Nothing is quite as crucial for the world as innovation. It is what drives the world forward and makes it a better place. Countries around the world have been discovering the value in innovation for years. Because of this, they have developed some pretty exciting things to implement that allows for changes to take place.
Japan is a country that flirts with innovation while being terrified of it at the same time. Some of their traditional cultural aspects have hindered innovation in the past. Getting past these issues has been challenging and, at times, frustrating. But the country is currently looking to improve their innovative reach soon.
Technology
Technology is one of the most critical areas the world tends to focus on when it comes to innovation. In the past, Japan has fallen behind in some aspects of modern technology. For example, specific regulations have kept the development of drones and other advancements of technology from going forward.
If these rules stay in place, the country might eventually begin seeing a decrease in the number of jobs and investments that were available to their citizens. For this reason, some definite changes were necessary if the country intended to stay ahead of the technology innovation curve.
In the year 2020, the home of Olympics is Tokyo. Car manufacturers have decided this is the perfect opportunity to showcase an innovation that is being developed today in Japan. However, rules of the past have been hindering their progress.
Auto companies like Toyota, Nissan and Honda are all looking to develop an auto-drive car by the time the 2020 Olympics come into town. They believe this is the best time to showcase something of this magnitude.
To help them with this process, the Prime Minister is changing regulations, so they can test their new cars on the public roadways. Without these changes, it wouldn’t be possible for these companies to fulfill their goals.
One of the main reasons these regulation changes were put in place is because the Prime Minister was able to see how beneficial this type of invention would be, not only to Japan, but to the world as well. However, by allowing the development to take place in Japan, the country will see even more benefits when these cars are finally on the market. It is believed that these will become the cars of the future, which will greatly impact the economy of Japan if companies in the country produce and them.
Cultural Challenges
One challenge that has always been present in Japan is the fear of risk. Along with this, most people in Japan lack confidence in investments they consider to be risky. This can make it difficult for innovation to take place because of the changes that must happen.
It is important to understand that the culture of Japan offers a different look at the future than what Westerners expect. Instead of looking at the short-term, those in Japan are focused on the long-term results of their investments.
Sometimes, innovations are difficult to determine exactly how successful they will be. This leaves many Japanese businesses, investors and people hesitant to support innovations and products. For those who have developed innovations, they must spend additional time developing the strategy when for sharing their new products and innovations with those in the Japanese community.
Unfortunately, this is something that can hinder the process these individuals and businesses go through when they are looking to develop their ideas and innovations into actual products. They must spend a great amount of time coming up with a plan to discuss their products that they will minimize the amount of time spent developing it.
Luckily, over the past several years, innovators have been willing to take a chance on a risky innovation and found that it paid off handsomely. This opened the eyes of the Japanese and caused them to take notice of the up and coming innovations their people are developing. In the end, this has helped to change the mind of the government, which is now interested in supporting innovation that will promote economic growth in Japan.
Final Thoughts
Japan is just one country that is taking on the role of innovation in its economy. They are poised to become a leader in the areas they are focusing on, and it will be exciting to discover where they will lead the technology industry in the future. With their success, it will only be natural for them to continue to inspire their citizens and the companies that are a part of the economy to become more innovative in the future.
Innovation is one of the greatest tools we have as humans to make the world a better place. Without it, our world would no longer have the significant advancements that have made it as functional as what it currently is.
The process of spurring innovation is alive and well in many countries around the world. However, it is also something that should be present in businesses of all sizes. Companies should work to develop ways for their employees to become more innovative and support the growth of innovation in their industries. Only then will we all be able to enjoy the benefits of change and what it offers to the world.