Policy Studies Series: Japanese Technology Policy: What's the Secret?

Abstract

Japan's extraordinary technological achievements over the past two decades have prompted lively debates in the United States and abroad about how best to promote the development and application of technology. These debates ultimately all come down to one basic issue-the secret of Japan's success. Has government policy made a major contribution to Japan's technological achievements or are they primarily due to the vitality of Japanese industry? This paper does not attempt to survey Japanese industrial policy. Instead, it is limited to an analysis of Japanese technology policy. It sorts through the fact and fiction surrounding Japan's performance and highlights ten key features of its technology policy. In doing so, it sets the stage for the Council's major forthcoming report, Gaining New Ground: Technology Priorities for America's Future. The report on technology priorities will pick up where this paper leaves off. In it, the Council will identify the critical technologies driving American industry's performance over the coming decade and will make key recommendations for U.S. managers and public officials to improve their performance.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA250528

Entities

People

  • David W. Cheney
  • William W. Grimes

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Agreements
  • Biological Sciences
  • California
  • Commerce
  • Databases
  • Engineering
  • Governments
  • International Trade
  • Investments
  • Manufacturing
  • Money
  • Procurement
  • Research Facilities
  • Semiconductors
  • Training
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Defense Technology Research and Development.
  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.