Research

Working Papers

1. How immigration is changing the Black-White earnings gap (with Neeraj Kaushal and Felix Muchomba) - NBER WP

2. Does college education promote healthier behaviors? Evidence from demographic distortion caused by Japanese superstitious behavior (with Yichen Shen and Haruko Noguchi) - SSRN WP

Work in Progress

1. Growing up in America: Race, immigration, and age at arrival (with Neeraj Kaushal and Felix Muchomba) 

2. Wait-for-discount: Strategic deferral and dynamic inefficiency under universal health insurance (with Masato Oikawa, Akira Kawamura, and Haruko Noguchi)

3. Anticipation and adaptation: How the oldest-old navigate increased cost-sharing (with Masato Oikawa, Akira Kawamura, and Haruko Noguchi)

4. How does price affect healthcare utilization patterns: Evidence from Japan (with Yingqian Tang, Masato Oikawa, Haruko Noguchi, and Akira Kawamura)

Publications

1. Fu, R., Sohn, Y., Shen, Y., Noguchi, H. (2026) Invisible threat, tangible harm: Radiation Anxiety and birth outcomes after Fukushima. Journal of Health Economics, 107, 103125. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2026.103125

2. Fu, R., Wang, S., Shen, Y., Noguchi, H. (2026) Causal effects of education on marriage and fertility in Japan: A research note on a quasi-experimental approach utilizing zodiac superstition as an exogenous shock. Demography, forthcoming.

3. Fujimoto, A., Fu, R., Noguchi, H., Maruyama, S., Nakamura, S. (2025) Breaking brand: An observational study on pharmacy-hospital-patient relationships and generic drug utilisation in Japan. BMJ Open, 15(5): e093601. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-093601

4. Fu, R., Liu, S., Oikawa, M., Noguchi, H., Kawamura, A. (2025) Healthcare utilization among Japanese older adults during later stage of prolonged pandemic. Scientific Reports, 15: 13813 (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-98908-x

5. Wels, J., & Fu, R. (2025). Associations of employment status, working time and job satisfaction with sleep duration and sleep quality among the 50+ population in Japan. Industrial Health, 63(5): 465-477. DOI: 10.2486/indhealth.2024-0131 

6. Fu R., Le D.D. & Ibuka Y.  (2025). The impact of reducing formal care benefits on caregivers’ well-being: evidence from Japan. Review of Economics of the Household, 23(4): 1221-1249. DOI: 10.1007/s11150-024-09699-5 

7. Tang Y., Fu R., Noguchi H. (2024). Impact of medical insurance integration on reducing urban-rural health disparity: Evidence from China. Social Science & Medicine, 357: 117163. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117163 

8. Fu R., Iizuka T., & Noguchi H. (2023). Long-term care in Japan. In K. McGarry & J. Gruber (Eds.).  Long-term care around the world, University of Chicago Press.

9. Sandström G., Padyab M., Noguchi H., Fu R., (2023) Convergence and persistent contrasts in the determinants of working-age women in Sweden and Japan living alone since the 1990s. Genus 79: 11 DOI: 10.1186/s41118-023-00192-y 

10. Shen Y., Fu R., and Noguchi H. (2021).  COVID-19’s lockdown and crime: The state of emergency under Abe administration. Asian Economic Policy Review, 16(2): 327-348. DOI: 10.1111/aepr.12339

11. Fu R., Shen Y., and Noguchi H. (2020). The best of both worlds? The economic effects of a hybrid fee-for-service and prospective payment reimbursement system. Health Economics,  30(3): 505-524. DOI: 10.1002/hec.4205

12. Fu R., Noguchi H. (2019). Moral hazard under zero price policy: Evidence from Japanese long-term care claims data. The European Journal of Health Economics, 20(6): 785-799. DOI: 10.1007/s10198-019-01041-6

13. Fu R., Noguchi H. (2019). How do cardiovascular diseases harm labour force participation? Evidence of nationally representative survey data from Japan, a Super-Aged Society. PloS  One,  DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219149

