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Download this reportJapan: Technology and Investment
Inside this issue
• Why the future of technology is being shaped by the natural world
• Young companies are finding the risk-averse culture a big challenge
• The old ways are still alive and kicking on Hachijo Island - -
Contents
Country struggles in mass market era
Success depends on a command of highly engineered and durable products, reports Robin Harding
Jaxa: Space programme left out in the cold
Mure Dickie on growing concerns over rocketing costs
Organic LED: Country lights way for future of television
Questions remain over arrival date for the lucrative technology, says Robin Harding
Related content and features
Video feature
CEO video interview
Dec 10: Roland relies on experience
Hidekazu Tanaka, president and CEO of Roland, the Japanese electronic musical instrument manufacturer, tells Robin Harding why he’s confident that the company will soon triple in size, despite fierce competition from the likes of Korea, Taiwan and China.
More stories
Biomimicry: Scientists raid Mother Nature’s cupboard
Evolutionary adaptations in the natural world are inspiring designers, writes Jonathan Soble
Venture capital: Start-ups forced abroad for financing
Michiyo Nakamoto looks at how a risk-averse culture is holding back new companies
Pharmaceuticals: Cutting-edge medicines are failing to open tight wallets
Biotech needs funds to be more forthcoming, says Lindsay Whipp
Traditional industry: Old skills cherished in land of the new
Mure Dickie visits Hachijo Island and the craftsmen who still use ancient mechanisms of production
Private equity: Buy-out interest grows for mismanaged businesses
The opportunity to gain undervalued but advanced companies is tempting, says Michiyo Nakamoto
Post-war economics: Fisherman who caught multibillion-dollar deal
Jonathan Soble looks to the fishing industry for clues about the country’s wider success
From golf swings to toilet flushing: the mobile phone delivers
The Japanese use their phones for so much more than speaking and e-mailing, writes Lindsay Whipp
