About JACES
History
The Association is an academic research organization in cooperation with the Science Council of Japan. The Association was founded on November 14, 1963, as the Study Group of Socialist Economies, held in conjunction with the Study Group for Economic Theory; on November 4, 1966, it became the Association for the Study of Socialist Economies, and its constitution was adopted on October 27, 1967. The Association’s purpose was to study socialist economics, and researchers who studied the theory of socialist economics or the actual conditions of socialist economies in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, etc., were admitted to the Association. The number of members exceeded 100 around 1970 and 200 around 1980. On May 28, 1993, the name was changed to the Japan Association for Comparative Economic Studies, and the purpose of the Association was changed to the study of economic systems. As of March 2019, there are 234 members.
The Association is a member of the Union of National Economic Associations in Japan.
The Association holds an annual conference once a year. It also publishes a biannual journal, the Japanese Journal of Comparative Economics. The predecessors of the Japanese Journal of Comparative Economics were the Bulletin of the Japanese Association for Comparative Economic Studies (until 2000) and the Annual Report of the Japanese Association for Comparative Economic Studies (until 2005). A referee system was introduced in 2001. The journals published to date can be found at the National Diet Library, the Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library, the Slavic Research Center Library of Hokkaido University, the Institute of Economic Research Library of Hitotsubashi University, and the Institute of Economic Research Library of Kyoto University, in addition to the journals listed here.
Constitution of the Japan Association for Comparative Economic Studies
Decided on October 27, 1967
Amended September 22, 1973
Amended June 4, 1977
Amended June 8, 1985
Amended May 28, 1993
Amended June 9, 1995
Amended October 20, 2012
Amended September 16, 2017
Amended June 3, 2023
(Name)
Article 1.
The name of the Association shall be the Japan Association for Comparative Economic Studies.
(Purpose)
Article 2.
The purpose of the Association shall be the study of economic systems.
(Activities)
Article 3.
(1) The Association shall engage in the following activities:
(A) Holding research meetings.
(B) Editing, publishing, and preserving the journal and directory.
(C) Liaising and exchanging with domestic and foreign academic societies and researchers.
(D) Engaging in other activities appropriate for achieving the objectives of the Association.
(2) The fiscal year of the Association shall begin on April 1 of each year and end on March 31 of the following year.
(Members)
Article 4.
(1) The Association shall be composed of persons engaged in the study of economic systems.
(2) Those who wish to join the Association shall apply to the Membership Secretary with the recommendation of two members and shall be admitted to membership after approval by the Board of Secretaries. A person shall be considered a member (enrolled for the entire fiscal year) upon payment of the membership fee.
(3) Members must pay the prescribed membership fee.
(4) A member who fails to pay the membership fee for two years or more shall be deemed to have withdrawn from membership.
(General Membership Meeting)
Article 5.
(1) The supreme organ of the Association is the General Membership Meeting, which shall be held once a year. However, an extraordinary General Membership Meeting may be held when deemed necessary by the Board of Secretaries or when requested by one-third or more of the members.
(2) At the General Membership Meeting, reports of the Association’s affairs and accounts are received and deliberated, officers are elected, and matters are deliberated as deemed necessary by those at the General Membership Meeting.
(3) Decisions at the General Membership Meeting shall be made by a majority of the members present unless otherwise specified in the Constitution. In case of a tie vote, the chairperson shall make the decision.
(Officers)
Article 6.
(1) There shall be several Secretaries and two Auditors as Officers of the Association. Their terms shall run from the Annual Conference at the time of election to the end of the following year’s Annual Conference, and unless otherwise provided for in the election bylaws, they shall not be precluded from being reappointed.
(2) The Secretaries shall constitute the Board of Secretaries and execute the affairs of the Association.
(3) One of the Secretaries shall represent the Committee and shall be called the Representative Secretary.
(4) The Auditors shall conduct a financial audit once a year.
(Secretariat)
Article 7.
