[eBook Code] The Power to Compete (eBook Code, 1st)

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