Synopses & Reviews
How can Japan cure "the Japan Disease" and get its economy moving again? Despite Japan's enoromous wealth and global leadership in technology, its economy has been trapped in a seemingly endless period of stagnation.
One of Japan's most successful entrepreneurs tackles an issue that is central to the prosperity of Japan and the rest of the world. Co-author Hiroshi Mikitani is the founder and CEO of Rakuten, one of the world’s largest Internet companies. Mikitani selected the best person to help him think through the problem: his father, international economist, Ryoichi Mikitani, a professor at Kobe University for much of his career. Co-author Mikitani Sr. studied at Harvard with leading economists like Keynesian James Duesenberry and Nobel winner Wassily Leontief, and was a visiting fellow at Yale University. Sadly, Mikitani Sr. passed away shortly after this book was completed.
The Power to Compete is a freewheeling and candid conversation between Japan's leading entrepreneur and his economist father about how to cure the malaise caused by Japan's most pressing economic, business, political and cultural issues.
In The Power to Compete, Mikitani discusses Abenomics, and says that Japan is still drifting aimlessly, trying to live a "Galapagos' existence, shunning international frameworks and hiding from global realities. Mikitani's efforts include being a founding member and Chairman of JANE, the Japan Association of the New Economy, whose mission is to enhance Japan's competitiveness through expanded e-business and increased IT use. Mikitani Sr.'s background as an international economist help put the issues in perspective, while their banter lightens it up.
The theme of their running conversation is, what is the best roadmap to revitalize Japan and make the country more competitive? How can Japan overhaul its economy, education system, immigration system, public infrastructure, and hold its own with China? What are the pros and cons of Abenomics, the free market economic policies of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe? Their ideas range from applying business techniques like Key Performance Indicators to fix the economy; using information technology to cut government bureaucracy by half; and increasing the number of foreign firms with a head office in Japan.
Synopsis
-If you're as interested in Japan as I am, I think you'll find that The Power to Compete is a smart and thought-provoking look at the future of a fascinating country.- - Bill Gates, -5 Books to Read This Summer-
Father and son - entrepreneur and economist - search for Japan's economic cure The Power to Compete tackles the issues central to the prosperity of Japan - and the world - in search of a cure for the -Japan Disease.- As founder and CEO of Rakuten, one of the world's largest Internet companies, author Hiroshi Mikitani brings an entrepreneur's perspective to bear on the country's economic stagnation. Through a freewheeling and candid conversation with his economist father, Ryoichi Mikitani, the two examine the issues facing Japan, and explore possible roadmaps to revitalization. How can Japan overhaul its economy, education system, immigration, public infrastructure, and hold its own with China? Their ideas include applying business techniques like Key Performance Indicators to fix the economy, using information technology to cut government bureaucracy, and increasing the number of foreign firms with a head office in Japan. Readers gain rare insight into Japan's future, from both academic and practical perspectives on the inside.
Mikitani argues that Japan's tendency to shun international frameworks and hide from global realities is the root of the problem, while Mikitani Sr.'s background as an international economist puts the issue in perspective for a well-rounded look at today's Japan.
- Examine the causes of Japan's endless economic stagnation
- Discover the current efforts underway to enhance Japan's competitiveness
- Learn how free market -Abenomics- affected Japan's economy long-term
- See Japan's issues from the perspective of an entrepreneur and an economist
Japan's malaise is seated in a number of economic, business, political, and cultural issues, and this book doesn't shy away from hot topics. More than a discussion of economics, this book is a conversation between father and son as they work through opposing perspectives to help their country find The Power to Compete.