<jats:p>In Japan, World War II was followed by a period of reconstruction and economic growth known as 'the Japanese Miracle'. Although the economic aspects of the nation's recovery are known, there is little emphasis placed on the social development efforts that facilitated this. Professor Hiroshi Sato, Chief Senior Researcher, Institute of Developing Economies; Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO), believes that social development policies are the precursor to economic growth and pave the way for social change. He is collaborating with other leading researchers on a range of projects to explore the links between social development and economic growth in developing countries. Sato is collaborating with: Professor Kazuko Tatsumi, Fukuoka University to investigate the rural livelihood improvement movement in post-war Japan; Professor Mariko Sakamoto, Aichi Medical University to explore the impact of Occupation policy on public health; and Associate Professor Mayuko Sano, Fukuoka Prefectural University to investigate the history of coal mining town Tagawa city. Sato believes that the rapid economic growth of developing countries without prior social development is unsustainable and widens the gap between rich and poor, with the distribution of wealth becoming unfairly biased towards the rich.</jats:p>