Abstract: Operations research (OR) is a scientific approach for solving various types of societal problems and making decisions to deal with these problems appropriately. First, we briefly describe the history of OR, focusing on applying OR to public sectors, and then provide its characterization as a scientific method for decision making. Then, OR activities in Japan are introduced, emphasizing three major roles: (i) quantitative data analysis, (ii) mathematical modeling analysis, and (iii) theory building analysis. We provide an example for each of these three types of major roles. Based upon the analyses, we seek an Asian OR applicable to policy making in the public sector. Finally, we provide a summary and discuss future perspectives for OR.

Key words: Operations research, Societal problem, Decision making, Public sector, Policy making, Mathematical model, Data analysis