ABSTRACT
The position of women in Japanese society has been shifting with changing international relations. Japanese household economics was innovated by Sumi Oe and Tomoko Matsudaira, who firmly connected kaseigaku and economics. It emphasizes house/household management. The roots of kaseigaku trace back into the household management explored by Ekiken Kaibara, a male Confucian scholar of the Tokugawa period. After 1945, Akiko Ito and Eiko Shinotsuka placed the household at the center of economic analysis. Further, Ito examined the standard of living and the weight of housing loan planning. It is noteworthy that parts of the analysis bear some resemblance to Gary Becker's Human Capital, which focused on households and education, generating both empirical studies and theoretical discussion. Kikue Yamakawa, Koko Sanpei, and Setsu Tanino experienced and observed the changes happening both in women's social status and more generally throughout society. They eventually became leaders for women seeking equal rights after 1945, when Japan lost the Asia-Pacific campaign.
