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Ćkita Saburo was a Japanese economist and government official who was instrumental in developing the plan that doubled Japanâs national income in less than 10 years during the 1960s.
After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo), Ćkita in 1937 joined the Ministry of Posts as an engineer. He became chief of the research section of the Economic Stabilization Board in 1947, chief of the economic cooperation unit of the Economic Planning Agency (EPA) in 1953, director general of the EPAâs planning bureau in 1957, and director general of the EPAâs development bureau in 1962. In these posts Ćkita was instrumental in developing the theoretical framework for the economic plan of Prime Minister Ikeda Hayatoâs government (1960â64) that greatly accelerated the economic growth of postwar Japan.
Ćkita became president of the Japan Economic Research Centre in 1964 and served as its chairman from 1973 to 1979. He served as minister of foreign affairs from 1979 to 1980 and subsequently continued to act as one of the leading academic spokesmen for Japan. Among his numerous books on economic planning and development are The Future of Japanâs Economy (1960), Economic Planning (1962), Future Vision for the Japanese Economy (1968), and Japan and the World Economy (1975).
