100 Japanese
PostwarInnovations
Kozo Oikawa

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Item
 110th anniversary event of JIII in 201４
 Questionnaire to the public, experts, etc.
 Results (TOP 10, some confusion)

 Simple observations of the answers
 Subject of commending innovation
 Toward future innovation in the IoT era

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Motivation & Process Episode 1: Naming of ‘JIII’ by Mr. Ibuka(former JIII chairman)
 Visit to USPTO (Medal of Innovation)
 Episode 2: Difference between Jobs andGates
 What range defines ‘innovation’?
 First, let’s start from questions to thepublic and experts

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Our Definition of Innovation
 Innovation can be defined as “anundertaking, ultimately economic innature, which by creating something newbrings about major historical and socialchange that either develops beyond
national borders or has the potential to doso. It may include not just inventions, butbusiness models or projects, and may also
include inventions which, thoughoriginating outside of Japan, have been
substantially developed within Japan.”4

Questionnaire Results

No. of answers: ５,２６５（online）, １４８（via letter)
First, top 10 and high-ranking items (37 in total) were published before
the 110th anniversary ceremony(Top 3)
1: Shinkansen (1964)
2: Instant noodle (1958)
3: Walkman (1979)

(#4 and onward are listed in order of year)
4. Endoscope (1950)
5. Manga/Anime (1963)
6. Toyota Production System (1970)
7. Washlet (1980)
8. Home Video Game Console/Game Software (1983)
9. Light Emitting Diode (1993)
10. Hybrid Car (1997)5

Additional examples
 (Showa 20’s) Welding Method and Block

Construction Method (1949)
 (Showa 30’s) Transistor Radio (1955), Conveyor
Belt Sushi (1958)
 (Showa 40’s) Flexible Structured Buildings (1968),
Convenience Store (1974)
 (Showa 50’s) Express Delivery Service (1976),
CD and CD-R (1982)
 (Showa 60’s-Heisei 6) Umami (1985), LithiumIon Battery (1991)
 (Heisei 7-12) DVD (1996), Multi-Function Mobile
Phone (with i-mode, camera, etc.) (1999)
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Innovation lead by head of the companies
98765432107

Trends in technology development(original or applied)

OriginalApplied8

Classification
 Technology development type: 83
 Business model type: 15 (Conveyor Belt Sushi, Kumon

Method of Learning, Manga/Anime, Toyota ProductionSystem, Convenience Store, Walkman, Pre-FabricatedHousing, etc.)

 National innovation: 3 (Desulfurization, Denitration

and Dust Collection Systems, Energy Conservation, Recycleand Reuse) Long innovation: 4 (Welding Method and Block

Construction Method, Shinkansen, Umami, Pet Bottle
Aseptic Filling System (Kaku Insatsu))

9Classification by company size
and type of institutes
 SME: 10 (Fish Finder, Transistor Radio, etc.)
 University and public research institutes:

15 (Welding Method and Block Construction
Method, Endoscope, Flexible Structured
Buildings, Carbon Fiber and Carbon Fiber
Composite, Light Emitting Diode, etc.)

 Last SME innovation was in 1978

 University and industry collaboration cases

exist throughout the days following WWⅡ,
but have recently stagnated10Some Problems for Going Forward
・Next step ??? Many questions from answers(Do the Tokyo Olympics/pollution control
measures represent innovation? Has thediscovery of IPS cells already representedinnovation?) Long tail ranking is difficult topick up smoothly
・Visit to famous professors, buisinessauthorities, and institutes of big industry todiscuss the subjects above
・Second questionnaire to two institutes

11Subject of commending innovations
 Difficulty to identify the range ofinnovation
 Difficulty to identify persons/organizations(who is the best contributor,researcher, manager, prior developer?)・ Relationship between inventor and market
creator・ Competition effects from many companies
in the market
・ More complications in recent times
12Expectations for 21st century
innovation in Japan Bio・・・IPS cells
 Molecular chemistry ・・・ Carbon nanotubes
 Infrastructure-related technology (earthquake

resistant/absorbing construction, offshoreairports)
 Kindai Maguro (tuna) Cultural industry of Akihabara
 Robot suits, spiderweb threads (Japan Institute ofInvention and Innovation's 21st Century
Invention prizewinners)
 (Government-promoted science innovations) Development of national/social innovations for
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care insurance system, etc.

THANK YOU for YOUR ATTENTION

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