The Meiji University Research Center for Evidence-Based Policymaking (MURC-EBPM) aims to advance evidence-based policymaking (EBPM) by identifying which labor market policies are most effective in the context of demographic decline, a challenge of particular urgency in Japan. Our research agenda is grounded in rigorous empirical analysis, leveraging large-scale data to generate insights of relevance to both scholars and policymakers.
Japan is currently experiencing a rapid population decline, raising fundamental questions about how labor market institutions and policies can adapt to ensure sustainable economic and social outcomes. The Center’s mission is to empirically evaluate such policy measures, thereby contributing to the broader international debate on demographic change and labor markets.
Recent institutional developments have further underscored the importance of this research agenda. In Japan’s business environment, human capital management has become mainstream, and companies are now required to disclose information related to human capital and diversity—such as the percentage of women in managerial positions, male childcare leave uptake rates, and gender pay gaps—in their securities reports and on their corporate websites.
In particular, under the Act on the Promotion of Female Participation and Career Advancement in the Workplace and related ordinances issued by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, companies above a certain size are mandated to disclose their gender pay gaps.
These reforms clearly highlight the growing importance of transparency and accountability in Japan’s labor markets.
In fiscal year 2025, the Center is undertaking a research program that focuses on the economic and organizational consequences of such disclosure policies, examining their effects on both firms and workers. Through this work, we seek to generate knowledge that informs academic discourse, guides policy design, and supports evidence-based decision-making in the face of demographic and institutional transformation.
ebpm_center[at]meiji.ac.jp