Manufacturing Technology and Japan

Cultural Dynamics: Rise of Manufacturing Japan Technology in Postwar Japan was one of the countries that had been devastated by the holocaust of the Second World War. Despite the devastating experience that the country experienced during the war, Japan dedication has made the country to become one of the top technologically developed countries in the world comparatively with the United States and German.

The objective of this study is to review the article titled " In Search of 'Wakon': The Cultural Dynamics of the Rise of Manufacturing Technology in Postwar Japan"[footnoteRef:1]. The book reveals that Japan develops a unique cultural dynamic to achieve a rise in the manufacturing technology. [1: Koizumi, Kenkichiro. "In Search of Wakon: The Cultural Dynamics of Manufacturing Technology in Postwar Japan.] Review of the Article Koizumi was amazed about the technological advancement that happened to Japan 25 to 35 years after the second world war[footnoteRef:2].

Few years after the war, there was a wide technological gap between Japan and Europe, however, Japan was able to overtake Europe and reach the technological expertise with the United States few decades after the war. According to the author, several theories attributed to the rapid advancement in the technology that Japan has experienced.

Some commentators believed that the Japanese post-war advancement was attributed to the implementation of policy introduced by the MITI (Ministry of International Trade and Industry") (29).[footnoteRef:3] using single-minded implementation of industrial policy similar to Meiji Restoration of 1868, which was designed to nurture the Japanese manufacturing. [2: Ibid Koizumi, Kenkichiro.] [3: Op Cite Koizumi, Kenkichiro.] After Japan was defeated in the Second World War, there was a scarcity of food, refrigerators, vehicles, radios and other necessities. The scarcity pushed Japan to focus on manufacturing of consumer products.

Moreover, the country goal was to rebuild their country to improve their technological development. Typically, Japan focuses on endless technological innovation to improve their national pride and self-esteem. Thus, Japan was able to excel technologically by spying on the technology advancement of other countries. At the height of the Second World War, Japan sent emissaries to German to obtain information about the secret of their technologies. Using this strategy, Japan was able to obtain information about many industrial products that include MB 501 engine.

For example, Japan discovered that MB 501 engine was made with one micrometer. Started in 1955, Japan adopted the policy of imitation and was able to imitate the British and the U.S. technology. After some years, the imitation policy had paid off because the Japanese manufacturing technology had advanced to the level that they were developing the electronics, steel, textile and automobile industries. By 1980s, United States started buying the Japanese products and considering the Japanese economy.

Yamamura supports the argument of the previous author by pointing out that Japan has been able to achieve a superior technological innovation at post-war through imitation of the American and German technologies. [footnoteRef:4] The authors cited that Japan was technological follower between 1948 and 1964 where the majority of Japanese were low-income earners. Comparatively, Japan was considered a low-income country. After the war, Japan started the production of motorcycles and the country produced just 200 motorcycles in 1948. However, by 1960, Japan had been producing over 1.5 million motorcycles yearly.

Yamamura believes that quality improvement is based on imitation. [4: Yamamura, Eiji, Tetsushi Sonobe, and Keijiro Otsuka. "Time path in innovation, imitation, and growth: the case of the motorcycle industry in postwar Japan] Koizumi points out Japan develops the culture of imitation following their contact with European in the 19th century[footnoteRef:5]. While Japan adopted the policy of isolation during the period however, the Japanese encounter with the West made them be struck with the superior western technology.

With the intention to enhance their technological advancement, Japan copied the technologies of the West and modified them to suit their domestic situation. [5: Op Cite Koizumi, Kenkichiro] The analysis of the Japanese technology shows that the country is audacious and do not want to depend on another country to survive. Essentially, many countries especially the developing countries continue to depend on the West for survival by always asking for aids. However, the Japanese people do not believe in this idea.

Rather Japanese believes that they can develop technological similar to the level of the United States and German. Thus, the country adopted a policy of imitation. In the contemporary technology environment, imitation is the best strategy to develop technologically. Essentially no country will be ready to reveal the secret of their technology because they believe that this idea will decline their competitive market advantages.

Presently, Japan is one of the advanced countries in the world and some European countries are presently imitating the country technological policies to develop their manufacturing technologies. The analysis.