Ijiri Lecture | American Accounting Association

Yuji Ijiri: Builder of Foundations

After attending Doshisha Junior College, and Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Yuji became the youngest person in Japan to complete all requirements for the CPA. He moved to the United States to complete a PhD and join the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University as the R.M. Trueblood Professor of Accounting and Economics (with a four-year stint at Stanford along the way) where he mentored generations of doctoral students and worked with colleagues around the world.

Professor Ijiri was a Past President of the American Accounting Association (AAA), and the youngest inductee into The Accounting Hall of Fame. He was the only four-time recipient of the AAA’s Notable Contributions to Accounting Literature Award, and over his career published 200 papers and 25 books building ideas and knowledge in accounting.

The sponsoring associations, being devoted to the advancement of accounting thought, joined to honor Yuji Ijiri’s contributions by establishing and organizing a rotating lecture to be delivered during the annual meetings of the participating organizations:

2018 – Japan Accounting Association, Professor Shizuki Saito (University of Tokyo)
2019 – American Accounting Association, Professor Sudipta Basu (Temple University)
2020 – postponed due to COVID-19
2021 – Canadian Academic Accounting Association, Paul Fischer (University of Pennsylvania)
2022 – Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, Professor Stephen Penman (Columbia University)
2023 – European Accounting Association

Yuji’s contributions and mentorship continue to resonate across the discipline and profession of accounting:

“I’ll never forget the steady pace and precision with which he taught us. Or experiencing momentum accounting for the first time and thinking it was brilliant. I’ve never forgotten him over the years and never will.”
Adam Musumeli, MSIA ‘95

“Throughout his career, Yuji was an intellectual leader who had tremendous impact on the field of accounting, his colleagues, and the legions of Ph.D. students he worked with over the years. His influence and contributions have left an enduring legacy of research productivity and impact that sets one of the highest standards for academic achievement.”
Robert Dammon, Dean, Carnegie Mellon University’ Tepper School

“Yuji Ijiri... became one of the most celebrated philosophers of accounting, illuminating its underlying logic and defending its traditions, while exploring new frontiers.”
The Wall Street Journal (James R. Hagerty, WSJ, January 27, 2017)