How did Japan become one of the most technologically advanced economies in the world? Despite being marginalized by remote geography and shrouded in mysterious culture, Japan emerged from the ashes of the Second World War to lead the Asian industrial revolution. Now, fifty years later, Japan is confronted with a rising China, a declining population, and a flat-lining economy. As Japan wrestles with these challenges, it solves problems many other countries – Singapore, Switzerland, and most of the civilized world included – have yet to face. Therefore, for many of us, Japan is a lab of the future.
In this course, students will deep-dive into one of Asia’s most enigmatic countries and explore its many economic, industrial, technological, and cultural accomplishments. They will investigate Japan from three perspectives: the outside-in view of foreigners investing in Japan; the inside-in view of how Japanese entrepreneurs drive innovation in Japan; and the inside-out view of how Japanese companies expand and compete internationally. Special attention will be paid to Japan’s sources of competitive advantage: unique national, cultural and societal characteristics that define
Japan’s approach to innovation and economic development. By studying Japan’s mesmerizing blend of tradition and technology, students will seek to find answers to problems that other leading economies are just about to comprehend.