディカ米についてARCH効果を確認し、大豆の価格がハイリスク・ハイリターンであることが明らかとなった。その後、2004年に、政府が農民の収入を増やす一連の政策を打ち出したことで、小麦と米についてARCH効果が顕著に表れた。さらに米価が国際的に高騰した2007年から2008年にかけて、大豆、トウモロコシ、インディカ米においてARCH効果が確認された。それ以後は、トウモロコシとインディカ米でARCH効果がみられ、特にトウモロコシではハイリスク・ハイリターンの特徴が顕著に表れていた。

Impacts of Pork Production on Corn Demand for Feed in China
Jinfeng Xu, Shoichi Ito, Hiroshi Isoda, Hisamitsu Saito, Yoko Saito
Science bulletin of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, 69, 1, 39, 45, Feb. 2014, [Domestic magazines]
Japanese, Research institution, Previous studies such as Koizumi (2007), Ohga et al. (2009) and MAFF Policy Res. Inst. (2010) appear not to have enough data base to incorporate the exact amount of corn fed to pork. Accordingly, they may have under-estimated their demand elasticity for corn to feed. In this research, concentrating on large scale pork producing farms which mainly use corn for feeding, a large demand elasticity for corn at 0.904 was found with a 1% significance level. This may explain more realistic situation that has been going on in Chinese pork industry. Price elasticity for corn relative to wheat was also estimated at -0.360 with a 10% significance level for the large scale pork production indicating that price ratio between corn and wheat is critical.

High Meat Price and Increasing Grain Consumption in China
Jiarong Qian, Shoichi Ito, Yueying Mu, Hisamitsu Saito, Hiroshi Isoda
Japanese Journal of Farm Management, 51, 67, 72, Dec. 2013, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [Domestic magazines]
English, Scientific journal

A Study on the Impacts of Japan’s Positive List System on China’s Vegetable Exports
Qianhui Gao, Shoichi Ito, Hiroshi Isoda, Hisamitsu Saito
Japanese Journal of Farm Management, 51, 61, 66, Dec. 2013, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [Domestic magazines]
English, Scientific journal

The Impact of Ethanol Production on the Feed Use of Corn in China
Jinfeng Xu, Shoichi Ito, Hiroshi Isoda, Hisamitsu Saito, Qianhui Gao, Yoko Saito
Japanese Journal of Farm Management, 51, 73, 78, Dec. 2013, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [Domestic magazines]
Japanese, Scientific journal

Grain Price Transmission from International Markets to Chinese Domestic Markets
Zhengwei Cao, Shoichi Ito, Hiroshi Isoda, Hisamitsu Saito
Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, 58, 2, 499, 507, Sep. 2013, [Domestic magazines]
English, Research institution, After joining WTO, Chinese agricultural commodities linked more and more with the international markets. This study evaluated the grain price translation from the international grain markets to Chinese grain markets. The result of ADF test for grain prices in China and the US, which reports that all of the weekly grain prices in these two markets belong to I (1) and a long–run integration between the Chinese grain prices and the US grain prices are found in this study. We use the VECM model to find that the estimated error correction term coefficients are –0.04749, –0.002187, –0.0009480, –0.005806 and –0.004652 for soybeans, wheat, corn, indica rice and japonica rice, respectively. In addition, the volatility for the US' soybeans prices can Granger–cause the Chinese soybeans prices fluctuated. And the impulse response function Chinese grain prices response immediately to its own standard deviation innovation and the impact from the international markets is more significant for soybeans. The US's soybeans and corn prices show significant effect to its own innovation.

Motivations for Local Food Demand by Japanese Consumers: A Conjoint Analysis with Reference-Point Effects
Hisamitsu Saito, Yoko Saito
Agribusiness: An International Journal, 29, 147, 161, Mar. 2013, [Peer-reviewed], [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal, Consumers often favor locally over nonlocally produced foods in the belief they have higher quality and provide the quasipublic service of conserving local agriculture. The aim of the present study is to clarify these two motivations’ relative contributions to product demand by considering consumer reference points, that is preferences for remaining at present consumption and price levels. A stated-preference method is applied to the Japanese demand for bread from local wheat. We find that Japanese consumers pay a significant premium for local wheat bread and that more than half the observed demand variation is explained by a product's quasipublic nature. In contrast, reference-point effects suggest that those who frequently buy local food have a negative willingness-to-pay for imported or nonlocal-domestic breads. Appealing to local food-buyers’ preferences for a local source and for environmental quality thus appears to be the most effective way of promoting local wheat bread.

