Contents

Part I - Institute of Social Science: Present Situation and Prospects

1. History

2. The Institute Today

• 1) Flexible Research Fields Under the Division System
• 2) Comprehensive Empirical Social Science Research from an International and Comparative Perspective and Its Central Topic of Japanese Society
• 3) Three-tiered Research System
• 4) International Network Node for Social Science Research on Japan
• 5) More Media for Transmitting Research Information and Results
• 6) The Role of the Information Center for Social Science Research on Japan
• 7) The ISS Library
• 8) The Institute's Educational Activities
• 9) Research Associates and Research Support Structure
• 10) Self-review and Self-evaluation

3. Future Prospects

• 1) Promotion of International Research Projects
• 2) Node Linking Western and Asian Research on Japanese Society
• 3) Accumulation, Development, and Analysis of Empirical Data, and Dissemination of Results
• 4) Development and Improvement of Educational and Training Functions
• 5) Toward a New Dimension in Comprehensive Empirical Social Science Research from the Perspective of International Comparison