
The Institute for Japanese Studies presents:
Ulrike Schaede
Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology
University of California, San Diego
Title: Why Japan Matters: Business Reinvention and Technology Leadership in the Digital Economy
Flyer: Ulrike Schaede Flyer
Abstract: After two decades of reinvention, Japanese companies are re-emerging as major players in the new economy. This is important for three reasons: (1) Japanese companies now quietly anchor many global supply chains with technology leadership in advanced components and materials, (2) lucrative new markets for corporate assets and consumer products are opening up within Japan, and (3) Japan will be an important player in the digital transformation. This presentation will explain how this business reinvention has occurred. In response to the rise of China and the globalization of supply chains, Japanese companies have begun to build deep technology competencies in critical inputs and components. This is reflected in a new ‘aggregated niche strategy’ in which Japanese firms dominate many critical global markets for upstream inputs. Because this reinvention is occurring within Japan’s societal preferences for stability, the process has been slow and deliberate, and it is now coming to fruition.