The University of Tokyo is composed of 15 graduate schools and 11 affiliated research institutes. Shaken (ISS) is one of these research institutes.

The ISS was established in 1946 based on reflection of the bitter experience of the war and the nature of prewar Japanese social science research. The institute aims to support the construction of a “democratic and peace-loving nation” by promoting empirical social science based on systematic collection of data and conducting comparative studies of high academic standards.

The disciplines of ISS staff cover the four academic fields of social sciences of law, political science, economics and sociology, and the regions that are being studied spread throughout Japan, East Asia, Europe and the Americas.
The mission of the ISS is to conduct empirical studies using historical and comparative perspectives, and to contribute to a social scientific understanding of Japan and of the world by taking advantage of the interdisciplinary and international nature of academic foundation.

ISS staff engages in educational activities in graduate and undergraduate schools by offering lectures and seminars.

Three Pillars of ISS Activities

1. Promotion of multiple joint research including institute-wide joint research projects
2. Building a foundation for empirical social science research centering on the Data Archive
3. Role as an international hub for social science research on Japan