A Study on Dynamic Impacts of Chinese Exchange Rate on China's Vegetable Exports: A Case of Vegetable Exports to Japan
Qianhui Gao, Shoichi Ito, Hiroshi Isoda, Hisamitsu Saito
Journal of Rural Economics, Special Issue, 345, 351, Dec. 2012, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [Domestic magazines]
English, Scientific journal, This study examines if exchange rate changes of the yuan have a significant relationship with vegetable exports to Japan. Moreover, it examines if exchange rate and its volatility have different impacts on the export volume. For this purpose, the study employs a vector autoregressive (CAR) model and analyses the impulse responses of vegetable exports to exchange rate and its uncertainty. In general, the study finds that the exchange rate has a statistically significant effect on trade volume, i.e., appreciation of the yuan against the yen reduces vegetable exports from China to Japan. However, vegetable traders respond to the exchange rate movement with time lags. It needs a relatively long time for them to respond to a change in exchange rate. For the exchange rate volatility, the study finds a negative effect, implying most traders are risk-averse and the uncertainty in exchange rate reduces their willingness to trade.

Study on Grain Direct Subsidies in China: A Case Study Based on Attitudes of Farmers
Ning-Ning Sun, Shoichi Ito, Hiroshi Isoda, Hisamitsu Saito, Andreas Neef, Bao-Hui Liang
Japanese Journal of Farm Management, 50, 2, 106, 111, Sep. 2012, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [Domestic magazines]
English, Scientific journal

Yield Response to Price and High-Quality Seed Subsidy Policies in China
Jiarong Qian, Shoichi Ito, Hiroshi Isoda, Hisamitsu Saito
Japanese Journal of Farm Management, 50, 1, 118, 123, Jun. 2012, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [Domestic magazines]
English, Scientific journal

Effect of Formula Fertilization Technology Subsidy Policy on Rice Production in China: A Case of Xinyang City
Jiarong Qian, Shoichi Ito, Yueying Mu, Hiroshi Isoda, Hisamitsu Saito
Journal of Rural Problems, 48, 1, 31, 34, Jun. 2012, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [Domestic magazines]
English, Scientific journal, 中国では化学肥料や農薬の過度な使用が環境へ及ぼす効果が問題視され，肥料投入を適切に管理する配合施肥技術が注目されている．しかし，高額な費用がその普及の妨げとなっていることから，中国政府は普及を目的とした補助事業を2005年に開始した．そこで本論文ではDEAを援用し，補助事業が中国の稲作生産の効率性に与える影響の定量的な評価を行った．分析の結果，全ての分析対象地において生産効率が格段に向上しており，また生産要素の使用が効率化されていることから補助事業の有効性が確認された．

Evaluation of Grain Price Stabilization Policies in China: How Did China Control the Domestic Grain Prices in 2008?
Zhengwei Cao, Shoichi Ito, Hiroshi Isoda, Hisamitsu Saito
Japanese Journal of Farm Management, 50, 1, 124, 129, Jun. 2012, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [Domestic magazines]
English, Scientific journal

Local Impacts of the 2007/2008 Food Price Crisis: Evidence from Rice Market Integration in Vietnam
Kien Nguyen, Shoichi Ito, Hiroshi Isoda, Hisamitsu Saito
Journal of Rural Economics, Special Issue, 298, 305, Dec. 2011, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [Domestic magazines]
English, Scientific journal, Using weekly data from 2007 to 2010, this study explored the spatial integration of local rice markets in different regions of Vietnam before, during and after the food price crisis in the 2007/08 period. Using Johansen's co-integration test, the study determined clear long-run relationships among the market places. Yet market integration weakened considerably between surplus and deficit regions and it tended to be severer in the post-crisis period. Moreover, the adjustment speed remained extremely low after the price crisis because rice prices behaved locally among different groups of market places. Hence, in order to mitigate the impacts of food price increases, the analysis indicates that policy interventions need to concentrate on improving the integration between rice-surplus and deficit regions.