14. Fu, R., Noguchi, H. (2018). Does the positive relationship between health and marriage reflect protection or selection? Evidence from middle-aged and elderly Japanese. Review of Economics of the Household, 16(4): 1003-1016. DOI: 10.1007/s11150-018-9406-4

15. Fu, R., Noguchi, H., Kawamura, A., Takahashi, H., Taymiya, N. (2017). Spillover effect of Japanese long-term care insurance as an employment promotion policy for family caregivers. Journal of Health Economics, 56: 103-112. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2017.09.011 

16. Fu, R., Noguchi, H., Tachikawa, H., Aiba, M., Nakamine, S., Kawamura, et. al. (2017). Relation between social network and psychological distress among middle-aged adults in Japan: Evidence from a national longitudinal survey. Social Science & Medicine, 175: 58-65. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.12.043 

17. Fu, R., Noguchi, H. Does marriage make us healthier? Inter-country comparative evidence from China, Japan, and Korea. (2016). PloS one, 11(2), e0148990. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148990

18.  Fu, R., Noguchi, H., Suga, K. (2016). A revisit to the Grossman model with endogenous health depreciation. Economics Bulletin, 36(4): 2405-2412. 

International Conferences and Workshops

1. iHEA Congress 2025, "The effect of cost-sharing on medical care demand: Insights from novel real-world data for the oldest-old in Japan," July 23, 2025, Bali.

2. EuHEA Conference 2024, "The effect of cost-sharing on medical care demand: Insights from novel real-world data for the oldest-old in Japan," July 2, 2024, Vienna .

3. Ca'Foscari Seminar, "In utero exposure to radiation fear and birth outcome: Evidence from Fukushima nuclear power plant accident," November 22, 2023, Venice.

4. WEAI 2023 Annual Conference,  "In utero exposure to radiation fear and birth outcome: Evidence from Fukushima nuclear power plant accident," July 5, 2023, San Diego.

5. ASSA 2023 Annual Meeting, "In utero exposure to radiation fear and birth outcome: Evidence from Fukushima nuclear power plant accident," January 6, 2023, New Orleans.

6. 7th Lindau Meeting on Economic Sciences, "In utero exposure to radiation fear and birth outcome: Evidence from Fukushima nuclear power plant accident," August 25, 2022, Lindau.

7. EuHEA Conference 2022, "The impact of contracting formal care on informal care provision and caregiver well-being: evidence from Japan," July 7, 2022, Oslo.

8. European Population Conference 2022, "Convergence and persistent contrasts in the determinants of living alone among working-age women in Sweden and Japan since the 1990s,"  June 30, 2022, Online (Groningen).

9. Irdes-Dauphine AHEPE 8th Workshop, "The impact of contracting formal care on informal care provision and caregiver well-being: evidence from Japan," June 23, 2022, Paris.

10. MIRAI2.0 Ageing TEG 2022 Workshop, "Living arrangement and healthcare utilization in aging societies: an intercountry comparison between Sweden and  Japan," June 8, 2022, Online.

11. MIRAI 2.0 Aging TEG 2021 Workshop, "MIRAI and beyond: a successful collaboration from MIRAI 2017-2019," September 28, 2021, Online.

12. iHEA 14th World Congress, "Effects of college education on family formation, birth weight, and lifetime fertility in East Asia: Evidence from a Japanese zodiac superstition," July 14, 2021, Online.

13. MIRAI 2.0 Kickoff Meeting, "The consequences of changing family behavior for the elderly: comparing Sweden and Japan," October 7, 2020, Online.

14. Irdes-Dauphine AHEPE 6th Workshop, "The best of both worlds? The economic effects of a hybrid fee-for-service and prospective payment reimbursement system," June 19, 2020, Online.

15. iHEA 13th World Congress, "Hospital responses to prospective payment under the Japanese universal healthcare system," July 15, 2019, Basel.

16. The 1st meeting of Asian Workshop on Econometrics and Health Economics, "Hospital responses to prospective payment under the Japanese universal healthcare system," December 9, 2018, Kyoto.

17. The 12th European Conference on Health Economics, "Moral hazard under zero price policy: Evidence from Japanese long-term care claims data," July 13, 2018, Maastricht.

