Transforming Japanese Business: Rising to the Digital Challenge (Future of Business and Finance)

This book explores how the business transformation taking place in Japan is influenced by the digital revolution. Its chapters present approaches and examples from sectors commonly understood to be visible arenas of digital transformation--3D printing and mobility, for instance--as well as some from not-so-obvious sectors, such as retail, services, and fintech. Business today is facing unprecedented change especially due to the adoption of new, digital technologies, with a noticeable transformation of manufacturing and services. The changes have been brought by advanced robotics, the emergence of artificial intelligence, and digital networks that are growing in size and capability as the number of connected devices explodes. In addition, there are advanced manufacturing and collaborative connected platforms, including machine-to-machine communications. Adoption of digital technology has caused process disruptions in both the manufacturing and services sectors and led to new business models and new products. While examining the preparedness of the Japanese economy to embrace these changes, the book explores the impact of digitally influenced changes on some selected sectors from a Japanese perspective. It paints a big picture in explaining how a previously manufacturing-centric, successful economy adopts change to retain and rebuild success in the global environment. Japan as a whole is embracing, yet also avoiding--innovating but also restricting--various forms of digitalization of life and work. The book, with its 17 chapters, is a collaborative effort of individuals contributing diverse points of view as technologists, academics, and managers Front Matter ....Pages i-xxiii Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Why Japan’s Digital Transformation Is Inevitable (Anshuman Khare, Kriti Khare, William W. Baber)....Pages 3-14 Rating Japan’s Readiness for an Evolving Digital Economy (Jerry Platt)....Pages 15-29 Digital Transformation Execution in Japan (Kieran Gane)....Pages 31-44 Digital Transformation Challenges in the Japanese Financial Sector: A Practitioner’s Perspective (Raja Karim)....Pages 45-54 The Japanese B2C Retail Industry in the Digital Age (Philippe Huysveld)....Pages 55-69 Does the Japanese Work Ethic Conflict with the Needs of Retail in the Digital Era? (Hiroki Ishikura, Anshuman Khare)....Pages 71-87 Front Matter ....Pages 89-89 Business Model Innovation: A Japanese SME Driven to Full Digitalization by Corporate Philosophy (William W. Baber, Makoto Sarata, Muga Tsukamoto)....Pages 91-104 A Study of a Three-Part Entrepreneurial Strategy in an MRO e-Procurement Platform in Japan (Yutaka Mizuno, Nobutaka Odake)....Pages 105-125 The Beginnings of Automated Loan Decisioning During Japan’s Lost Decades: The Case of Gate Finance (James Howard)....Pages 127-137 Innovation of Small- and Medium-Sized Manufacturers in the Digital Age (Nobutaka Odake)....Pages 139-151 Digitalization and Evolution of Business Model Pathways Among Japanese Software SMEs (William W. Baber, Arto Ojala, Ricardo Martinez)....Pages 153-165 Digital Disruption in Japanese Market Research: Disrupters and a Startup Connecting Incumbents with New Technology (Genjiro Kosaka)....Pages 167-177 Recovery from Significant Adversity: How Japanese Retailers Deal with Digital Disruption (Katrin Horn, Sierk Horn)....Pages 179-195 Foreign Investors’ Acceptance and Usage of PropTech in the Japanese Real Estate Market (Daniel J. Mills, David Gotsill)....Pages 197-208 Front Matter ....Pages 209-209 Artificial Intelligence in Japan: Policy, Prospects, and Obstacles in the Automotive Industry (Faith Hatani)....Pages 211-226 The Evolution and Strategic Operations Perspective on 3D Printing: The Global and Japanese Experience (Abubaker Haddud, Anshuman Khare, Hiroki Ishikura)....Pages 227-245 The Future of Fintech in the Context of the Japanese Main Bank System (Kanji Kitamura)....Pages 247-260 Back Matter ....Pages 261-265