Heterogeneous firms, trade liberalization and agglomeration
Hisamitsu Saito, Munisamy Gopinath, JunJie Wu
Canadian Journal of Economics, 44, 2, 541, 560, May 2011, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal

Knowledge Spillovers, Absorptive Capacity, and Skill Intensity of Chilean Manufacturing Plants
Hisamitsu Saito, Munisamy Gopinath
Journal of Regional Science, 51, 83, 101, Feb. 2011, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal, Knowledge spillovers are an important source of economic growth. In this study, we identify a mechanism through which knowledge spillovers occur among plants in the Chilean manufacturing industry. A plant-level production function is estimated with the absorptive-capacity hypothesis, that is, employment of skilled workers is a key channel through which knowledge is transmitted across plants. Results show that a plant's productivity from spillovers increases with its skill intensity, which is measured by the share of skilled workers in total employment. We also find that plants in a region with a large knowledge stock increase their skill intensity to benefit more from spillovers. Our results suggest that an increase in regional knowledge stock is the most effective policy to improve a plant's productivity. However, policies that encourage a plant to employ high skill-intensive production also enhance its productivity.

Quality-Oriented Technical Change in Japanese Wheat Breeding
Yoko Saito, Hisamitsu Saito, Takumi Kondo, Fumio Osanami
Research Policy, 38, 1365, 1375, Oct. 2009, [Peer-reviewed], [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal, The article presents a productivity analysis of Japanese wheat breeding research. We first estimate a hedonic function to determine the marginal implicit values of Japanese wheat characteristics and find that protein contributes substantially to millers’ price offers to farmers. Induced innovation theory implies breeders thus should be responding to new protein-oriented price policies by developing high-protein wheat varieties. We test this hypothesis by estimating a distance function relating breeding resources – including what we call gene-recharge rates – to the yield and protein characteristics of discovered varieties. New varieties indeed have been protein-favoring and yield-disfavoring, suggesting government research programs have been market-oriented.

Consumer Evaluations of Pork from Hogs Raised on Recycled Food Waste
Yoko Saito, Hisamitsu Saito, Yasushi Sembokuya
Agricultural Information Research, 18, 3, 152, 161, Oct. 2009, [Peer-reviewed], [Domestic magazines]
Japanese, Scientific journal, Eco-feed is an animal feed produced from the byproducts of food processing industry, and from food waste from restaurants. The use of eco-feed has gained greater attention as concerns about resource sustainability and Japan's low self-sufficiency rate in animal feed have increased. Although the use of eco-feed may help increase farm profits, it could also decrease the price of the meat relative to that of hogs raised on standard feed. This study analyzes consumer evaluations of pork from hogs raised on eco-feed using a stated preference method. The eco-feed-fed pork was negatively evaluated by some consumers, especially those who were reluctant to try it. On the contrary, the pork received positive evaluations from those who stated they were interested in recycling food, and from people with high incomes. To enhance the use of eco-feed at farm level, it is necessary to inform consumers that the quality of eco-feed is ensured and the use of eco-feed will help Japan achieve a sustainable society.

Plants' Self-Selection, Agglomeration Economies and Regional Productivity in Chile
Hisamitsu Saito, Munisamy Gopinath
Journal of Economic Geography, 9, 539, 558, Jul. 2009, [Peer-reviewed], ［Internationally co-authored］, [International Magazine]
English, Scientific journal, In this study, we assess the relative contribution of plants’ self-selection and agglomeration economies to a region's productivity level. We focus on manufacturing plants by region in the Chilean food industry, which is not only a major source of employment and exports but also spatially dispersed. Our estimation of plant-level productivity corrects for possible simultaneity between productivity and conventional inputs and plants’ self-selection to locate in specific markets. Moreover, we account for three sources of externalities: localization, urbanization and demand-driven scale economies in our estimation. Then, a censored regression model relates regional productivity-distribution measures to agglomeration economies. We find that high-productivity (exporting) plants locate in a region where other plants in food industry agglomerate, industrial structure is diversified and market size is large. Our results suggest that plants’ self-selection outweighs the contribution of agglomeration economies in increasing a region's productivity level.

