Atsuomi Obayashi

Biography

After graduating from the Faculty of Law at Kyoto University, Obayashi worked for Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line). He later earned a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, then served on the faculty of the Keio Business School at Keio University, where he became Professor Emeritus. Obayashi served as Visiting Professor at NUCB in 2025 and is a Professor at NUCB from 2026.
Obayashi’s specialties include economics, management, risk management, and innovation. A founding member of Japan Health Economics Association. In government research projects, he has served as the Chair of the Evaluation Committee for the 2nd phase of the SIP program on 'Enhancement of National Resilience against Natural Disasters,' and as the Chair of the Peer Review Committee for the 3rd phase project on 'Development of a Resilient Smart Network System against Natural Disasters.' In addition, he has served as a committee member or chair for government committees for a cumulative total of 60 years.
Obayashi studies innovation and risk management. Both deal with unexpected events, which makes them difficult to model, but that challenge is so compelling. To compare them to sports, innovation is like offense, while risk management is like defense. They may seem like opposites, but those who understand the common ground between them can become well-rounded players. The common ground lies in the ability to apply a single skill or piece of knowledge to various situations, and in being able to achieve a single goal through multiple approaches.