The Board of Secretaries shall establish a Secretariat to handle the affairs of the Association.
(Regional Subcommittees)
Article 8.
Local subcommittees may be organized with approval at the General Membership Meeting.
(Amendments to the Constitution and Dissolution of the Association)
Article 9.
Any amendment to the Constitution or dissolution of the society shall be proposed by the Board of Secretaries or by one-third or more of the members and shall be approved by two-thirds or more of the members present at the General Membership Meeting.
Bylaws for the Operation of the Japan Association for Comparative Economic Studies
Decided on June 4, 2004
Amended June 5, 2005
Amended June 4, 2010
Amended June 4, 2011
Amended September 16, 2017
Amended June 3, 2023
(Amendment and Abolition of Bylaws)
Article 1.
Changes in or the abolition of these bylaws, except as specially provided, must be approved by a majority of members present at the general meeting, proposed either by the Board of Secretaries or by more than one-third of members.
(Board of Secretaries）
Article 2.
(1) The Board of Secretaries shall meet when deemed necessary by the representative secretary or upon the request of more than one-third of the officers.
(2) For the Board of Secretaries to convene, the attendance (or voting in the case of a circulation meeting) of more than two thirds of the total number of officers elected according to the bylaws for electing officers of the Japan Association for Comparative Economic Studies is required. Proxies submitted by absent officers will be included in the total number of attendees.
(3) The chairperson of the Board of Secretaries shall be the representative secretary, and, in case of an accident or other reasons, a person nominated by the representative secretary will serve as chairperson.
(4) Decisions of the Board of Secretaries shall be made by a majority of the attending (or voting) officers. In case of a tie, the chairperson will make the decision.
(Membership Fees)
Article 3.
(1) Revision of membership fees shall be implemented with the consent of more than two thirds of the members present at the general meeting.
(2) A regulation for graduate student members shall be established, targeting graduate students and post-doctoral researchers, excluding those with substantial regular income from part-time lectureships or similar positions.
(3) The annual membership fee shall be 10,000 yen, with a reduced fee of 4,000 yen for graduate student members.
(4) Members who turn 71 years old or older after April 2 of the current year can, upon request, pay an annual fee of 4,000 yen.
(5) Members turning 67 years old or younger after April 2 of the current year can pay their membership fees in a lump sum for the years up to the year in which they turn 70 after April 2. In this case, the annual fee will be reduced to 9,000 yen. No additional payment is required, even if the membership fee is revised during the long-term lump-sum payment period. Refunds are not provided for long-term lump-sum payments regardless of circumstance.
(6) Article 3 applies from April 1, 2012.
(Withdrawal Process)
Article 4.
In accordance with Article 4, Clause 4, of the constitution, the process for withdrawal begins after two years of unpaid dues, with requests for payment and warnings about withdrawal procedures having been sent. The withdrawal process is executed after confirming the member’s intention to remain after three years of unpaid dues. In cases where contact cannot be made, the member is considered to have withdrawn. For legitimate reasons such as study abroad, the withdrawal process may be postponed for a year. After four years of unpaid dues, members are considered to have withdrawn regardless of circumstances.
(Conference Operation)
Article 5.
(1) For the organization and operation of the conference and the formulation of the conference program, the Board of Secretaries shall appoint a conference program chair and a conference organization chair. The conference program chair will nominate conference program members, and the conference organization chair will nominate conference organization members.
(2) The conference program committee will formulate the conference program, and the conference organization committee will conduct the conference.
(3) The representative secretary will participate in the conference program committee.
(4) The conference program chair may also serve as the conference organization chair without hindrance, and conference program members may also serve as conference organization members without hindrance.
(Requirements for Conference Presenters and Discussants)
Article 6.
(1)
(A) Except for invited speakers and those equivalent to invited speakers, presenters and discussants at the conference must be association members or those who have submitted an application for membership.
