Masahisa Fujita

Who is Masahisa Fujita?

Masahisa Fujita is a Japanese economist and professor at Kyoto university, who has studied regional science and Urban Economics and International Trade, Spatial Economy.

Fujita majored in urban planning as an undergraduate at Kyoto University. He studied regional science in University of Pennsylvania under Walter Isard and obtained a Ph.D. from University of Pennsylvania in 1972. He taught at University of Pennsylvania for about 20 years, and has been the faculty of Institute of Economic Research Kyoto University since 1995, where he served as Director in 1999. He was the President of Institute of Developing Economies during 2003 to 2007, and proposed a basic concept of Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia to JETRO and METI.In 2007, he became President and Chief Research Officer of the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Fujita is known as one of the pioneers of New Economic Geography, research of Spatial Economy as well as Paul Krugman. Fujita is the recipient of the 1983 Tord Palander Prize, the 1998 Walter Isard Award in regional science, and also awarded First Alonso Prize with Paul Krugman.