Information Technology Innovation and the Japanese Economy

By Kazunori Minetaki and Kiyohiko Nishimura

The notion that innovation in information technology could spark a revitalization of the Japanese economy became a hot topic in 2000, and the Japanese government announced an e-Japan Strategy for creating a "knowledge emergent society" in January 2001. However, just when a consensus seemed to be emerging regarding the importance of IT innovation in Japan, the country's IT industries were deeply influenced by a recession that originated in the U.S. Although economic conditions have improved, strong IT-driven economic growth in Japan has not bounced back.

Using a newly constructed set of data, this book examines how the Japanese economy has been affected by advances in information and communications technology, and whether Japan's experience with IT advancement was a short-lived bubble or part of a truly revolutionary change in the Japanese economy that will lead to long-term growth. The authors discuss similarities and differences between Japan's experience with IT innovation and that of the United States, where IT is thought to have played a major role in stimulating the economy.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804773890
• ISBN13: 9780804773898
• Release Date: July 2010
• Publisher: Stanford Economics and Finance
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.1"