Japan and the Internet Revolution challenges the portrait of Japan as a technologically slow-moving nation, lacking in creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. Overcoming the substantial barriers erected by the Japanese government to the introduction of the Internet, promoters and entrepreneurs managed to create a flexible and dynamic Internet society. From a slow start, Japan has emerged as the global leader in the mobile internet, the host of arguably the strongest nation-specific web-presence in the world, and a country determined to remain near the forefront of the digital revolution.

The final section considers the political ramifications of information technology for critical societal debates ranging from privacy to intellectual property. The contributors to the book map out how the digital revolution shakes up politics, creating new economic and political winners and losers. In order to do so, they connect theories of political economy to the implications of digital technology for international as well as national markets.Attempts to construct a framework for analyzing the international digital era: one that examines the ability of political actors to innovate and experiment in spite of, or perhaps because of, the constraints posed by digital technology. This book examines the reaction of nations to the dual challenges of globalization and technological change.How do high wage countries stay rich in a global digital economy? "How Revolutionary was the Revolution" constructs a framework for analyzing the international digital era: one that examines the ability of political actors to innovate and experiment in spite of, or perhaps because of, the constraints posed by digital technology. In order to assess the revolutionary nature of the digital era, this book takes four overlapping approaches. First, it examines the reaction of nations, specifically Finland, Japan, and emerging markets, to the dual challenges of globalization and technological change. This section identifies both successful and failed national experiments intended to deal with these dual pressures. Second, it assesses corporate attempts to leverage digital technology to reorganize work. A broad range of issues including off-shoring, open source production systems, and knowledge management are addressed. Third, devoting detailed analysis to the case of mobile telephones, the book offers insights into the political economy of market evolution in the digital era.

Using case studies, interviews, and empirical sources, this book analyzes the strategies and impact of Internet use by civil society actors and asks how useful it is for their work – does the availability of Internet tools change the way citizens’ groups work, does it influence their effectiveness, and does it do so differently in Japan from other countries? Four fascinating studies take a closer look at the role of the Internet during the history textbook controversy; strategies of small citizen's groups; comparisons between internet use in Japan, Korea and Germany; and how the internet is used as a platform to discuss the dispatch of Japanese troops in Iraq. Isa Ducke has produced an original work that will be of interest to students and scholars of Japanese politics, media and information technology and civil society.

This book examines the rapid deregulation and changing nature of Japan's financial marketplace as it emerges from its worst economic crisis since the end of the Second World War. The author focuses on how U.S. firms like Citibank, AIG, Merrill Lynch, GE Capital, Fidelity Investments, and American Express have made large investments and built strategic businesses in a market that was effectively closed to them only a few years ago. He also profiles Japan's major financial institutions, which are aggressively restructuring to defend their home turf from foreign competitors. Now that the economic crisis appears to be over, this exciting new book gives business students, scholars, and executives an in-depth analysis and understanding of the on-going transformation of the Japanese marketplace in banking, securities, insurance, asset management, mutual funds, and consumer credit.

A comprehensive look at China's telecommunications industry this text considers the way Chinese companies and the government acted in concert to put telephones and Internet access in the hands of hundreds of millions in less than 25 years, and looks at the consequences of this telecommunications 'revolution'

The Routledge Handbook of Japanese Politics is an advanced level reference guide which surveys the current state of Japanese politics, featuring both traditional topics and cutting edge research. The volume is divided into five sections covering: domestic politics civil society social policy political economy and international relations/security The first four sections begin with an overview chapter that provides historical background information on the section’s overarching topic. The chapters that follow explore more specific topics in the sub-area. In the final section, historical background information is contained in the individual chapters which cover the diverse areas of international political economy, security and foreign policy. Offering a complete overview of the full spectrum of Japanese politics, the Handbook is an invaluable resource for academics, researchers, policy analysts, graduate and undergraduate students studying this ever-evolving field.

This book explores Japan's efforts to promote the commercial benefits of science and technology. Japan has made major scientific investments, with a view to enhancing the country's medium and long-term economic prospects; these successful efforts have re-enforced the country's reputation as a leader in the promotion of national innovation.