18.  Sweden-Japan MIRAI 2018 Aging workshop, "Health and healthcare disparities among elderly in Sweden and Japan," June 10, 2018, Chalmers University of Technology, Gutenberg.

19. Sweden-Japan MIRAI 2017 Aging workshop, "Does marriage make us healthier? Evidence from Japanese ederly," October 17, 2017, Lund.

20. iHEA 12th World Congress, "Moral hazard in the long-term care market: Evidence from Japanese claims data," July 13, 2017, Boston.

21. iHEA 11th World Congress, "Does marriage make us healthier? Inter-country comparable evidence from China, Japan, and Korea," July 15, 2015, Bocconi University, Milan.

Conferences and Workshops in Japan

1. SLAS research seminars, "In utero exposure to radiation fear and birth outcome: Evidence from Fukushima nuclear power plant accident," 2024年3月, 武蔵大学

2. AGIセミナー,  "In utero exposure to radiation fear and birth outcome: Evidence from Fukushima nuclear power plant accident,"  2023年2月, アジア成長研究所

3. 日本経済学会2022年度秋季大会, "In utero exposure to radiation fear and birth outcome: Evidence from Fukushima nuclear power plant accident," 2022年10月, 慶應義塾慶大学

4. SIHS SEMINAR Series, "In utero exposure to radiation fear and birth outcome: Evidence from Fukushima nuclear power plant accident," 2022年7月, 上智大学

5. 東京労働経済学研究会, "In utero exposure to radiation fear and birth outcome: Evidence from Fukushima nuclear power plant accident," 2022年7月, Online

6. 早稲田大学産業経営研究所セミナー, "In utero exposure to radiation fear and birth outcome: Evidence from Fukushima nuclear power plant accident," 2022年6月, 早稲田大学

7. 日本経済学会2022年度春季大会, "The impact of contracting formal care on informal care provision and caregiver well-being: evidence from Japan," 2022年5月, 横浜国立大学 (Online)

8. Keio Applied Economics Workshop, "The impact of contracting formal care on informal care provision and caregiver well-being: evidence from Japan," 2022年4月, 慶應義塾大学経済学研究所

9. WINPEC Research Seminar, "The impact of contracting formal care on informal care provision and caregiver well-being: evidence from Japan," 2022年2月, Online

10. GRIPS-UTokyo Economics of Education Workshop, "Does college education make us act healthier? Evidence from a Japanese zodiac superstition," 2020年3月,  Online

11. 日本経済学会2019年度春季大会, "Hospital responses to prospective payment under the Japanese universal healthcare system," 2019年6月, 武蔵大学

12. 第13回応用計量経済学コンファレンス, "Hospital responses to prospective payment under the Japanese universal healthcare system" 2018年11月, 東京大学

13. 日本経済学会2018年度春季大会, "Moral hazard under zero price policy: Evidence from Japanese long-term care claims data," 2018年6月, 兵庫県立大学

14. 日本経済学会2016年度秋季大会, "Spillover effect of Japanese long-term care insurance as an employment promotion policy for caregivers," 2016年9月, 早稲田大学 

15. 日本医療経済学会第11回研究大会, "Spillover effect of Japanese long-term care insurance as an employment promotion policy for caregivers," 2016年9月, 早稲田大学 

16. 日本経済学会2015年度秋季大会, "Does marriage make us healthier? Inter-country comparable evidence from China, Japan, and Korea," 2015年9月, 上智大学

17. 日本医療経済学会第10回研究大会, "Does marriage make us healthier? Inter-country comparable evidence from China, Japan, and Korea," 2015年9月, 京都大学

18. 日本経済学会2015年度春季大会, "Does marriage make us healthier? Evidence from Japanese elderly,"  2015年5月, 新潟大学

19. 日本経済学会2014年度秋季大会, "Labor migration and intergovernmental transfers: An empirical analysis of household registration system in China," 2014年9月, 西南学院大学 

Main Fundings

FY2026-29, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research C (Principal Investigator), JSPS

FY2022-25, Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists (Principal Investigator), JSPS

FY2019-21, Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists (Principal Investigator), JSPS

FY2017-18, Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up (Principal Investigator), JSPS