Japan, Moving Toward A More Advanced Knowledge Economy

 

The Knowledge for Development Program and InfoShop held a dissemination seminar on the recent World Bank publication Japan, Moving Toward A More Advanced Knowledge Economy.

 

October 12, 2006.

See the full agenda (PDF, 26Kb) For more information, selected chapter downloads or to order this title, visit the book overview page.

 

Once Japan was considered to be a model of growth and management. After the economic troubles of the 1990s, many dismissed Japan as an important innovator. Neither of these perceptions reflect the real Japanese economy. This recently published World Bank study analyzes the Japanese approach to innovation and knowledge in a more balanced manner. It offers valuable lessons and insights to policy makers in developing countries embarking on knowledge-based development strategies.  The implications of the IT revolution were given a special prominence at the seminar.  The incumbent innovation system, which has relied heavily on in-house R&D, must shift toward a new paradigm of IT-enabled, networked collaboration.

 

The first volume of the report discusses how Japan managed the four-pillars of the knowledge economy: economic and institutional regime, education, innovation, and information and communication technologies.  The second volume provides case studies of several high-performing Japanese companies that are pushing the frontier of knowledge management and innovation.

 

Presentations

 

on the B-SPAN

 

Japan as a knowledge Economy - Assessment and Lessons.  Tsutomu Shibata, Senior Advisor, World Bank Institute.

 

Development of Telecommunication Infrastructure in Japan. Risaburo Nezu, Senior Managing Director, Fujitsu Research Institute

 

IT Revolution’s Implications for the Japanese Economy.  Kazuyuki Motohashi, Professor, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo

 

 

Tsutomu Shibata, Senior Advisor, World Bank Institute

 

Bruno Lanvin, Senior Advisor, Global Information and Communications Technology Department, The World Bank

 

Remarks and Commentaries by

 

Frannie Léautier, Vice President, World Bank Institute

 

Makoto Hosomi, Executive Director - Japan, The World Bank

 

Comments, Joong-Kyung Choi, Executive Director - Republic of Korea, The World Bank (PDF, 80Kb)

 

Jean-Eric Aubert, Lead Specialist, Knowledge for Development Program, World Bank Institute

 

Presenters Background

 

Tsutomu Shibata, Senior Advisor, World Bank Institute. Since he joined the World Bank Institute in 1999, Mr. Shibata has been actively engaged in several knowledge-related activities such as evaluation of capacity building in lending operations, preparation for opening learning centers, managing the Brain Trust and scaling up of scholarship programs.

 

Risaburo Nezu, is Senior Managing Director at the Fujitsu Research Institute. He is responsible for various activities at the Institute in the field of ICT, science and technology and industry and a variety of corporate management questions.  In addition, he is a board member of Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry, a research organ of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

 

Kazuyuki Motohashi is a Professor at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), University of Tokyo.  Until this year, he had taken various positions at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of the Japanese Government, including executive deputy director of Research and Statistics Department, head of international public relations office at International Trade Bureau and deputy director of Planning Division of SME Agency.

 

For more information, selected downloads or to order this title, visit the book overview page.