Introduction: Evolutionary Economics in Japan

This chapter provides an overview of evolutionary economics in Japan, focusing on the activities of the Japan Association for Evolutionary Economics (JAFEE). First, it describes JAFEE’s foundation in 1997 and its background in Japanese economic academism. The idea of evolutionary economics met the desires of researchers who were unsatisfied with the static and sterile system of equilibrium economics and the deterministic traits of Marxian economics. In the progress of evolutionary economics in Japan after JAFEE’s foundation, the concept of “complexities” played a significant role in extending the evolutionary view into interdisciplinary areas beyond economics, in addition to biological evolution. Then, this chapter introduces the themes of the following nine chapters, mixing the editor’s comments. This part is based on the abstracts provided by the chapter authors. Finally, this introduction closes by suggesting the tasks remaining for the growth of evolutionary economics in Japan.