Gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the indices that measure a nation’s wealth. As is widely known, Japan’s GDP came in third today, overtaken by China. Japan is no longer in the top tier worldwide in terms of GDP per capita. Meanwhile, in contrast to what is indicated by those economic indices that measure the flow of goods and services like GDP, if you observe “inclusive wealth,” a stock index announced by the United Nations last year, Japan ranks second after the United States, and has the largest amount per capita. This paper will discuss Japan’s strengths and weaknesses while reviewing recent GDP trends, followed by an explanation of the Inclusive Wealth Index. Japan’s GDP is on a downtrend, both on a gross and a per capita basis  In this section we look at an international comparative analysis of GDP in the World ... ... [Read more]

A memorial symposium titled “The Dream of Aozora Bunko: The Future of Copyright and Culture” was held at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan hall on September 25, 2013, in memory of Tomita Michio, the person who initially proposed Aozora Bunko (hereinafter referred to as the “Blue Sky Library”). This event was sponsored by the Tomita Michio Memorial Event Executive Committee (co-chairpersons: Tomita Akiko and Yamaki Mie of the Blue Sky Library) along with the Blue Sky Library, Voyager Japan, Inc., Movements for the Internet Active Users (MIAU), Creative Commons Japan (a nonprofit corporation commonsphere) and ThinkC (a forum for discussing an extension of the copyright protection period). Niconico’s Internet broadcast service broadcast the symposium proceedings live on the Web. The proceedings are also available as archive videos on niconico’s website (*1).  Tomita Michio, the Blue Sky Library, and the Future of Books Fund The voice ... ... [Read more]

My wish was to allow them to sleep peacefully in their graves.” So said the late Tomita Michio when I interviewed him about electronic books at his house in Yokohama in 1999. I think even people who have never heard of Tomita might be familiar with the website Aozora Bunko, or the Blue Sky Library. Tomita is the Library’s founder. After Tomita left a publisher that specialized in science and technology books and became a freelancer, one of his close editor friends asked him to write a series of original paperbacks. It was a time when personal computing was beginning to emerge. Finding a need to document events in this period of transition to an information-oriented society as contemporary history, Tomita began gathering materials in 1984 and published Pasokon Soseiki (Personal Computer Genesis), his first solely authored book and the first in his series, ... ... [Read more]

How would one deal with an irritable neighbor? A former ambassador to China, who was closely in touch with people of China for four years, unlocks the mystery of their thought processes and mentality. “Know the enemy and know yourself” China’s economic development has been remarkable. Its nominal GDP was merely a quarter that of Japan in 2000, and yet it overtook Japan in 2010. It achieved a five-fold increase in ten years. The size of China’s economy reached 8.2270 trillion dollars in 2012, leaving Japan’s 5.9640-trillion-yen economy nearly 40 percent behind. Xi Jiping’s Chinese Communist Party has publicly committed to double the 2010 GDP in 2020 in real terms. If the Japanese economy does not grow, the economy will be half that of China’s in 2020. Growth in China’s military expenditures has been exceptional as well. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) ... ... [Read more]

Japan is creating new global products, including robots and regenerative medicine. CYBERDYNE Inc. — The robot suit obtains certification in Europe In August 2013, the world’s first medical treatment robot took its first step. The robot is the Robot Suit HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb), which was developed by CYBERDYNE Inc., a robot venture from the University of Tsukuba. Its smart design with the basic theme of white is captivating. It conforms to the body and supports and enhances physical functions and helps users regain lost functions. HAL was recently granted a CE Mark, a medical device certification. This represents the birth of the world’s first robot capable of treating people. HAL works in the following way. When people try to move their bodies, very weak biosignals escape to the surface of the skin, reflecting that intention to move. HAL captures these signals through its ... ... [Read more]

Over half of a smartphone’s internal parts are made in Japan. With Chinese and ROKn smartphone makers expanding their share, will Japanese parts maintain their strength? Open it up, and it’s made in Japan – this is something we often find. While Japanese smartphone manufacturers have a very low presence, the ratio of that which is made in Japan rises when it comes to parts. Capable of Internet access, calling and multiple other functions, all in a handheld size, smartphones consist of numerous Japanese electronic parts and materials that are small and provide high-performance quality. Republic of Korea’s Semco on the rise, yet Japanese makers maintain their presence in ultra-small products The small parts field is one where Japanese manufacturers excel. Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) are parts that store electricity and are indispensable to a great many electronic products. They assist power supply and ... ... [Read more]

Japanese manufacturers are currently at a big turning point. In the television industry, known to be their forte, Japanese manufacturers used to have global brands, superior competitiveness, and technological capabilities. However, Sony, Sharp, and Panasonic, all of which had displayed strong competitiveness in this industry with their high-resolution digital TVs, have undergone serious financial crises. All three manufacturers had to remove their top managers. They were also forced to make significant cuts to their workforce. These developments gave rise to the pessimistic view that Japan’s manufacturing-based national development was beginning to decline. However, Japanese manufacturers are maintaining their competitive advantage in global markets and securing high profits in sectors including machine tools and high-quality components and materials, such as carbon fiber. Among Japanese products, robot suits, which assist people who have difficulty walking, are drawing attention. A rapid paradigm shift seems to be taking ... ... [Read more]

It has been eight months since the Abe administration was inaugurated. Its catchphrase “Japan is back” is steadily being embodied, which is confirmed by the fact that the term “hollowing-out” has disappeared from media such as television and newspapers. I would like to discuss the current conditions and future challenges for Abenomics while attempting to present a retrospective assessment of Takahashi Korekiyo’s fiscal policies, which could be referred to as the Abenomics of the prewar period. As a first step to reviving Japan, the Abe administration aims to bail the nation out of a deflationary economy by undertaking drastic monetary easing by the Bank of Japan (BOJ). Before it was launched, Abenomics faced rising skepticism pointing out that monetary easing would not be effective in controlling the economy’s deflationary trends. Moreover, critics argued that no matter how sweeping the easing was, it would not ... ... [Read more]

  The Japanese cabinet headed by Abe Shinzo is attracting worldwide attention for its anti-deflationary and economic revitalization package, which is known as “Abenomics.” Behind this attention, there is concern that failure of the package, which includes an unprecedented level of monetary easing, would not only send the Japanese economy into a crisis situation but also affect the growth and stability of the entire global economy. For the time being, it has given people hope through the rise of share prices and the reversal of the excessive appreciation of the yen. An increase in capital investment in the corporate sector suggests a resurgence of entrepreneurship. However, continuation of economic growth beyond this short-term economic recovery will depend on whether or not the government manages to carry out the painful structural reform needed for economic reconstruction. Structural reform for continued economic development is referred to ... ... [Read more]

Behind the success were well-calculated tactics, not to mention impressive speeches by Tokyo bid committee members. Tokyo has been chosen to host the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. First of all, I salute this brilliant achievement from the bottom of my heart. The outcome of the vote by International Olympic Committee (IOC) members belied all speculation, as Madrid, which was seen as the favorite candidate city and the one that would closely compete with Tokyo, was quickly eliminated. It looks as if people suddenly felt deflated, because Madrid had been rumored over the preceding several weeks as being quite likely to win European Union support, which would lead to a majority of the IOC members voting for the Spanish city. It is widely speculated that Paris, which is aiming to host the 2024 Games, was reluctant to select its neighbor (Madrid) for 2020 ... ... [Read more]