Hedonic Price Analysis of Japanese Wheat Quality
Yoko Saito, Hisamitsu Saito
Agricultural Information Research, 18, 1, 52, 59, Apr. 2009, [Peer-reviewed], [Domestic magazines]
Japanese, Scientific journal, Japanese wheat price did not reflect the wheat quality until the abolition of the government control, resulting in the excess supply of unfavorable wheat for millers and consumers. The introduction of price bidding system in 2000 resulted to a wide price gap between varieties. Thus, the objective of this paper is to find the factors causing this gap that helps breeders and farmers set up breeding targets and choose a variety. Applying hedonic model to wheat quality data, we obtain the marginal implicit values of protein content, ash content, color, weight and amylo. Results show that hard wheat and protein content explain much of price gap, suggesting that hard wheat with high protein content is the best breeding target to maximize farmers' benefit.

Import Competition, Product Switching, and R&D Activities　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Toshiyuki Matsuura, Hisamitsu Saito, RIETI Discussion Paper Series, 25-E-020, Feb. 2025
English, Technical report

Designing a tourism stimulus during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
Hisamitsu Saito, The annals of Research Center for Economic and Business Networks, 11, 35, 38, Mar. 2022, [Domestic magazines]
Japanese, Lecture materials

Designing a Tourism Stimulus During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Toshiyuki Matsuura, Hisamitsu Saito, RIETI Discussion Paper Series, 21-E-012, Feb. 2021
English, Technical report

Foreign Direct Investment and Labour Market Dynamics in a Developing Country: Evidence from Indonesian Plant-Level Data　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Matsuura Toshiyuki, Saito Hisamitsu, ERIA Discussion Paper Series, 318, Feb. 2020
English, Technical report

Agglomeration Economies, Productivity, and Quality Upgrading　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Hisamitsu Saito, Toshiyuki Matsuura, RIETI Discussion Paper Series, 16-E-085, Aug. 2016
English, Technical report

Regional tourism dynamics in Japan: An exploratory spatial analysis
João Romão, Hisamitsu Saito, CEFAGE-UE Working Paper, 02, 2016
English

Agglomeration and innovation in developing countries
Hisamitsu Saito, The annals of Research Center for Economic and Business Networks, 4, 58, 60, Mar. 2015, [Domestic magazines]
Japanese, Lecture materials

Inter-Regional Spillovers and Urban-Rural Disparity in U.S. Employment Growth　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Hisamitsu Saito, Munisamy Gopinath, JunJie Wu, ERSA conference papers ersa10p1129, European Regional Science Association, Aug. 2010
English, Summary international conference

地産地消とその動機 −品質か多面的機能の維持か−　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光, 齋藤陽子, 十勝型地産地消と地域密着型フードシステムの展開に関する研究』, 平成21年度帯広畜産大学・帯広信用金庫共同研究成果報告書(研究代表者：仙北谷康), Mar. 2010
Japanese, Technical report

学校給食からみた十勝型地産地消の特徴と課題　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤陽子, 齋藤久光, 十勝型地産地消と地域密着型フードシステムの展開に関する研究, 平成21年度帯広畜産大学・帯広信用金庫共同研究成果報告書(研究代表者：仙北谷康), Mar. 2010
Japanese, Technical report

エコフィード認証を受けた豚肉に対する消費者評価 −北海道の消費者を対象に−
齋藤陽子, 齋藤久光, エコフィード産業クラスターの形成と課題に関する研究, 平成20年度帯広畜産大学・帯広信用金庫共同研究成果報告書(研究代表者：仙北谷康), Mar. 2009
Japanese, Technical report

Evaluation of Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee’s Promotion Program　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Munisamy Gopinath, Hisamitsu Saito, Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee, Parma, ID and Agricultural Marketing Service, US Department of Agriculture, Washington DC, Jan. 2007
English, Technical report

Evaluation of Hazelnut Marketing Board’s Promotion Program　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Munisamy Gopinath, Hisamitsu Saito, Hazelnut Marketing Board, Portland, OR and Agricultural Marketing Service, US Department of Agriculture, Washington DC, Oct. 2006
English, Technical report

食品産業の技術構造と都市の規模に関する分析 −函館市と室蘭市を例として−　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光, 近藤巧, フードシステムの構造変化に伴う新農業技術の普及に関する研究, 平成12年度科学研究費補助金基盤研究(C)2研究成果報告書(研究代表者：土井時久), Mar. 2001
Japanese, Technical report

