Business Education in Japan

In Japan, the most prominent players in business education are corporations because they provide on-the-job training to their employees, particularly new graduates. However, with the low growth of the Japanese economy after the collapse of the bubble economy around 1990 and the recent drastic changes in the international environment, it is necessary to reexamine business education. To cope with the drastically changing environment, many Japanese companies are evolving their education model to emphasize off-the-job training in addition to on-the-job training. The main target of such training now includes senior executives, in addition to junior- to mid-level executives. Business schools play a role in educating senior executives. Although major Japanese companies utilize top business schools overseas, Japanese business schools are still the major education providers. This chapter discusses the recent changes, prospects, and issues concerning Japanese business schools.

Strategic Transformation in Japan’s SMEs, 1990–2008: Flexible Specialization, Industrial Restructuring, and Technological Change

The bursting of the “bubble economy” in 1989–1990 brought decades of challenge for Japanese Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), which had assumed the role of subcontractor within production networks dominated by large companies. This article explores the impact of a rapidly altered business environment, due to economic crisis, the decline of relational subcontracting, and technological change, on the management and organization of firms. It provides a needed historical account of Japanese SMEs striving to avoid “hollowing out,” and detailed case studies explain what gaining greater independence as a flexible specialist meant in practice. A focus on the immediate advantages of computerized tools could not bring about the intended strategic objectives, whereas the systemizing of new and existing resources in skills and equipment enabled sustainable competitive differentiation in production and products. The case studies map out the internal competence transformations of SMEs over time, and indicate the value of historical approaches to exploring strategic and organizational change.

Tokyo Zentai Club: Subculture or Identity Crisis over Youth in Japan Urban Area?

The rising of urbanization in Japan is going to advance after 1945s, while Japan Government absorb workers excessively to develop infrastructure and economic growth. As a pioneer, many workers from remote provinces gathered in Tokyo, serve the country as salaryman or labor, called Generation X. Owing to them, Japan became a prosperous country in 1980s, but contrary created Generation Y and Generation Z who categorized as a consumptive society, good earned, but lack of spiritually experience self-identity crisis. They joined Tokyo Zentai Club, a community of urban youth living in Tokyo, peculiarly wear colorful-spandex-tight-suit covered head to toe, spending nights by chit-chat inside members. This paper will describe the identity construction of Tokyo Zentai Club members, associated as a form of liquid modernity toward Generation Z. Miura Atsushi through Nihon Yokai-ron, adopted Liquid Modernity concept by Zygmunt Bauman. This concept explains that the personal construction of Generation Z within society is liquid, unrigid, and easy to follow the flow. In this case, means an individual experiencing an identity crisis. It found that Tokyo Zentai Club members claim this action as different ways to express self-identity through false identity. They are classified as sub-problem of unconnected society (muen shakai) try to be a part of liquid society through the urban community. The majority member is Generation Z, who lack personalities and have self-identity crisis affected by the bubble economy burst in 1991. This false identity is used by members as escaping strategy to deal with an urban stressful life and unconnected society in Japan.

The Financial Instruments and Exchange Law

Japan adopted the Securities and Exchange Law in 1948, modelled on US law. While the securities market rapidly developed at the time of high economic growth, the regulatory system lagged behind the growth of the market. In the aftermath of the ‘bubble economy’, improvement of the regulatory system was sought. Following the UK ‘Big Bang’, Japan launched its financial ‘Big Bang’ in 1996/1997. There was substantial deregulation in this area. The Securities and Exchange Law was replaced by the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law in 2006. Corporate disclosure system as well as the rules on TOB (takeover bids) have been improved.

The Japanese Banks in the Lasting Low-, Zero- and Negative-Interest Rate Environment

The bursting of the Japanese bubble economy in the early 1990s put the stage for a lasting low-, zero-, and negative-interest rate environment, which fundamentally changed the business environment for the Japanese commercial banks. On the income side, with interest margins becoming increasingly depressed, net interest revenues declined, which forced the banks to expand revenues from fees and commissions. The banks had to cut costs by reducing the number of employees, closing branches and merging into larger banks. The gradual concentration process has most recently cumulated in the relaxation of the monopoly law. With the capital allocation function of banks being undermined, the Japanese economy has become zombified, suffering from anemic growth.

The Impact of New Technology on China-Japan Economic Development Research

After the Second World War, Japan played a leading role in economic recovery and became the world’s second largest economic power. But in 1985, the Japanese entered the bubble economy. After the bubble burst in the early 1990s, Japan’s economy collapsed and fell into a “lost era.” Since then, Japan has not fully recovered. The lack of financial supervision bears an inescapable responsibility for the formation, development and bursting of Japan’s bubble economy. Japan should probably take comprehensive deepening reforms, especially supply-side structural reforms, as the main tasks of the current and next phases. China and Japan have a long history of economic cooperation and innovation cooperation with a good foundation. At present, some important changes have taken place in the global economic and technological conditions, which have had a trending influence on the economic innovation cooperation between China and Japan. The new technology revolution has greatly expanded the field of Sino-Japanese cooperation and innovated the cooperation method, and the prospect of win-win cooperation between the two sides will be even broader.

CURRENT STATE OF THE JAPANESE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS

The article examines the transformations of the Japanese management model after the collapse of the "bubble economy" in order to demonstrate the key changes in this model. The question of the expediency of its further application in Japanese business practice is raised.