Innovation Nation: Science and Technology in 21st Century Japan

212 Pages·2007·1.306 MB·English

by  Carin Holroyd, Ken Coates (auth.)

Innovation Nation
AlsobyKenCoatesandCarinHolroyd:
JAPANANDTHEINTERNETREVOLUTION
AlsobyKenCoates:
AGLOBALHISTORYOFINDIGENOUSPEOPLES
StruggleandSurvival
Innovation Nation
Science and Technology in
21st Century Japan
Carin Holroyd
SeniorResearchAnalyst,AsiaPacificFoundationofCanadaand
SeniorFellow,CentreforInternationalGovernanceInnovation
and
Ken Coates
ProfessorofHistory,UniversityofWaterloo,Canada
palgrave
macmillan
©CarinHolroydandKenCoates2007
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2007 978-1-349-54158-4
Allrightsreserved.Noreproduction,copyortransmissionofthis
publicationmaybemadewithoutwrittenpermission.
Noparagraphofthispublicationmaybereproduced,copiedortransmitted
savewithwrittenpermissionorinaccordancewiththeprovisionsofthe
Copyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988,orunderthetermsofanylicence
permittinglimitedcopyingissuedbytheCopyrightLicensingAgency,
90TottenhamCourtRoad,LondonW1T4LP.
Anypersonwhodoesanyunauthorizedactinrelationtothispublication
maybeliabletocriminalprosecutionandcivilclaimsfordamages.
Theauthorshaveassertedtheirrightstobeidentified
astheauthorsofthisworkinaccordancewiththeCopyright,
DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Firstpublished2007by
PALGRAVEMACMILLAN
Houndmills,Basingstoke,HampshireRG216XSand
175FifthAvenue,NewYork,N.Y.10010
Companiesandrepresentativesthroughouttheworld
PALGRAVEMACMILLANistheglobalacademicimprintofthePalgrave
MacmillandivisionofSt.Martin’sPress,LLCandofPalgraveMacmillanLtd.
Macmillan(cid:2)isaregisteredtrademarkintheUnitedStates,UnitedKingdom
andothercountries.PalgraveisaregisteredtrademarkintheEuropean
Unionandothercountries.
ISBN 978-1-349-54158-4 ISBN 978-0-230-59945-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230599451
Thisbookisprintedonpapersuitableforrecyclingandmadefromfully
managedandsustainedforestsources.Logging,pulpingandmanufacturing
processesareexpectedtoconformtotheenvironmentalregulationsofthe
countryoforigin.
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
AcatalogrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07
Contents
ListofTablesandFigures vi
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction: Science, Technology and Culture in 21st
CenturyJapan 1
1 National Innovation: Mobilizing Nations for the 21st
CenturyEconomy 10
2 Japan’sInnovationStrategies 30
3 TheKeitaiRevolution:TheMobileInternetinJapan 61
4 TheCommerceofAgeing 85
5 RoboticsinJapan 105
6 TheFrontiersofJapaneseScienceandCommerce 126
7 Conclusion:UnderstandingJapan’sInnovationStrategies 155
Notes 170
Index 191
v
List of Tables and Figures
Tables
2.1 Government science and technology funding
allocationstopriorityareas 40
2.2 National investment in research and development,
1995–2002 58
4.1 Japanesehouseholdswithelderlypeople(aged65and
older),1975–2001 91
6.1 Japanesesynchrotrons 127
6.2 MajorclusteringinitiativesinJapan 135
Figures
2.1 JapanScienceandTechnologyAgency 55
2.2 Japan’sscienceandtechnologyadministrativestructure 57
2.3 Shareofcountriesintotaltriadicpatentfamilies,2003 59
6.1 METIClusterPlan2003 136
6.2 2004 Nanotech-related patents filed in Japan, US, EC,
WObysub-categoryofnanotech 145
6.3 Breakdownofnanotechcompaniesbycategory 146
6.4 Initialpublicofferings,Japanesebiotechnologyfirms 152
vi
Acknowledgements
Works of scholarship draw on the support, encouragement and
insightsofmanydifferentpeople.Friendsandprofessionalcolleagues
in Canada and Japan have repeatedly provided assistance to us and
havemadethisbookpossiblethroughtheirtimelyadviceandinterest
intheproject.Wecontinuetobenefitfromtheprofessionalismand
supportofthestaffattheCanadianEmbassyinTokyo.Inparticular,
we thank Ms Noriko Abe, former Trade Commissioner (Science) and
Dr Elizabeth Theriault, Counsellor, Science and Technology 2003–
2006foralloftheirhelp.Abe-sanworkedtirelesslytosetupappoint-
ments, make suggestions of people and organizations to meet and
offeradviceandassistance.DrTheriault’ssupport,insightandassist-
ance during visits to Tokyo were invaluable. In addition, we are
extremely grateful for her careful reading of the manuscript and her
excellentadvice.
Our grateful appreciation goes to the following individuals: at
the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Mr Shohei Ishimaru,
Deputy Director, Business Environment Promotion Division,
Regional Economic and Industrial Policy Group and Ms Keiko
Murata, Deputy Director, Canada Desk, America-Oceania Division,
Dr Taizo Yakushiji, Expert Member, Council for Science and
Technology Policy, Cabinet Office, Research Institute of Economy,
Trade and Industry, Mr Masahiro Katsuno, Manager, International
Program and Conference Section and Dr Kazuyuki Motohashi,