Globalization and the Rural-Urban Divide　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Gopinath, Munisamy, Hanho Kim, The Dynamics of Plant Productivity and Regional Productivity Growth in Chile
Seoul National University Press, Dec. 2009, 9788952110718, English, Scholarly book, [Contributor]

Trade Liberalization and Internal Migration in Indonesia　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Hisamitsu Saito
The 19th International Convention of the East Asian Economic Association, Nov. 2024, English, Oral presentation
Thailand, [International presentation]

〔Major achievements〕貿易自由化と発展途上国における労働移動―労働者の技能に注目して―　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Hisamitsu Saito
応用地域学会第38回研究発表大会, Nov. 2024, Japanese, Oral presentation
九州産業大学, [Domestic Conference]

Foreign Direct Investment and Quality-Upgrading Spillovers in Indonesia　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Hisamitsu Saito, Toshiyuki Matsuura
The 19th Indonesian Regional Science Association International Conference, Jul. 2024, English, Oral presentation
Indonesia, [International presentation]

貿易自由化と発展途上国における労働移動―労働者の技能に注目して―　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Hisamitsu Saito
日本国際経済学会第13回春季大会, Jun. 2024, Japanese, Oral presentation
東北学院大学, [Domestic Conference]

貿易自由化と発展途上国における労働移動―労働者の技能に注目して―　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Hisamitsu Saito
第141回北海道農業経済学会例会, Mar. 2024, Japanese, Oral presentation
北海道大学, [Domestic Conference]

Foreign Direct Investment and Quality Upgrading Spillovers in Indonesia　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Hisamitsu Saito, Toshiyuki Matsuura
The 62nd Congress of the European Regional Science Association, Aug. 2023, English, Oral presentation
[International presentation]

Foreign Direct Investment and Quality Upgrading in Indonesian Manufacturing　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Saito Hisamitsu, Matsuura Toshiyuki
応用地域学会第35回研究発表大会, Nov. 2021, Japanese, Oral presentation

Foreign Direct Investment and Quality Upgrading in Indonesian Manufacturing　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Hisamitsu Saito, Toshiyuki Matsuura
日本国際経済学会第10回春季大会, Jun. 2021, Japanese, Oral presentation
[Domestic Conference]

Foreign Direct Investment and Labor Market Dynamics in a Developing Country: Evidence from Indonesian Plant-Level Data　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
松浦寿幸, 齋藤久光
応用地域学会第 33 回研究発表大会, Nov. 2019, Japanese, Oral presentation
[Domestic Conference]

FDI and Labor Market Dynamics in a Developing Country: Evidence from Indonesian Plant-Level Data　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Matsuura, Toshiyuki, Hisamitsu Saito
2019 North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International, Nov. 2019, English, Oral presentation
[International presentation]

FDI and Labor Market Dynamics in a Developing Country: Evidence from Indonesian Plant-Level Data　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Matsuura, Toshiyuki, Hisamitsu Saito
The 59th Congress of the European Regional Science Association, Aug. 2019, English, Oral presentation
[International presentation]

FDI and Labor Market Dynamics in a Developing Country: Evidence from Indonesian Plant-Level Data　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
松浦寿幸, 齋藤久光
Theoretical Economics and Agriculture 2019年度春季研究会, Mar. 2019, Japanese, Oral presentation
[Domestic Conference]

ゲノム編集技術を利用した水産物の消費者受容　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤陽子, 渡邉大樹, 齋藤久光
2018年度食農資源経済学会第12回大会, Sep. 2018, Japanese, Oral presentation
[Domestic Conference]

Agglomeration Economies, Productivity, and Quality Upgrading　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Saito, Hisamitsu, Toshiyuki Matsuura
The 15th Summer Institute of the Pacific Regional Science Conference Organization, Jul. 2018, English, Oral presentation
[International presentation]

観光需要の季節変動と地域経済　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光, João Romão
応用地域学会第31回研究発表大会, Nov. 2017, English, Oral presentation
[Domestic Conference]

Agglomeration Economies, Productivity, and Quality Upgrading　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Saito, Hisamitsu, Toshiyuki Matsuura
The 57th Congress of the European Regional Science Association, Sep. 2017, English, Oral presentation
[International presentation]

