CMS Co-Hosts Workshop on the Economic History of Singapore at the University of Tokyo Economic History Research Meeting

On May 29, 2026, the workshop “The Economic History of Singapore: Entrepôt and Staple Port,” co-hosted by Center for Malaysian Studies (CMS), Soka University, was held at Kojima Hall, Building 3, the University of Tokyo.

This workshop was jointly organized by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Project No. 24K04984, the CIRJE Joint Research Project of the University of Tokyo, and CMS, Soka University. It was held with the aim of reconsidering the economic development of Singapore and Southeast Asia from a historical perspective.

At the opening of the workshop, Professor Tomoko Shiroyama of the University of Tokyo delivered the opening remarks. This was followed by a presentation by Associate Professor Atsushi Kobayashi of the University of Tokyo, entitled “Singapore as an Entrepôt and Development of Southeast Asian Trade.” His presentation examined the development of intra-Southeast Asian trade from the nineteenth to the twentieth century and the role of Singapore as an entrepôt port. Associate Professor Kobayashi published History of Regional Trade in Southeast Asia in January 2026, and in this presentation, he offered new perspectives on Singapore’s function as a nodal point in the regional economy, drawing on the research findings on intra-Southeast Asian trade networks developed in that book.

Next, Dr. Choy Keen Meng, former Executive Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore and former Visiting Professor at Soka University, gave a presentation entitled “Singapore: The Staple Port of Southeast Asia.” Based on extensive empirical analysis, Dr. Choy discussed the historical significance of Singapore not merely as a transit port, but as a “Staple Port” that collected and redistributed products and resources from across Southeast Asia.

In addition, Professor Ichiro Sugimoto, Representative of CMS and Dean of the Faculty of International Liberal Arts at Soka University, delivered a presentation entitled “The Construction of Historical GDP Estimates and Living Standards in the Colony of Singapore, 1870–1939.” His presentation introduced the methodology used to estimate historical GDP series for colonial Singapore from 1870 to 1939 and presented the latest research findings on long-term trends in living standards and economic growth.

Comments on each presentation were provided online by Professor Kaoru Sugihara, Honorary Fellow, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, one of Japan’s leading economic historians. In the subsequent question-and-answer session, participants actively exchanged views on the significance of understanding Singapore’s development from the two perspectives of “Entrepôt Port” and “Staple Port,” as well as on the methodologies and challenges associated with the rapidly developing field of historical GDP estimation.

This workshop provided an important opportunity to disseminate the findings presented in The Economic History of Singapore, co-authored by Dr. Choy Keen Meng and Professor Ichiro Sugimoto and published in March 2026. It also served as a valuable forum for academic exchange, made possible through the generous opportunity provided by the University of Tokyo Economic History Research Meeting.　Furthermore, it strengthened research networks connected to Southeast Asian economic history research promoted by CMS, as well as to the planned project to reconstruct long-term economic statistics for British Malaya and Borneo.

The Center for Malaysian Studies (CMS), Soka University, will continue to promote international collaborative research on Malaysia, Singapore, and the wider Southeast Asian region, while working to build global research networks and foster the next generation of scholars.

Soka University Faculty of International Liberal Arts SNS【Instagram / X】