| Tokuzō Fukuda | |
| Native Name: | 福田徳三 |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Birth Date: | 2 December 1874 |
| Birth Place: | Kanda, Tokyo Prefecture, Empire of Japan |
| Death Place: | Shinanomachi, Yotsuya, Tokyo City, Empire of Japan |
| Education: | Doctor of State Economics, Doctor of Law, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich |
| Occupation: | Economist |
| Organization: | Institute for Business Training |
| Awards: | Member of the Imperial Academy Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fourth Rank Foreign Member, Institut de France Legion of Honour |
Tokuzō Fukuda (福田 徳三 Fukuda Tokuzō; born February 12, 1874; died May 8, 1930) was a pioneer of modern Japanese economics.
Fukuda introduced economic theory and economic history for the Social Policy School and the Younger Historical school of economics.
He graduated from the Tokyo Higher School of Commerce (today's Hitotsubashi University). After he was appointed lecturer of his alma mater, he studied in Germany, under Karl Bücher among others in the field, and he earned his doctorate from Munich University. His thesis dealt with the social and economic development in Japan (original title: Die gesellschaftliche und wirtschaftliche Entwicklung in Japan) and was supervised by Lujo Brentano.
After returning to Japan, he became professor of his alma mater and later at Keiō University.
During the years known as the period of "Taishō Democracy", he joined with others to establish Reimeikai, which was a society "to propagate ideas of democracy among the people."[1] This group was formed in order to sponsor public lectures.[2]
After World War I, he defended democracy, advanced a critique of Marxian theory, and emphasized the solution of social and labour problems by government intervention rather than revolution. He is also considered a pioneer of the contemporary welfare state. As an advisor to the Ministry of Home Affairs, he also worked out policy drafts. He is closely related to the Japanese liberal movement and is considered a social-liberal or social-democrat.[3]