Agglomeration Economies, Productivity, and Quality Upgrading　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Saito, Hisamitsu, Toshiyuki Matsuura
WEAI 13th International Conference, Jan. 2017, English, Oral presentation
[International presentation]

集積の経済・生産性と品質改善　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光, 松浦寿幸
応用地域学会第30回研究発表会, Nov. 2016, English, Oral presentation
[Domestic Conference]

新育種技術（NBT）により作出された農産物に対する消費者評価　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤陽子, 渡邉大樹, 齋藤久光
2016年度食農資源経済学会第10回大会, Sep. 2016, Japanese, Oral presentation
[Domestic Conference]

Demand for a Transgenic Good with Nutritional, Medical, and Environmental Qualities　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Saito, Yoko, Hideo Aizaki, Hisamitsu Saito, Takumi Kondo, Yasutaka Yamamoto
2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, Jul. 2015, English, Poster presentation
[International presentation]

日系食品企業の企業特性と海外立地選択　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光
2014年度食農資源経済学会第8回大会, Sep. 2014, Japanese, Oral presentation
[Domestic Conference]

多国籍企業の参入が地域経済に与える影響 −インドネシアを事例に−　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光
応用地域学会第27回研究発表大会, Dec. 2013, Japanese, Oral presentation
京都大学, [Domestic Conference]

多国籍食品企業が地域経済に与える影響 −インドネシアを事例に−　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光
2013年度食農資源経済学会第7回大会, Sep. 2013, Japanese, Oral presentation
別府大学, [Domestic Conference]

企業の異質性と日系食品企業の海外立地選択　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光
第125回北海道農業経済学会例会, Mar. 2013, Japanese, Oral presentation
北海道大学, [Domestic Conference]

企業の異質性，海外直接投資と地域間経済格差　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光, Munisamy Gopinath
応用地域学会第25回研究発表会, Dec. 2011, Japanese, Oral presentation
富山大学, [Domestic Conference]

なぜ消費者は地産地消をするのか −参照点効果と表明選好法による接近−　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光
第120回北海道農業経済学会例会, Sep. 2010, Japanese, Oral presentation
北海道大学, [Domestic Conference]

Inter-Regional Spillovers and Urban-Rural Disparity in U.S. Employment Growth　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Saito, Hisamitsu, Munisamy Gopinath, JunJie Wu
The 50th European Congress of the Regional Science Association International, Aug. 2010, English, Oral presentation
J?nk?ping, Sweden, [Domestic Conference]

地域間スピルオーバーと雇用増加率の農村都市間格差　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光
Theoretical Economics and Agriculture 2010年度春季研究会, Mar. 2010, Japanese, Oral presentation
京都大学, [Domestic Conference]

雇用増加率の農村都市間格差とその要因 −空間計量経済学的アプローチ−　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光
2010年度日本農業経済学会大会, Mar. 2010, Japanese, Oral presentation
京都大学, [Domestic Conference]

アメリカにおける経済成長の地域間格差とその要因　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光
応用地域学会第23回研究発表大会, Dec. 2009, Japanese, Oral presentation
山形大学, [Domestic Conference]

Knowledge Spillovers and Spatial Concentration of High Skill-Intensive Production: The Chilean Case　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Saito, Hisamitsu, Munisamy Gopinath
The 2009 Comparative Analysis of Enterprise (Micro) Data Conference, Oct. 2009, English, Oral presentation
Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, [Domestic Conference]

豚肉のエコフィード認証に対する消費者評価　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤陽子, 齋藤久光, 仙北谷康
第117回北海道農業経済学会例会, Feb. 2009, Japanese, Oral presentation
北海道大学, [Domestic Conference]

製造業における知識のスピルオーバーおよび技術吸収力が熟練労働集約的な生産活動の集積に与える影響　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光
応用地域学会第22回研究発表大会, Nov. 2008, Japanese, Oral presentation
釧路公立大学, [Domestic Conference]

国内産小麦の品質が入札価格に及ぼす影響　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤陽子, 齋藤久光
平成20年度日本農業経営学会研究大会, Sep. 2008, Japanese, Oral presentation
鳥取大学, [Domestic Conference]

Spatial Concentration of Skilled Labor: the Chilean Case　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Saito, Hisamitsu, Musamy Gopinath
International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium, Winter Meeting, Jan. 2008, English, Oral presentation
Willard Intercontinental Hotel Washington, D.C., [Domestic Conference]

