The Institute of Behavioral Sciences,
an incorporated foundation, took its first step in
a field of new activities in collaboration with related
organizations in the early 1960s. During those years,
analytical work using computers was attracting attention
as a new method and it was a time of new global dawn
when there was growing tendency to further the understanding
of method.
In the early 1960s, construction of full-scale expressways and Shinkansen
line (a Japanese high-speed passenger train) led to the dawn of the age of
high-speed transport network in Japan. Promoting the expansion of high-speed
transport network and the growing interest in its impact, and, on the other hand
increasingly growing interests in regional, urban, transport and environmental
problems resulted in a strong need to address them more scientifically and comprehensively.
The Institute made its debut as a research organization that looked forward to
the future of information technology and put extensive interdisciplinary minds
and intelligence together to cope with the social problems.
Information technology has since made rapid progress, transformed
all the social activities, and built up a new information society. And as we
have now stepped into the 21st century, the society as a whole is becoming
significantly different under the trend of the times of structural changes. In
Japan, a major review is being made as to the way political, administrative and
economic systems should be. Such changes are also starting to take place in our
research fields of country, region, and urban transport planning and new questions
confront us.
The Institute’s activities have spanned over about 40 years
and they have always been in alignment with the changes in times and have built
up development of new technologies one by one to meet the needs of the society.
We will always be conscious of new developments in the future and respond to
social needs at a higher-quality level through development and stock of advanced
technologies and new knowledge.
In our daily activities we will always check items such as whether
the information provided to decision makers is sufficiently necessary and is
simple; whether consideration has been given to global environmental problems
and countermeasures for software are included in the information; whether research
work is transparent or feasibility has been presented; and whether sufficient
consideration has been taken into account for the surrounding fields.
Furthermore, it is a fact that people are showing considerable interest
in our fields nowadays and the development of presentation technologies for
information that is easy to understand and that has clear logic is being sought
strongly. The Institute would like to respond to such a request fully. |