Fellow, YRP Ubiquitous Networking Laboratory, Professor Ken
Sakamura, Director, and Dr Chiaki Ishikawa, Senior Researcher,
Hajimi Hikino,Director of Science Division, Tokyo Shimbun,
Yukitaka Kitamura, Director of Science Division, Yomiuri Shimbun,
ShiroSegawa,DirectorofScienceDivision,MainichiShumbun,Kenji
Makino,JapaneseAssociationofScienceandTechnologyJournalists,
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Techno-
logy, Dr Takashi Shimizu, Deputy Director, International Affairs,
Tsukuba Centre for Institutes, Yukio Nakamura, Director-General,
MrTakahashi,TsukubaCityAssociation,MrKojima,TsukubaCentre
for Institutes, Mr Kazuo Ishioka, Director, Tsukuba Office, National
vii
viii Acknowledgements
Institute of Science and Technology Policy, Research Centre for
Advanced Science and Technology, Dr Akihiro Sawa, Director
and Dr Akira Goto, RIETI Fellow. We both enjoyed discussions
with Jeff Alexander, now of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside,
whose passion for Japan studies and dissertation work on corporate
innovation in the country ensured lively and informative debates.
We are grateful for all of their assistance, but, of course, we are
responsibleforanyerrorsoromissionsinthechaptersthatfollow.
Carin Holroyd joined the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada in
2004 as their Japan specialist and has benefited enormously from
the professional, financial and intellectual support provided by
her friends and colleagues at the Vancouver-based think-tank. APF
co-CEOs, Paul Evens and Yuen Pau Woo, supported Carin’s research
tripstoJapan,providedavarietyofpublicationforumsforherwriting
on Japanese innovation and otherwise enabled the completion of
this project. Carin joined the Centre for International Governance
InnovationinWaterloo,Ontario,asaSeniorResearchFellowin2006
(while retaining her association with the APF). She has benefited
greatly from the rich intellectual and professional life of an organiz-
ationdevotedtoimprovingunderstandingofglobalissuesandfrom
thesupportprovidedbyExecutiveDirectorJohnEnglishandDaniel
Schwanen, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Research. Ken
Coates’sworkonthisprojectcommencedwhilehewasDean,College
of Arts and Science, University of Saskatchewan, and he remains
foreverindebtedtothefacultyandstaffofthisimpressiveinstitution
fortheirintellectualandpersonalsupport.Theprojectwascompleted
after Ken became Dean of Arts at the University of Waterloo, which
is known internationally for its commitment to scientific and tech-
nologicalinnovation.
Our personal debts are many, and it is likely that we will fail to
acknowledge several people who assisted with this project. If so, we
hope that they will forgive us the oversight. At Waterloo, we thank
Brenda Smith and Sherilee Diebold-Cooze in the Dean’s office for
their patient and timely help. We benefited enormously from the
academicadviceandcontributionsofourfriendsattheJapanstudies
Association of Canada, where we presented several draft chapters of
this project. Their comments, and those of professional colleagues
attheCanadianAsianStudiesAssociationandtheJapaneseBusiness
StudiesAssociation,strengthenedmanyaspectsofthisbook.Weowe
Acknowledgements ix
aparticulardebttoDrPaulParker,FacultyofEnvironmentalStudies,
UniversityofWaterloo,whosharedhisworkonphotovoltaicenergy
with us and who helped ease our transition to a new community.
Our work on national innovation was helped enormously by advice
receivedfromDr.CamiRyan,currentlyaPostDoctoralFellowinthe
FacultyofCommunicationandCultureattheUniversityofCalgary,
formerlyagraduatestudentsofDr.GrantIsaac,CollegeofCommerce
attheUniversityofSaskatchewan.
Ourfamiliescontinuetoprovideuswithinspirationandreasonsto
continuetowrite.LesandBethHolroydhavehadchallengingyears
onthehomefront,buttheirinterestinCarin’sworkandprofessional
advancementhasneverwavered.Wedrawheavilyfromtheirendless
wellofencouragementandinterest.Inourhouse,MarlonandHana
are now old enough to question why their parents spend so much
timereadingandatthecomputer;wejusthopethattheyappreciate
ourpassionforJapanandforunderstandingthesocialdimensionsof
scientific and technological change. Our family continues to grow,
with grandson William joining Josh and Laura in 2005 and with
SpencerarrivinginJulyof2007.NikkimarriedBradleyinJune2007,
a most welcome addition to the extended family. The continued
personal, academic and professional progress of all of the children,
including Mark and Wendy, remains a source of great joy as does
support from Ken’s mother, Margaret and our siblings Colin, Janice
andLisa.
For reasons known only too well to her, we dedicate this book to
BethHolroyd,whosestrengthandcommitmenttofamilysustainus
andremindusdailyofthevalueofalifewelllived.
CarinHolroydandKenCoates
Waterloo,Ontario