貿易自由化と生産性格差の集積に及ぼす影響　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光
応用地域学会第21回研究発表会, Dec. 2007, Japanese, Oral presentation
鳥取県立県民文化会館, [Domestic Conference]

食品産業の企業立地と地域経済 −新経済地理学からのアプローチ−　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
齋藤久光, Munisamy Gopinath
2007年度日本農業経済学会大会, Mar. 2007, Japanese, Oral presentation
沖縄国際大学, [Domestic Conference]

An Empirical Study on the Impact of Business Travel on International Trade
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research
01 Apr. 2024 - 31 Mar. 2027
齋藤 久光
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), Hokkaido University, 24K04854

Theoretical and Empirical Studies on the International Specialization in Japan and East Asia in the Era of Covid-19 and Beyond
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research
01 Apr. 2022 - 31 Mar. 2026
木村 福成, 清田 耕造, 松浦 寿幸, 齋藤 久光, 田中 清泰, 笹原 彰, 早川 和伸, 伊藤 匡, 大久保 敏弘
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), Keio University, 22H00063

発展途上国における経済のグローバル化と地域間労働移動
科学研究費助成事業
01 Apr. 2021 - 31 Mar. 2024
齋藤 久光
本研究は，インドネシアを事例に，工業製品への関税削減が国内の労働移動に与える影響を考察するものである．先行研究によると，発展途上国において熟練労働集約的な中間財の輸入が増えるにしたがい，地場企業は未熟練労働を集約的に用いる生産へと移行することが知られている．一方，熟練労働集約的な輸入中間財を使用するためには熟練労働が必要となり，その結果，地場企業の熟練労働集約度が高まることを示した先行研究も存在する．そこで本研究では，輸入関税の削減により，労働移動がどのような影響を受けるのか，労働者の学歴や職業別にその影響を明らかにする．
令和3年度は主に，統計データの整理と実証モデルの検討を行った．統計データの整理では，インドネシアが課す各財への関税率と，インドネシアの産業連関表を組み合わせることで，産業ごとに中間財の輸入にかかる関税率を求めた．さらに，インドネシアの『工業統計調査・個票データ』から得られる各地域の産業別従業者割合をもとに，関税削減が中間財輸入に与える影響を地域別に測定する変数を作成した．
実証モデルの検討では，先行研究の整理を主に行った．その結果，地域間の労働移動数を移動元と移動先の地域特性によって説明する重力モデルや，労働移動をするかしないか，移動するならばどの地域に移動するかを，個人特性や移動先の地域特性によって説明する条件付きロジットモデルを用いた分析が主として行われていることが分かった．条件付きロジットモデルについてはこれまでの研究で利用した経験があるため，令和3年度は重力モデルの特性を把握することを目的に，コロナ禍での旅行者の移動実態の変化を日本を事例に分析し，論文にまとめた．
日本学術振興会, 基盤研究(C), 北海道大学, 21K01478

Inward Foreign Direct Investment and Quality Upgrading of Local Firms
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
01 Apr. 2018 - 31 Mar. 2021
Saito Hisamitsu
In this study, we examine the impact of inward foreign direct investment on the management of local firms in the host country, focusing on its impact on the quality of their products. Employing firm-level data for Indonesia, we show that local firms can acquire the know-how to produce high-quality goods from multinational enterprises (MNEs). In addition, MNEs indirectly contribute to the quality upgrading of local firms by enhancing their productivity so that they can bear the additional costs necessary to upgrade the quality of their products.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), Hokkaido University, 18K01602

Entry and exit of multinational and local firms and its impact on the host economy
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
01 Apr. 2015 - 31 Mar. 2018
Saito Hisamitsu
The entry of multinational firms will increase the average productivity level in developing countries through (i) the exit of inefficient local firms and (ii) spillover effects. Employing plant-level data in Indonesian manufacturing, we find that the entry of multinational firms induces the exit of low-productivity local firms from the market. In addition, this effect has greater impacts on regional productivity than spillover effects. Thus, the benefits of foreign direct investment will be maximized by facilitating the entry and exit of local firms.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B), Hokkaido University, Principal investigator, Competitive research funding, 15K17042

