He examined industrial organization and the employment and financial system of Japan.
His habilitation thesis was on the subject of "Organisation und Evolution arbeitsteiliger Systeme – Erkenntnisse aus der japanischen Wirtschaftsentwicklung" ("The organisation and evolution of division of labour – insights from Japanese economic development").
In 1997, he became professor for Japanese economy at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Since then he has added corporate governance, Japan's external links, and monetary and fiscal policy to his research interests.
He has taken a five year leave from his position in Munich to become director of the German Institute for Japanese Studies since October 2014.