On the Transformation of the Monetary System in Japan : Evolution of the Modern Payment System in the Global Context

在研究方法上，我们采用了比较分析的方法，重点不是不同地区和不同时期的支付差异，而是支付相似性。这里的相似之处是指货币的多样性、货币的多层结构或支付计量与记账单位之间的分离。在实证研究方面，根据一位当地商人的资料，我们可以发现近代日本早期存在着支付尺度与记账单位的分离。在西亚、西欧和中国等其他地区，我们证实，在前现代或现代时期也发生了同样的现象。

On the methodology of this project, we adopted an approach of comparative analysis focusing on not the dissimilarities but the similarity in payment across different regions and periods. Similarities here refer to diversity of the currency, multi-layered structure of the currency or separation between the measure of payment and the unit of account. As for the empirical research, we could find that there was a separation between measure of payment and unit of account in the early modern Japan based on the documents of a local merchant. In other regions such as Western Asia, Western Europe and China, we confirmed that the same phenomenon occurred during their pre-modern or modern period.