Innovation Crisis: Successes, Pitfalls, and Solutions in Japan

ISBN-13: 9789814800747 / Angielski / Miękka / 2019 / 144 str.

Eichii Yamaguchi

Opis

After devoting 21 years of his life and a substantial part of his earnings to physics research, the author thought of dedicating the rest of his life to it. However, this thought brought the awareness about the worthlessness of research if it did not convert to anything of value and the imminent perishment of science and innovation in Japan. He felt an urgent need to save this sinking ship or it would be disrespectful to future generations. What has gone wrong in Japan that has led to this innovation crisis? This quest spanned 18 years and several academic disciplines, and initially it appeared it had no context. But only after putting all the different pieces together did the author realize that it was actually one story. In this completely new, meaningful, and interesting book, the author integrates his research on innovation policy, innovation theory, and trans-science. He begins the book with a detailed story of the innovation of blue LEDs for which three Japanese scientists received Nobel Prize in physics in 2014.

Recenzje

"This book explores the path of Japanese innovation from the 1950s through the 1990s, a period when disruptive research took place within academia and other research institutions. These early triumphs included the work of Hiroshi Amano in gallium nitride crystals, the designing of the Intel 4004 and Intel 8080 microprocessors by Masatoshi Shima, and the development of infrared semiconductor laser by Takashi Matsuoka. The book discovers that innovations in Japan would ultimately stall as conservative valuation-based criteria for research projects generally displace research efforts that can often be disruptive. It explores the philosophy underpinning the slowdown in innovation and the failure to continue developing disruptive technologies in a manner similar to those in the United States. It justifies why innovation must be driven by interactions between researchers and lay users and the focus of institutional research should shift to innovative entrepreneurial research designed specifically to discontinue existing paradigms and promote new technologies." - Prof. S. J. Gabriel, CHOICEconnect

Spis treści

Preface. Prologue.
1. Introduction 1.1 Japanese Corporates Are No Longer Innovating 1.2 What Can Be Done to Revive Innovation? 1.3 Structure of the Book
2. Why Has Japan Failed While America Succeeded? 2.1 What Are the Points of Difference Between Japan and America? 2.2 What Is SBIR? 2.3 Japan’s Institutional Failure
3. How Is Innovation Born? 3.1 Abduction: Understanding the True Nature of Science 3.2 Innovation Diagram of Blue LED 3.3 Resonance and Transilience 3.4 Breaking Away from Paradigm Sustaining Innovation
4. Science Resonating with Society 4.1 What Is Trans-science? 4.2 Two Symbolic Accidents 4.3 Why Is Scientific Thinking in Organizations Lost?
5. Social System That Produces Innovation 5.1 Reconstructing the Fields of Resonance 5.2 Institutional Reform of Universities and Industries 5.3 Toward a Society Where Everyone Pursues Science
Epilogue. References. Index.

O autorze

Eiichi Yamaguchi is a professor at Kyoto University, Japan, since 2014. He completed his MSc and DSc from the University of Tokyo, Japan, in 1977 and 1984, respectively. He has been senior physicist at NTT Basic Research Laboratory, executive fellow at 21st Century Public Policy Institute of Keidanren, and professor at Doshisha University, Japan. He is the founder of four start-up companies: ArcZone K.K. (1998), Powdec K.K. (2001), ALGAN K.K. (2005), and CONNEXX SYSTEMS K.K. (2011), and is currently a board member of Powdec K.K. He is author of the books Innovation: Paradigm Disruption and Fields of Resonance; Recovering from Success: Innovation and Technology Management in Japan; Root for JR Fukuchiyama Train Incident: Rethinking Corporate Social Responsibility from Science; Fukushima Report: Root Cause for the Nuclear Accident; Five Physics Theories to Learn Before You Die; Science of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy; Why Innovation Ceased: Crisis of Scientific Japan; and The Graves of Physics: Seeking the Secret of Inspiration.