Description
Book SynopsisIf you''re as interested in Japan as I am, I think you''ll find that The Power to Compete is a smart and thought-provoking look atthe future of a fascinating country. - Bill Gates, 5 Books to Read This Summer
Father and son entrepreneur and economist search for Japan''s economic cure The Power to Compete tackles the issues central to the prosperity of Japan and the world in search of a cure for the Japan Disease. As founder and CEO of Rakuten, one of the world''s largest Internet companies, author Hiroshi Mikitani brings an entrepreneur''s perspective to bear on the country''s economic stagnation. Through a freewheeling and candid conversation with his economist father, Ryoichi Mikitani, the two examine the issues facing Japan, and explore possible roadmaps to revitalization. How can Japan overhaul its economy, education system, immigration, public infrastructure, and hold its own with China? Their ideas include applying
Table of Contents
Introduction Japan Again ix
Chapter 1 The Power to Innovate 1
Japan Again 1
The Keys to Revitalizing Japan 4
Keidanren’s Raison Dêtre 7
The Nature of Innovation 11
Schumpeter’s Contribution 15
Building Infrastructure 19
Business Innovation 23
Summary 27
Chapter 2 The Power to Operate 29
Workforce Fluidity 29
Privatization 33
Lifetime Employment 37
Escaping Lifetime Employment 40
Immigration Problems 43
Why English Needs to Be a Common Language in Japan 45
Growing the Population 50
Summary 53
Chapter 3 The Power in Questioning Abenomics 55
History of Abenomics 55
Independence in Finance 59
The Optimal Inflation Rate 62
Halting the Rise of Interest Rates 65
What to Do About Our 1-Quadrillion-Yen Debt 67
The Pros and Cons of Abenomics 70
Summary 75
Chapter 4 The Power of the Low-Cost State 77
The High Cost of Governance 77
How to Reform the High-Cost Structure 83
Addressing the Japanese Disease 87
The United States and Individualism 92
The Impotent Bureaucracy 95
Internationalizing the Bureaucracy 99
Creating Think Tanks 103
Political Appointees 106
What It Will Take to Improve the Bureaucracy 109
Summary 111
Chapter 5 The Power to Succeed Overseas 113
The Decline in the Number of Students Studying Abroad 113
Escaping from the Galapagos Effect 118
The Future of Journalism 121
Media in the Internet Era 125
The Importance of Liberal Arts 131
Ryoichi Mikitani’s Experiences Abroad 134
Summary 137
Chapter 6 The Power to Educate 139
Uniform Japanese Education 139
The Education of the Mikitani Family 141
What the Education System Needs 146
Higher Education 151
What People Study in University 154
The Founding of Rakuten 157
The Evaluation System for Teachers 160
The Need for Strategy in the Japanese Education System 162
Summary 168
Chapter 7 The Power to Build Brand Japan 169
Brand Power 169
The Demonstration Effect 174
Brand Value at the National Level 178
Foreign Nationals Working in Japan 183
Making Japan Attractive to Foreign Nationals 186
Japan and the Trans-Pacific Partnership 189
Summary 195
Conclusion What is the Power to Compete? 197
Japan Uniquely Incorporates and Interprets Cultures 197
Competitiveness as a Platform 200
The Global Logistics Revolution 202
Summary 205
Epilogue 207
Acknowledgments 211
Index 213