(B) Invited speakers are those whom the conference program committee deems to have made a particularly significant contribution to the association as a whole and who have been requested to give an invited lecture, discussion, or report on a common theme. The association may reimburse invited speakers for travel and accommodation expenses as necessary.
(C) Those equivalent to invited speakers are defined as follows:
a) Non-member reporters and discussants adopted by the conference program committee as “individuals who make a particularly significant contribution to the association in the relevant field” for free topics.
b) Non-member panel applicants who apply as “non-member individuals making a particularly significant contribution to the association in the relevant field” and are adopted by the conference program committee.
(2) In the case of presentations by multiple persons, the provisions of Clause 1 apply to the principal presenter.
(Conference Participation Requirements)
Article 7.
(1) The following individuals may participate in the conference:
(A) Association members.
(B) Invited speakers and those equivalent to invited speakers as defined in Article 6.
(C) Those who have submitted an application for membership.
(2) Non-members other than those defined in Clause 1 may participate in the conference with the permission of the conference organization committee and by paying a participation fee of 1,000 yen per day.
(3) Under Article 5, Clause 3, of the association constitution, in principle, only association members and those who have submitted an application for membership may attend the general meeting.
Bylaws for Electing Officers of the Japan Association for Comparative Economic Studies
Decided on October 27, 1967
Amended September 22, 1973
Amended June 4, 1977
Amended June 8, 1985
Amended May 20, 1989
Amended May 18, 1990
Amended May 28, 1993
Amended June 2, 2000
Amended June 1, 2001
Amended June 6, 2003
Amended June 4, 2005
Amended September 16, 2017
Amended June 9, 2018
Amended June 3, 2023
(Capacity)
Article 1.
The maximum number of Secretaries as per Article 6.1 of the Constitution of the Association for Comparative Economic Studies (hereinafter referred to as “the Constitution”) shall be 14.
(Election)
Article 2.
The officers as stipulated in Article 6.1 of the Constitution (hereinafter referred to as “Officers”) shall be elected at the General Membership Meeting from among the members.
(Age Limit, Multiple Elections Prohibited)
Article 3.
(1) Only those who are 70 years old or younger as of April 1 of the relevant year (including those who will reach their 70th birthday on April 1 of the relevant year) shall be elected as officers in accordance with the preceding article.
(2) No more than three consecutive elections for the Secretary shall be allowed.
(3) No more than four consecutive elections for the Auditor shall be allowed.
(4) In the event of a tie vote in the election of officers, preference shall be given to the younger members.
(Method of Voting)
Article 4.
(1) At the time of voting, a list of electors shall be announced for the Secretaries and Auditors, as provided for in the preceding Article.
(2) When electing the Secretary, members may vote for up to 11 candidates from among the members on the ballot.
(3) When electing the Auditor, members may vote for two candidates from among the members on the ballot.
(Declining To Assume Office)
Article 5.
In the event that an elected officer is unable to assume office due to unavoidable circumstances, the resignation shall be confirmed in writing, and the officer shall be elected who received the next greatest number of votes.
(Secretary in Charge of the Secretariat)
Article 6.
(1) In addition to the preceding Article, the Board of Secretaries may appoint a Secretary from among its members to be in charge of the Secretariat.
(2) Article 3.2 shall not apply to the Secretary specified in the preceding paragraph.
(Secretary for Holding the Annual Conference)
Article 7.
(1) In addition to the provisions of Articles 1 and 6, the Board of Secretaries may appoint up to two Secretaries for the next conference and the conference following that. However, the term of office of the Secretary for the next conference shall be until the end of the next conference, and the term of the Secretary for the following conference shall be from the end of the next conference to the end of the subsequent conference.
(2) Article 3.2 shall not apply to the Secretary as specified in the preceding paragraph.
(Amendment and Repeal of Bylaws)
Article 8.
Amendments to or repeal of these Bylaws shall be proposed by the Board of Secretaries or by one-third or more of the members and shall be approved by two-thirds or more of the members present at the General Membership Meeting.