Integrated Research of the Agricultural Trade Liberalization Impact on the Natural and Social Environment: Toward the Enhancement of Agricultural Trade Negotiation Power　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
01 Apr. 2014 - 31 Mar. 2018
山本 康貴, 近藤 功庸, 齋藤 久光, 齋藤 陽子, 増田 清敬, 近藤 巧, 澤内 大輔, 合崎 英男
日EU経済連携協定の発効など、農産物貿易の自由化圧力がより一層強まっている。農産物貿易の自由化は、輸出国と輸入国双方における農業の生産や経済面だけはなく、環境にも影響を及ぼす。環境への影響も、生物多様性喪失などの自然環境だけには留まらない。日本などの輸入国側では輸入拡大・生産縮小に伴う失業問題などの社会不安、さらには、米国などの輸出国側でも、輸出・生産の拡大に伴う不法移民労働の雇用拡大やこれに伴う低賃金や長時間労働の強制などの社会環境にも甚大な影響を及ぼす可能性は注目される。こうした農産物貿易自由化が、自然環境だけはなく社会環境にも及ぼす影響を総合的に実証分析し、日本の農産物貿易交渉力強化に資する基礎的知見を提供することが、本研究の目的である。本研究では、農産物貿易自由化が環境に及ぼす影響を、次の２つの座標から分析する。１つ目は、自然環境への影響と社会環境への影響という軸である。２つ目は、農業生産現場の実態等における影響というミクロ的視点と、このミクロ的視点を踏まえた国全体における影響等というマクロ的視点という軸である。これら２つを軸にし、本研究では、農産物貿易自由化が、輸入国だけではなく、輸出国にも自然環境のみならず社会環境にも影響を及ぼす可能性を、実証的に解明する。本年度は、農産物貿易が社会環境と自然環境へ及ぼす影響についての国民評価の解明を試みた。具体的には、農産物貿易自由化が社会環境と自然環境についての国民評価に関連する国内外の学術論文・文献を、電子ジャーナルデータベースなどを利用してサーベイし、学会参加なども通じて関連する最新の研究情報を入手した。社会環境と自然環境に対する消費者評価を、ウェブ調査のアンケートデータを用い、計量モデル分析で解明した。
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), Hokkaido University, 26252036

Determinants and its impact of deepening of international production network in East Asia in heterogeneous firm framework
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
01 Apr. 2014 - 31 Mar. 2018
KIMURA Fukunari, HAYAKAWA Kazunobu, ITO Tadashi, TANAKA Kiyoyasu, SAITO Hisamitsu
The aim of this project is to investigate how international production and distribution networks have been developed in East Asia and to examine the impacts of such networks on the economy. In particular, we focus on the activities of multinational enterprises (MNEs), which have played a central role in the formation of international production networks. Specifically, we study their location choice abroad and how they change their sales and procurement patterns. The impacts of their entry on the productivity of local firms are also explored.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Keio University, 26285058

Foreign direct investment by food processing firms: Motivation and location decisions
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
01 Apr. 2012 - 31 Mar. 2015
SAITO Hisamitsu
This study investigates the motivation for and location decisions of foreign direct investment by Japanese food processing firms. The results show that a reduction in prices of agricultural products in a country attracts inward investment by high-productivity multinational firms. The entry of multinational firms induces the exit of low-productivity local firms from the market. The resulting increase in average productivity of food processing firms improves economic welfare of the host country.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B), 九州大学, Principal investigator, Competitive research funding, 24780213

Role of Multinational Firms in the International Production and Distribution Networks in Asia
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
01 Apr. 2010 - 31 Mar. 2014
KIMURA Fukunari, MASTUURA Toshiyuki, OKUBO Toshihiro, HAYAKAWA Kazunobu, MACHIKITA Tomohiro, TANAKA Kiyoyasu, ANDO Mitsuyo, ITO Tadashi, SAITO Hisamitsu
This study investigates the mechanics of the production and distribution network in East Asia. It is well known that the production and distribution network has developed in East Asia since the 1990s and has contributed to economic growth in this region. In this research project, using firm-, plant-, or product-level micro data, we examine how the production and distribution network has emerged and its impact on local economy, with paying attention to the following three factors; (a) the reduction of trade cost, (b) factor price gap or differences in location advantages, and (c) the role of multinational firms.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Keio University, 22330087